Your stance in life is shaped through numerous experiences. You are part of a community and that community influence who you are. As an individual we are constantly influenced by others. The teach you what is wrong or right. In most cases, what we think and justify as being right may not be right.
If we look at community, we can say that our family is one group that has an influence on your thoughts and ideas. They help shape your stance and ultimately your identity. For example, your family may be religious therefore you are more likely to be religious.
Friends also influence your thoughts and ideas. They become trusted members who can have a profound impact on your identity. For example, if your friends drink then you are more likely to drink along with them.
Media also influences your identity. Most of the time we are caught up with advertisements and a suggested way of life. You are made to feel incomplete as a human being if you do own the product. This inadequacy is reinforced when friends and others have these products and you don't. For example, you may not have cell phone while others have one. As a result, you may feel anxious and isolated because you do not own a cell phone.
Within our community, language then shapes our identity. It allows us to discuss our experiences. It is a way for us to share our collective and individual experiences. These experiences also shape our identity. They challenge our established beliefs. Words bring order to a chaotic universe. We use language to classify, analyse, theorize, and discuss our concepts and beliefs.
"There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community, and communication.... Try the experiment of communicating, with fullness and accuracy, some experience to another, especially if it be somewhat complicated, and you will find your own attitude toward your experience changing."
John Dewey
“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives”
Anthony Robbins
Monday, October 20, 2008
Ch 3: The Importance of having a direction in life
The second aspect of the human person that is important to ethics is the direction one has in life.Without a sense of direction we are lost. Without a sense of commitment, we wander aimless at the mercy of whatever is able to attract our interest. Most of the time we act on basic instinct and not on an educated, informed decision.
The commitments you make define your reality. They become the driving force behind your actions. Your identity will be demonstrated through your actions!! In the end, there is a direct link between your moral direction (stance in life) and your identity.
“Committing yourself is a way of finding out who you are. A man finds his identity by identifying. A man's identity is not best thought of as the way in which he is separated from his fellows but the way in which he is united with them.”
Robert Terwilliger
"The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself."
Thales
Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage."
"Claude M. Bristol
"The ancient human question 'Who am I?' leads inevitably to the equally important question 'Whose am I?' — for there is no self outside of relationship."
Parker Palmer
The commitments you make define your reality. They become the driving force behind your actions. Your identity will be demonstrated through your actions!! In the end, there is a direct link between your moral direction (stance in life) and your identity.
“Committing yourself is a way of finding out who you are. A man finds his identity by identifying. A man's identity is not best thought of as the way in which he is separated from his fellows but the way in which he is united with them.”
Robert Terwilliger
"The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself."
Thales
Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage."
"Claude M. Bristol
"The ancient human question 'Who am I?' leads inevitably to the equally important question 'Whose am I?' — for there is no self outside of relationship."
Parker Palmer
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ch 3: The importance of others
The main question posed for this section is, "are you responsible for your fellow human being?" In Biblical terms "Am I my brothers keeper?" (Genesis 4.1-9) In chapter one, we explored three ethical theories. (Aristotle, Kant and Levinas) Levinas claimed that we acknowledge the face of the other and in that recognition, we are in service for the other. Levinas would say that we are our brothers keeper and that we are responsible for their well being. In this way, we are relational beings.
Our relationships and interactions with others define our moral and ethical stance. We can never escape our interconnectedness with others. Our actions are always influencing others.
In popular culture, this concept is contradictary to Levinas' claim. Our culture treasures independence and self reliance. We have established a system that rewards individual success. It is relational in so far as individauls are used as a means to achieve a goal. This concept has also been present throughout time. The Greek story of Narcissus highlights our egotistical ways. We are self absorbed.
Hence the search for the good is relational and involves others. As a result, individuals have to be aware of their influence of others. More importantly, you are a self for and through others.
“Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.”
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Our relationships and interactions with others define our moral and ethical stance. We can never escape our interconnectedness with others. Our actions are always influencing others.
In popular culture, this concept is contradictary to Levinas' claim. Our culture treasures independence and self reliance. We have established a system that rewards individual success. It is relational in so far as individauls are used as a means to achieve a goal. This concept has also been present throughout time. The Greek story of Narcissus highlights our egotistical ways. We are self absorbed.
Hence the search for the good is relational and involves others. As a result, individuals have to be aware of their influence of others. More importantly, you are a self for and through others.
“Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.”
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Chapter 3: Questions
Questions:
Page: 45 # 1-4
47 # 1-6
50 # 1-3
56 # 1-4
60 # 1-4, 7
Please remember to bring in an article that relates to a moral decision. You should be able to use the moral decision making compass, found on page 58, to explain the moral choice in the article.
