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fandomhigh2007-08-10 06:39 pm
idontlooktired.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2007-08-10 06:39 pm
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Applied Ethics B: Fourth period [10.08]
Harriet was looking thoughtful as the students arrived, sitting behind her desk with a cup of tea. "Good morning. We are deviating from the syllabus once again this week, but I am quite certain none of you will object." Once everyone was settled, she walked around to lean on the front of the desk. "Which brings us nicely to what we're going to talk about: objection, protest and resistance, concepts I have a feeling many of you are familiar with. Specifically, when is it ethical to disobey the law, or, to step back slightly, a set of rules?"
Her smile was wry as she looked around the classroom. "I think I won't get much disagreement if I say: when the rules are unjust. Of course, then you have to decide whether a given rule is unjust." She was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She hadn't actually planned any of this out. "Everyone agrees to give up a certain amount of freedom to live in a society, whether it's a country or, just as a hypothetical example, a boarding school on an island. We agree to abide by the rules, even if we might want to break them, even if sometimes we do break them, because they are necessary for everyone to exist peacefully, and for the school to function effectively and not dissolve into chaos.
The person in charge, the person making the rules, is responsible for the safety and wellbeing, the health and happiness, of every single person in that society. Every single one. Personal feelings, dislikes, prejudices must not be allowed to influence her actions, because when they do, that is when rules start to become unjust. One group is favoured over another, ridiculous, sometimes vicious, rules are passed arbitrarily, out of anger or hatred or a need for revenge, out of a desire to exercise absolute power over people. The breaking of them is rewarded with even more vicious or arbitrary punishments."
Her voice was very sharp and she lifted her chin, studying each member of the class in turn. "This is not acceptable. Those are unjust rules, and I think one can safely say it is ethical to disobey them." She took a calming breath and smiled again. "And not just to disobey them, but to actively protest them. However, there are ways and means of doing this, some far more acceptable than others. Violence is rarely, if ever, acceptable." She handed out some material. "Just as a few examples.
Now, for the purposes of this exercise, I want you to use this school as your society, just so you have something familiar to work with. Get together in pairs or groups and identify any unjust rules you might be aware of, and why they are unjust, unjust punishments that have been handed down, any protests that have been made against those rules and how effective they've been. Brainstorm other ways to protest them, ways to actively disobey them. Think about what you're trying to achieve, and how your action is going to help you achieve it. Even come up with actual plans, if you'd like, just to take the hypothetical exercise to its conclusion."
"But," she held up a hand for emphasis, "do not forget the consequences. In that first rush of needing to do something, consequences get forgotten. But there are always consequences, not just for you, but for those around you: friends, families, fellow objectors, everyone else in the school. What could happen? What, if you can identify any protest activities which have occurred, has happened? You must always weigh the consequences of any action carefully when deciding if it is right to act."
[OOC:please wait for OCD It's up. Pretty self-explanatory this week, I think. Get together and talk about what's been going on at the school, and maybe ways to stop it. My comment notifications for this journal are almost nonexistent - if I miss pings, please feel free to poke me on email: idontlooktired (at) gmail.com or on AIM: iplayoneonfh. Apologies for those I've missed previously.]
Her smile was wry as she looked around the classroom. "I think I won't get much disagreement if I say: when the rules are unjust. Of course, then you have to decide whether a given rule is unjust." She was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She hadn't actually planned any of this out. "Everyone agrees to give up a certain amount of freedom to live in a society, whether it's a country or, just as a hypothetical example, a boarding school on an island. We agree to abide by the rules, even if we might want to break them, even if sometimes we do break them, because they are necessary for everyone to exist peacefully, and for the school to function effectively and not dissolve into chaos.
The person in charge, the person making the rules, is responsible for the safety and wellbeing, the health and happiness, of every single person in that society. Every single one. Personal feelings, dislikes, prejudices must not be allowed to influence her actions, because when they do, that is when rules start to become unjust. One group is favoured over another, ridiculous, sometimes vicious, rules are passed arbitrarily, out of anger or hatred or a need for revenge, out of a desire to exercise absolute power over people. The breaking of them is rewarded with even more vicious or arbitrary punishments."
Her voice was very sharp and she lifted her chin, studying each member of the class in turn. "This is not acceptable. Those are unjust rules, and I think one can safely say it is ethical to disobey them." She took a calming breath and smiled again. "And not just to disobey them, but to actively protest them. However, there are ways and means of doing this, some far more acceptable than others. Violence is rarely, if ever, acceptable." She handed out some material. "Just as a few examples.
Now, for the purposes of this exercise, I want you to use this school as your society, just so you have something familiar to work with. Get together in pairs or groups and identify any unjust rules you might be aware of, and why they are unjust, unjust punishments that have been handed down, any protests that have been made against those rules and how effective they've been. Brainstorm other ways to protest them, ways to actively disobey them. Think about what you're trying to achieve, and how your action is going to help you achieve it. Even come up with actual plans, if you'd like, just to take the hypothetical exercise to its conclusion."
"But," she held up a hand for emphasis, "do not forget the consequences. In that first rush of needing to do something, consequences get forgotten. But there are always consequences, not just for you, but for those around you: friends, families, fellow objectors, everyone else in the school. What could happen? What, if you can identify any protest activities which have occurred, has happened? You must always weigh the consequences of any action carefully when deciding if it is right to act."
[OOC:
Re: Get together and talk [AEB]
She played lightly with the cover of her sketchpad, relieved that she could draw once again. Two days without working fingers had driven her nearly mad. "I have a rather unusual idea, for that. If it's only students we're hoping to reach ... couldn't we leave the posters in the restrooms? Near the sinks. It would certainly ensure that only students saw them. But for location, I'm afraid I don't know. I rather like your idea about roommates, but I don't know if I know of any pairs like that. Perhaps we both ask around?"
Re: Get together and talk [AEB]
"If you want to sketch a bunch of little gremlins and leave them at my room, I can write the different slogans across the top. We can put them up in the bathrooms this weekend, and listen for reactions. That might let us know who'd be interested. We should concentrate on finding a place for the meeting...I'd offer my room, but I don't know what my roommate thinks about all of this." She sighed and looked at her lists in frustration. "I don't really know what to do beyond the first meeting. I'm used to taking orders, not thinking up plans, and this isn't my world. I don't know if I have a right to be interfering."
Re: Get together and talk [AEB]
She considered for a moment. "I don't know much, either. But surely someone at the meeting would. If we all come together, that's the start. And this is your home, for now at least, so I think you have as much right as anyone. What if I draw the sheets up tonight, and maybe we meet again tomorrow to discuss all of this? Hang the posters on Sunday? Does that sound good?"
Re: Get together and talk [AEB]