Steven DeAngelis Module 3 Blog Post

Question #1 response:

I believe it is more important to be a good person than it is to perform good acts. In my brief experiences in life I have known quite a few people that I wouldn’t categorize as good people, but who do good acts. Some of these people donate to charity, attend church regularly and even employ hundreds of people, but deep down they are not caring individuals. In certain cases a good person can be forced or required to perform a bad act, but that does not necessarily make them a bad person, just as a bad person doing a good act doesn’t make them a good person. My experiences have taught me that good people generally perform good acts more often then “bad” people. What is difficult is determining the criteria by which we determine if people are good or bad. I would say that a good person is someone who cares for others ahead of themselves and would go out of their way to take care of someone even if there is nothing in it for himself or herself.

 

Question #2 response:

 

Just as with many of these ethical questions there is quite a bit of grey area in this question, but I believe that generally the ends justify the means. The clearest example of ends justifying the means is in government. The president and many members of the government are often faced with making life and death decisions. One very tough ethical dilemma is whether or not to bomb terrorists, knowing that innocent civilians could possibly be injured or killed. In this situation law makers and government officials have to decide if doing so would save American lives. That decision is the ends justifying the means. If by killing a terrorist and possibly 5 civilians the president can save hundreds or even thousands of lives, then the president is likely to make that decision. Most decisions don’t require life or death decisions, but sometimes negative actions are necessary for the betterment of a situation for the most people.

 

Question #4 response:

 

I believe that ecosystems only matter to the extent that they impact humans. This may be a pessimistic view, but the only reason that we care about ecosystems is because of the effect that they have on humans. For example, we care about the over consumption of certain fish, such as tilapia and salmon because these fish are vital to the ecosystem that effects bigger fish like tuna. The problem with this is that humans are the cause of the changes in these ecosystems. Sustainability of certain materials only matters to us because we need them to survive as a species. Finding a sustainable, clean energy source is important because if we continue burning fossil fuels the environment will change and humans will no longer be able to survive, not because it effects other ecosystems that humans are not concerned with.

2 thoughts on “Steven DeAngelis Module 3 Blog Post

  1. Hi Steven,
    My name is Tyler. I agree with a bunch of points that you have stated. In my responses I characterized doing good deeds is better than being a good person. After reading your response to the same question, I was enlightened on seeing your response and it made me realize that I know a lot of people like that too. My response was due to my looking at the positive in people and not that a person would be covering up who they really are by doing goods acts. In regards to the other two questions you had chosen, I didn’t respond to them but agree with your thoughts. If you would like to see my responses to the questions I chose, please click on the link below that leads to mine.
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/02/module-3-2/

  2. Hey Steven! My name is Christianna and I’m a sophomore majoring in Elementary Education. Here is a link to my post, feel free to check it out!http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/03/christianna-woodling-module-3/

    Although we disagree on your response to question four, I think you have a very realistic view of the matter. I definitely think that the majority of people share this view. Most people don’t care about the over consumption of fish because salmon might go extinct and that would be really sad, but because it effects humans fish resources. You did a great job of defending your case, and a great job overall on your post!

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