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Example 2: Who defines cultural appropriation? - Samma-Ajiva (The right livelihood)
The issue with this topic is the blurred line of what is and isn’t cultural appropriation. If someone were to wear traditional clothing of another culture, but they claim they were educated about the clothing and were given permission to wear it, is it allowed? Maybe, being educated on the topic makes it okay, but who is to make that decision? One member of a culture cannot speak for the entire culture. No group of people will come to a 100% consensus about what is right and wrong.
Example 1: Posting strangers on social media - Minwaadendamowin (respect) and Dibaadendiziwin (humility)
A few months ago, a clip was going viral of a girl filming herself in public. Behind her, two people were making fun of her. She decided to post the video, drawing attention to the people in the back, stating how much they hurt her confidence. As social media does, the clip went viral, with everyone attacking the people in the back. Although the people in the background were in the wrong for making fun of someone, the other person, as a social media influencer, has a responsibility to understand how much attention posting can gain. The commenters agreeing that that was rude of them turned into commenters attacking their appearance, which finally turned into doxxing, exposing their full names, schools, and addresses. This births the question, is bullying someone morally okay if they themselves are a bully?
References
APPLIED ETHICS. (n.d.). https://people.umass.edu/klement/160/applied_large.pdf
Atheists and believers both have moral compasses, but with key differences: Belief in God associated with stronger endorsement of moral values that promote group cohesion. (2021, February 24). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210224143306.htm
Hunter, T. (2023, February 13). AI porn is easy to make now. For women, that’s a nightmare. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/13/ai-porn-deepfakes-women-consent/
National Academy of Sciences (US, Avise, J. C., & Ayala, F. J. (2010). The Difference of Being Human: Morality. Nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK210003/
Raiken, A. (2023, April 26). People are defending woman from “mean girls” who mocked her posing for photos. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/baseball-game-mean-girls-influencer-pictures-b2327398.html
Santa Clara University. (2015, November 16). Assisted Suicide. SantaClaraUniv. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/bioethics/resources/assisted-suicide-a-right-or-a-wrong/
Normative ethics is the branch referring to ethical behaviour and how people should act. There are four branches of normative ethics, including:
-Utilitarianism, determining right and wrong based on outcomes
-Deontological Ethics, determine right and wrong based on a set of rules
-Ethical Intuitionism, what is right and wrong is obvious to us because there are objective moral truths
-Virtue Ethics, what is right and wrong is
based upon one's character and virtues
Example 1: Assisted Suicide - 7 Laws of Noah (Do not murder), The Ten Commandments: The Christian Bible (Thou shalt not kill)
Modern medicine allows us to aid people with diseases once painful but has also allowed us to prolong the lives of those with irreversible conditions and incurable pain. But when people are faced with incurable ailments that leave them alive but suffering, is it right to assist them in their death? The complication is that “under present law, suicide is not a crime, but assisting in suicide is” (Santa Clara University, 2015). They will not get better, they cannot recover, and “they can only look forward to lives filled with yet more suffering, degradation, and deterioration” (Santa Clara University, 2015).
Example 2: Where Do Ethics Come From? - Samma-Ditthi (the right view)
Philosophers debate whether a set of morals is biologically determined or culturally/religiously determined. Francisco J. Ayala from the National Academy of Sciences (2010) proposed that “the capacity for ethics is a necessary attribute of human nature, whereas moral codes are products of cultural evolution.” Morality is a diverse topic in the way that “[it] is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives each of us the sense that we are worthy human beings” (National Academy of Sciences (US et al., 2010).
Example 2: The Plethora of Ethical Issues with AI - Samma-Kammanta (The right action)
The prevalence of artificial intelligence has been noticed very strongly in recent years. Whether it be the AI art trends going around social media, or the Snapchat text-AI, on the surface, it doesn’t seem harmful. Looking deeper, there are many ethical issues with the way AI can be used. The accessibility of AI allows anyone to use the programs. An example of this is how “thanks in part to new, easy-to-use AI tools, anyone with access to images of a victim’s face can create realistic-looking explicit content with an AI-generated body” (Hunter, 2023).
Example 1: Moral Compass of Atheists vs Believers - 7 Laws of Noah (Do not deny God), The Ten Commandments: The Christian Bible (thou shalt have no other gods before me), The Ten Commandments: The Islamic Qur’an (there is only One God).
Tomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois found that atheists and believers have differences in moral compasses. The results found that:
“theists are more inclined than atheists to endorse moral values that promote group cohesion. Meanwhile, atheists are more likely to judge the morality of an action based on its consequences. However, atheists and theists appear to align on moral values related to protecting vulnerable individuals, liberty versus oppression, and being epistemically rational, i.e.: believing in claims when they are evidence-based and being skeptical about claims not backed by evidence.” (Atheists and Believers Both Have Moral Compasses, but with Key Differences: Belief in
God Associated with Stronger Endorsement of
Moral Values That Promote Group Cohesion, 2021)
Metaethics refers to how moral principles are determined. This branch questions a divine being’s relation to moral principles, if there are ethical “facts,” and if ethical rules are objective.
Applied ethics refers to the application of ethical questioning to real-world issues. This can cover serious issues such as reproductive rights, war tactics, the death penalty, and many more.
Example 3: Freedom of Speech vs. Hate Speech; Where to Draw The Line - The Ten Commandments: The Islamic Qur’an (Whenever you speak, be just even)
Freedom of speech is important to allow the flourishing of a democratic society. The issue is raised when people argue against fighting hate speech, saying that it is limiting their free speech and is an infringement of human rights. The United Nations states that “Addressing hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of speech. It means keeping hate speech from escalating into something more dangerous, particularly incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, which is prohibited under international law” (2019).
Summary Paragraph:
Debating ethics is complicated because there is not, and likely never will be, one agreed-upon set of rules. The difference in moral compasses depending on belief systems is one example of this. Another is the debate of who gets to decide what is and isn’t cultural appropriation. The complication with the issue of ethics comes not only from the undefined set of rules, but also with the set of exceptions that many try to apply. If it generally has been agreed that murder is not okay, is assisted suicide an exception? Society has also generally agreed that bullying is not okay, but what about bullying a bully? If we cannot define one clear solution to issues like this, how do we decide who or what is wrong? Through my research, it has been found that generally, the outburst of “wrongful” ethics are for two issues; one, fear of change and what will happen to one’s life, and two, fear of a loved one being hurt. People against assisted suicide may not want their loved ones to pass. Those against the regulation of hate speech fear that their freedom of speech will be damaged in the process.