An
+ Ethical Evaluation
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An +Ethical Evaluation:
+The +Killers
+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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+ The Killers +is a film about a gang who is willing to lie, cheat, and steal their +way to the top. The film contains many examples of choices that many +would find to be in a positive light and just as many that could be +found in a negative light, morally.
+The +film opens with a couple gunman entering a restaurant looking to kill +the Swede (Ole) by waiting at his regular restaurant. They decide to +hold up everyone +up the restaurant, while they wait for Ole, but when he doesn’t +show, instead of killing all the witnesses, they decide to let them +live. A morally righteous act, to let those live whom could pose a +threat to their enterprise.
+After +the gunmen +leave, it is revealed that Nick Adams, a patron of the restaurant who +was held up with the rest, worked with Ole at +a gas station. At great risk to himself, considering that Ole had +gunmen +after him, he runs to his friend’s +home to +warn him about the danger. What could be more morally sound than risk +your own life for a friend?
+Later +in the film, there is a scene where Ole is thrashing about destroying +everything in a hotel room when a maid walks in. Ole, out of his +mind, busts open a window and prepares to jump. The maid quickly runs +to stop him, +in the name of God, in order to save his soul from sure destruction +if he commits +suicide.
+The +film also has a share of questionable at best, and condemnable at +worst, choices that its characters make. It is revealed that some of +the characters had participated in a payroll heist to steal over +$200,000 with of money. If that itself isn’t enough, they even +choose to shoot a security guard who was trying to stop them as they +got away.
+We +later find that that a woman, Kitty, only cares for herself and has +no moral character, a true classic villain. After the heist, she +decides to double cross everyone to get the money for herself. Kitty +tells Ole, who was involved with the crime, that he was being double +crossed to get him to steal all the money for himself and that she +would be with him. He does this, but, shortly after getting somewhere +safe, Kitty steals all the money and takes off to reunite with Colfax +(her current lover). Later, she also has no trouble leading the +insurance investigator (James) into a trap while she ran away though +a window in a bathroom.
+There +are many examples of moral and not-so-moral acts scattered throughout +this film. Easily the most amoral person is Kitty. She double crosses +everyone trying to get away and live the easy life with no regard for +the lives of others. At the end of the film she even begs her dying +husband to clear her name. Some choices weren’t so clear, such as +shooting the security guard, considering that the guards shot first. +However they were already in the wrong, therefore, they lost the +right to defend themselves, morally or otherwise. The most morally +sound characters were likely Nick Adams and the maid who attempted to +save the life of someone who was either about to jump out a window +during a fit of rage, or had gunmen going after him. To save the life +of a friend, or to save the soul of an unknown man, what could be +more morally sound?
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Ethics questions – +As to the effect of others, guiding principles +
+Is it right + to take the life of a human, if said human is only a drain on + society? (defective people)
+ +Is it wrong + to steal from one who is healthy, to help one who is poor? (welfare)
+ +Is it right + to to invade privacy for the sake of safety?
+ +Is it right + for a society to decide what an individual can put inside h{is,er} + body?`
+ +Is it right + to sentence someone to death? What if there is indisputable + evidence?
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Morals questions – +As to the effect of one’s self
+Is anything + right or wrong if there are none to witness it?
+ +Is it wrong + to not be generous to the needy if I am well off? (charity)
+ +Am I right to + slaughter this animal so that I might live?
+ +Is it right + to kill that lives in pain because I think it’s the right thing to + do?
+ +Is it right + to push my views on others because I think them to be the most just? + (LGBTQ)
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There doesn’t seem +to be consensus of what morals and ethics are as separate things. +Information from single sources even tend to contradict themselves. +Therefore, I’m am using “morals” to mean individual feelings +towards a thing (right or wrong), and Ethics as what ought to be done +(right or wrong).
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The ethical +questions seem to follow how one ought to act in society.
+The moral questions +seems to follow how one feels about right and wrong
+They seem to follow +each other. What is right and wrong for me. Tends to be right and +wrong for the whole.
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Intro
+differences
+Morality is an +inherent feeling of right and wrong.
+Ethics is a +feeling of right and wrong in relation to society as a whole. How we +ought to act.
+Similarities
+Both ethics and +morality are tackling similar things.
