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Preface:

This Itethic class is a very challenging class; we have so many

things to do in order to accomplish our goals for this class. But

the good thing here is that during that stretch of sleepless

nights to do all the requirements we have learned a lot of new

things which we can apply to our lives for the future.


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Dedication:

I dedicate this book to my Family who are always there to

support my ideas; also to my friends especially IS Batch 107

whom I consider as my true and supportive friends and

especially to God who is always guiding me through the right

path.


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Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Egoism and Scepticism 5

Chapter 2: Religion, Morality and Conscience 7

Chapter 3: Master and Slave Morality 9

Chapter 4: Trying Out Ones New Sword 11

Chapter 5: Utilitarianism 13

Chapter 6: The Debate over Utilitarianism 15

Chapter 7: The Categorical Imperative 17

Chapter 8: Happiness and Virtue 19

Chapter 9: The Nature and Value of Rights 21

Chapter 10: Taking Rights Seriously 23

Chapter 11: A Theory of Justice 25

Chapter 12: The Need for More than Justice 27


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Book: ContemporaryMoral ProblemsChapter Review: Ethical Issues James Rachels: Egoism and Moral Scepticism

Library Reference: N/A

Internet Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-

White/dp/0534517242

Learning Expectations:

- To learn what is egoism.- The different views of people when it comes to egoism.- Explain the moral scepticism?

Quote:

One is the setoff actions which we may not want to do, but which we do anyway as a means toan end which we want to achieve.

Review:

Well this chapter starts off with a story of Gyges, a shepherd who was said to have found a

magic ring that would make its wearer invincible just like in the movie The Lord of the Rings. This ring

would enable its wearer to go anywhere he/she wishes to go undetected. Well in the story Gyges used

the ring to take over the Royal Palace wherein he seduced the Queen and murdered the King.

The story wants us to recognize that a person can have a power to do anything he/she wants to

do even if it will affect the people around him/her. Every person tends to think the best forhimself/herself and think of things that will please them. According to Glaucon, there are two sceptical

views: psychological egoism and ethical egoism. In psychological egoism, it is stated that all men are

selfish in everything that they do and men are acting for the benefit of other people this way they will be

motivated by the belief that this way they can use it for their own advantage. The ethical egoism is a

normative view about how men ought to act. In this view, men have no obligation to do anything except

what is in their own interests, regardless of the effect to other people.

In my perspective, there are some things that are still unclear in this world. Like in this argument

for me it is still unclear which is right. I guess it will depend on the persons motives in his life or in the

decisions he/she will make. In my opinion, I do believe in the saying that I once heard from a TV series

that said, There is no such thing as a selfless good deed. In this series the girl tried to prove that there

is a selfless good deed but in the end she failed to show it. Like what I said earlier, I guess it will depend

on what kind of person he/she is and what do they believe in.
http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242


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Integrative Questions:

1. What is the story of Gyges all about?2. What power does the ring bring to its bearer?3. What is psychological egoism?4. What is ethical egoism?5. What is an ego?

What I have learned:

- I learned the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism.- I got to find out the meaning of egoism and how can it affect other people.


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Book: Contemporary Moral Problems

Chapter Review: Ethical Issues John Arthur: Religion, Morality, and Conscience



White/dp/0534517242


- The connection of religion, morality and conscience.- The effects of these three to people.- The different views of people regarding religion, morality and conscience.

Quote:

Notions of duty, rights and obligations would not be present, except perhaps in the legal sense;concepts of justice and fairness would also be foreign to these people.

Review:

In this part of chapter 1 focuses on the three words that are for me related to another namely,

religion, morality and conscience. What is morality? Is morality related to religion? And how will it affect

our conscience as a person? These are some of the questions that are frequently asked. Well basically

this chapter tends to answer these questions.

