Ethics [Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 1st period]

[sith_happened]

"Morning, class," Anakin began, striding to the front of the class. "Today we begin discussions about Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, though his influence stretched into many other areas of physical science as well. He believed that justice meant giving each person their due, or what they deserve. But how do we know what people deserve? What goods and opportunities should go to which people? Aristotle’s answer is that we have to consider the telos—the end or the purpose—of the good in question. For example, say we have some nice flutes. Who should get them? According to Aristotle, it’s not the rich person, since playing flutes has nothing to do with money. Nor is it the person who will be made most happy, since making good music is different than being happy. The purpose of a flute is to be played, and to be played well. So, Aristotle thinks, the flutes should go to the best flute players. Do you agree?"

Comments

Chat before class [10/25]

[sith_happened]

Talk about Homecoming or Peter's black eye. And hopefully Topher left the drippy ice cream at home today.

Re: Chat before class [10/25]

[lockestheway]

Peter didn't have a black eye, thank you. Just a bruised-looking face in the vicinity of his nose.

Some people were just barbarians.

Re: Chat before class [10/25]

[dollpocalypse]

Topher didn't have ice cream today at all, thank you!

He did have chips, though. But that was more a Topher thing than a mopey thing.

At the same time? He was totally not looking over at Tony if he was there. At all. Maybe ever.

Re: Chat before class [10/25]

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

Katniss was looking in better spirits than she had in Ethics classes past, though she didn't stray from her usual pattern of tucking herself into her desk quietly.

Re: Chat before class [10/25]

[twintuitionist.livejournal.com]

Juliet was more interested in talking about her birthday party, if anyone wanted to listen. She was even wearing George's crab earrings. They were Betsey Johnson.

Sign in [10/25]

[sith_happened]

With purpose!

Re: Sign in [10/25]

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke Castellan

Listen to the lecture [10/25]

[sith_happened]

Mmmm, Aristotle in the morning was just like coffee! Only not at all.

Re: Listen to the lecture [10/25]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

Jack was blinking hard for the first part of the lecture. It wasn't until Anakin came to the part of the flutes that he thought that he understood what he was talking about.

Re: Listen to the lecture [10/25]

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

Toby was sitting quietly, but not taking any notes. Instead, he was staring off into the distance with a distracted look on his face.

Re: Listen to the lecture [10/25]

[i-am-the-rat.livejournal.com]

To Hank, this "Aristotle" person sounded suspiciously like a Communist.

Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[sith_happened]

Should the flutes go to the best flute players? Or to someone else? Is Aristotle full of it?

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[dollpocalypse]

"Yeah," Topher said after a minute of thinking about that. "Or -- kinda. If you're really smart, you should get advantages, like -- books or whatever. Maybe it doesn't matter so much with instruments 'cause they're, like, not that important, but with real stuff, it should probably go to the people who can use 'em."

Such an ass. Such an ass.

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"I think the whole idea of nice flutes going to the best flute players is nice but... the whole thing gets complicated with who decides what," Jack said trying phrase his thoughts. "I mean, who's to say one flute player is better than another? Also does that mean a loaf of bread goes to the person who is the most hungry? How does that get decided. Plus what if someone just wants to play a flute? What if I was good at it but wanted to play baseball? Yeah, I think it starts falling apart once you start trying to put it into practice."

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

Katniss was pretty sure this was a stupid example, but....

"The goods should go to the people who will make the most use of them," she said. "I'm not really one for music, so I don't know if the flute answer is just especially obvious to me, but it's the same is with any resource."

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[walkswithcoyote]

"Maybe the best flutes might be saved for the best players, as a kind of reward or something," Mercy suggested. "But everyone should have a chance to play a flute if they want."

Though personally she would hav eloved it if only the best players got to play piano. WOuld have saved her four years of misery.

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[annieadderall.livejournal.com]

"I get where he's coming from," Annie said slowly, "but what if a rich person doesn't know they're one of the best flute players because they haven't had a chance to do it enough? And if a flute is going to make someone happy, I think they should get a flute, since just because someone might play it the best doesn't mean they want to. It's just weird to decide that for someone else."

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[twintuitionist.livejournal.com]

"There should be a lottery," Juliet answered. "Everyone who wants a flute could put their names in, and then we'd draw for prizes. It's fairest, and that way probably some of the really good flute players will get them. I mean, you aren't really going to ask for a flute if you can't play it at all, probably."

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[i-am-the-rat.livejournal.com]

"So answer me this, Mister Smarty Man," Hank asked confrontationally. "If you're just gonna give the flutes to the best flute players, who's going to pay for them?!?!"

Re: Answer the discussion question! [10/25]

[holy-daughter.livejournal.com]

Lucrezia frowned. "Are we basing this on skill, and not desire?" she asked. "What if the person with the greatest capacity for flute-playing is not one who wishes to make the flute his career? Should not human considerations weigh more than the need for the flute to be maximized by its potential?"

She was, perhaps, thinking of Cesare, forced into the cloth against his will.

Oooh, a hypothetical [10/25]

[sith_happened]

"Aristotle thought that human beings were by nature meant to use their reason to deliberate about important moral questions, and to share in the political life of the community. He also thought that government should promote this purpose by helping people to become better informed and more virtuous. Do you agree?"

[OOC: As always, make the threads as messy and jacked as you'd like!]

Re: Oooh, a hypothetical [10/25]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"Well sure. That makes sense but people are dumb," Jack replied. "Sure the government can try and make us better informed and virtuous but I'm pretty sure that Fox News taints the whole picture."

Talk to the TAs [10/25]

[sith_happened]

As it is their purpose.

Re: Talk to the TAs [10/25]

[hasadestiny]

Now Lex was kind of wondering what would happen if he told his dad he wanted to give it all up to join a band.

From a safe distance. Like across the Atlantic.

Talk to Anakin [10/25]

[sith_happened]

As it is his purpose.

Though he's a little more interested in putting the final details on his wife's birthday dinner reservations.

Re: Talk to Anakin [10/25]

[solo_sword]

Staying this long was pushing it, but Jaina knew it might be the last visit for a while, and she'd kind of been bad with keeping in touch lately. So with a little time before her portal left, she made sure to stop by after class and say, "Told you I'd find you later."

OOC

[sith_happened]

Tiny child didn't go to sleep until ten last night and was up before the sun. Coherence might be...asking a lot today.