TrentLowder

WaysOfKnowing
10/21/2014

FindingBalance
Moralityisaconceptthatstretchesoverinfinitesubjectsandideas,andasinglehuman
mindcanonlydiptheirpinkytoeinthewaterwhensomebodyasks,why?Certainculturesand
waysofthinkingcangiveanindividualatemplateforwhatyoushouldandshouldntdo,buta
definitionofrightisimpossibletocomeby.Thisisbecauseeverypersonhastheirownmindand
wayofthinking,theyareeverexpandingandexperiencingnewthingsthatwillbeshiftingand
shapingthewaytheythink.Everyoneisreachingformorality,forbeinggood,buttherewill
alwaysbeaninversereactiontotheactionsofreachingthatgoalthatwilldismissitbeing
unanimouslyso.

Itseemsthattheonlybenefityougetfromnotbeingmoralispossessionorappreciation.
Youcangetphysicalrewardsinasensethatyoudoanimmoralactformoneyorprize.Maybe
youdoatasklikefiringyourbossesmaidforhimandgetpaidalargebonus.Itsnicetogetthe
moneybutitsonlyaphysicalrewardand,unlessyouresomesortofapsychopathwholovesto
makeotherpeoplemiserable,moreoftenthannotyouwillfeelprettybad.Itsnicetobe
acceptedintoagroupofcoolkidsforpickingonsomeonesmallerorweakerthanyou,butthats
asfarasthatrewardgoes.Evenafteranimmoralact,arewardisntascertained,andthatcould
bebecauseofotherpeoplesimmorality.Maybeyourbossmakesupalameexcuseforwhyyou
shouldntgetabonusandthecoolkidsstilldontthinkyourequitecoolenough.Thenyouve
donesomethingimmoraljustinthehopesofgettingsomething,andultimatelyfornoreasonat
all.Youcouldalsoreceiveadmirationoracceptancewhicharerewardsinandofthemselves

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becausetheymakeyoufeelimportant.Eitherwaytheonlyincentiveforbeingimmoralis
somethingthatonlybenefitsyouandisntevenguaranteed.
Youshouldbemoralbecausethesituationisinherentlybetterforeveryoneinvolvedthan
thatofbeingimmoral.Thinkingoutsideoftheconfinesofoutdatedsituationsandmaterial(no
offenseSocrates),wecanseethatpeopleinthisdayandagehaveatleastsomesortofdesireto
begood.MaybeintheworldofSocratesimmoralpeoplehadthebenefitofothersfindingthem
coolorhip,buteverywhereyoulookintodayssocietypeopleareshamingtheimmoralsubjects.
Forexample,antibullycampaignsarearelativelynewideaandarebecomingincreasinglymore
popularamongschoolsystemsandthelike,andforgoodreason.Whilesocietymaystillfind
someimmoralthingstobeinterestingandtheyjustcantseemtolookaway,thehumanpsyche
hasevolvedfromthatlineofthinking.Wearemuchmoreinclinedtofindactionsthatare
actuallybeneficialtosociety,ratherthantoonesownpersonalgain,tobemuchmore
fascinatingandadmirable.Thisisbecauseofanotionthatisbestexplainedbygerman
philosopherImmanuelKantasbasicallyamorerevisedversionofthegoldenrule.Kantsays
that,Ifyouwouldntwanteveryoneelsetoactinacertainway,thenyoushouldntactinthat
wayyourself,whichiswhyweareinclinedtoseepeoplewithadesiretobenicetoothersas
goodpeople(289).Wedontwantotherstoactinmeanways,wewantthemtoactnicesowe
arenaturallygoingtoadmirenicerpeople.Avastmajorityofpeoplenowadaysaregoingtofind
youtobeamoredistinguishedhumanbeingforstickingupforthesmaller,weakerkidwhois
beingbulliedthanifyouweretobullythemtoo.
Ofcourse,puttinganumberonahumanjudgementisimpossibleevenwhenthenumber
isdescribedasvaguelyasavastmajority.Everyonethinksdifferentlywhichiswhyitshard

