This week’s lesson on ethics has enlightened me on the different terms used to describe different types of people. For example, for the first time in my life, I heard the philosophies of Utilitarianism and the Libertarian approaches. The lesson really made me curious to listen on! Throughout the lesson, I learnt that sometimes different philosophies can be applied on certain situations and some cannot. An example will be the case study of the Queen vs Dudley and Stephens. After listening to the story, I find that Utilitarianism contains flaws in its beliefs. Out of the three philosophies, I find that Aristotle approaches is the best as it is what I believe in that doing the right thing is the most important and virtues should be looked at instead of own personal gains or for the greater good.
My opinions on Utilitarianism is that though it is true that sometimes sacrificing someone or something to the greater good, it may not be necessary good as that means it is either murdering someone or breaking someone’s heart. So, is it really good to sacrifice just for the greater good? I don’t think so as sometimes the acts of Utilitarianism can make someone commit a crime just for the greater good. Just like in the case study of the Queen vs Dudley and Stephen, I find their actions unforgiveable as for their own survival, they murdered a boy who was almost the seventeen. Isn’t it incorrigible that they just killed him for their survival, not even asking his consent even though he was terribly ill but still alive? Thus, I don’t really like Utilitarianism as it tells that any acts can be forgiven as long as it is for the greater good.
Next, the Libertarian approach. I feel that the Libertarian approaches are just plainly selfish acts of a person. The Libertarian approach makes me feel that it is just a philosophy that supports that the own self is the most important, saying that we can do whatever we like as long as it is our own business. This certainly shows a high degree of selfishness and not only that, it will cause a serious imbalance in the society if every single one of the people believe in this philosophy due to the fact that everyone just do as they like, which will cause the foundations of the society to break down because everyone simply do what they like! The Libertarian approach contains flaws as this tells that everyone can just do what they like without caring much on others’ opinion.
Finally, the Aristotle approach. I feel that this philosophy is the best amongst the three as I agree that doing the right thing is the most important thing in our life. I do not know why, but I just feel that it is the most important aspect since there will be no regrets when we do the right things. Looking at virtues to give rewards is also a good aspect in the Aristotle approach as this is the only way to find out if a person has done something that is commendable. Virtues show me that giving what a person deserves is the right thing to do. Hence, I have said my opinions on these three philosophies and I do agree that every philosophies has its own flaws, which I will like to conclude by saying that people have different viewpoints on different philosophies, as a result, it is really up to a person to decide which philosophy he or she believes in and it should not be affected or decided by someone else.
In this lesson i learned that, there are different types of people with different types of views. The Utilitarian, Libertarian and Aristotle. When approaching different types of situation, we should use different view to view these situation. So we can find the best solution.
In some situation, it is better to scarifies one for the greater good be it if you are committing any crime or not.(Utilitarian approach). While some is to think about you,yourself and still you.(Libertarian approach) &lastly by doing the right things depending on the situation, not just for the greater good or yourself.(Aristotle approach)
People may feel that the libertarian approach is plain selfish, however i feel that it is the society that result in this many libertarian. As we see more and more people being more and more selfish. Everyone wanted to care for but due to some situation, we must scarifies one for the greater goods when you have no other ways which is kill one person to save five or more person, but it also important to do the right things too by not committing any crime. And all these depends on the person that is deciding, some may find it wrong but some may find it right. There is no right and wrong.
This lesson has enlightened me on different approaches about Ethics. Honestly, it's the first time hearing these terms. I thought that it's pretty interesting how different people think extremely differently.
I find Utilitarianism quite practical. More pleasure than pain is what normally people would believe. If there's a path where there's more pleasure than pain, that's the usual route where people will be attracted to. That's where Utilitarianism points at. However, although practical, it is sometimes morally incorrect. For example, sacrificing a person for the "greater good" can mean murder, even if survival matters. "Greater good" is also very subjective. Not everyone would agree that the "greater good" is actually good. I find that Utilitarianism could be applied in some cases, but not when a morally incorrect decision is implicated in the situation.
The Libertarian approach is somewhat a selfish philosophy. It basically says that only the individual matters and only care for themselves. I find that Libertarianism is probably the most popular choice for humans but the least morally correct one. I also can see traces of Libertarianism in the west side of the world. For example, in America, people don't tend to pay back their parents for their efforts and money spent in taking care of them during their younger days. However, in Asian countries, the children usually pay back their parents for their efforts.
Finally, I find that the Aristotle approach the most reasonable one. It concentrates on the aspect of what is right and what is wrong. Virtues are important in one's life. Without them, life would be a mess. There needs to be a standard to keep things in check and order. However, the Aristotle approach isn't really universal. For example, in different countries, the standard could vary.
In conclusion, I find that the Aristotle approach the most reasonable one. However, different people have different viewpoints. Hence, there are many philosophies in which people believe and we must respect that.
Written (more liked typed I guess) by Jang Min Gyu aka. GLEN
Personally, I believe that utilitarianism is my preferred philosophy to conduct in my life. Utilitarianism, in my opinion, contributes more to the society in the long run, and promotes growth in the future by promoting selflessness. In the system of utilitarianism, the result or consequence of an act is the real measure of whether it is good or bad. From this, I believe the "nett happiness gain" is at its peak, as compared to the other two systems. I only look into the nett gain of happiness, which in my opinion, is the ultimate attribute one should look into. The Libertarian approachs, in my opinion, is plain selfish and I do not like it. The Aristotle approach seems like a good balance of both, but it doesn't satisfy my need for a maximum nett happiness. Hence, I believe Utilitarianism is still a best approach to life.
After this week's lesson, I've learnt three big words, namely Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle. These words and the concept behind them have definitely enlightened me and make me delve deeper into life.
I believe that each concept have their own reason backing it up but I personally feel that the Aristotle approach is the best way to solve any problem. It is the concept of solving things in the most ethical way possible, taking in consideration the virtues in life.
