...Introduction This paper explores three philosophical issues. The concepts examined are personal identity, virtue ethics, and ethical relativism. A personal philosophy in relation to each concept is identified and described. In conclusion, philosophical findings are incorporated into a personal view on the ultimate meaning of life. Philosophical Issues Personal Identity Personal identity of the most basic nature is “what makes one the person one is” (Olson, 2010). This basic nature then leads to the complexities of personal identity. Complexities include questions such as: * Who am I? * What is it to be a person? * What does it take for a person to persist from one time to another – that is, for the same person to exist at different times? * How do we find out who is who? * What am I? * How could I have been? * How different could I have been from the way I actually am? (2010) These questions are crucial to discovering self-purpose of life. Hume’s philosophy is that personal identity is “nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions” and “too inconstant” (n.d.). Several philosophers disagree, arguing that “when the soul and the body are united, then nature orders the soul to rule and govern, and the body to obey and serve” (Chaffee, 2011, p. 91). There are many theories of philosophy pertaining to personal identity and social identity. In most cases, the compulsion to rationalize identity by understanding and knowing who...
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...to evaluate and internalize the ethical concepts presented in E100 and explain how they integrate into the professional military ethic. What must I do? What is the assignment/question? Compose my personal moral philosophy from an organizational perspective drawing from the ethical concepts presented in E100. As an Army Officer, an Aviator, and a Soldier I have done my best to internalize the army ethics, talk the talk and walk the walk, to do what is correct even when no one is looking. The question is who gets to decide what correct looks like? Who gets to set the standards? Am I less of an ethically sound Soldier if I choose to walk from my car to my house without my cover on? Or if I allow toxic leadership in my formations because I don’t have the fortitude to speak up? My opinion is one that is rooted in my belief in God. I was raised in a Catholic home. I am not sure of other religions or other forms of Christianity, but I can speak on the values that have been a part of my life as far back as I can remember. I believe in one God and that he sent his only son for the forgiveness of our sins. I believe and I choose to follow the Ten Commandments and the bible. Not without fault mind you, but, I do the best I can, learn from my mistakes and ask for forgiveness. I do not want to solely center my paper and “moral philosophy” on religion, however, I believe this is where my foundation was set in order to make me who I am, and what ethics I believe in today. Describe...
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...his notion on friendship from politics. Research papers on Aristotle's view of friendship looks at the philosophy of Aristotle and explicates how this philosophy boils down to politics and virtue in a man. Aristotle's treatment of friendship, including his definitions of friendship, is found within his work on ethics, the "Nicomachean Ethics." Friendship is included within his discussion of his general ethical theory. Aristotle bases his ethical theory on two constructs: Politics Virtue In most of the "Nicomachean Ethics," Aristotle discusses these two major subjects as separate subjects; or when they are discussed in relation to each other, they are discussed mostly with respect to what proportion of each is found in political activities or the conditions or state of a person's life. For instance, the more political an action is, the less virtuous it may be. And the more virtuous is an individual, the less he may be involved in the practical ends of politics. As mentioned earlier, friendship is a blending of politics and virtue; it can be looked at as an ideal blending. The Philosophy of Friendship According to Aristotle Friendship is included as a subject in term papers about Aristotle as a part of his general ethical theory because friendship has to do with the good which is the fundamental of the general ethical theory. As Aristotle begins the "Nicomachean Ethics," "Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim as some good;...
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...Counseling Ethics Christin M. Jungers, PhD, LPCC, NCC is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Franciscan University of Steubenville. She obtained her doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from Duquesne University and has worked in the field as a counselor since 2000. Christin is a licensed professional clinical counselor, as well as a National Certified Counselor. Her clinical work spans a variety of issues and includes counseling with individuals, couples, and families. Currently, she offers pro-bono counseling services in Steubenville and Wintersville, Ohio through the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville. She is the editor of The Counselor’s Companion: What Every Beginning Counselor Needs to Know (co-written with Jocelyn Gregoire), as well as numerous articles. Christin also has conducted trainings abroad in the Seychelles Islands and in Mauritius, which have been aimed at providing consultation to emerging counseling programs. Jocelyn Gregoire, CSSp, EdD, LPC, NCC, ACS has been a Roman Catholic priest for 25 years and has been involved in the counseling field for many years. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to his doctorate in Education, he holds two other graduate degrees. Through his expertise as a professional counselor, Dr. Gregoire has helped thousands of people across the world in their journeys toward...
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...ETHICS IN ARISTOTLE’S PHILOSOPHY Kaplan University AC504-01 Professor Sandra Gates Introduction In this paper I am going to discuss the philosopher Aristotle. I will also talk about Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics philosophy, why it is important, and how it potentially connects to accounting and business. Aristotle was born in Stagiros, Macedon, in 384 B.C. He was educated by a guardian after his father had died. At the age of seventeen his guardian sent him to the centre of intellectual and artistic life in Athens. While he was there “he entered Plato’s Academy where he stayed for about twenty years as a student and then later as a teacher” (no author, n.d, page 1, paragraph 1). After teaching for a number of years, Aristotle sailed for Assos in Asia Minor; he lived there for three years while he gained interest in biology, anatomy, and began work on his book the Politics. Aristotle was a tireless scholar, whose scientific explorations were as wide ranging as his philosophical speculations were profound; a teacher who inspired and who continues to inspire generations of students; a controversial public figure who lived a turbulent life in a turbulent world. He bestrode antiquity like an intellectual colossus. No man before him had contributed so much to learning. Aristotle offers a business ethic intent on advancing the attainment of personal happiness. He defines happiness in the universalistic terms, and insists upon the priority of exercising...