This particular chapter is divided into 4 parts: Morality and religion, Religious motivation and

guidance, the divine command theory and Morality is social. In morality and religion, it explains whatthe meaning of morality and religion is. Well basically morality means a code of conductor a set of

beliefs distinguishing between right and wrong behaviours (from Wikipedia). On the other hand

religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when

considered as the creation of a supernaturalagency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual

observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs (from

Wikipedia) . On religious motivation and guidance, we can read some actions that can motivate people

and help them as individuals. The divine command theory focuses on the importance of religion. Base

from the book, religion is necessary in another more fundamental sense. It is also said that religion is

necessary for morality because without God there could BE no right or wrong. Well this for me is right in

a sense that God is the center of life. He is the One who can make anything possible and He is the reasonwhy we are here today. As for the last part, morality is social, talks about a deeper explanation about

the connection between morality and religion. It talks about how morality influenced religion and how

religion influenced morality.
http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conducthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conducthttp://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242


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1. What are the connection between morality and religion?2. How does these two influence one another?3. What is religion? How does it affect morality?4. What is the command theory?5. What is morality?


- There are connection between morality and religion.- That morality can influence religion and religion can influence morality.- It is up to the people on how they will interpret their activity whether it is morale or not.


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1. What is the connection between the master and a slave?2. Give an example of a master and slave relationship.3. Are all master immoral? Why or why not?4. What are the two views that Friedrich Nietzsche became famous of?5. What are the works of Friedrich Nietzsche?


- I learned that not all masters are cruel.- There is a relationship between a master and its slave.- There is a purpose why master practice their superior power.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues Trying out ones new sword: Mary Midgley



White/dp/0534517242


- The different views of people about culture.- The How important culture is for people.- The meaning of moral isolationism?

Quote:

It consists in simply denying that we can ever understand any culture except our own wellenough to make judgements about it. Those who recommend this hold that the world is sharply divided

into separate societies, sealed units, each with its own system of thought.

Review:

This particular topic discusses what culture is about and how it can affect a persons

personality. Well since this is about culture, we should know what is the meaning of it, basically culture

is the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products

of human work and thought (From answers.com). Based from its meaning I can say that people are

different from each other. We have different beliefs, way of life and traditions thus creating a little bit of

conflict to other people.

But even though people have different culture, each one must respect on whatever their culture

are. A perfect example is us Filipinos; by nature we are hospitable thats why a lot of foreigners or

tourists visit our country. Those foreigners appreciate the culture that we show to them and they also

have their own culture which can be new for us. It is just a matter on how we will handle each situation

and what will be our reactions towards that new culture. Even though each culture has differences,

people can still get new information or good indictments. They can learn from different culture new

things and eventually they can apply it in their own selves as long as it is for the betterment for them as

a person or for the society. Still culture can have its own trick, some culture can be immoral in other

countries but it can be moral for other, still there are still conflicts that may occur.
http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242


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1. What is culture?2. What can culture affect different kinds of people?3. Does it bring good or bad effect to people?4. What are the works of Mary Midgley?5. What is moral isolationism?


- That people have different culture.- Each one must respect the culture of another.- Dont make any judgement to the culture of other.

Reference:

http://www.answers.com/topic/culture
http://www.answers.com/topic/culturehttp://www.answers.com/topic/culturehttp://www.answers.com/topic/culture


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill



White/dp/0534517242


- The meaning of utilitarianism- What is the Greatest Happiness principle- Kinds of pleasure for human

Quote:

To suppose that life has (as they express it) no higher end than pleasure - no better and noblerobject of desire and pursuit they designate as utterly mean and groveling.

Review:

Basically Utilitarianism is an ethics concept in which the happiness of the greatest number of

people in the society is considered the greatest good according to the definition from

businessdictionary.com. It is also said that an action is morally right if its consequences lead to the

happiness (absence of pain), and wrong if it ends in unhappiness (pain).

