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Conner Jessop

12/13/2014
Ethics and Moral Problems
Jeffrey Wood

Final

a) For Mills Utilitarianism, autonomy is one of Mills higher goods along


with life. Mill believes life, and ones liberty to do what they will with
their life are the two most important goods in life. For Kants
Deontology, autonomy is ones freedom of choice. We have free will,
and thus it is our moral duty to choose the right actions regardless
of the circumstances. For Kant, autonomy is all about the will to
choose between different choices where Mill is concerned with one
having the freedom to do what they want with their own life.
For a Utilitarian, one might argue that smoking marijuana is a
personal choice that doesnt affect others in a harmful way. In their
minds, they should have the liberty to choose to do so with their
own life. A Deontologist might address the moral issue of abortion,
saying that abortions are wrong regardless of the circumstances
involved. For one couldnt wish that everyone got an abortion.
However because the fetus lacks the capacity to reason, its hard to
say if Kant would be against abortions or not.

b) The concept of equality when dealing with Mills moral theory is that
Mill strives to create the most amount of good for the most amount
of people. In his view, suffering is bad, and if a little bit of pleasure
can be reduced from some in order to reduce or alleviate the
suffering of others than it should be done so. Kants view of equality
is that all rational beings should be considered as equal in their
intrinsic value as a human being. Kant doesnt believe that some
people can be more or less moral than anyone else doing the same
thing. Everyone has moral duties to do the right thing and those
duties should be equally extended to everyone. For Kant, one must
always do the right thing in a given circumstance regardless of the
consequence where Mill wants to equalize the amount of pleasure
and suffering in society.
One example where Mills Utilitarian model extends to society is
education. Even if Im not a student, part of everyones tax

money goes to education because an educated population is


good for the whole of society, not just myself. Kants deontology
is applicable in terms of the law. Regardless of who you are, if
one is guilty of murder they are going to prison because of the
moral action one has committed.
c) Aristotles virtues are means between two vices. For example, the
virtue between the vice of over indulgence and the vice of severe
asceticism might would be temperance. By finding the happy
medium between extremes, Aristotle believed this is how one
becomes a virtues person. The result of virtuous conduct would
reflect in ones character, allowing the individual to function to their
fullest capacities. This flourishing Aristotle called Eudemonia which
means activity of the soul, which allows one to engage in higher
pleasures. I had a hard time relating this to what we talked about so
in my experience and based on my values, I suppose if an individual
was aware of the environmental impacts of CAFO (Confined Animal
Feeding Operations) and the mistreatment of sentient animals
there, they may reduce or eliminate their consumption of meat to
feel they are not contributing to the cause of mass pollution from
the demands of an indulgent population.
d) In the Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche writes about how morality
has developed over time, and how Judeo- Christian values came to
overshadow old, more powerful morals. Nietzsche believes that
morality should value the noble, strong, and charismatic person. He
believes the strong willed person rises above his circumstances in
life and becomes the master of his own fate. Judeo Christian values
according to Nietzsche favored submission to lifes circumstances
and acceptance of ones current situation. Nietzsche thought that
these values demonized what people really want while also
quenching the spirit of the strong willed. The issues that come with
this view of morality is that Nietzsches superior man doesnt try to
strive for societal virtues but makes his own values in the process of
rising above conventional thinking.
e) In Marxs views, the natural resources would not be monopolized by
big corporations, but would be available to the people. Everyone
would have access to them, and if anybody had a need for
something, they could make it themselves, or trade their labors
with someone for their help. This way the people would not
alienated from what they make, and they would no longer
ceaselessly be driven to make more money. In this kind of state, the
moral issue of abortion would be greatly reduced because the
leading cause of abortion is economic instability and financial
insecurity. Also, the land would no longer be exploited for its
resources at an unstable level because people are only taking what
they need. There wouldnt be an over indulgent state sapping the

