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fandomhigh2011-09-27 10:03 am
sith_happened) wrote in fandomhigh2011-09-27 10:03 am
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Ethics [Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 1st period]
"Good morning, class," Anakin said, sweeping into the classroom and taking up his usual position of leaning against his desk at the front. "Today we learn about Immanuel Kant," he began, gesturing to the TAs to hand out information on the man. "He was an influential German philosopher on this planet several hundred years ago who thought every action should have pure intention behind it; otherwise it was meaningless. He did not necessarily believe that the final result was the most important aspect of an action, but that how the person felt while carrying out the action was the time at which value was set to the result."
In his mind, Anakin could hear Obi-Wan nattering on about how many of the truths people cling to depending upon their point of view. He shook his head to clear it and continued. "In other words, it's not the results that make something moral but why you made that decision, and Kant believed that only decisions made purely out of duty have moral worth. For instance, Kant spoke of a shopkeeper who passed up the chance to shortchange a customer only because his business might suffer if other customers found out. According to Kant, the shopkeeper’s action had no moral worth because he did the right thing for the wrong reason."
He paced the room. "What do you think of Kant's conclusion? Is he being too hard on that shopkeeper? What of people who are in the habit of being good without thinking? Is that being moral, or just being conditioned to interact correctly with society?"
In his mind, Anakin could hear Obi-Wan nattering on about how many of the truths people cling to depending upon their point of view. He shook his head to clear it and continued. "In other words, it's not the results that make something moral but why you made that decision, and Kant believed that only decisions made purely out of duty have moral worth. For instance, Kant spoke of a shopkeeper who passed up the chance to shortchange a customer only because his business might suffer if other customers found out. According to Kant, the shopkeeper’s action had no moral worth because he did the right thing for the wrong reason."
He paced the room. "What do you think of Kant's conclusion? Is he being too hard on that shopkeeper? What of people who are in the habit of being good without thinking? Is that being moral, or just being conditioned to interact correctly with society?"
Re: Answer the discussion questions! [9/27]
Mind, it might be because he had a bit of a stake in this thing where he hoped people weren't inherently good or bad or anything, because if they were, he was all kinds of doomed.
"Why spurn someone for their motivations in a case like that, when even our spurning comes from something society put into our minds about the way everyone else should behave, and the outcome is beneficial?" he asked. "Hell, even in the case of someone doing what Kant believes is 'good', you could still argue that they're simply doing what their conditioning demands of them - to interact correctly with their morals in a certain way, lest god or decency strike them down."
Re: Answer the discussion questions! [9/27]