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My Ethical Mind Map

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My Ethical Mind Map

Chapter 1: Why be ethical (Levinas’s theory)

o The sameness of things

o The singularity of things

o The face as Witness to the Good

My Ethical Rule

The Sameness of Things

Levinas believed in equality among all people, so he grouped everyone under one, all-encompassing group called “Being”. By grouping everyone and everything into one sole “Being”, we are all made to be the same and any differences we have are thought to be accidental. By accidental, Levinas meant that if you are different in some way, everyone is different in the same way and there is nothing wrong with you.

I will always treat others with respect no matter how different we may be. I will always appreciate our differences and try to live my life in a way that is free of judgement towards others. “Acceptance looks like a passive state, but in reality it brings something entirely new into this world. That peace, a subtle energy vibration, is consciousness” – Eckhart Tolle

My Ethical Mind Map

Things To Avoid: Selfishness, prejudice

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Chapter 3: The Importance of Having Direction in Life

  • My identity lies in my commitments
  • My identity emerges from the direction I take in life
  • Where do I stand?

The Singularity of Things

Connection - Les Intouchables

Furthering the idea of the sameness of things, Levinas also believed in the singularity of things. He believed that our individuality gives us our identity. Levinas could not find a way to group all of these singularities into one group so instead he concluded that our individual singularities and therefore identities were infinite, so he grouped the singularity of things into a group of infinite possibilities. This means that although we are all the same, we each have differences that are not thought to be accidental. These differences are the ones that make us who we are and they are to be seen as being infinitely good because there are an infinite number of things that make each of us unique. That is why it is important to apply the theory of the “sameness of things” and the “singularity of things” together so that their meaning is not lost. They each work together to prove that we are all equals and our differences should not be seen as faults but as beauty in our individuality.

This movie relates very well to Levinas’ theory. This is a story begins with a rich man named Philippe who is holding interviews looking for someone to be his live-in caregiver because he is a quadriplegic. He comes across Driss, while conducting his interviews. Driss does not actually want the job of being Philippe’s caretaker; he just needs a signature so that he can keep getting his welfare checks. However, Philippe hires Driss and he turns out to be the best caretaker he has ever had, mainly because Driss treats Philippe like a human. He gives him what he wants, lets him make his own decisions, and although his methods may be unconventional at times, Driss does an amazing job caring for someone who cannot care for himself. This relates back to Levinas because Driss respects Philippe’s unique situation and they come from completely opposite worlds, yet Driss treats Philippe just as he would treat any other human being, with respect and dignity because he recognizes that they are both human and deserve to be treated that way.

My Identity Lies in my Commitments

My Ethical Rule

I will always put my commitments before anything else and I will live by the lessons taught to me by these commitments. I will always seek to follow the right path and I will learn from all the paths I take in my life.

Having commitments in life allows us to be part of something. It is through our commitments that we show our loyalty, respect, determination, and hard work. For example, I am a part of a hockey team, this is my commitment. Being apart of this hockey team means that I have committed myself to the hours of practices, games, and off-ice. I have made commitments to my teammates to always do what it takes to win and I will always choose hockey over anything because that is where my commitments lie. Hockey is a huge part of my life and it is through the commitment that hockey brings that I find out who I am as a player, teammate, and person. Hockey has also taught me how to make moral decisions based off of my commitments. When faced with the choice of going to hockey practice or going to a friend’s house, I choose hockey because by not going to practice I am not only letting myself down but I am letting my teammates and coaches down as well.

Things to Avoid: Flaking on commitments, making poor decisions, laziness.

The Face as Witness to the Good

Catholic Graduate Expectation

respects the faith traditions, world religions and the life-journeys of all people of good will

The face is witness to the good and according to Levinas, it is the most naked part of the body and it is through the face of the other, someone else, that we encounter traces of God and His goodness. Levinas asks us to think of a face-to-face experience that we had that affected us deeply. He explains that in this moment, you and that person are connected in a way that makes you both the same and it is unethical to deny that person’s face, or that person, their uniqueness. Acknowledging the uniqueness of the other, you are responsible for it and you shall not do anything to take away the other’s uniqueness. This is a message of respect and acceptance for all people and it is through the face-to-face interactions that we see ourselves in others.

This CGE applies to Levinas’ theory in the sense that we are all similar yet unique in our own way and it is important that we acknowledge that and respect everyone no matter how their religion, race, culture, or journey may differ from ours. If we are all people of good will, our differences should not matter.