Yes, you may say that the Utilitarianism can be considered, since it is the concept of solving the problem and resulting in having the most people happy and the least people unhappy. True, but by looking at the Queen vs Dudley and Stephen case, you can see that even though more people benefit than suffer, it is not right to end someone's life intentionally. With the Utilitarianism approach, there will bound to be a minority who suffers and this is not fair to them.
What's even more selfish is the Libertarian approach, which is a concept that looks at the individual's interest before the bigger community. Isn't this very self-centred? Looking at only your own interest and not caring about the others..
I'm not trying to be biased here, but I sincerely believe that following the heart is the best and we should never do something immoral in doing things.
This week's lesson on ethics and different schools of thoughtallowed me to clarify and refine my own view. Learning aboutUtilitarian, Libertarian and Aristole's differing and contradicting viewpoints was refreshing as since there was no right answer, each and everyone of us was invited to choose one or a combination of three viewpoints.
I personally liked the different thought experiments that resulted inopposing answers because it forced us to think about our own opinion instead of accepting either argument as fact.
I feel that while Utilitarianism has its merits, it suffers from thesame fatal flaw as communism in that it relies of a group of peopleor even one person to make a life/death decision for someone else.One is much more likely to support a war that you are not fighting in.
The Libertarian approach emphasises the rights and will of the individual over everything else. I feel that this approach is the closest to a free market system. It is hoped that while each individualpurses the avenue of greatest reward for himself, the result will bea compounded improvement of society. Personal freedom is of utmostimportance and tax, conscription are viewed as slavery.
Finally the Aristotle approach is the most politically correct and popular. It centers around a virtues system where everyone is judged on a single set of universal values. My issue with the Aristotlian philosophy is that ultimately the actions of the individual are judged by a collective majority, this poses the danger that someone may be victimised due to cultural, religious differences.
After this lesson i learnt how people think differently in many different ways. Every different philosophies allow us to think a lot and also we do agree to some parts of the philosophies. However none of the philosophies are perfect, there are still loopholes in every one of them.
But form my point of view everything should be judge case by case, because there are different situation to every case hence there isn't one fits all philosophies.
The lesson was on ethics. It was interesting to see how different people can see different things in a different light, and to determine what is the best way to solve problems ad make decisions. I feel that it is useful to know this to better understand people and their way of thinking, however, in a real life or death situation, I would probably freeze up and not be able to do anything.
If I had to choose between libertarianism, utilitarianism or Aristotelian, I believe I would choose Aristotelian. This is because I believe that values are one of the most important things to keep. Values are called values because they are important to our lives. This is something I feel must be kept to keep people happy.
For the libertarianism way, where people only think about themselves, it will never work. People will have conflicting ideas, and will battle out with them for the way they want things to be done. This will cause chaos and is a very inefficient way of gaining happiness.
The utilitarianism way believes that the best course of action is the action which makes the most people happy and the least people sad. I could never do this, as it means killing innocent people. This could be people such as my close friends, or other people's close friends, so it creates sadness in the people around them. Also, I would find it sad to think that at any moment, I could be killed for the good of other people. This decreases overall happiness, so I believe it is counterproductive.
In the lesson, i learnt that there are 3 ways to judge the right and wrong of matters, which are utilitarian, libertarian, and Teleological.
For the utilitarian, i think it's a very wrong way of thinking. It may be how conquerors and generals decided on matters in the past, because there were many cases where due to the desire to win in war, they would resort to anything in order to get the resort. It is the same thinking as utilitarian because the process doesn't matter, as long at the end result is achieved, the difference being that the end results is different.
Libertarian views are much more respectful to the human rights and the freedoms. But, the flaw is that it leads people to do the things they want, even to the extent of breaking the laws.
Teleological views emphasize on giving people what they deserve, based on virtues. It would be a very fair way of deciding on matters, although it will be quite difficult, because virtues and their worth are not easy to determine.
But humans are not computers, every one has different views and different ways to go about solving problems and making decisions. What we all can probably do is make use of the Teleological views(as its the most fair) as a guidelines when we face difficulties in making decisions and judging the right and wrongs in our lives.
This week‘s materials on ethics is very interesting. I learn that there are three ways of looking at ethics. The Utilitarian way, promoted by Jeremy Bentham, which is doing things for the greater good so that there will be more pleasure and less pain. The Libertarian way, promoted by Robert Nozick, is when one only thinks about oneself, having the concept of me, myself and i. The Teleological way, promoted by Aristotle who stands on one’s virtues, choosing right from wrong.
In my opinion, I think the Aristotle approach is the one that makes more sense and is what most of us is taught. The Utilitarianism and Libertarian approach have failed in some instances as shown in some of the examples during the lesson.
The Utilitarianism approach is sacrificing one for the greater good. Although ones unhappiness is less than the rest, they think that it is alright as it is for the greater good. I think this is wrong as I believe in all for one and one for all, and doing the right thing. To sacrifice one person for the benefit of others is definitely wrong as who are we to take what that is not ours.
The Libertarian approach on the other hand is a selfish and self-centred approach. Even though I agree that sometimes we do have to think about ourselves, but to do it all the time is again not right. It will just divide people and make them individuals who do not care about the society or even their family. It will be a horrible place to be in.
The Aristotle approach is the one that is close to me as it is doing what is right. To follow one’s conscience and do the right thing. Doing the right thing and having virtues means giving people what they deserve. This will definitely make it a better place to be in.
I hope that nobody will follow the other two approaches as it is nonsense and does not make sense to me. All in all, it was an exciting lesson as it got me thinking.
This lesson on ethics was very interesting. It taught me how different people adopt different ethics and how would they do things in certain scenarios. For example, the train experiment was thought-provoking as it allowed me to see what people would do. Most people would ordinarily attempt to save many lives as possible, but some people would rather let the train kill 5 and save 1 person as their views and reasons differ. In this way, this allows us to relate to other people such as doctors, who have to make important decisions quickly in a life-threatening situation that may conflict with their view of ethics and the like.
