Hello Students,

Welcome to 2016!

Thank you for the discussion in class today. It was an example of a discussion about an area of philosophy known as ethics.

Ethics

Ethics deals with the question of how people ought to act with regard to themselves, other people, and the world.

For example, here are some questions to ask in ethics:

1. What should I do in a particular situation?
2. How should I decide what to do in a particular situation?
3. When, if ever, is it okay to tell a lie?
4. Do animals have rights?
5. Should we care about strangers?
6. Are we ever in a situation where there is no morally correct course of action?
7. Should corporations have the same rights as people?
8. Given worries about overpopulation, is it morally acceptable to have more than one child?

Your homework for tonight is to continue considering philosophical questions of ethics related to The Ring of Gyges and to our discussion.

Please begin with a question. For example:

Is it just to use our luck to gain advantage over other people who are not as lucky? (Annie's question)

or

Is our ability to exercise justice and limit our desires what makes us human?

 (Chen's question)

or

Why do some people some people act in unjust ways even though they want others to act in just ways towards them?

(Vesper's question)

or

Is the fear of getting caught what prevents humans from acting unjustly? (Alex's question)

or

Is it OK to act in an unjust way to gain personal advantage if we use that advantage to help others?

(Tony's question)

Once you have chosen a question, write a paragraph to begin answering it. Then, reread your paragraph and ask yourself a new, related question. Write a paragraph to answer this second question. If you have written a full, thoughtful page , stop. If not, then ask a third. The point of the three questions is to encourage you to challenge yourself to think more deeply.

I look forward to our discussion tomorrow.

We will go to lecture first.

Heather