Our topic of discussion was moral relativism. A relativist's view is that everyone has their own views and their own "truths". Everyone in the world definitely does not share this view. Humans usually feel the need to defend their viewpoint or stand up for the beliefs. No one likes to be told they are wrong. We can see this play out with many controversial political and religious issues.
We also talked about how does the relativist's view come into play when there is an issue of human rights? A culture different from yours shares different beliefs, but what if that belief is that it is okay to torture babies. Do you just stand by and let it happen? Chances are most people and other cultures would not. Dr. Oliver also gave us a quote that said "the only thing worse than doing an evil act is standing by and letting it happen." Do you agree with this?
"The only thing worse than doing an evil act is standing by and letting it happen." I do agree with this statement and I think it will hold true for most people. However, everybody is going to have their own definition of the word "evil." Obviously, torturing babies is considered evil by most people but, to bring up the popular issue, abortion is considered evil by some and okay be others. It is all based on your views and beliefs. And even if you consider something evil, you may not be able to convince anyone else that you are right if you go about arguing the wrong way. Like blatantly saying "you're wrong" and providing no evidence as to why. It all depends on perspective.
ReplyDeleteQuestions on Seneca:
What did Seneca believe was "the most fruitful way to exist?"
This is a quote that I found: "We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than reality." What do you think this means?
sorry to intrude, but my group hasn't posted.
ReplyDeleteI'll start by saying that our discussion on morality of genetic enhancement was very interesting. But, it's something I had very little to say about. I feel as though with the advancement of genetic enhancement, as well as genetic reproduction, is something that can only be evaluated through someone's personal perception. Or maybe it had to deal with the fact that it doesn't pertain too much to me. Not sure.
My questions on Nehemas' philosophy:
- Why does Nehemas believe that it is difficult to represent what a friendship means?
- Even if Nehemas' outlook on the necessity of friendship for our internal growth is true, what is more important, our own internal development derived from ourselves, or our experiences with others?