The lesson on Utilitarianism, Libertarian, Teleological views of Ethics has taught me how people view ethics. It has taught me the different aspects of each type of Ethics. I find that Utilitarianism is somewhat similar to Communism. Since Utilitarianism involves making a decision that creates the greatest amount of pleasure or reduces the greatest amount of pain for the greatest number of people, it is similar to Communism since Communism is about giving equal benefits to everyone. I find that Libertarian view of Ethics is similar to Democracy, and that since Libertarian is an adaptation of Utilitarianism where individual rights is an aspect introduced to the Utilitarianism view of ethics. Both are about one’s right, except that Libertarian involves doing actions that create the greatest amount of pleasure for oneself.
All in all, this lesson was beneficial for me as it allowed me to see and know how other people’s view of ethics will affect people’s actions in certain situations.
This week's lesson was really enlightening as we got to see the different types of philosophies such as the Utilitarian and Libertarians. This was a new experience for me as I got to explore the different types of thinking people in the world have.
The activity was really enlightening as we got to see the different types of scenarios and the types of decisions that people make in the different situations I was astonished at how my own view point totally changed when I thought of the situation from another perspective. Later we realised what types of philosophies we follow. Being an Asian I believe that most of us are actually following the Utilization theory, as it has been drilled in us that we should always do things for the greater good.
I feel that the utilisation theory actually work in some scenarios however it fails in others. It all depends on the person's perspective, but sometimes it is better to do thing for the better good. Like in the scenarios of the doctor who had to choose between 1 critically sick person who needed 5 hours of surgery and 5 other people who needed 1 hour each of surgery. From my perspective I think that saving 5 lives is always better than saving 1 single person.
If we use the Libertarian theory we would be classified as being selfish. However it actually make sense to think about oneself in some scenarios. The example of the tax equals slavery was really hilarious. I feel that in some scenarios th libertarian makes sence like when we pay taxes the government uses the money to help people who are unemployed, so is it really justified for us to give our hard earned money one people who are not willing to earn money for themselves, and why must we use our money to support these people. However if taxation is stopped, there will be chaos, as if there is no taxation, cigarettes and alcohol would prevail and the rich would richer and the poor would get poorer.
Hence I fully support Aristotle theory of virtues was really good, as it has no problems and it makes use of virtues to decide what a person deserves.
Ethics, what is that? I ever heard of it before. It's basically philosophy. That's when i learned about Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle. They are very interesting ethics. It got us thinking. Arguments could occur too.
Utilitarianism is the philosophy of making use of something/someone for the greater good. However, it's not usually the best option. What if that certain someone wasn't willing to be the 'bait'. Such examples that I know was the doctor case. The doctor had to choose whether to save a severely injured patient or save a few injured patients. If they are not saved, they will die. There was also the Dudley, Stephens, Brook and Richards case. They need to survive. Hence, they made use of Richards, someone whom is of little use, for survival by eating them. They didn't ask for permission. Hence, I didn't support Utilitarianism.
Libertarian is the philosophy of not caring about others. It's everything about yourself. Whatever you do is for your own benefit. But that should not be the way. We need to be aware of what is around us as well.
Aristotle is a philosophy where I believe is the best. It's a philosophy where you do what you think is right and most justifiable. For example, the incest case; I think that it's not right even though the daughter had offered herself to her father. However, it's not appropriate for families(own blood) to do such thing. It is not very virtuous.
Ethics is about doing the right thing, it is difficult for everyone to view "right" the same way.
The Utilitarian approach is to sacrifice something/someone for the greater good. Some may view it this way, a man killed a murderer to prevent more victims. According to the Utilitarian approach, we are sacrificing one man for the better of others. But in turn the man actually became a murderer himself. Does that mean that the same thing should happen to him? In my opinion, it does not mean that as long as the amount of happiness exceeds the amount of unhappiness, the act is ethical. Different people have different views on "the greater good".
The Libertarians approach is only caring about oneself. These people are self-centered and do not think about others. This approach makes me feel that everyone is living in their own world, minding their own problems. They never know how others' feel, simply because they don't care. This approach will definitely not work well in today's world with all the rules and regulations in a country.
The Aristotle approach says that doing the right thing means giving people what they deserve. This is closely related to meritocracy in education and work. Rewards are given to people who deserve it, and made effort to earn them. I feel that this approach is the most practical and feasible, as it makes more sense compared to the other two.
After this week's lesson, i have learned new terms such as Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle approaches. This was the first time i had seen this new words and after going through the lecture, i find it interesting as it is more of life and how one sees it. Firstly, Utilitarianism is defined as the result of the consequence of an act of whether it is good or bad. Also from Utilitarianism, i learned that Man is under two great masters; Pleasure and Pain. I think this is so true as life is never easy and all of us have to go through pain and pleasure as it is all parts of life. Secondly, Libertarian are individuals who think they have the right to be free & choose to live the way they want provided they respect the liberty of others in their way of life. Lastly, the Aristole approach is mainly doing what is right which means giving people what they deserve. Overall, I feel that the Aristotle theory suits me best as it is the most right theory of the 3 for me and it decides what a person deserves overall.
This week lesson has introduced me to ethics which basically means to do the right thing. It is about what is the right thing to do when we are in a situation and how to go about doing the right thing. There are also three different approach to ethics namely: Utilitarian, Libertarian and Aristotle.
Under utilitarian approach, whether an action is right or wrong depends solely on the consequence and they believe that people ought to do things that produces the greatest happiness and least pain for the greatest number of people.
For Libertarian, they feel that it is a mistake to think about justice and law and policies by just adding up all the pleasures and pain to increase utility and that individuals should have the right to be free and choose to live the way they want provided they respect the liberty of others. I personally feel that this approach should be practised as people will have more rights and have their own freedom even though it is about ourselves.
For Aristotle, they feel that doing what is right means that they have to give people what they deserve and in order to determine what they deserve, they must first determine what are the virtues worthy of honour and reward. This is another approach which I like as people are rewarded for the good things that they do.
