Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Right and Wrong, Who Says?
How does one define right and wrong in this life? Indeed, how does one determine what path to follow in the midst of the turmoil and chaos that is this world? Ethics are the guidelines for a dark road leading into the unknown. Applied ethics is in nature the same as in name. Normative ethics are the set of guidelines. Meta ethics refers to the origin of one’s guidelines. Without an established set of principles, mankind would be in an even deeper hole than the one we have already dug ourselves into. Even with our ‘morals’ mankind has managed to make a disaster of things. The 20th century was theorized to be a great age of peace and prosperity as a result of technology, education and great intellectualization. Instead, the world has known two world wars, each with their own genocide. We now question can the Holocaust of WWII ever happen again, and people such as Elie Weisel, who survived the original, answer yes. And it is happening again today, such as in Darfur. The 20th century has been a time of global disaster in terms of peacemaking. How can we call ourselves civilized, much less ethical in light of these relatively recent events? One can only hope that this 21st century will have improved, although it remains doubtful. Mankind has a great capacity for good, but also for evil.
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2 comments:
No doubt our recent history gives the optimist pause. Nevertheless, it may be that our occasional dramatic successes are the sole source of optimism about the future.
I think that these dramatic events can occur, but have not necessarily shaped our century yet. But we do call ourselves civilized because of the advancements we have made compared to our history and even recent history. And this comparison of eating in a fancy restaurant with silverware and nice clothing is a drastic change compared to eating off a table without a table cloth with your hands. And even though this is a superficial example, the way we treat others, by searching for an end to slavery and discrimination lead to the label civilized being attached to our global community.
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