Final Blog Post Assignment

(1) Question:

Do human beings have a natural tendency to good, a natural tendency to evil, or some combination of tendencies? What are the implications of the answer for ethics?

(2) Conceptual Clarifications:

• Tendencies: a natural or prevailing disposition to move, proceed, or act in some direction or toward some point, end, or result: the tendency of bodies falling towards earth.


• Implications: something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood; the act of implying; the state of being implied: to know only by implications.

(3) Answer:

Naturally it is safe to say that humans often have a tendency to do good but there are those certain people and certain times in life where we have the tendency to do evil. Which leads to us to having a combination of both good and evil. But what makes something good? Or evil? That depends on the person, the situation, the other people involved, if there are any, and any other factors that may pay a role in the decision. We are influenced by our surroundings, society and daily actions that make us choose whether or not we want to do good or bad? I think for most people they mostly choose good over evil but like I said were all human and we do all make mistakes. Those who choose evil over good most likely have a nagative mindset or it's because of the way they were brought up that eveil is distilled in them. Also, the implications of ethics involce the questions like are the implications I'm assuming or taking, well are they ethical? Is it ethical to think this way? Are the actions ethical that I'll be making from these implications? Like it says above implications is something implied or suggested. We don't know if our suggestions are right or wrong, or good or bad because it is only a suggestion of our own opinion.

(4) Example:

Like I posted under images, it's an example of the good of recycling along with the bad of littering. In some people cases we may try to recycle to help the environment ,but sometimes we make mistakes and we might litter. This can be similar to other situations where at one point we may be doing good and in others we can find ourselves doing bad. This leads to most people having a combination of both good and bad. Another example would be sometimes people try to help others but while they think they are helping them they could be hurting them by telling them something they think is a good idea, and it might be but the actions they take on with the advice give could turn into something bad. It comes down to the person, the situation and the actions and people involved and every situation is different because the factors are always different.

(5) Word Count: 513

(6) Image:

(7) References:

Ruggiero. (2008). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. McGraw Hill.

The Origin of Ethical Behavior �." On Philosophy. 20 Apr. 2009 .

(8) Extra Credit:

Did it already! :)

Blog Assignment #10

Ethical Decision Making Framework

FOCUS: Moral Ideals


STEP ONE: THE DETAILS OF THE CASE

(1) Choose one inquiry, from inquiries 1 - 28 (pages 114 - 117). Indicate which inquiry you chose, and then briefly explain it in your own words: I chose inquiry # 21. It talks about a high school basketball coash having a rule for his players that if he catches any of them smoking or finds out that they have been smoking they will be dropped from the team for the rest of the season.

(2) Stakeholders: The basketball coach, the player caught smoking, the other teammates on the basketball team, the school, the other team they are playing.

(3) Are the details given sufficient? Why or why not? The details given are sufficient enough because within the inquiry the coach states what his rules are and what the consequences are if you break them. And he clearly


(4) What additional questions does this inquiry raise? What did the other teammates think about this decision? Did anyone else on the team know that the one player got caught? What would have happened if he had suspended that player? Would it make a difference to the team winning?


STEP TWO: THE RELEVANT CRITERIA


1. Obligations (aka "duties"): Optional this week

2. Moral Ideals (aka "virtues"): See breakdown of ideals below

3. Consequences (aka "outcomes" or "results"): Optional this week


NOTE: Not ALL of the following ideals will apply! Only consider the main ones that you believe apply, in the inquiry you chose. Don't just pick the easy ones to consider, because you didn't take the time to thoroughly read the chapter and learn what each one of these actually means. I will quiz you when we do group work on Thursday.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Prudence: n/a


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Justice: This relates because the coach might give justice to the one player by a way of playing favorites so he can play in the game or maybe so they have a better chance at winning.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Temperance: n/a


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Courage: The coach would show that he has courage by still punishing the player even if that means the player or players would get mad because it's such a big game and that he has courage for sticking to his word even though it might mean they won't win.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Loving Kindness: n/a


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Honesty: If the coach was honest to himself and his players he would punish the player because it would show that he's sticking to his word and making things fair by being honest.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Compassion: The coach might have compassion for the player and not punish him because hes worked hard all season and deserves to play in the big game.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Forgiveness: The coach could forgive the player for smoking and not hold it against him.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Reparation: This could be tied in by the player never smoking again to show his teammates and coach that what he did was wrong and that it affected them too.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Repentance: This has to do with the inquiry because the player could apologize to the coach for smoking when he knew he would get in trouble.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Gratitude: The player might have gratitude towards the coach for either forgiving him for what he did or for allowing him to still play in the game.


* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Beneficence: The coach might be easy on the player because it's such a big game and allow him to play as a random act of kindness even though what he did was wrong and he knows it. (pg. 110)


* Conflicting ideals--consider the relative importance of each; determine which ideal represents the greater good (or the lesser evil). See pages 110-11 for clarification. Erase this sentence & insert your own answer.



STEP THREE: POSSIBLE COURSES OF ACTION


Alternative #1: The coach could ignore what the player did and pretend it never happend.


Alternative #2: The coach could punish the player and no longer allow him to play in the game


Alternative #3: The coach could find another punishment for the player but still allow him to play in the big game of the season.


STEP FOUR: THE MOST ETHICAL ACTION


Examine the action taken or proposed and decide whether it achieves the greater good (the most widespread "respect for persons")...if it does not, choose one that will, from your alternatives. Where the choice of actions is such that no good can be achieved, choose the action that will result in the lesser evil.Erase this sentence & insert your own answer. Justify your answer in DETAIL. Make sure you cite specific passages from the book and/or chapter, which helped you arrive at your conclusion...thus proving to me you read this book.

The most ethical action would be that the coach stick to his word and not let the player play in the big game for smoking. It would show that he is firm about his rules. It would lead to his players listening and respecting him for his rules so others won't make the same bad decision and it would teach the player who was caught smoking not to do it again. I came to this conclusion by reading the ideals in conflict (pg. 110) because although the coach wants to punish the player he might be punishing himself because the team might not win. But with most decisions there is some kind of conflict but we still have to make that decision because we know it's whats right and most ethical.



SELF EVALUATION

1. In your own words, describe something new that you learned from this week’s assigned reading material and guidance.

I learned more in depth about values and virtues. I learned that there are many different kinds that we deal with everyday and we just don't realize it. Everyone has there own morals but there is still a basic code of morals and virtures that we all try to or should try to follow.

2. In your own words, describe in detail some insight you gained, about the material, from one of your classmates' blogs this week.

When I read over JDR's ethics blog I learned that everyone has different looks on what is ethical and what is the best decision that can be made in different situations.

3. Did you post a thoroughly completed post to your blog on time this week?

Yes i did :)

4. Did you ALSO print this out, so you can bring it to class and earn total points?

Yesss!


5. Of 25 points total, my efforts this week deserve:

I feel that I deserve atleast a 20 because I fully completed the assignment and did it on time. I answered each part to the best of my ability I'm just not sure if I did everything completely correct or how you wanted it. I took my time doing this assignment and spend a lot of time doing so. I also read the chapter to get a full and better understanding of the assignment so I could do it to the best of my ability.

Blog Assignment #9

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ASSIGNMENT PART ONE
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In this section, we're going to return for a moment to Chapter 7, to the section that discusses errors that are common in the analysis of moral issues (p. 89). Breifly explain each of the following errors in your own words, as if you were explaining the concept to a friend who had never taken this class (consider who, what, when, where, why, how, when); and then give an example of each one, preferably from your own past experience.

Unwarranted Assumptions: It includes not taking other important imformation into consideration because we take it for granted or we assume something without knowing.

Example: When your supposed to have a test scheduled for next week but you don't go to class the week before because you already have the necessary materials to study you assume that the test will remain schedualed for that day. But had you gone to class the week before the test you would have known that it got bumped up to the day before which is one of the days you decided not to go. Now since you assumed that it wasn't going to change, you've now missed a test and recieved a zero.

Oversimplification: Is not just looking at the most obvious aspects of a situation before coming to a conclusion. When analyzing something you need to think of all the other relevant information that can lead to a conclusion and not just what it most obvious.

Example: When you see your boyfriend and your best friend walking out of your boyfriends house together as you pull up. Don't just assume that anything was going on between the two of them or that he is cheating on you. Because they could have been studying together or planning something for you where they needed each others help.

Hasty Conclusions: Would be passing judgement on something without fully knowing what it is were judging or coming to a conclusion about.

Example: Meeting someone who when you met them seemed stuck up and spoiled so you wanted nothing to do with them because you don't like being around people like that. But one day your with a group of people at someones house and you overhear her talking and you end up talking to her later realizing that she wasn't stuck up or rude at all, all you had to do was talk to her and try to get to know her.

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ASSIGNMENT PART TWO
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Briefly answer the following "chapter opening" questions, in your own words, based on what you learned by studying chapter eight:

1. What do we do in situations where there is more than a single obligation? Well, for starters, which may be hard you can choose one over the other based on importance. If you can't do that then you try and figure out a way to balance both. The may be obligations of all sorts of things such as a professional obligation or a family or friend obligation. In those cases more people have different amounts of time set aside for each of those so finding some time for all those obligations shouldn't be too difficult unless they are conflicting.