In conclusion, I feel that the Libertarian approach is the best even though many find that it is a selfish approach. This is because each and everyone of us should have our own freedom and should not do things that we do not like just for the benefits of others.
This lesson has taught me the different types of people in this world and the decisions they would make in different scenarios. This is very important in our life as we have to understand the different decisions they make instead of just criticizing them just because their viewpoint does not tally with yours.
Firstly, we have the Utilitarianism approach where sacrificing is needed for the greater good. Sacrificing also means the death of a person to save an entire community. For this approach, I look down on it greatly. No one has the right to end a person's life, no matter the circumstances, unless he or she has given the right for them to do so, otherwise, he or she has every right to continue living. In cases of people given life sentences, in my opinion, is also unforgivable. The purpose of the law is to temporary remove them from society and hopefully rehabilitate them, not just simply ending their lives, therefore, I feel they have the right to live on and given a second chance.
Secondly, we have the Libertarian approach where everything is only focus on himself. I feel this is human nature as who does not cherish himself? Similar to my argument in the utilitarianism approach, he has every right to fight for what he or she wants and the best he or she can achieve. This is just like the direct opposite of utilitarian, which I feel is also bad. Selfishness will only make people disliked you and probably you would not get anything back in return in the mist of fighting for something. No man is an island, everyone exist for a reason with each having their own rights. What Libertarians fail to understand is that everyone is equal to him or herself and each of them has as much rights as he or she does and it is simply wrong to just bringing them down, overpowering their rights.
Last but not least, we have the Aristotle approach where we look at the situation and do the right thing. This is the only approach where i agree a 100% with. Virtues are what makes a life in the first place. Without virtues, one will live without honour and will be looked down upon greatly. A man with virtues knows right from wrong and will be able to make the best possible decision. I genuinely have no arguments or disagreements with this approach.
All in all, no one has the right to end another's life, no man is an island. Everyone has every right to live and be heard, and also taking others into consideration and this society would then be perfect.
I learnt from the lesson that “Morality = Ethics = Justice = Doing the right thing”, which to me, is my integrity which I define it as “doing the right thing even when no one is watching”.
My opinion on Utilitarianism (that says the Result or the Consequence of an Act is the real measure of whether it is good or bad) is that it is a theory that emphasizes Ends over Means. This theory was come up by Jeremy Bentham who state that man is under two great masters: pain and pleasure and that the greater good was that we should seek is happiness. His formula: Max (∑ People’s happiness - ∑ People’s unhappiness). In summary, his theory says that we ought to do that which produces the greatest happiness and least pain for the greatest number of people.
I feel that theories, like this one, that emphasize the results or consequences are called consequentialist.
My opinion on Libertarians (that says the Right to life, liberty & freedom is most important) is that it is a theory that emphasizes on oneself. This theory was come up by Robert Nozick who believes that everyone should have their own rights in everything they do and that no one should have the right to take away that right. In summary, his theory says that we should hold on to our own Right to life, liberty & freedom.
I feel that theories, like this one, that emphasizes a lot on oneself should be defined as selfishness.
My opinion on Aristotle’s approach (that Look at virtues from the point of view of virtues is called Teleological) is that it is a theory that emphasizes on virtues. This theory was come up by Aristotle who believes that it is hard to conclude what virtue is & what virtue is not. In summary, his theory says that doing what is right means giving people what they deserve.
I feel that theories, like this one, that emphasizes a lot on virtues should be the more ideal.
To sum it all up, I think that personally I follow the Aristotle’s approach more than the other two.
This lesson has messed up my views on ethics, morality, what is right or wrong (Thanks for the word of caution about my worldview changing). It now felt impossible to me to have a clear definition of ethics. The trolley experiment wanted us to choose to either act and kill 1 person or don't do anything and kill 5 person. This is a extremely difficult choice to make as if we act and kill 1 person it means we murdered the person as we acted, and not do anything and kill 5 person means even though we have the ability to kill 4 less people, yet due to our lack of action we caused the death of 5 person. All options are wrong. Another case is that we are a doctor and there are 5 patients who needs emergency transplants and 1 healthy person. Should we leave the 5 patients to die or chop up the 1 healthy person to extract his organs and save the 5 patients. If we do that it means we have murdered someone yet if we didn't we would have caused 5 patients to die. What is right and wrong? I don't know anymore. We were also taught 3 different approaches to ethics: Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle, and my opinions are below.
Utilitarism is a very simple approach: out actions should result in the maximum amount of positive consequences and the minimum amount of negative consequences, and these consequences should be those of everyone affected and everyone equally. It may sound right, but is it right? We were given a case study of a real life scenerio where 4 seaman were stranded and they had to eat 1 of their crew member who is already dying to survive. This under utilitarism is correct, but we all know that this is just wrong. Cannibalism is not correct. But isn't 1 member for the survival for 3 member good? Which brings us to the point that how are we to determine the value of someone's life, how much positive or negative consequences caused from sacrificing someone's life? Which is why I feel utilitarism won't work out.
Libertarian is the approach where individuals have the right to be free and choose to live the way they want provided they respect the liberty of others. Basically libertarians are people who only care about themselves. They keep problems to themselves and no one else should interfere. This is something I feel should NOT be practiced. If we allow everyone to do anything they want, someone can kill their own children and just say its their family's problem, and that is obviously not good.
Aristotle is about promoting virtues. It means doing what is right, giving people what they deserve. To determine that we must find out what virtues are worthy of honour and reward. To establish a just constitution we must first establish the most desirable way of life. This is the approach that we have been taught from young and I feel this is the most right approach, as we should always do the right thing and not be selfish like a libertarian.
In conclusion I feel the Aristotle approach is the best approach towards ehtics as doing what is right should always be our first priority, even if we have to die for it since there is no reason to live if no one will forgive us for doing something like killing a person (we will be executed).
