Personal Ethics Essay Example for Free

Personal Ethics Essay When faced with a decision which requires an ethical framework, my usual pattern of decision making follows a pattern of reflection and introspection. The introspective element is both cerebral, that is: based in a rational analysis of the issue or matter at hand, and also intuitive, of which is to some degree an assessment of the emotional components of the decision at hand. However, intuitive introspection, at least in my opinion, transcends the boundaries of rationality as we understand it, and it even transcends our understanding of emotional responses, so intuition, although critical to my own decision making process is a slightly difficult aspect to illuminate. I once read the following paradigm somewhere. The origin of the paradigm is lost to my present memory, but the paradigm was this: whenever you are faced with a truly perplexing yes or no or do or dont or either or decision, and you really cant seem to make up your mind, flip a coin and assign heads to one outcome, and tails to the other. Now, when the result of the coin flip is shown, assess your feeling about the result and you will see what you wanted to do all along. In other words, say your choice is between going to a movie or playing a video game with your friends online. You cant make up your mind which would be abetter choice, so you flip the coin, assigning heads to going to the movie, and tails to playing video games, vowing to abide by the result. Now, lets assume the result of the coin flip is tails staying home to play video games and you feel excited, pleased and happy right away without thinking. Then staying in is what you wanted all along. If the coin-flip result of tails staying home to play video games made you want to flip the coin again for a different result, then you would know the same thing, that what you actually wanted to do was stay home and not go out to the movie. That is not to say that I make my decisions, trivial or profound, based on a coin flip! What I am driving at is that we often have intuitive feelings that lurk below the level of our rational consciousness and we can access this intuition in some cases when making decisions. As someone who has little faith in absolute ethical systems, or in a morality which is based on abstract philosophy, I like to include my own feelings, as well as my rational understanding of ethical concepts when I am faced with decisions. The underlying principles which inform the way I live my life are also drawn from the aforementioned notion of intuition or deep-introspection. For example, if I refuse a certain job offer, or even the offer of friendship on specific occasions this may have less to do with something which could be expressed in a linear fashion: the job was too demeaning, or that person had the wrong hair-style or hobby, but with something that might be more difficult to articulate clearly, but which is much more crucial than any superficial notions that might be viewed by some as important gauges or cues. In short, I dont have any kind of maxim or concrete set of principles edicts, I believe they are called but rather a sense of personal disposition and emotional bearing. For example, I dont like to hurt peoples feelings; viscerally: I just do not like to witness their pain so I avoid doing so when I can manage it. On the other hand, I take a rather dim view of altruism or the notion of helping people or giving them charity. I feel awkward placing myself in a position where I am apt to start pitying or feeling sorry for people; I myself dislike being pitied or felt sorry for, so I guess I assume it is the same for others. I tend to adopt the pursuit of happiness and personal joy (not to be confused with hedonism) as key aspects of my world view. That is, I am, at heart, an optimist who dislikes whining and cynicism and the pursuit of superficial self-gratification at the expense of others. That certainly does not mean that I advocate selflessness whatever that term may indicate as a way of life, but rather, that I view joy, success, and fulfillment at least to some degree to be communal in nature. It is necessary that all acknowledge that everyone is a part of the human experience, no matter who or what they are. there are no exceptions. In my work, I try very hard to be both competent and respectful of those who I work with and for but I often find it difficult to refrain from voicing my opinions, especially when I believe there is a possibility that my input may be helpful. I realize that work is a primary form of self-expression and self-fulfillment in life. My idea is that most people either love their jobs and derive a large part of their self-identity and worldly power through their jobs, or they hate their jobs and are constricted, limited, and oppressed by them. So, to my mind, it is crucial that you endeavor as much as possible to find a job that puts you in the former rather than the latter category because so much of life keys off of ones work. One thing that I am convinced about is that everyone should bring the same emotional involvement and enthusiasm to their jobs as they very often bring to their hobbies, just as I believe most people should try to bring the same level of integrity and competence to their personal relationships as is usually required by their jobs. Obviously, I would not advocate the pursuit of money as a reliable indicator of whether or not a job is the right or wrong job. It is much more important that a job facilitate ones sense of self-esteem and emotional security than whether or not the financial rewards are above and beyond fair. That said, a fair salary is always indicated because without it, maintaining self-respect and self-esteem is made more difficult. While there is no single litmus test for whether or not ones work is the right work for them, the emotional and intuitive aspects of decision making can help as much in assessing a jobs strengths and weaknesses as a cold rational evaluation of the facts.

Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

Nathaniel Hawthorne The 19th century had many great achievements happen within its 100-year time period. From the building of the Erie Canal, to the steel plow being invented. From the invention of the telegraph, to Thomas Edison creating the first light bulb. While all of these inventions have stood the test of time, one has lasted just as long; the inspiring tales a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. His name by birth was Nathaniel Hawthorne. He added the w to his name when he began to sign his stories. ("Nathaniel Hawthorne" American Writers II) One of Hawthorne’s ancestors was actually a judge in the Salem witch trials. The guilt and shame Hawthorne felt of his ancestors were included in some of his stories. (McGraw Hill, pg.67) Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain. He died of fever when Hawthorne was only four. Shortly after his father’s death, his mother was forced to move her three children into her parent’s home and then into her brother’s home in Maine. Hawthorne’s childhood was not particularly abnormal, as many famous authors have claimed to have. Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College and graduated after four years. After graduation, he returned to Salem. Contrary to his family’s expectations, Hawthorne did not begin to read law or enter business, rather he moved into his mother’s house to turn himself into a writer. Hawthorne wrote his mother, "I do not want to be a doctor and live by men’s diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer and live by their quarrels. So, I don’t see that there is anything left for me but to be an author." (" American Writers II, pg. 227) For the next twelve years Hawthorne lived in his mother’s house. He Seldemly went out except late at night, or when going to another city. " I had read endlessly all sorts of good and good for nothing boo ks, and in dearth of other employment, had early begun to scribble sketches and stories, most of which I burned." Reflected Hawthorne. (McGraw Hill, pg.68) Hawthorne’s first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828 at his own expense. Because of a lack of sales, Hawthorne recalled every copy he could find of the book and destroyed them. When a local printer delayed publishing his Seven Tales of My Native Land, Hawthorne withdrew the manuscript and burned it " in a mood half-savage, half-despairing.

Agriculture Revolution Essay

The agriculture revolution occurred in the Eighteenth Century. It was the age of new inventions and methods which caused agriculture to boom and end the long problem of famine. The agriculture revolution also caused social and economic consequences. What are some of these methods, inventions an also, the downfalls and consequences of the agriculture revolution? In the eighteenth century it was important to improve agriculture to feed the rapidly increasing population. This meant they needed to make inventions to grow more food at a more rapid rate. This is about the time when they discovered crop rotation, which is rotationing the crop to refurnish the nutrients in the soil by switching the crops that used the nutrients in the soil with the ones that replaced it. This system gave farmers the opportunity to farm all their land at all times, instead of having to let some land set for a long period of time. Some of the important crops were peas, beans, turnips, potatoes, clovers and grasses. Other inventions like the seed drill, threshing machine, along with the enclosure of fields helped produce enough food for the growing population. The enclosure of fields was a new invention, which took a farmers scattered land and put it together in fenced in fields to farm a lot smarter and more efficiently. Not all the people of the eighteenth century went to farming in this new style, they were used to the traditional style and preferred to continue farming that way. The Low Countries and England were the main people that used crop rotation. New crops made ideal feed for animals, which meant farmers could increase their herds, which ultimately meant more meat and better diets for all. Some downfalls of the agriculture revolution meant that if a farmer wanted to experiment with new methods they would have to get all landowners in the village to agree. Enclosure didn’t seem to help the poor rural families; this meant that they couldn’t do the things they traditionally did. They liked using common pastureland to graze stock, forests and marshlands for firewood and berries, therefore the poor highly opposed the idea of enclosure and created allies with the wealthy land owners. The wealthy land owners were also against enclosure, because it required large risks and investments? The agricultural revolution had a very big impact on women; the new inventions and the machinery were much harder for them to handle. This meant women had to find another role in society, working at Cottage Industries or as Domestic Servants. The agriculture revolution was the start of a great stepping stone. The new inventions like Crop Rotation and Enclosure helped form the age we live in today. There were ups and downs to the agricultural revolution, as there is in any new ideas that are trying to be implemented. The revolution ended famine, the methods used caused distress with the poor and even the wealthy at times; they also wanted to keep the traditional ways of farming. The transformation and experimentation of new crops and systems of crop rotation was not completed until the nineteenth century. Agricultural revolution allowed farms to be more compact and increased investments. The agricultural revolution was an essential prelude to the Industrial Revolution.

