#1. Is it more important to be a good person or to perform good acts (virtue ethics vs. action ethics)?
I think it is more important to be a good person rather than to preform good acts. It is possible for anyone to donate money to a charity, but it isn’t possible for just anyone to be a good person. Good people are characterized by how they treat others, carry themselves, and act. This means that a good person is likely doing good acts because that is the type of person they are. Even the worst people in the world could do a good act, but it doesn’t make them any better than they were before. There may be some scenarios where someone who isn’t a good person should do a good act rather than try to become a better person. This could be seen when certain countries need the help of a dictator from another country. In these cases, the dictator shouldn’t try to become a better person; they should do a good act and help the other country.
#2. Do the ends justify the means (ends ethics vs. means ethics)?
I think the ends justify the means more often than not. As long as the end result is good, the means to get there shouldn’t really matter. Even if the means to get to the end result are bad or unethical, the end result should make up for it. An example of this is the US government. Our government does many covert acts that the citizens do not know about because we may not agree with what the government is doing. In the end, the end result will be positive and it will be better that we didn’t know about what was going on. If the end result and means to get there are both negative, then the ends would definitely not justify the means in any way. In my opinion, even if the means are bad, the end result can make up for it by being very positive and beneficial.
#6. Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less (selfishness vs. altruism)?
I view my own life as more important than the lives of others and I think this is the way most people should think. As humans, our main goal every day is to keep ourselves alive, not others. We live in a dog-eat-dog world and everything is competition, even survival. It is important to value your own needs before the needs of others. This doesn’t mean the lives of other people aren’t important; however, it means that my own life is the most important to me. I still think the lives of others are important and value the lives or certain other people highly. The only time I would value other’s lives more than mine is if I was fighting in a war and serving my country. In this scenario, the lives of the people in the U.S. would be more important than mine cause that is who I am fighting for and willing to give my life for.
Hi, I agree very much so with your views on if your life is more important than others around you. I believe that most people out there are in it for themselves and are willing to do anything to benefit themselves over others and if you aren’t in that dog-eat-dog world mentality then you will be eaten in a sense. However I do agree as well that other lives are definitely important, but you should make sure you are good yourself before trying to reach out and help others. Although I didn’t talk about this specific question here is a link to mine if you’d like to read it!
http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/03/kevin-hosterman-module-3/
Hi Bryan, I like the scenario you described where others lives may be more import than yours in question 6. If your job was to protect those of your country, I agree that you willingly are putting the lives of others over yours. In question 2, I discussed scenarios considering life vs death and war where the ends justify the means (http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/03/my-ethics-views-alex-deebel/). As long as we are no unjustly valuing one life over another, I think human life is most important, and should be saved if at all possible. In general, I feel that the means should be considered more ethically and are not generally justified by the end.