+Ethics, Is +doing this thing good for only me? Is it good for others? How does it +benefit society?
+Morals, how do +I feel about these things?
+Does it follow +that generally what is good for me is good for others? Do unto +others?
+Personal experience
+What is good for +me, is good for others. Do not steal.
+Stealing +raises prices, which harms others
+Help people when +it is reasonable to do so
+Morals and ethics +are heavily intertwined
+Doing a thing that +feels good/right/just Morally, often times is the correct
+way to go about +things ethically. Not always, especially for people who subscribe to +utilitarianism,
+but it generally +seems to be a good start point. At least for an average person with +no handicap. +
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Intro
+ To Philosophical Concepts
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Intro +To Philosophical Concepts:
+A +Test Of Words
+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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+ It has been suggested that if a +collage offered two courses, one titled “Introduction To Ethics” +and the other “Introduction To Morals”, that there would be a +completely different expectation from the course. Personally, aside +perhaps from basic classes involving rhetoric or math, few, if any, +courses were anything related to what I expected based on the course +title and descriptions. However, I still have ideas on what a class +may contain biased solely on the title, and in this case, I would +think that the morals class would be the more interesting. Granted, I +would likely question the difference between these courses with an +advisor, and indeed, likely take them both considering that +philosophy is my primary interest with college. Though, solely from +the titles alone, it would seem to me that there would be a +difference on focus between the two classes, if only because there +are two separate classes offered. Even then, it would appear that +many sources, even educational institutions, can’t seem to agree +on, or if there even are any, the differences between ethics and +morals. +
+Morals +and ethics are both interesting, but to me, when I think of morals, I +think more about judgement about issues, and philosophical debates, +as opposed to strict standards of living, and I enjoy the concept of +an argument based solely on reason and feeling. Facts and verified +results are all well and good, but trying to focus on using reason, +and having others try to debunk that reasoning, makes for an amazing +display of our ability to think, which is vastly more interesting to +me to in day to day life. Morals also seem to imply a strong focus on +what is right and wrong for an individual to do. Is it right to kill +a man in situation A? How about in situation B? That alone can lead +to hours of enlightening discussion. Morals, by the word alone, +simply sounds like it would be more interesting than ethics. Morals +creates an image that we are going to learn about how people think +about things, ethics feels like we’re going to learn about some +proper way to act.
+While +ethics is certainly fascinating, it feels more to be a set of rules +that are typically based upon, though do not necessarily follow, +morals. The focus of a class based on ethics, as opposed to morals, +would likely study philosophies on how to interact with the rest of +society. What do I do to ensure that I’m doing the best thing for +my society? What actions must I take, or not take, in order to avoid +harming others? Of course, it doesn’t have to be quite so +utilitarian, it could simply be trying to be a proper person in a +specific culture. It’s about how we ought to +act. For example, perhaps we should eat in a certain way that +is respectful to the ethical person’s culture, or perhaps we avoid +saying certain things in an effort to protect others from what they +may find disagreeable. These are all interesting concepts and ideas +to study, but they also seem to stem from the basics of morals. We +don’t find ourselves with proper ways to live our lives without +first examining issues on the smaller scale.
+A +morals course, on the other hand, would focus more on the individual +and feelings. What am I doing to my neighbor? Is it okay for me to +steal from him? Is it okay to lie? Why is stealing wrong even if +people are to suffer if we do not engage in that act? Is it not +better to satisfy the hunger of ourselves or others, than to avoid +stealing from a man who eats in luxury? Should I not lie in any +circumstance? Am I more or less responsible if I lie as opposed to +telling the truth? What if it would be to save another’s +embarrassment? His life? What about my own? I would expect a morals +class to focus more on the smaller individual to individual scale, +while ethics focuses on the larger individual to societal scale.