This week’s lesson on ethics has enlightened me on the different terms used to describe different types of people. For example, for the first time in my life, I heard the philosophies of Utilitarianism and the Libertarian approaches. The lesson really made me curious to listen on! Throughout the lesson, I learnt that sometimes different philosophies can be applied on certain situations and some cannot. An example will be the case study of the Queen vs Dudley and Stephens. After listening to the story, I find that Utilitarianism contains flaws in its beliefs. Out of the three philosophies, I find that Aristotle approaches is the best as it is what I believe in that doing the right thing is the most important and virtues should be looked at instead of own personal gains or for the greater good.
ReplyDeleteMy opinions on Utilitarianism is that though it is true that sometimes sacrificing someone or something to the greater good, it may not be necessary good as that means it is either murdering someone or breaking someone’s heart. So, is it really good to sacrifice just for the greater good? I don’t think so as sometimes the acts of Utilitarianism can make someone commit a crime just for the greater good. Just like in the case study of the Queen vs Dudley and Stephen, I find their actions unforgiveable as for their own survival, they murdered a boy who was almost the seventeen. Isn’t it incorrigible that they just killed him for their survival, not even asking his consent even though he was terribly ill but still alive? Thus, I don’t really like Utilitarianism as it tells that any acts can be forgiven as long as it is for the greater good.
Next, the Libertarian approach. I feel that the Libertarian approaches are just plainly selfish acts of a person. The Libertarian approach makes me feel that it is just a philosophy that supports that the own self is the most important, saying that we can do whatever we like as long as it is our own business. This certainly shows a high degree of selfishness and not only that, it will cause a serious imbalance in the society if every single one of the people believe in this philosophy due to the fact that everyone just do as they like, which will cause the foundations of the society to break down because everyone simply do what they like! The Libertarian approach contains flaws as this tells that everyone can just do what they like without caring much on others’ opinion.
Finally, the Aristotle approach. I feel that this philosophy is the best amongst the three as I agree that doing the right thing is the most important thing in our life. I do not know why, but I just feel that it is the most important aspect since there will be no regrets when we do the right things. Looking at virtues to give rewards is also a good aspect in the Aristotle approach as this is the only way to find out if a person has done something that is commendable. Virtues show me that giving what a person deserves is the right thing to do.
Hence, I have said my opinions on these three philosophies and I do agree that every philosophies has its own flaws, which I will like to conclude by saying that people have different viewpoints on different philosophies, as a result, it is really up to a person to decide which philosophy he or she believes in and it should not be affected or decided by someone else.
By Walter
In this lesson i learned that, there are different types of people with different types of views. The Utilitarian, Libertarian and Aristotle.
ReplyDeleteWhen approaching different types of situation, we should use different view to view these situation. So we can find the best solution.
In some situation, it is better to scarifies one for the greater good be it if you are committing any crime or not.(Utilitarian approach).
While some is to think about you,yourself and still you.(Libertarian approach)
&lastly by doing the right things depending on the situation, not just for the greater good or yourself.(Aristotle approach)
People may feel that the libertarian approach is plain selfish, however i feel that it is the society that result in this many libertarian. As we see more and more people being more and more selfish.
Everyone wanted to care for but due to some situation, we must scarifies one for the greater goods when you have no other ways which is kill one person to save five or more person, but it also important to do the right things too by not committing any crime.
And all these depends on the person that is deciding, some may find it wrong but some may find it right.
There is no right and wrong.
This lesson has enlightened me on different approaches about Ethics. Honestly, it's the first time hearing these terms. I thought that it's pretty interesting how different people think extremely differently.
ReplyDeleteI find Utilitarianism quite practical. More pleasure than pain is what normally people would believe. If there's a path where there's more pleasure than pain, that's the usual route where people will be attracted to. That's where Utilitarianism points at. However, although practical, it is sometimes morally incorrect. For example, sacrificing a person for the "greater good" can mean murder, even if survival matters. "Greater good" is also very subjective. Not everyone would agree that the "greater good" is actually good. I find that Utilitarianism could be applied in some cases, but not when a morally incorrect decision is implicated in the situation.
The Libertarian approach is somewhat a selfish philosophy. It basically says that only the individual matters and only care for themselves. I find that Libertarianism is probably the most popular choice for humans but the least morally correct one. I also can see traces of Libertarianism in the west side of the world. For example, in America, people don't tend to pay back their parents for their efforts and money spent in taking care of them during their younger days. However, in Asian countries, the children usually pay back their parents for their efforts.
Finally, I find that the Aristotle approach the most reasonable one. It concentrates on the aspect of what is right and what is wrong. Virtues are important in one's life. Without them, life would be a mess. There needs to be a standard to keep things in check and order. However, the Aristotle approach isn't really universal. For example, in different countries, the standard could vary.
In conclusion, I find that the Aristotle approach the most reasonable one. However, different people have different viewpoints. Hence, there are many philosophies in which people believe and we must respect that.
Written (more liked typed I guess) by Jang Min Gyu aka. GLEN
Personally, I believe that utilitarianism is my preferred philosophy to conduct in my life. Utilitarianism, in my opinion, contributes more to the society in the long run, and promotes growth in the future by promoting selflessness. In the system of utilitarianism, the result or consequence of an act is the real measure of whether it is good or bad. From this, I believe the "nett happiness gain" is at its peak, as compared to the other two systems. I only look into the nett gain of happiness, which in my opinion, is the ultimate attribute one should look into. The Libertarian approachs, in my opinion, is plain selfish and I do not like it. The Aristotle approach seems like a good balance of both, but it doesn't satisfy my need for a maximum nett happiness. Hence, I believe Utilitarianism is still a best approach to life.
ReplyDeleteAfter this week's lesson, I've learnt three big words, namely Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle. These words and the concept behind them have definitely enlightened me and make me delve deeper into life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that each concept have their own reason backing it up but I personally feel that the Aristotle approach is the best way to solve any problem. It is the concept of solving things in the most ethical way possible, taking in consideration the virtues in life.
Yes, you may say that the Utilitarianism can be considered, since it is the concept of solving the problem and resulting in having the most people happy and the least people unhappy. True, but by looking at the Queen vs Dudley and Stephen case, you can see that even though more people benefit than suffer, it is not right to end someone's life intentionally. With the Utilitarianism approach, there will bound to be a minority who suffers and this is not fair to them.