My Identity Emerges from the Direction I Take in Life

Connection - Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

By taking a specific direction in life we are developing our identities and shaping ourselves to be better people. Choosing to take the right, ethical and moral, direction will define us as people and so will choosing the wrong direction. It is important that we make decisions based on “the good” because by choosing the good we are choosing the right path and this path will lead us to what is most important in our lives. By setting goals we force ourselves to act and live in a way that will help us to achieve these goals. Goals are what keep us focused and motivated to do the right thing. However, it is not only the direction we choose to take that defines us, it is so much more. Having a goals and commitments in life are a big part of shaping our identities but those are not the only factors that define us as individuals, they merely keep us on one steady path. If we stray from that path not all is lost. It is through the discovery of new things and adventure that we grow as people, so having different directions in life is not a bad thing either.

Olympic Ice dancing Gold medalists, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir know exactly what it is like to have commitments and a direction in life. From the 1997 until now the two have been competing together. They have competed in some of the most highly skilled competitions and they have had many successes as a team. They won a gold medal in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 and they won silver in Sochi 2014. They have dedicated their whole lives to skating, even moving away from home and missing many university classes to prepare and compete in the olympics. They have committed their time and efforts to their sport and each other. They are very well known and they are usually defined by their figure skating abilities. However, they are also known for their teamwork skills, their dedication, and their motivation.

My Ethical Mind Map

Catholic Graduate Expectation

Where Do I stand?

Understands that one’s purpose or call in life comes from God and strives to discern and live out this call throughout life’s journey

Chapter 2: Social Determinism

o What is Social Determinism

o Freud’s theory of the unconscious

o The Life and death of instinct

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As unique individuals we all have very different identities. Identities that are shaped by our pasts, our commitments, our chosen paths in life, our hopes, and our goals. Identity is something that changes and develops over the course of someone’s life. Identity is not a finite thing and it cannot be described in one word. Where do you stand? You stand in a place where you can decide what kind of person you want to be. We all have the ability to shape our own future and to become the person we want to be. Yes, there are parts of our identity that are concrete, like where we are from, who our family is, and what nationality we are, however all other aspects of our identity are free for us to decide. By taking different directions in life and setting goals and having commitments, we are constantly developing and changing our identities and this is a great thing. We have the ability to be who we want to be no matter how old we are, where we came from, and who are families are.

This CGE demonstrates exactly what the importance of having a direction in life means. It means that, having goals and things to look forward to are what God wants from us. He asks that we strive to achieve these goals and fulfill our purpose.

My Ethical Rule

What is Social Determinism?

I will always use my experiences, good or bad, to help me become a better person. I will not be defined by my past mistakes, but rather my successes. I will always try to stay positive and act according to the life instinct.

Social determinism is the belief that people’s identities are based off of social interactions such as; your past, culture, your history, family dynamic, race, gender, religion, socio-economic status, any traumatic experiences you’ve had, as well as your education. All of these things are said to influence who we are as people. According to this theory, our past experiences and social interactions influence our actions of the present and future.

Things to Avoid: avoiding problems (face your problems head on), letting your past define your future.

Connection - The Color Purple

Freud’s Theory of the Unconscious

The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, is one example of Freud’s theories of social determinism. Celie, the main character lives a very tough life growing up where she is abused by her step-father and husband. She lives her life in a passive manner and she allows this abuse to continue. It is not until she starts to experience and appreciate the world around her that she is able to stand up for herself and live the life she wants to live. Although her experiences as a child and young adult had the ability to ruin her life, she used these experiences as motivation to create a better life for herself.

Sigmund Freud’s theory of the unconscious, states that we are all defined by our unconscious mind. Our actions are carried out based on our subconscious feelings and thoughts and are heavily based on our repressed memories and desires. We repress memories so that we do not have to deal with them directly, however we still act in a way that is driven by these repressed impulses. It is these repressed memories and impulses that play a constant role in shaping our decisions and perceptions. According to Freud, it is not until we are fully reconnected with our repressed memories that we are free, but is possible to channel these memories and act freely. This is called sublimation.

The Life and Death Instinct

Catholic Graduate Expectation

adopts a holistic approach to life by integrating learning from various subject areas and experience

The life and death instinct is another part of Freud’s theory that impacts our morality. The life instinct is demonstrated when we show affection for the other, and show our desire to live our lives. The Life instinct links back even to Levinas in some way as it has the same basic idea of “love your neighbor as yourself”. Instinctively acting to live, to grow, and to struggle against death is something that defines our morality and pushes us to fulfill our purpose, which is to live a happy life. The death instinct has to do with aggression and the way humans deal with themselves. Each human action can be classified as either a life instinct or a death instinct. When speaking about the death instinct, Freud says that morality is imposed on us by other people, usually against our will, which is why sometimes we seek and act with the death instinct.

This CGE demonstrates Freud’s theories and the idea of social determinism because in order to be adopt a holistic approach to life through our experiences, we have to choose our experiences wisely. If we choose to make the wrong decisions and participate in activities that will negatively impact our experiences, we will not live a life that is based on these catholic graduate expectations. Learning from different subject areas will broaden our horizons and make us well rounded people based off of what we choose to learn and how we apply it to our daily lives.

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