Page: 45 # 1-4
47 # 1-6
50 # 1-3
56 # 1-4
60 # 1-4, 7
Please remember to bring in an article that relates to a moral decision. You should be able to use the moral decision making compass, found on page 58, to explain the moral choice in the article.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Ch 3: Conscience: The self in search of the good
The chapter will continue our exploration of a Catholic ethical and moral theory from a philosophical perspective. Chapter 2 explored the conditions of human action while chapter 3 will take us one step further. We will explore how we become moral agents. One critical component for this chapter will be the exploration of conscience. In addition, we will explore six aspects of the human person that are important to ethics. The six aspects are:
1) The importance of others.
2) The importance of having a direction in life.
3) The importance of communication and language.
4) The importance of character and one's body.
5) The importance of conscience
6) The importance of the development of one's conscience.
These six aspects of our lives make us moral agents.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Ghandi
“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.”
Ghandi
1) The importance of others.
2) The importance of having a direction in life.
3) The importance of communication and language.
4) The importance of character and one's body.
5) The importance of conscience
6) The importance of the development of one's conscience.
These six aspects of our lives make us moral agents.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Ghandi
“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.”
Ghandi
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Social Determinism
Proponents of Social determinism, like Naturalism, claim that freedom is an illusion. Human behaviour can be explained through our social interactions. Our experiences mold our character and influence our decision making process. For example: if your culture promotes drinking alcohol, then it is more likely that you will drink. In this case, our social reality determines our "actions".
Freud has contributed numerous writings that attempt to explain this theoretical approach. He stated that humans operate on three distinct levels, the id, the ego, and the super ego. Each level moves from an unconscious to conscious state of mind.
The Id refers to our basic instincts. It is primarily based on the 'pleasure principle'. For example; if a baby is hungry it cries. An adult responds to the cry and the baby is feed. The baby quickly realizes that the cry initiates a reaction that will bring him food. (Pleasure) At this point in time the baby does not care about anything else. It may be two in the morning and you are exhausted yet the baby will demand food despite your tiredness.
The Ego, on the other hand, begins to recognize these social interactions and begins to understand that other people have feelings. The stage is referred to as the "Reality Principle". At this point the child begins to realize that demanding food at three in the morning is not the best thing to do and you respect the other person.
The Superego is the moral part of ourselves that develops because of the influence of our caregivers. If we advocate non violence, then it is more likely that t he child will develop an non violence approach to resolving conflicts.
In the end, our environment, culture, social circle, will determine who you are and what you will become.
Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.
Freud
Freud has contributed numerous writings that attempt to explain this theoretical approach. He stated that humans operate on three distinct levels, the id, the ego, and the super ego. Each level moves from an unconscious to conscious state of mind.
The Id refers to our basic instincts. It is primarily based on the 'pleasure principle'. For example; if a baby is hungry it cries. An adult responds to the cry and the baby is feed. The baby quickly realizes that the cry initiates a reaction that will bring him food. (Pleasure) At this point in time the baby does not care about anything else. It may be two in the morning and you are exhausted yet the baby will demand food despite your tiredness.
The Ego, on the other hand, begins to recognize these social interactions and begins to understand that other people have feelings. The stage is referred to as the "Reality Principle". At this point the child begins to realize that demanding food at three in the morning is not the best thing to do and you respect the other person.
The Superego is the moral part of ourselves that develops because of the influence of our caregivers. If we advocate non violence, then it is more likely that t he child will develop an non violence approach to resolving conflicts.
In the end, our environment, culture, social circle, will determine who you are and what you will become.
Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.
Freud
Religious Determinism
Historically, the church denied human freedom. This was based on the assumption that God's knowledge and awareness has predetermined everyones destiny. Indeed, everyone's "actions" have already been predetermined through God's knowledge.
Currently, Christians maintain that humans are free to choose. Our choices, "actions", occur because of our own free will. God may be aware of those choices but that does not preclude that we are predestined because of God's awareness. "It is certain that we will when we will; but He (God) brings it about that we act, but that without His help we neither will anything good nor do it."
St. Augustine
In the end, we, as human beings, make choices and these choices shape who we become!!
Currently, Christians maintain that humans are free to choose. Our choices, "actions", occur because of our own free will. God may be aware of those choices but that does not preclude that we are predestined because of God's awareness. "It is certain that we will when we will; but He (God) brings it about that we act, but that without His help we neither will anything good nor do it."
St. Augustine
In the end, we, as human beings, make choices and these choices shape who we become!!
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