What's even more selfish is the Libertarian approach, which is a concept that looks at the individual's interest before the bigger community. Isn't this very self-centred? Looking at only your own interest and not caring about the others..
I'm not trying to be biased here, but I sincerely believe that following the heart is the best and we should never do something immoral in doing things.
By ZhongHan
This week's lesson on ethics and different schools of thoughtallowed me to clarify and refine my own view. Learning aboutUtilitarian, Libertarian and Aristole's differing and contradicting viewpoints was refreshing as since there was no right answer, each and everyone of us was invited to choose one or a combination of three viewpoints.
ReplyDeleteI personally liked the different thought experiments that resulted inopposing answers because it forced us to think about our own opinion instead of accepting either argument as fact.
I feel that while Utilitarianism has its merits, it suffers from thesame fatal flaw as communism in that it relies of a group of peopleor even one person to make a life/death decision for someone else.One is much more likely to support a war that you are not fighting in.
The Libertarian approach emphasises the rights and will of the individual over everything else. I feel that this approach is the closest to a free market system. It is hoped that while each individualpurses the avenue of greatest reward for himself, the result will bea compounded improvement of society. Personal freedom is of utmostimportance and tax, conscription are viewed as slavery.
Finally the Aristotle approach is the most politically correct and popular. It centers around a virtues system where everyone is judged on a single set of universal values. My issue with the Aristotlian philosophy is that ultimately the actions of the individual are judged by a collective majority, this poses the danger that someone may be victimised due to cultural, religious differences.
Daniel Khoo
After this lesson i learnt how people think differently in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteEvery different philosophies allow us to think a lot and also we do agree to some parts of the philosophies.
However none of the philosophies are perfect, there are still loopholes in every one of them.
But form my point of view everything should be judge case by case, because there are different situation to every case hence there isn't one fits all philosophies.
The lesson was on ethics. It was interesting to see how different people can see different things in a different light, and to determine what is the best way to solve problems ad make decisions. I feel that it is useful to know this to better understand people and their way of thinking, however, in a real life or death situation, I would probably freeze up and not be able to do anything.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose between libertarianism, utilitarianism or Aristotelian, I believe I would choose Aristotelian. This is because I believe that values are one of the most important things to keep. Values are called values because they are important to our lives. This is something I feel must be kept to keep people happy.
For the libertarianism way, where people only think about themselves, it will never work. People will have conflicting ideas, and will battle out with them for the way they want things to be done. This will cause chaos and is a very inefficient way of gaining happiness.
The utilitarianism way believes that the best course of action is the action which makes the most people happy and the least people sad. I could never do this, as it means killing innocent people. This could be people such as my close friends, or other people's close friends, so it creates sadness in the people around them. Also, I would find it sad to think that at any moment, I could be killed for the good of other people. This decreases overall happiness, so I believe it is counterproductive.
Written by Lewis
In the lesson, i learnt that there are 3 ways to judge the right and wrong of matters, which are utilitarian, libertarian, and Teleological.
ReplyDeleteFor the utilitarian, i think it's a very wrong way of thinking. It may be how conquerors and generals decided on matters in the past, because there were many cases where due to the desire to win in war, they would resort to anything in order to get the resort. It is the same thinking as utilitarian because the process doesn't matter, as long at the end result is achieved, the difference being that the end results is different.
Libertarian views are much more respectful to the human rights and the freedoms. But, the flaw is that it leads people to do the things they want, even to the extent of breaking the laws.
Teleological views emphasize on giving people what they deserve, based on virtues. It would be a very fair way of deciding on matters, although it will be quite difficult, because virtues and their worth are not easy to determine.
But humans are not computers, every one has different views and different ways to go about solving problems and making decisions. What we all can probably do is make use of the Teleological views(as its the most fair) as a guidelines when we face difficulties in making decisions and judging the right and wrongs in our lives.
This week‘s materials on ethics is very interesting. I learn that there are three ways of looking at ethics. The Utilitarian way, promoted by Jeremy Bentham, which is doing things for the greater good so that there will be more pleasure and less pain. The Libertarian way, promoted by Robert Nozick, is when one only thinks about oneself, having the concept of me, myself and i. The Teleological way, promoted by Aristotle who stands on one’s virtues, choosing right from wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think the Aristotle approach is the one that makes more sense and is what most of us is taught. The Utilitarianism and Libertarian approach have failed in some instances as shown in some of the examples during the lesson.
The Utilitarianism approach is sacrificing one for the greater good. Although ones unhappiness is less than the rest, they think that it is alright as it is for the greater good. I think this is wrong as I believe in all for one and one for all, and doing the right thing. To sacrifice one person for the benefit of others is definitely wrong as who are we to take what that is not ours.
The Libertarian approach on the other hand is a selfish and self-centred approach. Even though I agree that sometimes we do have to think about ourselves, but to do it all the time is again not right. It will just divide people and make them individuals who do not care about the society or even their family. It will be a horrible place to be in.
The Aristotle approach is the one that is close to me as it is doing what is right. To follow one’s conscience and do the right thing. Doing the right thing and having virtues means giving people what they deserve. This will definitely make it a better place to be in.
I hope that nobody will follow the other two approaches as it is nonsense and does not make sense to me. All in all, it was an exciting lesson as it got me thinking.
Written by Basirah =)
This lesson on ethics was very interesting. It taught me how different people adopt different ethics and how would they do things in certain scenarios. For example, the train experiment was thought-provoking as it allowed me to see what people would do. Most people would ordinarily attempt to save many lives as possible, but some people would rather let the train kill 5 and save 1 person as their views and reasons differ. In this way, this allows us to relate to other people such as doctors, who have to make important decisions quickly in a life-threatening situation that may conflict with their view of ethics and the like.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson on Utilitarianism, Libertarian, Teleological views of Ethics has taught me how people view ethics. It has taught me the different aspects of each type of Ethics. I find that Utilitarianism is somewhat similar to Communism. Since Utilitarianism involves making a decision that creates the greatest amount of pleasure or reduces the greatest amount of pain for the greatest number of people, it is similar to Communism since Communism is about giving equal benefits to everyone.
