Ethics [Tuesday, September 13, 2011]

[sith_happened]

"Hello, class," Anakin said. "Welcome back to this, the second day after my granddaughter's wedding... I trust that by being in class, you have recovered from the weekend and are no longer praying for death or amnesia, and will be able to participate fully in this discussion."

He went to the board and scrawled: "Utilitarianism: it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong," then turned to face his students. "Do you think this is true? If what gives the majority pleasure is watching Christians getting eaten by lions, or a four-day-marathon of Fear Factor, does that make it right? What will protect the rights of the individual--who in this example might be a Christian who enjoys PBS--or do those really matter?"

Comments

Re: Answer the discussion questions! [9/13]

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Well, how are we defining 'majority'?" Toby had to ask. "I mean, in this example, if the people who want to watch Christians get eaten by lions are the biggest group, what if the people who don't and the people who don't care either way outnumber them? Or if some of the people who like watching people get eaten by lions would be just as happy, or at least okay with, watching something else?" The art of compromise was practically a requirement of Canadian citizenship, after all.