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ethics

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Tara's nose is red, her voice harsh and scratchy. She's still not recovered from her virus, but she's in class by 8am.

"First of all, I need to apologise to you all for last week. I misjudged things badly, and I hurt people. You have no reason to forgive me for that, and I'm not asking you to. I simply want you to know that I am truly sorry.

"A few people suggested last week that I have no business being an ethics teacher. It's given me a lot to think about. In the end, it doesn't matter whether you're right - what matters is that you believe you are. I will not be teaching again next semester."

She drops her eyes, suppressing a chesty cough.

"Discussion topics today are your own choice. Raise an ethical issue, give us your opinion on it, and then engage in someone else's discussion. You're debating with each other today, not with me."

Quietly she sits down at her desk, taking out her notebook to observe the discussion, but resolving not to enter into it.

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Raise an issue, address someone else's. Talk with one another.

Hand in or report back on your assignment. The medium by which you choose to do this is entirely up to you. (I may need annotation if you want to do it as an interpretive dance.) Remember that you were asked not only to report back on your difficulties or success, but broaden that out to an opinion on why there is often a difference between what we believe to be right and what we actually do.

Here if you need it, as always.

Questions? Comments? Whatever. Go for it.

Kawalsky started the conversation.

"Is lying completely wrong? In what cases do you think lying would be the right thing to do?"

Should resources be shared equally amongst everyone in the world? Is it fair that some people have more than others? Is it fair, for example, that first world nations hoarde most of the world resources, leaving second and third world nations to struggle?

"Lying's not wrong if you're just trying to get out of grounding or something, especially if you really did lose track of the time and nothing happened, really, because it's only the second date and you're not that kind of girl," Quinn rambles. "Also, while it's better to tell someone if they're wearing two reds that aren't in the same color group together, sometimes it might really damage their self-esteem, so you should probably keep your mouth shut, but give them the lastest issue of Waif with that whole article on the color wheel instead."

Quinn actually has to think this one out.

"Why shouldn't they be shared?" she asks slowly. "I mean, yeah, we do all this work to make sure we have everything, but I've also seen those Sally Struthers commercials, and there really is such a thing as too thin, you know?"

Quinn hands in her project on being less judgmental. It didn't go so well, as Quinn decided she didn't really need to change anything, though the rest of the world could use a clue.

"In addition to Quinn's examples," Callisto's lips twitched, "lying to save your life, or the life of someone you care about, isn't wrong."

Bel gives his log to Tara with the simple remark of "It's all a matter of perception. You do what you think is right, but others may disagree."

When Phoebe hears Tara's announcement about not teaching next semester, she looks shocked and then upset. She stands up and heads to the closet. Once the door is closed behind her, she punches the wall as hard as she can.

Belthazor leans back in his seat and says nothing.

"How about etiquette?" Angel suggested. "Should everyone be expected to behave by a certain social standard? Or should they be allowed the freedom of behaving however they want provided it doesn't hurt anybody?"

"There's also fairness," Angel said. "What's fair? Who decides what's fair? How can you tell when someone is being fair?"

"Sometimes those countries have little because other countries took it from them," Angel pointed out. "It's one thing to ask if we have to share at all. Another to take so much from high interest loans that others never have a chance to pay us back."

Angel paused, looked at Quinn, then translated, "Kinda like when you max out your credit cards and the fees are so high you can't go and buy another sweater."

"I've been wondering about little white lies," Angel said. "We were talking about that in Monday's class. According to the rules of AA all lying is bad. But is that really the case? Aren't some lies, like complimenting a home made meal that you didn't really like, still okay?"

"Depends why, I suppose," Callisto might have edged lower in her seat upon seeing Angel, "if you were doing it to, uh, save a friend's feelings it might be okay, course it'd probably come back to bite you in the ass when they decided to fix you another meal."

Bel got up and headed for the emo closet. He knocked on the door. "Sweetheart?"

Phoebe hits the wall again. "You can come in, Cole, it's safe."

Phoebe's voice is soft. "I agree with Callisto. If you're trying to save your life, or a friend's life, then yes, it's okay to tell certain lies. Trying to protect someone's feelings is also okay."

"Who decides what's fair and what is not?"

Cole went into the closet and closed the door behind him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you upset about Tara?"

"What about the ability to act on someone's behalf. How do you decide what actions are okay to take and which ones are not?"

"How do you decide what is protecting and what is hindering, though, Phoebe?"

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Class Discussion

Assignment

Emo Closet

OOC Discussion

Lying

Global Equity

Re: Lying

Re: Global Equity

Re: Assignment

Re: Lying

Re: Assignment

Re: Emo Closet

Re: Class Discussion

Re: Class Discussion - Etiquette

Re: Class Discussion - Fairness

Re: Global Equity

Re: Lying

Re: Lying

Re: Emo Closet

Re: Emo Closet

Re: Lying

Re: Class Discussion - Fairness

Re: Emo Closet

Right To Act

Re: Lying