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Ignoring +my own feelings on the subject, it would appear that many can’t +agree on the specific differences between ethics and morals in the +first place, which makes it harder to understand what the difference +between the two class titles mean to any one individual. First, let’s +take a look at Princeton’s PHI 202: “Introduction to Moral +Philosophy”:
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+ An introductory survey of +ethical thought, covering such topics as the demands that morality +makes, the justification of these demands, and our reasons for +obeying them. Readings from both the historical and contemporary +philosophical literature. (“Course Descriptions”, 2018) +
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From +what I understand of the above description, morals are nothing more +than a component of ethical thought. Next, let’s look at what Ben +Eggleston says about his “Introduction to Ethics” class with +University of Kansas: +
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+This course provides an +introduction to those problems of philosophy that are problems of +moral philosophy, or ethics. (“Introduction to Ethics (syllabus)”, +2018)
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This +could mean one of two things. Either, morals and ethics are the same +thing, or that there is a difference between what we call moral +philosophy, which would still be the same as ethics in this case, and +what we simply refer to as morals. Now let’s take a look at what +University of Massachusetts Amherst has to say about the subject in +regards to their “Introduction to Ethics” course:
++This course is an introduction to +the philosophical study of morality, including the theory of right +and wrong behavior, the theory of value (goodness and badness), and +the theory of virtue and vice. (Introduction to Ethics. [online], +2018)
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Here +we see that ethics is explicitly, “the philosophical study of +morality” (Introduction to Ethics. [online], 2018). So does this +mean that ethics is nothing more than the study of morality? That it +isn’t actually something similar, yet somewhat different, from +morals, but that it’s just the study of morals? It would seem that +all three educational institutions see that ethics and morals very +related, perhaps without even an explicit difference. In spite of +this, it is still easy to see how a potential student would expect +something different from each class title, even if they read the +descriptions as well, given how ambiguous they are.
+With +two courses, “Intro To Ethics” and “Intro To Morals”, I would +certainly find the latter more likely to appeal to me. I believe a +morals class would have more interesting discussion, by far, than an +ethics class. We can use reasoned arguments and point out fallacies +to help stimulate each others ability to think and understand the +world around us. The classes would likely have a difference in their +primary focus. The focus of ethics being a set of rules on how we +ought to act, and +that of morals having a +stronger focus +on how we feel about how we act. This is, of course, only my +own interpretation of what these classes would be like. Others would +likely come to different conclusions about the contents of each +class, especially if we take into consideration that most people +either don’t understand, or don’t agree with, the differences and +definitions of ethics and morals; indeed, they are very similar +subjects. Even educational institutions can’t seem to point out a +specific difference.
+References
+References
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+Benegg.net. (2018). Introduction +to Ethics (syllabus). [online] Available at: +http://www.benegg.net/courses/ethics9/syllabus.html [Accessed 29 Jan. +2018].
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+People.umass.edu. (2018). +Introduction to Ethics. [online] Available at: +http://people.umass.edu/~klement/160/index.html [Accessed 29 Jan. +2018].
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+Philosophy.princeton.edu. (2018). +Course Descriptions | Department of Philosophy. [online] Available +at: +https://philosophy.princeton.edu/undergraduate/course-descriptions +[Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].
+ + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Intro_To_Philosophical_Concepts:_A_Test_Of_Words.odt b/school_essays/essays/Intro_To_Philosophical_Concepts:_A_Test_Of_Words.odt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c045f92 Binary files /dev/null and b/school_essays/essays/Intro_To_Philosophical_Concepts:_A_Test_Of_Words.odt differ diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Is_Heterosexual_Sex_Moral_An_Ethical_Reflection.html b/school_essays/essays/Is_Heterosexual_Sex_Moral_An_Ethical_Reflection.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4812f14 --- /dev/null +++ b/school_essays/essays/Is_Heterosexual_Sex_Moral_An_Ethical_Reflection.html @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@ + + + + +Is
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Is +Heterosexual Sex Moral?
+An +Ethical Reflection
+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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+ There has been much debate over +the years about whether or not homosexual sex is legal, moral, or +religiously sound, but what about heterosexual sex? What is it that +makes heterosexual sex moral? What is it that makes homosexual sex +less moral? Must everything be moral or immoral, or are there +exceptions?
+It +seems commonplace for people to believe that heterosexual sex is a +morally right thing to take part in. But what does that really mean? + John M. Finnis argues against homosexuality with some questionable +ideas, but it’s an enlightening way to see how some may find +heterosexual conduct moral. One such idea is that heterosexual sex +is moral because it leads to reproduction. That, of course, leads to +questions of whether reproduction itself is moral in order to +determine if the heterosexual sex is moral, or, and perhaps more +importantly, assuming that reproduction is moral, how does that +necessitate that non-reproductive sex is immoral? Does this also +mean that we are consistently being immoral when we are not engaging +in acts, sexual or otherwise, that do not lead to reproduction?