world of everything it has so the wealthiest 1% of the population


can have everything want.
f) In the story The Ring of Gyges the character of the story finds a
magic ring that allows him to turn invisible. The character then
conspires with the queen to kill the king and take over the kingdom.
According to the character telling the story in Platos dialogue,
anybody who came into position of this ring would use it. This story
is meant to propose the idea that if one can get away with
anything, then theres no telling what an individual might do,
regardless of who it is. This view of morality believes that we act
morally only because of social norms and laws. Ones actions are
based off avoiding social ridicule and attaining social praise for ones
actions.
g) Pojman argues against ethical egoists who believe everyone
morally should simply look out for themselves, and that altruistic
actions is only self-sacrifice and giving up ones ambitions for the
good of others. Pojman combats this by pointing out there is a false
dilemma and draws out a concept called reciprocal altruism. The
false dilemma is that self interest and selfishness are two different
things. One can still act altruistically for others while still pursuing
ones own goals. Reciprocal altruism is the idea of expending ones
time and energy for the benefit of anothers goals in the hopes they
will do so in return later on. Its a very co-operative and symbiotic
relationship where people act for the betterment of others in the
hopes they will do they will also do the same.
1) The ethical issues of abortion, capital punishment and
euthanasia all have a major similarity. All of these things have to
do with prematurely or un-naturally ending a human life. Of
course one doesnt have to be for or against all of these things
in order to avoid a moral paradox. Because they address similar
issues, they are still very different. In the case of abortions, the
fetus does not live independently of the mother, thus the woman
has the right to decide whether or not to support it till its birth.
The baby could also pose a potential threat to the womans life
and an abortion may be necessary in order to save the life of the
woman. For capital punishment, a utilitarian could argue that
somebody who murdered another human did cause suffering to
others, but that enacting revenge by killing the murderer would
not make the suffering go away. Also, just because the murderer
acted immorally by making an unethical choice, that does not
mean we should act similarly to the murderer. For his immoral
choice to kill does not justify us in making the same choice. With
euthanasia, if an individual is terminally ill and experiencing a

great deal of pain every day, they should have the authority
over their own life to decide if the suffering is too great to carry
on living. If death is inevitable and soon, that person shouldnt
have to suffer to the very last day of their life if they dont want
to. In my arguing, it all comes down to personal choice. Because
the fetus cant listen to the reasons why its mother might get an
abortion and then agree or disagree with her, the choice falls
upon the mother to decide whether or not to carry out the
pregnancy, for its her life that is most influenced. For capital
punishment, the law nor the victim willed that their life be taken
unwillingly. This was the result of somebodies immoral choice.
This does not give us the right to take the life of the murderer
however because we still have the choice to enact justice in any
way we see fit. For the individual terminally ill and suffering,
they should have the right to choose whether or not the
suffering outweighs their will to life.
2) From the view of a global citizen, the amount of resources being
consumed by America alone in contrast to the rest of the world
is ridiculous. As Peter Singer points out, the Unites States could
elevate vast amounts of suffering from lack of basic needs
around the world at the expense of Americans minor luxuries,
but we dont. Another argument against typical American living
would be its huge annual consumption of animal meat. The
methods necessary to sustain this kind of living are highly toxic
for the environment and also extremely unpleasant for sentient
creatures. Pigs which have the mental and emotional capacities
of a mans best friend live in tight cages that prevent
movement. In Peter Singers book Animal Liberation he writes
about how pigs are lined up at CAFO in a way so the picks can
chew on the pigs tails in front of them to satisfy the inherent
need to suck. This also causes pain to the pigs in front of them
and although they may try to get away, the cages do not permit
them. Ecowatch.com posted a statistic stating 18% of the
greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere annually are
from farming animals.
While some might argue that materialism and consumerism is
something our society should value because it keeps the
economy running, I find there are many ethical issues which
result from this. First, the media is used as a method to foster
and feed insecurities about ourselves by continually comparing
how we are, to what we should be. Nothing does this better
than magazines and talk shows that tell us we havent reached
success until we have the nicest car, the biggest house, and the
largest collection of beauty supplies, complimented by
expensive cloths. All of these things can only be achieved with
money, and thus the values set forth by the media manipulates
us to work for money to satisfy our material appetites which

Marx argues only grows with time. American values go against


values such as acceptance and love for how one is, and it pits
people against each other in selfish competition rather than
encouraging reciprocal altruism.

The Conditions of Existence

In the winter of 1847, a tragedy occurred in the mountainous terrain of Utah.