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topinpointexactlywhenandwhereandwhyweshouldbemoral.PerhapsopposingWilliam
GrahamSumnerinhispieceFolkwaysandEthicalRelativism,everyonespathisdifferent,
andthepredeterminedpaththattheyhaveplannedisntalwaysrightandtrue.Sumnerwrites,In
thefolkways,whateveris,isright.Thisisbecausetheyaretradition,thereforecontainin
themselvestheauthorityoftheancestralghost(22).Myoppositiontothisisthatthereisno
definiterightorwrong.Foreveryonepersonthatsayssomethingisrightthereareahundredthat
disagree.Foreveryonehundredpeoplethatsaysomethingisrightthereisonepersonto
disagree,andsoon.Thereisnoonehundredpercentcommonconsensusonthenotionofrightor
wrongregardinganything,becauseeverysinglepersonhastheabilitytodisagreeandrefutethat
claim.
ToaddressSumnerfurther,afolkwayreallyfallsintothesamecategoryasatradition.
Afolkwayisjustsomethingthatishappeninginyourlineageoreveninyourcommon
surroundingsthatgoesunnoticedorjustplainignoredfolkwaysarenotquiteseenasimportant
enoughtobesingledoutoraddressed.Someonecouldcomealongandchangecompletely,not
followthatfolkwayandexperiencelifedifferently.Nooneshouldlookatacuriousperson
wronguntiltheyhaveindeeddonesomethingwrong,thatindividualhasnotcursedtheirfamilies
name,theyjustfeltlikedoingsomethingelseforachangeandhappenedtolikeitbetter.Oneof
myfamilysgivenfolkwaysisthateveryoneeatsmeat,andtheyhavebeensincetheywereborn.
I,ontheotherhand,decidedinfifthgradethatIdidntwanttoeatmeatanymore,andnooneis
entitledtosayIamwrongforthat.Eatingmeatdoesnotmakeanyoneinherentlygoodorright
andthesamecanbesaidfornoteatingmeat.Justbecausewewerebroughtupdoingsomething,
somethingisinourlineage,orisourfate,doesnotmeanitisabsolutelytheonlyrightthingto

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do.Therefore,Idontthinkthatfolkways,oranythingforthatmatter,isadefiniterightorwrong
regardlessofhowinstilledtheyareinsociety.
Now,thatsnottosaythatpeopleshouldrunaroundembezzlingmoneyorkillingpeople.
Offdutypolicekillinginnocentblackchildrenfornoreasonexceptcarryingasubmarine
sandwichthatsomehowresemblesaweapon,likewhathappenedinSt.LouistoVonderrit
MyersJr.,probablyshouldnotbeupfordebate.Although,theofficerwhoshotMyersJr.
probablywoulddisputethatclaim.Thisbringsmetomynexttopiconthenotionofpersonal
rightandwrong.Peopleshouldfollowwhattheythinkisright,andifitdoesturnouttobe
morallywrong,theywillcorrectitorperish.Itsseenineveryactionmovie,thegoodwill
eventuallyovercomethebad.TakeasimpleexampleofHitlerandtheNaziregimeofthemid
1900s.Hitlerandanumberofprofessionaldoctors,scientists,andpsychologistsfoundtheir
personalrighttobeslaughteringandeliminatingtheJewishpopulationofGermany,Polandand
othermajorEuropeanpowers.Itwaswrong,itwasdisgusting,anditwasatragedybuttoHitler,
itwaswhathadtobedone.Sohebeganand,aftercountlesscasualtiesandahorrifyingstory,
Hitler,Germany,andtheNazipartyhadtopay.Hitlerwithhislife,Germanywithmoneyand
apology,andtheNazipartywithimprisonmentanddeath,insomecases.Itsthenaturalorderof
thingsforbadtobeuprootedandtossedawayandforagreatergoodtobeupheld.
Personalrightandwrongcannotbeoverlookedinthegrandschemeofthings,although
itmaynotcorrespondwithsocietysrulesofgoodandbad,itsstillconsideredrighttosomeone.
Thisnotionisntstrictlyenforcedthoughbecausesomanyvariables,suchaswitnessreliability,
victimhonesty,andskewedevidence,cancomeintoplace.Specialcasesarisewherenothingis
donesuchastheFerguson,Missouriuproarthatiscurrentlyhappening.TeenagerMichael