In this concept, for John Stuart Mill it is morally right to do something as long as a lot of people

will be benefited of being happy. An example of Utilitarianism is lets say that a person was given achoice between blowing up a bank with hostages in it or he/she will kill herself, in the concept of

Utilitarianism that person must choose to kill himself/herself. Killing one person creates a greater

amount of good than killing those hostages. In the book, it is said that some kinds of pleasure are more

desirable and more valuable than others. That is right for me because people have different views on

how they will gain pleasure.

People have the freedom whether to accept or deny this concept. But in my opinion, whatever

they decide must be morally right and is acceptable by a lot of people. I know that sometimes it very

hard to decide what is the right thing to do; especially in my example earlier. But that is the point;

people must realize that it is up to other people to judge them, because by nature he/she is the one who

really knows himself/herself.


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1. What is utilitarianism?2. What does the Greatest Happiness Principle?3. What is your view about Utilitarianism?4. What are the most important works in ethics of John Stuart Mill?5. What is hedonistic principle?


- It is up to the people on how they will interpret the greatest happy principle.- Utilitarianism is very confusing because it is again up to the persons decision.


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1. What is Hedonism?2. Where does Hedonism originated?3. Does utilitarianism prevent corruption?4. What is Classical Utilitarianism?5. Is the happiness the thing that matters the most?


- There are different notions about utilitarianism- Moral philosophers dont totally reject the concept of utilitarianism- The truth behind Hedonism and where it was originated.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues The Categorical Imperative: Immanuel Kant



White/dp/0534517242


- Will be able to learn what is categorical imperative is.- Will be able to understand what are good will and duty.- What is the motive of duty?

Quote:

A good will is not good because of what it effects or accomplishes because of its fitness forattaining some proposed end: it is good through its willing alone - that is, good in itself.

Review:

For this particular part of the chapter, Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher formulated a

supreme rule called the categorical imperative, in which all our duties can be derived. For Immanuel

Kant even though there is a supreme rule, he gave two different versions of it and base from the reading

the two versions are distinct. The two versions are good will and duty.

What is a good will? That is one of the questions that pop in my mind while reading this

chapter. Well as I read through it, a will may be good or bad depending on the character of the personusing this will. Well if that person has the sense of care and his character has a pure heart then I can

say that he can do a good will. Let us say that a taxi driver found a wallet in his cab and he knows that

the wallet he found is from his previous customer. If he then decides to take it back to the owner then

he is doing a good will. But he still has the option not to return it and just keep it for himself. This is the

contradiction with will. Duties on the other hand are things that must be done because people are

obliged to do it. Also in this chapter, Immanuel Kant explained the difference between psychological

imperative and categorical imperative, a person knows what are the things contain in an action he/she

is going to do is categorical imperative and if a person doesnt know the will contains until a condition is

given is psychological imperative.


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1. What is categorical imperative?2. What is a good will?3. What is a duty?4. What is a maxim?5. What are the works of Immanuel Kant?


- There is a difference between duty and good will.- A will may be good or bad depending on the person who will do the will.- There are two versions of categorical imperative.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues Happiness and Virtue: Aristotle



White/dp/0534517242


- Able to learn Aristotles view of happiness and virtue.- Able to learn two kinds of virtue.- Able to learn the difference between happiness and virtue or their connections to one another.

Quote:

Happiness then is the best, noblest, and most pleasant thing in the world.. Yet evidently, as wesaid, it needs the external goods as well, for it is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without the

proper equipment.

Review:

All of us are familiar with Aristotle; he made great contributions in philosophy, mathematics,

politics, logic and many more. He is considered as one of the founders of Western philosophy. Base from

the book, Aristotle argues that all human seek happiness and for him happiness is not pleasure, wealth

or honor but rather the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.

