(a) In a situation where one person is being harmed and the other is doing the harming, which is most to be avoided, harming the other or being harmed by another? Why? What if the person doing the harming will not get caught? What if the person doing the harming can avoid feeling guilty? The harms we are talking about can be minor (stealing parking place), moderate (embezzlement), or major (genocide).
I think it's more important to not harm another than to avoid harm. If everyone would choose to harm another rather than be harmed themselves than there wouldn't be an end to the cycle of harm. Whether you will be caught or not shouldn't be part of an ethical decision. From what I understand ethics is about what you personally consider to be right and wrong and those circumstances shouldn't change depending on whether or not anyone else knows about it. Whether the person feels guilty or not cannot always be a guide. There are many criminals who do not feel remorse or guilt for their crimes, but that does not mean no harm has been done.
(b) What skills should we work to possess, the skills to persuade others to agree with out beliefs or the skills to discern whether the beliefs we have are true or false?
It is more important to be able to discern whether your own beliefs are true or false. If you just blindly try to persuade others to your thinking without examining your own beliefs than how can you be sure that your beleif is more ethical?
What do (a ) and (b) have in common?
It's important to be able to persuade in ethics, but when answering the questions in (a) it's more important to be able to know why you beleive what you believe than being able to convince people that your veiw is correct. You really have to be able to question your own beliefs before you can press them onto others.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Here it is!
So I've made my blog! Group discussions on Wed. were so much fun! I feel like in our group we made some good points and I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning!
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