Personhood, Rights and Justice |
Posted: July 18, 2019 |
1. What is a person? According to the article, a person is someone capable of psychological and social interaction with others, and has the capacity to make a decision concerning an action and to be held accountable for that action/ decision. On this basis, some thinkers have dismissed the fetus as a person, and rather categorized it as a mere human being. 2. The Ethical Questions Regarding Abortion Regarding abortion, questions arise as to the point at which a fetus should be considered a human being. Augustine argued that a fetus, before developing limbs and other physical features, was incapable of feeling, and purported that at this point, it did not yet have a soul. To this end, abortion was justified, as it did not amount to killing a human being or a person. But other thinkers have pointed out the fact that the fetus is a potential person, and in that connection, is entitled to the full rights of a person. Further to this, death should not be intentional. It should be the unintended side-effect of accomplishing something supremely important, such as another life. It is on this stance that the church is willing to allow abortion if its end is to save the life of the mother, but even this is on condition. A letter from a Birmingham Jail 1. King’s justification for breaking some laws and obeying others Dr. King classified laws into two categories; just and unjust laws. Just laws were those that is in harmony with moral/ God’s law, and uplift the human personality. Unjust laws were the converse, being out of harmony with moral law and that such laws were no laws at all thus did not deserve to be obeyed. Among what he termed unjust laws were those imposed by a superior upon an inferior that did not apply to the superior him/herself. Further, laws were unjust if they were imposed a people who had no right to vote, and therefore no had part to play in making the said laws. Unjust laws therefore do not deserve to be obeyed, thus his call on his followers to act accordingly. Our uk essay service agrees with King, since laws should not be obeyed simply on the basis of having been created. Man has selfish intentions, and these should be examined before a law is made enforceable upon a person. 2. Reconciliation of Breaking Unjust Laws with Respect for the Law Unjust laws, being based not on morals, must be challenged. To this end, people have the moral responsibility to break unjust laws and be willing to pay the penalty. This will serve to rouse the conscience of the community and cause it to change the laws in question. This, King says, is the highest form of obedience to the law, as it complies fully with moral law. King’s position resonates with my opinion in that injustice can be legalized, as in the case with segregation. It is the moral responsibility of those afflicted to see to it that the injustice is reversed, by taking necessary steps that are both non-violent and effective. Socrates, Plato and the Good life
Socrates and Plato were both classical Greek philosophers, who lived in the years between 350 and 450 B.C. Socrates was Plato’s mentor, and did not write any works, but is known only though the dialogues of Plato and other philosophers then. Plato started the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in Western Europe. They were concerned with ethics, virtue, and politics among many other disciplines.
Plato and Socrates’ defined the good life as that which was focused upon the development of self rather than the pursuit of material wealth. The search for good makes life ideal.
A virtuous person was one who focused on cultivating his soul to excellence, that every act he/she carries out is good. A virtuous act is one that has good consequences, and a virtuous person is one whose actions are virtuous. Virtue could be achieved by seeking philosophical and intellectual virtue. The Truman Show I would not prefer living in man-made happiness instead of facing the harsh reality of and unpredictability of real life. First, it is through adversity that the human being can rise by growing their virtues and becoming a better person. A perfect life offers no challenge, and no lessons. Secondly, the man-made perfect world is fundamentally flawed, in that it is based on dishonesty. This in itself makes it not worthwhile. Finally, man’s true purpose in life is to make a positive difference in the world by applying his talents, intellect and ability to this end. This is denied by the artificiality of everything in a fake world, and severely limits man’s potential to impact his world.
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