Module 3- My Ethics Views

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

I believe that in order for a person to be good, a person must definitely perform good acts. We are constantly performing some action that affects our lives, the lives of other’s around us, and the environment that we live in. We have a constant interaction with these things, and could not be functioning human beings without this interaction. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that our actions speak to our goodness rather than how believe we should be. It is very easy to understand that we should take hold and to minimize the trash that is thrown away to the environment. This concept is understood to be ethically good, and we can think that this is good, and furthermore think that we are good for having these thoughts, but if I were to constantly throw litter out into the environment whilst having these thoughts, the unethical nature of this action severely outweighs how good having the thoughts are.

  1. Do the pleasure and pain of non-human animals matter as much as the pleasure and pain of humans (speciesism)?

I believe the pain and pleasure of non-human animals is just as important as the pain and pleasure of humans, but not every species is as important as another. Human society occupies almost every single environment on this planet, and it is inevitable that the decisions human beings make will benefit or harm some other animal species. And in determining which species we consider as important as human beings, we need to consider the pain an animal endures. Like Jeremy Bentham said, “The question is not, Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” We need to critically analyze how our actions impact the suffering of a single individual of the species and the species as a whole. But we need to determine to what extent the animal experiences suffering.  For example, humans need to understand how an animal experiences physical pain upon death. On a systematic large scale practice, we raise cattle for the purpose of killing them and feeding us. I look at a cow and see an individual being, perfectly capable of experiencing fear and pain, and in that moment before death, possibly experiencing the same reactions and feelings as a human would before their death. Although we can realize that cows experience these reactions and feelings, we care more about the taste of the food that we are getting more than feelings and reactions of the cows. On the other hand, I see a bug, and I do not believe that it is capable of experiencing the pain and suffering before death that a human or a cow can endure. And yet, as a society we cannot even bear to think about cultivating insects as a food source to replace. Maybe it is necessary to reevaluate how we can possible accept the pain and suffering of a cow during slaughter, and embrace the idea of using insects as a primary source of food.

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

This is such a difficult question to answer. I believe in every situation we need to evaluate whether or not our lives are more important than others. We are all individuals living our own lives, and are almost always completely focused on our own lives. But we do have family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers that are all sharing a similarly unique experience until we die. It is easy to believe that we are entitled to live our unique lives exactly like we want it, but at the same time there is absolutely no difference in the uniqueness of one’s life versus another, and therefore I believe we also have a responsibility to others just like to ourselves. Our lives are just as valuable as everybody else’s, and I believe you need to consider both aspects in every situation that you experience. I may be particularly selfish in one situation, but I know that the person is not going to be severely harmed by my action, and I can proceed with my action. I need to consider the harm that a person might endure at the expense of my benefit and determine whether or not I feel comfortable with my action. Likewise, to the benefit of another person, I need to consider how much my action will harm myself. But, I believe this question is particularly difficult to answer when considering the life and death of yourself versus another person. I do not think I can give my own life at the expense of another’s. It makes me feel bad to say so, but I believe at the core of my ethical values, I put my own life before the lives of others. Fortunately, this is not a case that I have to deliberate with every day.

2 thoughts on “Module 3- My Ethics Views

  1. Hi Neil! My name is Sabrina and you can find my blog post here http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/02/02/module-3/?preview_id=43212&preview_nonce=4f6b519cec&post_format=standard&preview=true

    In the instance of question number five it is a very interesting view. Although I personally did not write my answer to that question from that point of view I can really appreciate how you outline that it does not matter if non-human animals can speak or reason because the fact that they can suffer is important enough. However, I can’t help to think of how in this society speciesism is inevitable. At this moment in time we are the most technologically advanced and therefore if we have the choice we put humans before non- human animals.

  2. Hi! Im Jake. I agree with your answer to number 5. I actually didn’t answer that exact number, but I did answer the ecocentric and anthropocentric question. Our answers are very relatable to each other’s. I also find that the ecosystems are very important. Our answers to number 6 are also very similar in how we both feel that human lives are equal and nothing takes away from their worth.

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