Well we are talking about happiness in this chapter; it is good if we know what the meaning ofhappiness is. Happiness according to Wikipedia is a state of mind or feeling characterized by

contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, orjoy. But in the book, happiness is somehow connected with

our soul, so in order to achieve happiness our soul and our personality must be significant to one

another. An example is if a person achieved their goals and dreams in life then for sure their personality

and soul is filled with happiness since they worked hard to achieve it and they know in their selves that

it wouldnt be easy to do all those things. Next is virtue, according to Wikipedia, virtue is a character

trait or quality valued as being always good in and of itself. Well there are two kinds of virtue, moral

virtue and intellectual virtue. Moral virtue comes from training or habit, and state of character whether

excess and deficiency. An example is courage, if a person has an excess of courage then they are in

terms of extreme rashness and if they lack courage then they are cowardice. Intellectual virtue producesthe most perfect happiness and can be found in the activity of reason or contemplation.
http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_%28ethics%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_and_evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_and_evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_%28ethics%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyhttp://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534517242


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1. What are the two kinds of virtue?2. What is happiness?3. How can a person achieve happiness/virtue?4. Who is one of the founders of Western philosophy?5. What is moral virtue?


- There are difference but as well as connections between virtue and happiness.- There are two kinds of virtue.- That happiness can be self-explained because there are people who believe that happiness can

be achieved by our soul.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues The Nature and Value of Rights: Joel Feinberg



White/dp/0534517242


- The importance of rights of the people.- The opinion of Joel Feinberg on rights of people.

Quote:

Make the human beings in it as attractive and virtuous as possible without taxing our

conceptions of the limits of human nature.

Review:

Joel Feinberg gave a scenario where the nature and value of rights may be applied: He would

like us to imagine a place called Nowheresville, it is a world very much like our own but the only

difference is no one or hardly no one has rights. Of course our basic instinct is that it is ugly to live in

that world, but for Feinberg, we can make it pretty in terms of moral aspects. We can see men helping

other men not because they are obliged to do but because of their compassion that motivates them. It

is like living in a world where we dont have duties and we have the freedom to do whatever we want.

But there are flaws, because in my opinion having our duties is a good practice because it will help us

discipline ourselves and surely it will make us a better person or make our world a better place to live in.

For Joel Feinberg, when a person doesnt learn how to value their rights then they will not be

able to make moral claims. Let us remember that we have our own duties and responsibilities, if we

dont do those things then we are stealing justice from other people. In this world, we as humans have

our rights, especially us Filipinos since we are living in the Philippines. We must learn how to fight for

our rights if we know that it is for the betterment of this country. Let us treat each other equally

because that is the start of something new and extraordinary.


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1. What is a right?2. What will happen if we dont do our duties?3. How do each right affect us?4. What are the works of Joel Feinberg?5. What is the place the Feinberg wants us to imagine?


- That we must learn how to value our rights.- We must do our duties as a person and as a citizen.- We must learn how to respect other peoples rights.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues Taking Right Seriously: Ronald Dworkin



White/dp/0534517242


- The view of Dworkin about the rights of people.- The seriousness of rights for the people.- The different factors that can affect the rights.

Quote:

If people have a right to do something, then it is wrong to interfere with them.

Review:

The quote that I chose was from Dworkins point of view of what rights are. The example that he

gave is the freedom of speech of people or citizens, for him then it is wrong for the government to

interfere with the exercise of this particular right of people unless this is somehow needed to protect

the other rights. Dworkins included the government because basically it is the government who usually

state what are the rules for its people. It is up to them on how they will keep each citizen protected.

But there is an issue involved in this particular chapter which is all about legal rights and moral

rights. There is something contradicting between the two because one right can affect how the otherright is interpreted. We know that legal rights are rights that are obligatory for us people or citizens, we

are being controlled by a law in which we must respect. But we know that some people still ignore some

of these rules implemented by the goverment. It is the peoples right but it must not be conflict to the

right that government imposes. Legal rights can be moral depending on the interpretation of the people

doing it. Me as a citizen, I think it is right to fight for our rights but we must also know that there are

certain limitations that we must consider. These limitations will make a better society. That also goes

for the government, they must also know there limitations because even though they are the one who

imposes the law, they also need to follow them to lead us citizens by example.