Slavery and Contemporary Society - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 636 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/05/15 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Slavery Essay Did you like this example? Introduction The first act of slavery can be traced as early as 1860 BC. It was carried out by the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi. There were additional terms that could be used to refer to slavery, and these include Sumer. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Slavery and Contemporary Society" essay for you Create order The name was commonly used in 3500 BC. The primary cause of slavery was brought by the increase in wars between nations. For example, the Byzantine against the Ottoman in Europe resulted in sourcing of additional personnel that would help them put up a good fight. The low population in Europe resulted in sourcing of additional personnel in Africa. Thats how slavery set its foot in the world. The discussion below analyzes the effects of slavery on the contemporary society. Influence of slavery on music Slavery influenced the development of music. As they carried out their different roles, slavery that shared a traditional background would sing some of their traditional songs (King, 2016). Singing these songs was a perfect way to help them pass the time and make them forget the harsh reality that they were undergoing. Additionally, the slave masters would at times organize social gatherings where slaves would compete on singing. Therefore, the slaves with time identified types of songs that they would sing in different occasions. These songs would be sung during death, happy times, when harvesting, among other occasions. It is through the music that slaves engaged in that brought about the various genres that exist in the modern society (Freund, 2016). The influence on development and spread of religion Slaves underwent so many tribulations as they carried out their work. They would work for long hours with little or no meal. Due to the hardships that they were undergoing, the slaves kept looking for a place they could turn to because of their pain (Freund, 2016). During that time, some Britons started condemning slavery because it was wrong according to Christianity. Awareness was carried resulting in the reasonable number of people becoming missionaries and vowing to spread the gospel as much as they could. Initially, the masters of these slaves would not hear any of it, but they later agreed to allow the missionaries spread the word of God. Since there was a language barrier, the missionaries tried their level best to learn the language of the people as to preach to them. Due to such efforts, the bible became to be translated into various local languages (Arnold, 2014). That way, slavery made it possible for the missionaries to translate the Gospel to all people and in their lang uage. Advent of education During the early times, the whites had power over the slaves because they were a little civilized through education which made them take advantage of the not learned. Therefore, slaves became to know that they lacked education that their masters had (Freund, 2016). As a result, they developed a strong desire to as well have an education. The high number of inventions that the white man was made also made the slaves to desire to have an education. For that reason, the slaves developed systems where they would expose their children to what they were doing. What brought the significant change was the schools that were established by the masters to inculcate knowledge in the slaves children. The slaves children that were taught became aware of what was happening to them. For that reason, they led their counterparts to resist the ways of the white man. That way, slavery came to an end as it was thought that the Africans were as well capable (King, 2016). References Arnold, M. (2014). Coming to terms with the past? The controversial issue of slavery in contemporary Mauritian fiction. Journal of Romance Studies, 14(2), 5-19. Freund, B. (2016). The making of contemporary Africa: the development of African society since 1800. Palgrave Macmillan. King, W. (2016). African American childhoods: historical perspectives from slavery to civil rights. Springer.