Blog Assignment #4

Assignment Part 1:

1. Moral Relativism is a philosophical view, that suggests that all ethical statement's are equal. There is no right or wrong, and no opinion is better than the other. Moral relativism, however, is subjective, because it is based on a persons opinion. That is what they believe is right or wrong, good or evil. So there can be no standard by which to compare two different moral statement's to determine which is more correct.

2. In the online resource I used, It showed many different sites definitions of Moral Relativity. They basically all said the same thing, Moral relativism is a philosophical view that what is right or wrong and good or bad is not absolute but variable and relative, depending on the person, circumstances, or social situation. They also placed great emphasis on the cultural aspect of it, saying what a culture or society believed to be right or wrong, good or bad was conditional.

http://www.answers.com/topic/moral-relativism


3. Arguable Issue: The arguable issue is whether or not Moral Relativism is a good view to hold.

Conclusion: Moral Relativism is not a good view to hold.

Premises:
(1) All human laws involve some principle being enforced by threat of consequences
(2) Can only be used to excuse or allow certain actions
(3) It can never be used to condemn an action

Assignment Part 2:

The Role of Majority View

1. Technically the majority view would be at least fifty one percent of a group of individuals, according to the Ruggiero book, and almost every mathematician in the world. That's not to say that the majority view is the best view though, as those individuals may have little to no knowledge of the subject. For example, if the majority of the people in a test group voted for a certain politician to be elected, he may not be the best or most qualified candidate for the job, that's not to say he wont do the best job, but just because the "majority" voted for him doest mean he will pan out to be the best elected official, so the majority could have been wrong in who they elected.

2. Arguable Issue: The arguable issue is whether or not the Majority View is a reliable basis for ethical decision-making.

Conclusion: The majority view is NOT a reliable basis for ethical decision making.

Premises:
(1) People may have limited knowledge of the subject
(2) People would have listened to and considered facts differently
(3) People will judge topics based on their own pre-concieved notions


The Role of Feelings

1. As Rousseau said " What I feel is right is right, what I feel is wrong is wrong." Feelings are conditional, they are what an individual wants. Feelings make you live your life in a way that expresses who you are as a person. If you feel something is wrong a healthy, you shouldnt do it, where as if you feel something is right you should. That, however, does not mean you are in fact right or wrong in what you do. Hitler and Stalin for example killed millions, but they were following their feelings. So just because your following your feelings, it doesnt mean your doing whats right or wrong, just what is right and wrong for you.

2. Arguable Issue: The arguable issue is whether or not our feelings are a reliable basis for ethical decision-making.

Conclusion: Feelings are not a reliable basis for ethical decision making.

Premises:
(1) Feeling's are desire's.
(2) Desire's are not always socially acceptable (I.E. Killing people)
(3) May conflict with other people's feeling's.

Assignment Part 3:

1. The ability to express yourself in your own words is essential in this class. Did you put everything in your own words this time?

With the exception of the quotes I used, yes I believe I put everything in my own words. However my own words were based of the text, so they do seem simialr to what I read.

2. What was easiest / hardest about this assignment?

The easiest part of the assignment was the reading. The hardest was making time to do it. I did however find this to be an interesting assignment, it seemed to really make me think, I actually enjoyed it.

3. How will you apply what you learned through this assignment to your everyday life?

I will try and use what I learned in the Role of feelings chapter and take into consideration other people's feelings more often.

4. How well do you think you did on this assignment? Explain.

I think I did pretty well on this assignment. I feel like it challenged me a bit, but I think I stepped up to the challenge. I cited sources when asked to and put everything into my own words. Plus, I actually read the chapters, so that should count for something haha.