Ethics

1. It is more important to be a good person. I hold this view because anyone can perform a good act but not have good intentions behind it. There are people in this world that publicize the good deeds they do to earn some level of respect, however, they might not have any wishes to be a good person. While on the other hand you might have someone who is truly the nicest soul on in the world but might not have the means to do everything they wish to help others. Now, I also know that this scenario is just one of many cases and not necessarily true every time. In my opinion, I think the two go hand in hand, for the most part. I say this because someone who believes it’s good to be a good person will more than probably perform good acts. Whereas someone who performs good acts would also believe it is important to be a good person. Even though these two topics are very much alike, I feel there is a silver lining there. The silver lining being that there’s always that possibility that someone doing the good act might have the wrong intentions behind it. Which is why i feel the way I do.

3. The outcomes of decisions matter more than the process of how that decision was made in my opinion. I feel this way because more times than other, people won’t concern themselves with how we made such decisions, unless of course you are acquiring a million dollar company. I’ve learned at a young age that everything has a consequence, and it’s likely that those consequences affect others as well as ourselves. I also believe that this can vary depending on each individual situation. One might not care too much about how a mayor decides on what to wear that day, but sure will share their opinion if the mayor decides to bring a casino to town. The consequences of any decision is what people tend to remember, and that is why I believe the outcome of the decisions are more important than the process. I’m not trying to dismiss the idea that the process isn’t important. The process in how one makes a decision plays a key role in the outcomes of that decision. If one thinks about all of the negatives and positives of a decision before acting on it, the chances of the outcome to be a positive one is more likely. On the other hand, if someone doesn’t think at all, the chances of a negative outcome is more likely. Even with both having an important part, I still believe the outcomes matter more because that’s what affects our lives moe.

5. I believe that the pleasure and pain of non-human animals do not matter as much as the pleasure and pain of humans. I do understand that this indeed is a form of speciesism, but I feel I have reason to feel the way I do according to the specific scenario. This is a very touchy subject and I am by no means trying to promote violence towards other animals. Being a meat eater alone, I feel like I have to take the side I am. When eating a burger, or a steak, I’m clearly not thinking of the pain and pleasure of other animals. This doesn’t mean I don’t feel for animals. If I ever see a dog in distress, it truly does break my heart. Not just for dogs, but even the animals we use as food. I know I wouldn’t enjoy a steak or chicken wings if I actually witnessed the butchering of those animals. Is it cruel? Of course it is, but we justify it by claiming ourselves the top of the food chain. To potty train house pets, people often will keep them in a cage. If we were to walk in to someone’s house and saw a human baby in a cage, those parents would be behind bars really fast. That is why I believe that the pain and pleasure of non-human animals do not matter as much as the pain and pleasure of humans.

4 thoughts on “Ethics

  1. Hi Shoheb, I am Justin Tenerowicz. I really liked your blog because we had differing views on both question 1 and 2. However, I think that you did a very good job of backing up your statements with that good acts could have bad intentions behind them depending on the person. I like how you brought up the point that you are meat eater, and therefore have to take the side that the animals pain and suffering do not matter as much as humans. I also am a meat eater, and I often ponder the idea of switching to a vegetarian diet. The point about potty training a dog was a good example to get behind your views as well.

    Here is a link to my post: http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/02/03/module-3-4/

  2. Hi Shoheb, my name is Amir and I couldn’t agree with you more on the fact that being a good person is far more important than the actions. In my post, I used a few examples of people acting as “good” for personal gains, and questioned the reader on if they consider this to be more valuable than someone who’s unable to do as much of good, however intends much better. I’m really interested in your perspective on animals vs. humans, as a meat eater, you’re convincing me to lean on your side, thanks for creating that perspective for me! I really liked the examples you use and I couldn’t agree with you more on the fact that in the end, we really do consider ourselves to be on top of the chain. Would you be as hesitant to kill a spider or mosquito in your house as you would a human? Or even a “higher-ranked” being like a cat or a hamster? It’s a complex chain that leads me to believe it’s hard to have equal views for all animals.

    Link to my blog post:
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/03/ethics-post-amir-paris-hasan/

  3. Hi Shoeb,

    I agree with both you and Chase about your answer to the first question. I personally have known many good and not so good people and I agree that both can perform good actions, but their intentions may differ. Just because you attend church every weekend or donate to charity does not make you a good person. Plenty of people donate to charity just because it makes themselves and in turn their businesses look better to become more profitable. Their is always a grey area with ethical dilemmas like this one, but I like to believe that more good people exist than bad people.

  4. Hi Shoheb,

    Your post was very interesting to me. The first thing that caught my attention was that we had the same opinion on the first question. I agree with basically everything you said. What was really interesting to me was how you stated that a person doing a good act may have the wrong intentions. I know that you stated both sides of the matter, meaning that the person doing this good acts may also be doing it to be a good person; but I feel that by using the word wrong, you may be not giving the entire side. The intentions of the person may be selfish or may not be selfish, but they aren’t only plain out wrong all of the time. Also, I just feel that doing good acts does not make anyone a good person even if they are doing it to be a good person. When I meet a good person, I can see it in their body language and background. Good acts can be deceiving.

    Best,
    Chase Sandler

    Here is a link to my post: http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/02/03/chase-sandler-learning-activity-3/

Leave a Reply