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...University of Phoenix Material Student Name: ___ Facilitator: __ Ethical Theory Comparison of Ethical Theories Utilitarianism Ethics Deontological Ethics Virtue Ethics Definition “Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces, or if it tends to produce, the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action. Otherwise the action is wrong. According to utilitarianism, we should evaluate an action by looking at its consequences, weighing the good effects against the bad effects on all the people affected by it. If the good outweighs the bad, it tends to be a good action; if the bad outweighs the good, it tends to be a bad action” (DeGeorge, R. T. (2005). “The deontological approach to ethics denies the utilitarian claim that morality of an action depends on its consequences. Deontologists maintain that actions are morally right or wrong independent of their consequences. Moral rightness and wrongness are basic and ultimate moral terms. The deontological approach is not dependent on good and the production of, or the failure to produce, good. A person’s duty is to do what is morally right and to avoid what is morally wrong, regardless of the consequences. “Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules...
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...Name Professor Course Date Ethics Ethics is a general term used to stress on the character role and the moral philosophy instead of people just acting so that they can bring real consequences. Aristotle is the father of the virtue ethics, and he concluded that the people who have ideal character traits were virtuous. However, once these characters are established, they need to be nurtured so that they can become stable. For instance, a moral person is kind in very many circumstances during his or her lifetime because that’s how her personality and will simply do her duty without expecting any favors. Virtue ethics shows focuses on how people should live, which the real social are and the family value and also what the best life to live is. The show Sons of anarchy is very interesting because of the way William Shakespeare Hamlet has inspired it. For instance in the play, Jackson has virtue values whereby he is trying to maintain peace with the violent gang. The virtue ethics values have three main categories that include; the care ethics, eudemonism, and the agent-based theories. The human ability to perform the distinctive functions well is equated with human flourishing that is based on eudemonism. Eudemonia means happiness and the well-being of the human. Human will always revenge to get their happiness. For instance in the show Sons of Anarchy, the retaliatory sense becomes a menace to the...
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...Aristotle Philosophy Shalonda Floyd Ethical Issues in Business and Accounting Professor Gates February 12, 2013 In this paper, I am going to discuss the philosopher Aristotle. This paper will discuss how Aristotle perspective of distributive justice is applicable to ethics. Also, I will discuss Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics philosophy, why it is valuable and how it potentially connects to accounting and business. There have been many excellent philosophers and thinkers through past time. There are three main ones that I liked and truly had an accountant and business ethics philosophy. They are Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. I decided to choose Aristotle as the greatest of them all on this subject. Aristotle was a student of Plato, and he possessed extraordinarily strong ethics. Aristotle born in northern Greece. He was a notable product of an educational program devised by Plato. He studied at an academy for twenty years. His view on individual human beings is they invariably linked together in a social context. Aristotle disagreed with Plato’s view but defended his own vision of ultimate reality. According to Britannica.com, he was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, one of the greatest intellectual figures of Western history. He had a wide and a vast range of intellectual pieces. He was the founder of formal logic and the most outstanding as a philosopher among many. This paper will discuss how Aristotle philosopher’s perspective of virtue ethics...
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...Ethical Theories Virtues, ethics, and morals are what define people as good or bad, their actions as right or wrong. American society holds one’s virtues in high regard and often evaluates one based on virtue and moral conduct. Virtue by definition is, “the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness” (Collins English Dictionary, 2010). Thomas Mallory offered the most ethical character in fiction, Lancelot. It is his virtue that “Is an essential aspect of his success in arms” (McCarthy, 1988, p. 22). Virtue ethics and ethical relativism, studied by learned philosophers, help define the basis of right and wrong. Major Elements According to Aristotle, morality is a specific attribute of a person with regard to his or her own inner harmony. Aristotle explained moral attributes in the terms of one’s lucid ability of the inner self to manage its appetite for portion. He asserted that moral attributes are erudite and should be practiced to become habit (Athanassoulis, 2010, para 2). According to the textbook, “virtue is a state of character, that of being a good person” (Freeman, 2000, p. 88). Moral theories concern right and wrong behaviors; but virtue ethics change the kind of questions asked about ethics. Major elements in the theory of virtue ethics are the subjective behavior, qualities and habits that can lead the individual to make choices. This theory helps the individual to ask about right and wrong and how genuine fulfillment may be reached (Freeman...