+Since +heterosexual sex is regarded as moral already, perhaps we should +focus more on homosexuality. How can homosexual sex possibly be +moral? What good could come +from it? Those who subscribe to a utilitarian view could see it as +increasing general happiness. If there is a contingent +of people wanting to engage in homosexual acts, yet morally they feel +obligated to abstain and instead have heterosexual sex that may not +actually bring happiness, does this not go against the ideal of +promoting happiness amongst people? The biggest argument against +homosexual sex, at least where John M. Finnis is concerned, is that +it is not, nor does it have certain characteristics +of, heterosexual sex. How can one thing be moral, and the other +immoral, based solely on the reasoning that these two things are +different?
+Perhaps, +what we need to realize, is that the acts themselves are not +necessarily moral or immoral. Yes, it would be immoral to have sex +with a non-consenting partner. Equally so, it would be morally +sound to have sex with a +consenting partner. These considerations of other living beings, are +where morals exist. It doesn’t matter if it’s two men, two +women, or even an adult and a child. So long as consent is there, +true consent, not that which is derived from coercion or other such +trickery, the act is moral. Therefore, +if we assign morality to +an act, we +must view the +considerations that lead to +the specific +act in order to find +our judgement. To clarify, is it okay to kill an innocent man? Is +it okay to kill a man before he can kill 30 innocent men? Many will +find one of these acts to be more or less moral than the other.
+Do +we now find that heterosexual sex is moral? Did we even question it +before? How about homosexual sex? We must be able to define how +heterosexual sex is moral before we attempt +to declare homosexual as immoral. Furthermore, how can we claim any +act is moral or immoral without first examining the reasoning that +brought the act into existence? What morality can be derived solely +from an act itself?
+ + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Is_Heterosexual_Sex_Moral_An_Ethical_Reflection.odt b/school_essays/essays/Is_Heterosexual_Sex_Moral_An_Ethical_Reflection.odt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8ec17f2 Binary files /dev/null and b/school_essays/essays/Is_Heterosexual_Sex_Moral_An_Ethical_Reflection.odt differ diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Of_Ethics_And_Morality_A_Comparison.html b/school_essays/essays/Of_Ethics_And_Morality_A_Comparison.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..46a61f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/school_essays/essays/Of_Ethics_And_Morality_A_Comparison.html @@ -0,0 +1,114 @@ + + + + +Of
+ Ethics And Morality
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Of +Ethics And Morality
+A +Comparison
+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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+Of Ethics And Morality
+A +Comparison
+When +explaining the differences between ethics and morality, many people +don’t agree and often have opposing definitions. For the purposes +of this paper, we shall define morality as an individuals inherent +feeling of right or wrong given a specific action. “Ethics” we +shall define as, how one ought to act in society. +
+It +is difficult to grasp the explicit difference between ethics and +morality. Definition disagreements make it harder still, but that is +a semantic argument and irrelevant to the purpose of this paper. +Suffice the say that the differences are there regardless of which +definition we associate with which word. Equally difficult is to +describe exactly how ethics and morals are similar. However, no +matter how we look at these two subjects, it is clear that they are +heavily intertwined.