2. How can we reconcile conflicting obligations? In my opinion and as it mentions in the book it's best to choose wisely. When you have more than one obligation it's obvious that they both are most likely important especially if you can't choose one over the other. The main problem though is that they must choose one over the other and you can't avoid that. You have to weigh out both obligations and try to come to a logical decision that ends up being the best one.

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ASSIGNMENT PART THREE
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1. In a nutshell, what is the most important thing, for you, that you learned from this assignment?

That in some situations you have to weigh out your options and choose one over the other even if it's a tough decision because either way one will be somewhat more important than the other.

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

That in life there are many difficult decisions that you have to make and they aren't always going to be easy. And that most decisions your going to have to think through and observe all aspects before making a decision or coming to a conclusion and I think a lot of people look past that, which is why many people pass judgements on others without fully knowing them.

3. What grade do you believe your efforts regarding this assignment deserve? Justify your answer.

I would say that I deserve around a 20 because I read the chapters and answered the questions to the best of my ability although I don't know if I answered all of them accurately. I felt that I put 100% into this assignment and tried to learn from what it was I was reading and writing.

Blog Assignment #6

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PART ONE
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QUESTION #1: If an action that is praised in one culture may be condemned in another, would it be correct to say that all moral values are relative to the culture they are found in?

Answer 1A: People gather and collect their morals and values all throughout their life and their experiences. Along with those they learn them from how they were brought up and the environment they live in. There are many cultures that agree on morals and values whether or not it's religion, manners, beliefs or common activities. Some cultures may have similiar values even if they are exactly the same but if they are close enough to one another they aren't going to be condemned. Many different share the same religion whether they live in Europe or in America, they may share the same just as they share different values. Your culture alone doesn't mean that's where all your values and morals come from.

Answer 1B:

P: People of different cultures can have the same moral values as people in other cultures.

P: A culture alone doesn't make up all of an individual's moral values.

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C: Therefore, it is NOT correct to say that all morals are relative to the culture they are found in.


QUESTION #2: Isn’t it a mark of ignorance to pass judgments on other cultures or to claim that one culture is better than another?

Answer 2A: Yes, I completely agree that it's a mark of ignorance. Who gives someone the right to judge another individual or culture when it's known that everyone is different. Every individual and every culture has their own values and traditions. All cultures live by what it is they believe in and trust and whos position is it to disagree or look down upon them for it. If we were all the same there would be more conflicts then there already are and there would be no diversity in the world. By passing judgement on someone or some culture it says a lot about that person. First off and mainly it shows their ignorance but along with that it shows that they are close minded and and they need to open their mind to the diverse world we live in. As long as another culture isn't causing harm on you or your culture then I see no need for anyone to pass judgement on them.

Answer 2B:

P: All cultures are made up of their own unique morals, values and traditions.

P: All cultures are entitled to act freely for what it is they believe in.

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C: Therefore, it is a mark of ignorance to pass judgement on other cultures.


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PART TWO
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See page 63 in our text. Choose one inquiry, from inquiries 3 – 11. Briefly describe the inquiry as the first part of your answer, so your readers know which one you chose. Discuss whether or not the action / decision in each case is ethical. And then, put your argument in equation form. Try to include an ethical principle as one of your premises, as modeled below...

I chose inquiry #6 the one where a woman spent millions of dollars on antiques such as shoes, gowns and other unnecessary items in one day, using her wealthy husbands fourtune while the rest of her country lived in poverty. Not thinking of others and their time of dispair, she's only focused on herself and her selfish ways. This is not an ethical decision of the woman. When others are suffering and your not, especially when you are able to help you should be helping for the nature of mankind and that it's the right thing to do.

Argument #1

Arguable Issue: Whether or not the morality of her actions is proper for us to judge.

P: She's a wealthy woman who's being selfish and only thinking of herself while others are suffering in her country.

P: If more people acted as she did, the world would come to an end as a result of poverty.

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C: Therefore, it is proper for us to judge the morality of her actions.

Blog Assignment #5

2.) http://www.albahouse.org/Conscience.JPG

3.) This relates to chapter for in our book because the main point and focus is conscienceness. What I took from this picture was that it symbolizes that everyone has a different conscience. It's up to each individual whether or not the listen to their conscience or not. Sometimes our conscience tells us to do the right thing and sometimes it tells us to the the wrong thing. We all use our own judgement based on the time and situation we are in and I think that people shouldn't looked down upon when they follow it. Were all human and we all make mistakes at different times in our life. What I liked best about this image is that it says that its "an owner's manual" because like I said were all different and we all think different about different things and that it's up to our own judgement what decision we will make.