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...INTRODUCTION As ethics is the philosophical treatment of the moral order, its history does not consist in narrating the views of morality entertained by different nations at different times; this is properly the scope of the history of civilization, and of ethnology. The history of ethics is concerned solely with the various philosophical systems which in the course of time have been elaborated with reference to the moral order. Hence the opinions advanced by the wise men of antiquity, such as Pythagoras (582-500 B.C.), Heraclitus (535-475 B.C.), Confucius (558-479 B.C.), scarcely belong to the history of ethics; for, though they proposed various moral truths and principles, they do so in a dogmatic and didactic way, not in a philosophically...
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...Ethics Applied Doug Clark ETH/316 July 10, 2014 Mark Peters, SR. Ethics Applied Ethics and having morals is very important in the world we live in today. From the time we are little telling lies to our parents blaming our brothers or sisters who broke the vase, to when we become adults in the workplace taking responsibility for our own actions. We take for granted that everyone is honest and have the same moral values as we do, but it is not the case. As we get older we find corruption and dishonesty by many of those we thought we could trust. We even see corruption in our Federal Government at times. Corporations rely on ethical people to help them run their organizations properly. People that take responsibility for their own actions, those that care about the work they do to insure profits for the company, and setting high standards that customers respect. They are looking for key people to do the right thing. Doing the right thing is having a good moral value and ethics. The term ethics can have many meanings or theories. The three major theories of ethics are; virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. My hope is to define the similarities and differences in how each theory addresses ethics and morality. The first theory is virtue theory. The root word is virtue and is defined by Merriam-Webster as; “Morally good behavior or character, a good and moral quality”. (Merriam-Webster.com 9 July 2014). Virtue ethics is a broad term for theories that emphasize...
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...In Conjunction with History of Ethics Instructor: Robert Cavalier Teaching Professor Robert Cavalier received his BA from New York University and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Duquesne University. In 1987 he joined the staff at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Design of Educational Computing (CDEC), where he became Executive Director in 1991. While at CDEC, he was also co-principal in the 1989 EDUCOM award winner for Best Humanities Software (published in 1996 by Routledge as A Right to Die? The Dax Cowart Case). He also coauthored the CD-ROM The Issue of Abortion in America (Rountledge, 1998) Dr. Cavalier was Director of CMU's Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy from 2005-2007. He currently directs the Center's Digital Media Lab which houses Project PICOLA (Public Informed Citizen Online Assembly), and is also co-Director of Southwestern Pennsylvania Program for Deliberative Democracy. Co-Editor of Ethics in the History of Western Philosophy (St. Martin's/Macmillan, England, 1990), Editor of The Impact of the Internet on Our Moral Lives (SUNY, 2003) and other works in ethics as well as articles in educational computing, Dr. Cavalier is internationally recognized for his work in education and interactive multimedia. He was President of the "International Association for Computing and Philosophy" (2001 - 2004) and Chair of the APA Committee on Philosophy and Computers (2000-2003). Dr. Cavalier has given numerous addresses and...
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...theory, that the only true form of government was absolute monarchy and while this contrasts complexly with Locke’s philosophy, both have their pluses and minuses. Resulting, Man created a government based on Hobbes theory that man needed order to prevent crime and maintain order, which is accurately successful to a point. Clearly, man needed government...
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...ETHICS Business ethics is a common term used around the corporate arena. According to Dictionary.com (2014), it is defined as the study of and examination of moral and social responsibility in relation to business practices and decision-making in business. The challenge with business ethics is not all individuals agree on what is morally right and wrong. There are many ethical theories and practices that take place among corporations today. This essay will examine virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. Virtue Theory Virtue theory was developed by Aristotle. It is also called character ethics and is surrounded on the theory one should try to cultivate excellence throughout life both morally and nonmorally (Boylan, p.133, 2009). The basis of the theory is examining a person’s entire life and how it is lived, not just one act. It is believed virtue ethics are developed and learned improving over time. Virtues are good habits that become a characteristic of a person. Moreover, the moral side of virtue is learning to develop and apply the best one can be in all situations. The theory addresses ethics as it is one doing what is good all of the time. Utilitarianism Unlike the virtue theory that surrounds an individual’s character, utilitarianism focus on a group. Utilitarianism suggest that the morally right action is the one that produces the most good and is commonly referred to the popular saying, “The greatest good for the greatest number” (Boylan, p.153...
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...University of Phoenix Material Ethical Systems Table Directions: 1. Fill in brief definitions of each primary ethical theory. 2. Identify alternate names or variations of each ethical system based on your reading of the text and supplemental materials. * Match the real-world examples listed below with the corresponding systems. The first one has been completed for you in the table. a. I believe people should be able to eat sand if they like the taste of it. b. I believe that if sand is going to be eaten, it should be available for everyone to eat. c. I believe people should be able to eat sand because it is the right thing to do. d. I believe people should be able to eat sand because it is good for one’s health. e. I believe people should be able to eat sand if they decide they want to, regardless of whether it is someone else’s sand. f. I believe people should be able to eat sand if they want to because they are free to make the decision themselves. g. I believe I will eat sand because it is the standard meal for my community. * 3. Develop your own workplace example that fits with each system. Present each workplace scenario in a substantial paragraph of approximately 40 words. Although the table field will expand to accommodate your workplace examples, you may list them at the end of the table; make a note in the table to see the attached examples, however, so your facilitator knows to look for...
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