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1. What are the different books that Ronald Dworkin wrote?2. What is the view of Dworkin when it comes to rights?3. What are the two kinds of rights according to the article?4. Who implements the legal rights for the citizens?5. Can legal rights be moral?


- That when it comes to rights, each and everyone should know what are their limitations.- That there are legal and moral rights.- A legal right can become moral right depending on the person who will interpret it.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues A Theory of Justice: John Rawls



White/dp/0534517242


- The importance of justice.- The meaning of equality.- The principles of justice according to John Rawls.

Quote:

Justice as fairness is not a complete contract theory.

Review:

This chapter is about John Rawls theory about the two principles of justice which states that the

first principle involves equal basic liberties and the second principle is concern with the arrangement of

social and economic equalities.

The first principle is about how people have rights to do something that pleases them as long

that right doesnt conflict to other peoples pleasure. Both sides must be equal or a person must not

only think of himself/herself but also think what it will bring to others. They must show respect to each

other because that is a sign how they value each other. Both sides must be equal so that justice will bedone. The second principle for me is give and take of people. There must be no discrimination that is

going on. Everyone in this society must be treated equally. There certain things in this world that will

bring equality to people, everyone must help each other especially when there is a time needed to do

that. Calamities for example, in times of need both sides are willing to help each other because that

gives justice to the equality of people. Also Rawls perspective of justice is that each person must

somehow knowledgeable about their rights. A person must not be well educated in order to achieve this

because a man has a rational thinking on what their rights are and thus bringing justice to them. As I said

earlier, everyone must be treated equally and not to take advantage of what we have especially in a

case wherein a person knows he/she is guilty for what they did.


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1. What are the other works of John Rawls?2. What are the two principles that John Rawls formulated?3. How are the two principles important?4. What do justice as fairness means?5. What is the perspective of John Rawls about justice?


- That there are two principles of justice according to John Rawls.- A person has a rational thinking about justice.- There must be equality in the society.


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Chapter Review: Ethical Issues The Need for More than Justice: Annette Baier



White/dp/0534517242


- The importance of justice.- The importance of care.- To know the perspective of Baier for justice and care.

Quote:

For care is the new buzz word.

Review:

This chapter, Annette Baier distinguishes the justice perspective of different philosophers. Baier

argues that justice perspective by itself is insufficient as a moral theory, because for her there are still

inequalities that are happening to people. It is an unrealistic view on how freedom of choice is explained

and according to Baier it ignores the importance of moral emotions such as love. She therefore

concluded that the best moral theory is one that harmonizes justice and care.

Justice is only one virtue among many. I found this in the book and I find it interesting because

in this world there are a lot of virtues that are good and as Baier said, Justice is one of them. Justicegives equality to people an example that was given were the black and women who gained their justice

in the society. In America, we witnessed last year the very first African-American who became president,

Barrack Obama. That wouldnt have happened if there was no justice for the black. As for the women,

from what I have learned, they are not allowed to vote or work at offices during earlier times but

because there is a need of equal rights and justice today it is not a practice anymore. The two

perspectives that Baier mentioned are the justice and care. Justice perspective is where people give

importance to the equality of people to gain justice. According to the book, it is unlikely for women to

take only the justice perspective while some men are claimed to. The care perspective is appropriate for

women in my opinion because by nature they are the caretakers of the children.


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1. Where did Annette Baier teach philosophy?2. What are the other works of Annette Baier?3. What are the two perspectives of Annette Baier?4. What does Annette Baier say about the justice perspective?5. Name other two philosophers who made a contribution about care perspective?


- That for Annette Baier, justice and care are the best moral theory.- There are certain conflicts for justice perspective.- Different philosophers have their own interpretation for justice and care.

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