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Brownwasallegedlyshotdownbypoliceandkilledfornoreasonatallotherthanaveryshaky
ideathathemighthavestolensomethingfromacornerstore.Allevidencepointstosaythathe
isinnocentbutSgt.DarrenWilson,theofficerthatshothimdown,hasnotfacedanychargesor
anythingofthatmatter.Althoughthesespecialcasescomeupnowandthen,itsnaturalthatthe
powerofthecollective,andthatoftheindividualwillrightwhathasbeendonewrong.
Beingmoralisnotabouthavingafirmstance.Itsnotaboutalwaysgettingthingstogo
yourwayorforalwaysthinkingyoureright.Itis,however,aboutbenefittingyourselfaswellas
others.ColinMcGinnwroteinVirtue,thefinalchapterinhisbookMoralLiteracy,or,How
ToDoTheRightThing,Here,then,ismychosenshortlistofbasicvirtues:Kindness,Honesty,
Justice,IndependencetheBIGFOUR(100).McGinnalsosaysStupidgoeswithprudent
thewayvirtuousgoeswithimmoral(95).Thisistosaythatbeingwithoutvirtuewillresult
inimmoralityandultimatelythedemiseofyourowncharacter.NoticehowinMcGinnsfour
virtues,youractionstowardsothersmakesuponlythreefourthsofthecontent.Kindness,
honesty,andjusticearealltraitsthatareevidentinyourrelationshipsandthewayyoutreat
others.Independenceisincludedbecausewhiletreatingotherswithrespectandequalityisof
greatimportance,itshouldnevercometobemoreimportantthanhowyoutreatyourself.
Everyoneshouldbeheldonthesameplane,evenyourself.McGinnisspoton,independenceis
somethingneededtoexhibitanysortofmoraltraits.Withoutasenseofself,givingtoothersis
nearlyimpossible.
Itallseemscontradictory,doingthingsjusttobenefityourselffallsinlinewithbeing
immoralanddontforgettothinkaboutyourselfrefuteeachotheronsomelevel.The
overlyingideaofthisessayisthat,youshouldbemoraltobenefiteveryone.Itsaboutfinding

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thatbalanceitsaboutgivingtoyourselfsothatyoucangivetootherssothattheycanfeelgood
andpassthatsenseofgivingevenfurther.Youshouldbemoralbecausenothingisstoppingyou,
ifthecoolkidsaregoingtocontinuejudgingyouthenletthem,thatswhattheythinkisright
andatsomepointtheywillunderstandthatitwaswrong.Neversearchfortherightthingto
do,itsnotsomethingthatyouwillfindbecauseitsnotsomethingthatnecessarilyexists.Just
dowhatyoufeelisappropriateandcorrect,andifitsnotwhatismeanttohappenthenjustkeep
going.Itwilleventuallycome.

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WorksCited

Feldman,Fred,andImmanuelKant."KantianEthics."IntroductoryEthics.EnglewoodCliffs,
NewJersey:PrenticeHall,1978.Print.

Ladd,John,andWilliamGrahamSumner."WilliamGrahamSumner:FolkwaysandEthical
Relativism."EthicalRelativism.Lanham,MD:UofAmerica,1985.Print.

McGinn,Colin."Virtue."MoralLiteracy,Or,HowToDoTheRightThing.Hackett,1992.Print.

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