4.)

Arguable issue: Whether or not this post deserves 25 points.

Conclusion: This post deserves 25 points.

Premises: This post deserves 25 points because:

1) It clearly relates to chapter 4: Conscience

2) It shows the importance and the indivisualism of a conscience

3) It goes hand in hand with the understading of what a conscience is and does

Blog Assignment #4

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PART ONE
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1. Paragraph: Explain in your own words what Moral Relativism is—what do people who hold this view believe?

From what I read I understood that Moral Relativism means that a society's beliefs and values don't reflect or match up with all people in another society or culture. Someone who strongly believes in Moral Relativism would disagree that there is no right set of values that one individual or society should believe in. There is no universal set of values that one person or one group of people should follow, which is why there are many different sets of views and values that people believe in. All people believe in different things which is why there's no room for discrimination when it comes to peoples values and views.

2. Paragraph & Link: Find one online resources related to this topic—not Wikipedia. Explain in a brief paragraph what you learned about this topic through the resource you found; include the link at the end of your paragraph.


From the article I read I understood the Moral Relativism is what's right for you and it's what right for someone else. It's a standpoint to look at views and values and see them as right or wrong. Something that might be right to someone may be wrong in the eyes of someone else. You have to decide what it is that is right for you, someone else can decide it for you or try to influence their own thoughts and beliefs on you.

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

3. Argument: Compose a short argument, in “argument elements” form. I’ll provide the arguable issue; you provide the rest. Make sure each of your premises is a complete sentence, and that your argument doesn’t break any of the rules listed in the first chapter of the Rulebook for Arguments:

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

Conclusion: Moral Relativism is a good view to hold

Premises: Moral Relativism is a good view to hold because:

(1) It lets you decide what's good for you

(2) Your thoughts and views can't be looked at negatively because everyone has different views

(3) It shows that everyone is diffenent and no one is the same

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PART TWO
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The week 4 readings cover two chapters in the Ruggiero book, The Role of the Majority View, and the Role of Feelings. Each student must complete BOTH of the following assignments.

The Role of the Majority View
1. Paragraph: Majority View is a common decision/view amongst a group of people. More than half the people would have to agree on a certain conclusion in order for it to be a majority. Majority View isn't always equal nor is it always fair. The chances of a large group of people agreeing on the same thing are slim to none but that's why there is such thing call a majority. Most things would probably never get solved if there wasn't such thing as a majority. Also, just because the majority of people that vote will win doesn't mean that those majority of people made the right decision or that everything will work out for the best.

2. Argument:

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

Conclusion: Majority View is a reliable basis for ethical decision making

Premises: Majority View is a reliable basis for ethical decision making because:
(1) Not everyone will ever agree so there's need for a majority
(2) Atleast 51% is a good amount to base a decision on
(3) Decisions have to be made in some eithical way and this way is the easiest and most fair

The Role of Feelings
1. Paragraph: Feelings are how individuals express themselves to others emotionally, physically, and through their own expressions. A person's feelings are how they are feeling at a particular time. As humans are feelings constantly change based on daily activities. People use their feelings to talk to people, help people, show people how their feeling or just to release what is building up inside of them. Everyone goes through the same feelings as one another just at different times and for different reasons.

2. Argument:

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

Conclusion: Our feelings are NOT a reliable basis for ethical decision-making.

Premises: Our feelings are NOT a reliable basis for ethicaldecision-making because:
(1) In a group of people not everyone is going to be having the same feelings
(2) Our feelings influence us to feel and think different than others
(3) Since our feelings change constantly it's not a reliable thing to base decisions off of

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

I felt that after reading the chapter this assignment was easier for me to write in my own words. When I first read this assignment before reading the chapters I felt that this would be a more opinionated assignment where I could express my own definitions for Majority View and Feelings. In this assignment I did put everything in my own words and I feel that it helped me learn and understand things better because I wasn't trying to look for the perfect answer/definition.

What was easiest / hardest about this assignment?

The easiest thing was putting things into my own words because I just wrote based on what I felt, believed and understood. The hardest thing in this assignment was understand Moral Relativism and trying to get a full view of its meaning and how it affects my life.

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

I realized how important majority view is and that you should only vote for something that you truly believe in and support so that others aren't effected nagativly based on my decision. I learned to think my decisions through before making them.

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

I think I did as good as I could have done on this assignment whether or not it's a good assignment or not. I felt that I followed all the directions and took my time completing it to that it would be efficiently done and complete. I used my own thoughts and feelings based on material that I read and felt that I answered all the questions to the best of my ability.

