Ethics [Thursday, October 8, 1st period]

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"I trust that all of you survived your weekend with your relatives mostly intact," Anakin said, sweeping into the room precisely on time. "Today we talk about something called the Golden Rule, a concept which unites many separate religions on this planet," he said, leaning against his desk and stared around the classroom. "It sounds altruistic: 'do unto others as you would have done unto you', but there's a couple of logical flaws in it. What if you don't mind getting poked in the stomach? Does it follow that you could wander around aimlessly poking people? What if you don't see what's wrong with stealing? Or killing? Or hating entire groups of people on principle? If the practical application is supposed to be you randomly help people because they could be good, wouldn't the opposite be that you could randomly harm people because they might be evil?"

He shrugged. "I suppose the Golden Rule could be broken down to 'be nice to people, and they'll be nice to you' but out here in the real world, we all know it doesn't exactly work like that, and the concept could also be reinterpreted as 'it doesn't bother me, so why does it bother you?' Is this a case of aiming for an ideal and hoping that it will cause a ripple effect of positive things, or something overly simplistic that taken to its logical extreme renders itself useless? Has seeing it on everything from coffee mugs to tea towels made the very idea of it trite, or does it still have a place in the mind of someone trying to lead an ethical life?"

Comments

Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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With your most forgiving icon.

Listen to the lecture [Ethics 10/8]

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Take notes, pass out, wonder just how many questions Anakin can ask in a single class...

Answer discussion question #1!

[sith_happened]

Logical flaws of the Golden Rule! Should you go around poking people in the stomach because you don't mind getting poked? Randomly hurt people just in case they're evil?

Answer discussion question #2!

[sith_happened]

Does putting something on a mug make it meaningful or waaaay overused?

Talk to the TAs!

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Hi, ladies!

Talk to Anakin [10/8]

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Who looks a little tired today.

OOC

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As always, make the discussions messy!

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Katina Choovanski

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

[icecoldfrost]

Emma Frost

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Hayley Fitzpatrick

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Maron Kusakabe

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

[longislandiceme]

Bobby Drake

Re: Listen to the lecture [Ethics 10/8]

[longislandiceme]

It was rare that Bobby found himself actually fully paying attention in class, and not daydreaming or making smartass remarks.

But when you fought to protect people that hated and feared you? 'Do Unto Others' became kind of personal. So here he was, listening closely and actually taking notes.

Re: Answer discussion question #1!

[longislandiceme]

Bobby actually had to make the effort to make sure that there was no literal ice to accompany his tone when he replied. "There's always gonna be some assholes in the world who hate people for stupid reasons, reasons that maybe these people don't have control over. And they're the kind of people who'll go around saying 'oh, I'd never cross the line and do something against the law', well that's sure convenient when the law doesn't have anything in place to protect those others, isn't it?"

Re: Answer discussion question #1!

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"...It doesn't work," Hayley said. "People are still gonna be mean because it gets them money or happiness or something."

She was smiling happily when she said it.

Re: Answer discussion question #2!

[longislandiceme]

"When it's not being twisted, it's still a good sentiment," Bobby had to admit. For all his bitterness towards the actions of specific groups of humans, he did believe in Xavier's Dream after all. "I mean, real life's obviously more complicated than everything being peachy-keen if you're just nice to everyone, but if it gets people to think about the fact that the person next to them is just that, a person, even if they have a, a fish head or something, then that's important."

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Leonard McCoy

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Raven

Re: Talk to the TAs!

[trigons_child]

Raven was here, as if she would ever miss this class.

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Rose Hathaway

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Karla

Re: Listen to the lecture [Ethics 10/8]

[glacial_queen]

Karla was frowning as she took notes. But it was a thoughtful frown. Yeah, this topic had the potential to get messy.

Re: Answer discussion question #1!

[glacial_queen]

"This is very similar to a saying we have in Kaeleer," Karla said, trying to keep the discussion away from potentially dangerous areas. "We teach it to children, especially right after the Birthright Ceremony, when they first have access to their Jewel strength. But it's a child's saying; a pretty sentiment that's over-simplified for a world-view that's very black and white. That worldview can't last very long. Things get messy and complicated. And the Golden Rule breaks down under the weight of that complication."

Re: Sign in [Ethics 10/8]

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Jonas

Re: Listen to the lecture [Ethics 10/8]

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

Jonas actually thought the Community had followed this rule so precisely that it had become the unspoken main rule. Of course, thinking about it now, he saw how many flaws existed within this rule existed and how they helped crack his view of the Community after years of thinking it perfect and right.