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

It is more important to be a good person than to perform good acts because of the importance of intention. Performing good acts may be simply for show and may not be done with the best effort. On the other hand, a good person will indulge in good acts too, but they will do it because they want to. Even if they do not, in my opinion, a good person is someone who does not perform bad acts, or more importantly does not enjoy or intend to perform bad acts. Therefore, the difference that I see between the two is that performing good acts represents a good action, but a good person represents a good heart. The first step to changing others or the world is to change oneself and become the example. Being good is important to do good because it requires motivation and faith. If a person has a good heart, good acts are bound to follow, so virtue ethics is more important than action ethics because action ethics is a branch of the former.

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

I strongly believe that the pleasure and pain of non-human animals matter just as much as the pleasure and pain of humans. I do not believe that humans have any more right in this world than other species. This does not apply only to humans and animals, but also plants and the earth in general. Animals are often given less priority because humans “need” a certain area that may be a habitat, a certain good that may come from animal skin, and so on. Rather, humans “want” these things, not so much “need” them. For example, poaching, stuffing, logging are not always necessary (the first two definitely are not). There is definitely a strong and easy possibility for humans and animals to coexist. This does not mean that eating meat is wrong. Humans eating meat is just as excusable as animals eating animals is. It is natural and a way of life; it helps against overpopulation and with sustenance. Yet, once again, humans need to consider the pleasure and pain of animals by not hunting too excessively or abusing the animals that are meant to be a source of food.

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

It does not seem that this question can have any other answer other than “it depends.” It depends on which point of view this question is being answered. For example, someone who is educated or dedicated and is making a difference in the world may be worth more than a person who is living a life of crime. The first person may be able to touch many other lives and bring more worth to others, which accumulates. Yet, if you ask a mother this question about her child, she may say the child is worth more than the lives of others (especially if it comes to saving a child from a life or death situation). If you ask this question to a government or someone who seeks “the greater good,” the amount of lives may be the only factor that matters. Another completely different perspective is from a religious point of view. Someone who seeks salvation in the afterlife may say his or her own life matters more because in the afterlife, he or she will be accounted for his or her own actions. Now, if you look at this question from the same person’s perspective, but think of it as saving someone by sacrificing his or her self, he or she may say that the other’s life is worth more because saving someone will help them attain heaven. This question is too vague to truly answer, and is easily debatable.