A company of pioneers known as the Donner party got trapped in the Wasatch
Mountains from an early snowfall, trapping them there for most of the winter. In
order to survive this ordeal, members of the company took to eating the bodies of
their dead companions in order to survive. Those who were eaten were considered
heroes by the company members because of their sacrifice. The story of the Donner
party is a painful reminder that as first biological creatures, humans will do
unspeakable things in order to survive. This also shows us that moral atrocities such

as cannibalism can be ethically excused when extreme conditions threaten our


survival.
Fortunately, even the foreground of early human existence wasnt that brutal
with some exceptions of tribal wars eating their dead and ritual sacrifice. For the
most part however, humans made due by killing animals and eating them instead of
eating each other. This was a necessary practice not only to find food for survival,
but also to acquire the necessary protein needed to maintain ones physical body.
Thousands of years later, we now live in times of abundance where the lives of
other living things no longer need to be taken in order to sustain us. One can buy
beans and rice, pieta and hummus, plenty of veggies, and even soy based fake
meats that all offer a healthy source of protein. Unfortunately, most humans of
todays urban, industrialized world go to the convenience store and buy beef,
chicken, turkey, pork, fish and other processed meats without even having to kill the
animal themselves. If humans today can live a healthy life without having to kill
animals, then why does it still happen?
Sadly, most people dont even give any thought about morality when their
eating animals. According to the animal rights activist Peter Singer however,
animals deserve our full moral consideration. Singer argues in his book Animal
Liberation that it is as equally wrong as racism when we withhold moral worth to
animals simply because they arent human. Immanuel Kants method of extending
moral worth only to rational beings isnt ethically consistent because we still extend
our moral value to babies and mentally handicap people. For Singer, it isnt the
mental capacity to reason that calls us to consider a beings moral worth but rather
its capacity to suffer. We know that many animals are programmed to experience
pleasure and pain similar to the way we experience it, and this is what gives the

animal moral worth. While most meat eaters will argue saying Animals dont have
rights. this does not excuse the moral wrongs we are doing to creatures that are
able to suffer.
Because of this, Singer demands we put an end to the mass mistreatment of
animals happening every day in CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations). In
places like these, the animals are treated horribly in order to maximize production.
Pigs chew each others tails in lined cages to satisfy the instinct to suck, and chicks
have the edge of their beaks melted off to prevent them from killing each other in
their tight cages. At the end of a chickens life, their put under huge amounts of
stress so their instincts kick in that make the chicken mass produce eggs when
theyre almost ready to die. And for what? Just so the average American can eat
what they want every day.
Of course Singer doesnt believe we should extend the same rights to animals as
we do to humans. The right to vote would be wasted on a pig. (Although one could
argue its wasted on many uninformed Americans also.) Instead of calling for equal
treatment of animals, Singer advocates we give equal consideration of interest. Like
education is in the higher interest of a human, its in a pigs higher interest to trot
around and roll in mud. These are necessary things for the pig to express its true
nature, to reach its full potential. Yet the pig is deprived even the freedom to stretch
because of our obsession with efficiency.
Another major reason most Americans dont see the moral value in animals is
because they are so far removed from the animal they consume, most Americans
dont even know where their meat comes from. In his essay Why Look at Animals
John Berger argues that because we no longer come in contact with animals, we are

ignorant of our inherent connection with them. Bergers thinks if one was faced with
the reality of killing the animal, many would either look away or stop eating meat. In
our current society, it doesnt help how cheap and easy it is to get a hamburger
through the drive through of a fast food joint. Berger believes if one had to butcher
animals themselves to get their meat, people might think otherwise about eating
animals.
But this isnt what Singer is concerned about. If one wants to hunt their own
meat for their family in the wild, they can. If they have a farm and raise their own
livestock, they can. Its when the animal lives its entire life in confinement without
ever being given the chance to live in accordance with its true nature are we guilty
of inflicting huge amounts of suffering for an unequal amount of pleasure.
If large amounts of suffering can end for sentient animals at the cost of
someones rib dinner, then that luxury should ethically be forfeit in order to end the
anguish of the animals being exploited by our methods of mass production. Its
clear that our value of animals as only instrumentally useful to humans is flawed. If
we follow Mills argument that what is bad is suffering, then most Americans are
guilty of supporting the mass production of suffering.

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