Blog Assignment #3

1. Explain what “to give an argument” means in this book.

I feel that what it means to "give an argument" is a collection of many things. The book say that to give an argument you "offer a set of reasons and/or give evidence in support of your conclusion". We first need to choose what it is were arguing and then find reasons in which to support it. You want to use as few and as clear or words as you can when stating and supporting an argument. Br precise on what it is you're trying to argue so the person reading it can understand what you're trying to say and where you're coming from. Then finally you lay out your argument, the reasons and evidence, followed by your conclusion.




2. What are the reasons Weston gives in support of his claim, “arguments are essential”?


Arguments are essential because what would happen if no one argued? We could never come to a conclusion about what is right and what is wrong. All arguments are different and that all arguments are acceptable as long as you have reasons in which to back them up. Everyone isn't going to agree all the time which leads to arguments. People have arguments to support something they think is correct and that they can back up. Arguments are apart of everyday life and without them we wouldn't learn anything by coming to conclusions and we wouldn't learn anything about other people.


3. Explain why many students tend to “write an essay, but not an argument”.


I think students tend to "write an essay" instead of an argument for the main reason that most students often have to write essays and papers and don't often have assignments for writing arguments. I also think that students do this because in most subjects you're writing based on facts and information you have researched, and they're not writing based on their own thoughts and opinions like they would be doing in an argument. I think it takes students awhile to defferentiate the differences between writing an essay and constructing an argument when writing a paper.


4. Construct two short arguments (one "for" and one "against") as modeled in the Week 3 Assignment section in Blackboard. Put each one in "elements form".

FOR/AGAINST: (argument form)

Arguable Issue: Whether or not people should drive drunk

Conclusion: People should drive drunk.

Premises: People should drive drunk because

(1.) What are the chances something will happen to them, when there are so many other people

(2.) It will save them money so they don't have to pay for a cab

(3.) People won't think they're cool unless they drive drunk with their friends in the car

Arguable Issue: Whether or not people should drive drunk.

Conclusion: People should NOT drive drunk.

Premises: People shouldn't drive drunk because

(1.) Drunk driving is both dangerous for you and all other people on the road driving as well

(2.) It's not worth getting a DUI or going to jail

(3.) It can change your life or someone else's forever in a negative way

AGAINST/FOR: (equation form)

P: Driving drunk is both dangerous for you and all the other people on the road driving as well
P: It's not worth getting a DUI or going to jail
P: It can change your life or someone else's forever in a negative way

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C: Therefore, people should NOT drive drunk

P: The chances of driving drunk and something bad happening is slim with all the other people driving on the road
P: You'll save money by not paying for a cab
P: You'll look cool to your friends because you drove drunk
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C: Therefore, people should drive drunk

5. Review the seven rules in chapter one. Briefly discuss how your argument demonstrates that each rule was applied, in the construction of your arguments above.

Rule #1: Distinguish premises and conclusion. I did this by stating my conclusion and having premises that were in support of my conclusion.

Rule #2: Present your ideas in a natural order. I stated my premises and reasons in a natural order and in an order of which I think they would have been thought of if it were a real situation.

Rule #3: Start from reliable premises. I think I used pretty reliable reasons that others would use themselves and agree with.

Rule #4: Be concrete and concise. I was concrete and concise by focusing and sticking to my argument. I did this by stating good reasons that supported my conclusion.

Rule #5: Avoid loaded language. I actually went back and changed my argument my cutting out words to I didn't sound like I was rambling on. I chose words that were easy to follow and understand for the reader.

Rule #6: Use consistent terms. I did this by not throwing in large or random words that would throw the reader off.

Rule #7: Stick to one meaning for each term. I did this by focusing on a certain meaning for each argument and explaining my reasons off of it.

6. Review the three rules in the appendix named, “Definitions”. In your own words, discuss how you took these rules into consideration as you constructed your arguments.

When I was constructing my arguments I made sure to try to follow and consider the three definitions within the appendix. I did this by rechecking my statements to make sure they were clear and understandable. I tried to use words that would be easy to comprehend for the reader and so they could see what I was trying to get across. I also put my own thoughts and opinions into the argument so it didn't sound like the reader was reading straight from a definition or out of a book. I strived for it to be different from a definition so the reader could relate and understand it better and also so they would have a better understand from where I was coming.




7. How many points do you honestly feel your post this week deserves? Justify your answer.

I would have to say that I put 110% into this assignment and made sure it was done the way it was supposed to be done. I put a lot of time into this assignment and felt that my answers were complete and as correct as they could be. I would say that I deserve a 24 or 25 because I feel that I should get an A on this assignment.