Thursday, February 10, 2005

If You Think You're a Good Person Don't Read This (Random Thoughts on Ethics and Morals) Part I

Why is everyone so obsessed with being a good person? Let me explain, I was helping a friend with her ethics homework on a discussion board. Everyone on the board is talking about what is ethical and what is not, like they actually know. The majority of these people, if you talk to them, hold out that they are a ‘good person’(Surprise!). Good based on what? For once, I want to meet someone that knows they are a bad person but wants to change. Whenever I ask people why they are a good person they never seem to know. ‘Well I am a moral person’ they will say or like the little kid I talked to the other day, ‘I don’t hit’. Since everyone seems to think they are a good ethical and moral person I decided I would do some research to find out why… How can a person do whatever they want to do and still say the are a good person?



More to follow...

2 comments:

Aaron Bynum said...

What many don't want (surprise) to admit is that they are "good" because they are willingly submitting themselves to a higher standard that is outside the realm of their ego. They are moral only to the extent that they allow themselves to submit to a standard that is outside of and higher than themselves. There is something bigger in life than "self".

The Cure said...

Hannah... I do not actually believe people can do whatever they want and still be good. If you read Part II of this article you will realize I am addressing the issues of ethics. I am trying to argue that there is no way to determine ethical or non ethical behavior unless that is determined by a higher power. An Imperfect person cannot make perfect laws it is even harder for an imperfect government too. How can everyone say they are a good person? Because they are deciding what they think is Good and what is Bad. Unless people acknowledge that there is a higher authority then humanity there is no point to teaching ethics because it ultimately comes down to them justifying and doing whatever they want and thinking it is Ok. Thanks for the comments and thoughts.