I find that Libertarian view of Ethics is similar to Democracy, and that since Libertarian is an adaptation of Utilitarianism where individual rights is an aspect introduced to the Utilitarianism view of ethics. Both are about one’s right, except that Libertarian involves doing actions that create the greatest amount of pleasure for oneself.
All in all, this lesson was beneficial for me as it allowed me to see and know how other people’s view of ethics will affect people’s actions in certain situations.
This week's lesson was really enlightening as we got to see the different types of philosophies such as the Utilitarian and Libertarians. This was a new experience for me as I got to explore the different types of thinking people in the world have.
ReplyDeleteThe activity was really enlightening as we got to see the different types of scenarios and the types of decisions that people make in the different situations I was astonished at how my own view point totally changed when I thought of the situation from another perspective. Later we realised what types of philosophies we follow. Being an Asian I believe that most of us are actually following the Utilization theory, as it has been drilled in us that we should always do things for the greater good.
I feel that the utilisation theory actually work in some scenarios however it fails in others. It all depends on the person's perspective, but sometimes it is better to do thing for the better good. Like in the scenarios of the doctor who had to choose between 1 critically sick person who needed 5 hours of surgery and 5 other people who needed 1 hour each of surgery. From my perspective I think that saving 5 lives is always better than saving 1 single person.
If we use the Libertarian theory we would be classified as being selfish. However it actually make sense to think about oneself in some scenarios. The example of the tax equals slavery was really hilarious. I feel that in some scenarios th libertarian makes sence like when we pay taxes the government uses the money to help people who are unemployed, so is it really justified for us to give our hard earned money one people who are not willing to earn money for themselves, and why must we use our money to support these people. However if taxation is stopped, there will be chaos, as if there is no taxation, cigarettes and alcohol would prevail and the rich would richer and the poor would get poorer.
Hence I fully support Aristotle theory of virtues was really good, as it has no problems and it makes use of virtues to decide what a person deserves.
Ethics, what is that? I ever heard of it before. It's basically philosophy. That's when i learned about Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle.
ReplyDeleteThey are very interesting ethics. It got us thinking. Arguments could occur too.
Utilitarianism is the philosophy of making use of something/someone for the greater good. However, it's not usually the best option. What if that certain someone wasn't willing to be the 'bait'. Such examples that I know was the doctor case. The doctor had to choose whether to save a severely injured patient or save a few injured patients. If they are not saved, they will die. There was also the Dudley, Stephens, Brook and Richards case. They need to survive. Hence, they made use of Richards, someone whom is of little use, for survival by eating them. They didn't ask for permission. Hence, I didn't support Utilitarianism.
Libertarian is the philosophy of not caring about others. It's everything about yourself. Whatever you do is for your own benefit. But that should not be the way. We need to be aware of what is around us as well.
Aristotle is a philosophy where I believe is the best. It's a philosophy where you do what you think is right and most justifiable. For example, the incest case; I think that it's not right even though the daughter had offered herself to her father. However, it's not appropriate for families(own blood) to do such thing. It is not very virtuous.
Ethics is about doing the right thing, it is difficult for everyone to view "right" the same way.
ReplyDeleteThe Utilitarian approach is to sacrifice something/someone for the greater good. Some may view it this way, a man killed a murderer to prevent more victims. According to the Utilitarian approach, we are sacrificing one man for the better of others. But in turn the man actually became a murderer himself. Does that mean that the same thing should happen to him? In my opinion, it does not mean that as long as the amount of happiness exceeds the amount of unhappiness, the act is ethical. Different people have different views on "the greater good".
The Libertarians approach is only caring about oneself. These people are self-centered and do not think about others. This approach makes me feel that everyone is living in their own world, minding their own problems. They never know how others' feel, simply because they don't care. This approach will definitely not work well in today's world with all the rules and regulations in a country.
The Aristotle approach says that doing the right thing means giving people what they deserve. This is closely related to meritocracy in education and work. Rewards are given to people who deserve it, and made effort to earn them. I feel that this approach is the most practical and feasible, as it makes more sense compared to the other two.
After this week's lesson, i have learned new terms such as Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle approaches. This was the first time i had seen this new words and after going through the lecture, i find it interesting as it is more of life and how one sees it.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Utilitarianism is defined as the result of the consequence of an act of whether it is good or bad. Also from Utilitarianism, i learned that Man is under two great masters; Pleasure and Pain. I think this is so true as life is never easy and all of us have to go through pain and pleasure as it is all parts of life.
Secondly, Libertarian are individuals who think they have the right to be free & choose to live the way they want provided they respect the liberty of others in their way of life.
Lastly, the Aristole approach is mainly doing what is right which means giving people what they deserve.
Overall, I feel that the Aristotle theory suits me best as it is the most right theory of the 3 for me and it decides what a person deserves overall.
By Nabil
This week lesson has introduced me to ethics which basically means to do the right thing. It is about what is the right thing to do when we are in a situation and how to go about doing the right thing. There are also three different approach to ethics namely: Utilitarian, Libertarian and Aristotle.
ReplyDeleteUnder utilitarian approach, whether an action is right or wrong depends solely on the consequence and they believe that people ought to do things that produces the greatest happiness and least pain for the greatest number of people.
For Libertarian, they feel that it is a mistake to think about justice and law and policies by just adding up all the pleasures and pain to increase utility and that individuals should have the right to be free and choose to live the way they want provided they respect the liberty of others. I personally feel that this approach should be practised as people will have more rights and have their own freedom even though it is about ourselves.
For Aristotle, they feel that doing what is right means that they have to give people what they deserve and in order to determine what they deserve, they must first determine what are the virtues worthy of honour and reward. This is another approach which I like as people are rewarded for the good things that they do.