+When +we speak of morality we ask ourselves, “Is this the right thing to +do? Is it just? How would I feel if this act were committed against +me?” So we may ask, “Is it okay to steal this bread?” Most +people will answer “No, stealing is wrong,” or, “Well, it +depends.” The people saying “it depends” are thinking along the +ethical route. “My family is hungry, the only way I can conceive +to help them is to steal some bread! Is it right to do this?” This +may be the related ethical question. Many, morally, will say that it +is always wrong to steal, but some, ethically, may say that the ends +justifies the means. Morals tell us what is right and wrong on a +basic intuitive level, whereas ethics show us how we ought to act. +Morals and ethics are different, but they are also very similar. +They both deal in right and wrong, but at different levels. Is it +moral to feed a starving person? Perhaps, if we accept that charity +is virtuous. Is it right to steal in order to satisfy the moral good +of being charitable to a starving person? Perhaps, many wars were +sanctioned just for this. +
+Regardless, +morals and ethics are heavily intertwined, the old saying, “What’s +good for the goose is good for the gander,” fits well. If we +choose to steal from a grocery store, an act that would be +detrimental if committed against ourselves, it is not ethically sound +as it harms, not only ourselves, but others as well. Businesses lose +money and likely respond by raising prices, which lowers the value of +other’s money in a given society. Without going into detail, this +also suffers all the ramifications of breaching the social contract. +However, should we choose not to steal, it is morally sound, if we +consider stealing to be wrong, and it is ethically sound as it is +what we ought to do. While doing the right thing morally isn’t +necessarily always the right thing ethically, it’s a great place to +start when trying to determine what is ethical.
+Morality +and ethics are not the same thing, but they are not so different +either. It can be hard to find differences and similarities, but that +is likely due to disagreement on what those differences are. However, +within the given context above, the differences and similarities +should be clear.
+ + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Of_Ethics_And_Morality_A_Comparison.odt b/school_essays/essays/Of_Ethics_And_Morality_A_Comparison.odt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a9526bb Binary files /dev/null and b/school_essays/essays/Of_Ethics_And_Morality_A_Comparison.odt differ diff --git a/school_essays/essays/the_killers_notes.html b/school_essays/essays/the_killers_notes.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..67b8b6c --- /dev/null +++ b/school_essays/essays/the_killers_notes.html @@ -0,0 +1,171 @@ + + + + +Pause at least 10 +times
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notes about various +ethical decisions made by various characters
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sum up examples of +events that exemplify the ethical choices I would makes
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sum up examples of +events that oppose my ethical choices
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Weigh the relative +strength of the examples, make an evaluation about the ethical +dilemmas and choices of the chars in the killers
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08:44
+The two gunman came +in and held up the diner place waiting for the swede to show up.
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When the swede +doesn’t show up, they decide to leave everyone alive. They could +have eliminated all witnesses, but they choose to leave them alive.
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1047, Nick Adams who +was at the diner works with the swede, he decided to risk himself to +expose it to the swede before the gunman came for him
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23:39
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Maid lady intervened +when the swede was about to jump out the window. In the name of not +going to hell, she risked herself to try to save this crazy man.
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Ole Anderson is +swede name
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“The investigator +demands more time to look at the case and gets a day”
+Sam is the name of +the ex cop
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46:30
+Sam has a tip on +some stolen jewelry. Kitty happened to be wearing it and decided to +take her in. Ole shows up and takes the fall for the stolen jewelry, +punches his friend, and runs off. He was caught the next day.
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Sam had to make the +choice of whether to take him in, or walk away.
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46:59
+Sam (ex-copper) +decides to host the burial for Ole
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56ish +
+Charleston told his +friend the Swede to not worry about the girl.
+The swede had to +make the choice to get in on the crime, hoping to win the girl
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+One of the robbers +shoots a security guy in the groin
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1h 4m
+Swede steps in to +object about Kitty being struck
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1h 16
+Insurance +investigator does a setup to try to capture blinky and interrigate +him at gunpoint
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1h 18
+dum dum let’s the +investigator live
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investigator – +James Riordan
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1h 24ish
+Riordan lies to +Kitty, telling her he was sending someone to meet her, when in +reality it was him.
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1h 31m
+Kitty admits to +using the swede in order to make a big cut to get out of the crime +life
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1h 32m
+kitties sets up the +swede. Telling him that the others are double crossing him and set +the whole thing up. Say that they planned to cut him out by not +going to the halfway house.
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1h 36m
+Kitty ditches the +investigator to let him get killed while she fled.
+ + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/school_essays/essays/the_killers_notes.odt b/school_essays/essays/the_killers_notes.odt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c194941 Binary files /dev/null and b/school_essays/essays/the_killers_notes.odt differ diff --git a/school_essays/index.html b/school_essays/index.html index 7f1fb19..b257710 100644 --- a/school_essays/index.html +++ b/school_essays/index.html @@ -153,6 +153,30 @@ High Noon On The Waterfront And The_Red_Scare [HTML] [ODT] + +