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 than to just perform good acts. My thinking is that by being a good person you will naturally perform good acts. Also, someone that performs good acts may be doing so just for looks, publicity, whatever it may be. So by just performing good acts doesn’t mean that someone is actually a good person at heart. If someone is a good person, then they will do good things when no one is looking because it is in their nature. If someone is just performing good acts then in their mind they may be thinking why am I doing this and not feel the same satisfaction of doing something good than someone who is a good person. The most important point of my argument is that a person who just performs good acts may be looking for attention and in the future may not be as willing to do a good deed than someone who is a good person at heart.

4. Do ecosystems matter for their own sake, or do they only matter to the extent that they impact humans (ecocentric ethics vs. anthropocentric ethics)?

I believe that Ecosystems matter for their own sake. So my ecocentric idea is that the Ecosystem was here before humans were. Whether humans were here or not, there would still be an ecosystem. Although, I do understand that the ecosystems would be different with out humans on earth, its still important to know that the ecosystems help us keep sustainable more than we can help the ecosystem stay sustainable. In The Fight for Conservation article Gifford Pinchot describes that conserving our resources is the way for our species to prevent from going extinct and to gain national success. So if we keep using our resources as if they will never run out will be detrimental to human life. But as long as we conserve our resources and renew them, then human life can be sustainable.

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

I believe that my life and someone else’s life are of equal worth. I’ve grown up thinking that everyone is equal and I believe that. Unfortunately the past doesn’t show everyone treating others as equals, but we can learn from the past. The decisions I make for myself can be thought of as selfish, but if I don’t make some of the decisions I do then I won’t put myself into a position to help others to the extent I want. I believe that in any situation that would make me decide between helping myself and someone else that I will always choose to help the other person. Regardless if the person is a family member or not I think it is important to help others if you’re in a position to do so. Although, this may not always be true but I think that if you help others then at some point someone will help you in the future when you need it.