1. Is it more important to be a good person or to perform good acts (virtue ethics vs. action ethics)?

I believe being a good person includes your actions. For example, if you truly believe it is the right thing to help someone get up after they have fallen or hurt themselves, then you are most likely to help someone up after they have fallen. However, I believe in reducing plastic in our landfill or giving change to a homeless person, but sometimes I do not recycle and I do not give change to every homeless person I see. I consider myself an overall good person, but perhaps my convenience is at times more important. Some may perform “good actions” for selfish reasons or because it is an obligation. For example, some kids will help their parents wash the dishes or take out the trash because they will receive an allowance at the end of the week, or a person will give community service in order to be taken off probation. This would indicate that good actions does not always equal good person. When it comes to a person’s psychological well-being I believe virtue ethics is more important and when it comes to the well-being of others and the surrounding environment I believe action ethics is more important.

2. Does the process by which decisions are made matter more than the outcomes of these decisions (procedural justice vs. distributive justice)?

In my perspective distributive justice matters more than procedural justice. If there are decisions being made that improve sustainability of the environment and the well-being of humans and nonhumans, then the process in which the decision is made does not really matter to me. However, if decisions are being made that hurt the well-being of the people and the surrounding environment, then procedural justice becomes important. In this case it is important to make sure the people have a voice and the people who represent the environment and nonhuman species have a voice, or the right people are appointed to represent these voices. For example, if there is mass deforestation in order to print more money and other paper products, then procedural justice is more important in order to sustain the environment. But if trees are being cut down in order to prevent forest fires which would save more trees down the line, then distributive justice is more significant.

3. Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less (selfishness vs. altruism)?

I think it is natural instinct to be somewhat selfish because we want to survive. Most care more about their own well-being over others. However, there is a balance and I believe many of us are trying to find that balance between selfishness and altruism. For example, if my brother needed a kidney I would give him mine, but I might not necessarily give it to a stranger. Most people will go above and beyond for their family or the people they love, but I could argue that the reason why we help them could be for selfish reasons. If I had to pick between giving my kidney to my brother and a stranger I would give it to my brother because I want him to be in my life. So as I am being altruistic by helping my brother, I am being selfish by putting my life and feelings as priority to another’s. Some argue that children’s lives are worth more than adults because they have not had the privilege of living as long or that the life of a mother of three is more important than a person with no family to care for. I believe all lives have worth and that we all need to keep in mind the consequences our decisions have on others.