In conclusion, I feel that the Libertarian approach is the best even though many find that it is a selfish approach. This is because each and everyone of us should have our own freedom and should not do things that we do not like just for the benefits of others.
By: Jun Yong
This lesson has taught me the different types of people in this world and the decisions they would make in different scenarios. This is very important in our life as we have to understand the different decisions they make instead of just criticizing them just because their viewpoint does not tally with yours.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, we have the Utilitarianism approach where sacrificing is needed for the greater good. Sacrificing also means the death of a person to save an entire community. For this approach, I look down on it greatly. No one has the right to end a person's life, no matter the circumstances, unless he or she has given the right for them to do so, otherwise, he or she has every right to continue living. In cases of people given life sentences, in my opinion, is also unforgivable. The purpose of the law is to temporary remove them from society and hopefully rehabilitate them, not just simply ending their lives, therefore, I feel they have the right to live on and given a second chance.
Secondly, we have the Libertarian approach where everything is only focus on himself. I feel this is human nature as who does not cherish himself? Similar to my argument in the utilitarianism approach, he has every right to fight for what he or she wants and the best he or she can achieve. This is just like the direct opposite of utilitarian, which I feel is also bad. Selfishness will only make people disliked you and probably you would not get anything back in return in the mist of fighting for something. No man is an island, everyone exist for a reason with each having their own rights. What Libertarians fail to understand is that everyone is equal to him or herself and each of them has as much rights as he or she does and it is simply wrong to just bringing them down, overpowering their rights.
Last but not least, we have the Aristotle approach where we look at the situation and do the right thing. This is the only approach where i agree a 100% with. Virtues are what makes a life in the first place. Without virtues, one will live without honour and will be looked down upon greatly. A man with virtues knows right from wrong and will be able to make the best possible decision. I genuinely have no arguments or disagreements with this approach.
All in all, no one has the right to end another's life, no man is an island. Everyone has every right to live and be heard, and also taking others into consideration and this society would then be perfect.
I learnt from the lesson that “Morality = Ethics = Justice = Doing the right thing”, which to me, is my integrity which I define it as “doing the right thing even when no one is watching”.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion on Utilitarianism (that says the Result or the Consequence of an Act is the real measure of whether it is good or bad) is that it is a theory that emphasizes Ends over Means. This theory was come up by Jeremy Bentham who state that man is under two great masters: pain and pleasure and that the greater good was that we should seek is happiness. His formula: Max (∑ People’s happiness - ∑ People’s unhappiness). In summary, his theory says that we ought to do that which produces the greatest happiness and least pain for the greatest number of people.
I feel that theories, like this one, that emphasize the results or consequences are called consequentialist.
My opinion on Libertarians (that says the Right to life, liberty & freedom is most important) is that it is a theory that emphasizes on oneself. This theory was come up by Robert Nozick who believes that everyone should have their own rights in everything they do and that no one should have the right to take away that right. In summary, his theory says that we should hold on to our own Right to life, liberty & freedom.
I feel that theories, like this one, that emphasizes a lot on oneself should be defined as selfishness.
My opinion on Aristotle’s approach (that Look at virtues from the point of view of virtues is called Teleological) is that it is a theory that emphasizes on virtues. This theory was come up by Aristotle who believes that it is hard to conclude what virtue is & what virtue is not. In summary, his theory says that doing what is right means giving people what they deserve.
I feel that theories, like this one, that emphasizes a lot on virtues should be the more ideal.
To sum it all up, I think that personally I follow the Aristotle’s approach more than the other two.
Written by Calvin
This lesson has messed up my views on ethics, morality, what is right or wrong (Thanks for the word of caution about my worldview changing). It now felt impossible to me to have a clear definition of ethics. The trolley experiment wanted us to choose to either act and kill 1 person or don't do anything and kill 5 person. This is a extremely difficult choice to make as if we act and kill 1 person it means we murdered the person as we acted, and not do anything and kill 5 person means even though we have the ability to kill 4 less people, yet due to our lack of action we caused the death of 5 person. All options are wrong. Another case is that we are a doctor and there are 5 patients who needs emergency transplants and 1 healthy person. Should we leave the 5 patients to die or chop up the 1 healthy person to extract his organs and save the 5 patients. If we do that it means we have murdered someone yet if we didn't we would have caused 5 patients to die. What is right and wrong? I don't know anymore. We were also taught 3 different approaches to ethics: Utilitarianism, Libertarian and Aristotle, and my opinions are below.
ReplyDeleteUtilitarism is a very simple approach: out actions should result in the maximum amount of positive consequences and the minimum amount of negative consequences, and these consequences should be those of everyone affected and everyone equally. It may sound right, but is it right? We were given a case study of a real life scenerio where 4 seaman were stranded and they had to eat 1 of their crew member who is already dying to survive. This under utilitarism is correct, but we all know that this is just wrong. Cannibalism is not correct. But isn't 1 member for the survival for 3 member good? Which brings us to the point that how are we to determine the value of someone's life, how much positive or negative consequences caused from sacrificing someone's life? Which is why I feel utilitarism won't work out.
Libertarian is the approach where individuals have the right to be free and choose to live the way they want provided they respect the liberty of others. Basically libertarians are people who only care about themselves. They keep problems to themselves and no one else should interfere. This is something I feel should NOT be practiced. If we allow everyone to do anything they want, someone can kill their own children and just say its their family's problem, and that is obviously not good.
Aristotle is about promoting virtues. It means doing what is right, giving people what they deserve. To determine that we must find out what virtues are worthy of honour and reward. To establish a just constitution we must first establish the most desirable way of life. This is the approach that we have been taught from young and I feel this is the most right approach, as we should always do the right thing and not be selfish like a libertarian.
In conclusion I feel the Aristotle approach is the best approach towards ehtics as doing what is right should always be our first priority, even if we have to die for it since there is no reason to live if no one will forgive us for doing something like killing a person (we will be executed).
By Luo Wenhan