PHIL 245
10-18-2008
At the beginning of this class, I knew that I would have a difficult time understanding such an involved and controversial subject. I heard about ethics from writing about it in my speech class. We did not go very deep into this subject, but we covered ethics in general in sociology. In my sociology class we learned that ethics differ culturally, for example one culture may allow certain behaviors and even expect those behaviors while another culture might think the same behavior uncivil or even illegal. We also learned how moral principles differ between cultures.
I knew that ethics, or morality, is a system of principles that helps us tell right from wrong, good from bad. This definition, by itself, tells us nothing about the standard by which we establish or measure right and wrong .Traditional approaches to morality are confusing to me. While supposedly telling us what is 'right' or 'good' for us, they variously imply sacrificing our lives to some Greater Good, restrict beneficial sexual conduct, oppose our legitimate desire for personal happiness or offer supposedly ideal, but impractical solutions. By listening in our class discussions and in talking with others in general, I found out that people disagree in their moral principles. Which is ok with me because we all have different opinions, lives, and approaches to various situations. Morality can be defined from each different perspective. Many times in class we have argued in different areas, which is normal. We don’t have to always agree with what Mr. Coldwell says. We constantly face choices that affect the lengths and quality of our lives. We must choose our values: where to live, how to spend our time, whom to associate with, whom to believe. We must choose what to think about, and how to go about achieving our goals. We are aware of our conscious thoughts and of our ability to make informed, intelligent choices - that is what we call ” free will “. Issues not subject...