Prompt: Human Rights or Majority Rule
In regard to the situation that started in Miami and spread across the nation, I do not believe that individuals should be discriminated against based on their sexual preference. While we all have our own views regarding homosexuality, discrimination is still discrimination. Although I don’t agree with or condone homosexuality, I am sure that there are many well educated professors out there, that are more than capable of running a classroom, that happen to be gay. To me this fact should not prevent them from getting a job. I guess I a somewhat biased in this statement because I am speaking from a college student’s point of view. I think that college students are mature enough and educated enough to not be bothered by whether or not their teacher is gay.
If I were a parent would I want my elementary aged child in a classroom with a homosexual teacher? At first I’m sure this fact would bother me, but after thinking the situation through I suppose I would be OK with it. It’s not like the teacher is there to promote homosexuality or influence children in one way or another, they are there to teach math, science, history, or whatever and as long as they do a good job at this, I don’t see a problem with it.
A similar example of this happened to my family in the summer of 2000. While building a new home, my mom was faced with hiring an interior decorator. The guy she ended up hiring was gay. Despite the fact that he was gay, my dad (who is usually against any form of homosexuality) was not concerned with this issue. This didn’t bother him because the guy did a great job for a good price and was very professional. Although my dad didn’t agree with the guy’s lifestyle or sexual preference, this was ignored because of the professional setting. People who do not ignore this type of thing in professional settings, may be missing out on a lot of quality employees that may happen to be gay.
Overall, I guess society should be more concerned about human rights than the will of the majority. If I were a member of the “minority” I would hope that my interests were considered, not just ignored because I wasn’t following the mainstream.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Decisions: Absolute or relative?
Prompt: Right or Wrong?
I think that every individual uses some sort of “process” in deciding what’s right or wrong and whether they should or should not do something. Before making decisions people think about how they will benefit or possible be negatively affected by their decisions. An individual’s morals and values also play a role in certain decisions.
I am no different than other people in that I use a process and consider many factors before deciding to do or not do something. I try to use the morals and values which my family and friends have instilled in me over the years when making my decisions. I also try to weigh the benefits and consequences of my decision-making. Sometimes these decisions are very easy, but at other times they can be difficult, especially growing up, when influential peers surround you. Personally, I believe that a person’s friends can be the biggest influence on decision-making. With this in mind I think that it is crucial for today’s teenagers and young adults to surround them with the right friends.
In regard to moral “relativism” or “absolutism”, I would generally consider myself an absolutist, but I do believe there are some small instances when moral relativism is acceptable. I would consider myself an absolutist because I am very strong in the morals and values that I have learned and believed in over the years. Since I believe strongly in these things, I do not see reason to stray from them and lean towards a more relative moral stance when major decisions are at stake. For instance, decisions like stealing or doing drugs should be absolute decisions, not relative to the situation or person.
On the other hand, in less serious cases I can see where moral relativism is acceptable. An example of this could be a little white lie that we have all told at some point in our lives. When someone close to us (spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, etc.) asks if we like their new shirt or haircut, nearly everyone has lied and said yes when they have not meant it. Lying is still lying, right? It is, but with something as menial as this I understand where moral relativism is acceptable.
I think that every individual uses some sort of “process” in deciding what’s right or wrong and whether they should or should not do something. Before making decisions people think about how they will benefit or possible be negatively affected by their decisions. An individual’s morals and values also play a role in certain decisions.
I am no different than other people in that I use a process and consider many factors before deciding to do or not do something. I try to use the morals and values which my family and friends have instilled in me over the years when making my decisions. I also try to weigh the benefits and consequences of my decision-making. Sometimes these decisions are very easy, but at other times they can be difficult, especially growing up, when influential peers surround you. Personally, I believe that a person’s friends can be the biggest influence on decision-making. With this in mind I think that it is crucial for today’s teenagers and young adults to surround them with the right friends.
In regard to moral “relativism” or “absolutism”, I would generally consider myself an absolutist, but I do believe there are some small instances when moral relativism is acceptable. I would consider myself an absolutist because I am very strong in the morals and values that I have learned and believed in over the years. Since I believe strongly in these things, I do not see reason to stray from them and lean towards a more relative moral stance when major decisions are at stake. For instance, decisions like stealing or doing drugs should be absolute decisions, not relative to the situation or person.
On the other hand, in less serious cases I can see where moral relativism is acceptable. An example of this could be a little white lie that we have all told at some point in our lives. When someone close to us (spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, etc.) asks if we like their new shirt or haircut, nearly everyone has lied and said yes when they have not meant it. Lying is still lying, right? It is, but with something as menial as this I understand where moral relativism is acceptable.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
bloggin along
Prompt: Perception
I think that the better individuals know themselves, the less likely they are to distort data or information surrounding them. I also believe that people with more stable personalities and strong belief systems are less likely to distort data. People who are weak minded or are easily influenced would probably be more likely to distort data. Also, individuals who are unhappy with themselves or their surrounding situation would probably be the most likely to distort information. I think this makes sense because if individuals cannot, or have failed at changing their situation that they do not like, the easiest way to escape that situation would probably be to distort the information surrounding oneself. Distorting certain information surrounding you is a scapegoat in my opinion. Instead of working to change things some people take the easy way out and distort the truth.
The distortion of information could be based on perception as well. For example, I may perceive information much differently than someone else. Because of this I may think one thing is true while the other individual prefers to believe something else. Although we were given the same information, the different manner in which we perceive it may lead to different thoughts about the truth. Who is right in these types of situations? This is an ongoing question that cannot really be answered.
I would agree with Socrates’ statement that we come closer to perceiving the truth through knowledge of the self and by discovering where we are most likely to distort data. I believe that people’s biases and prejudices are the biggest factors in distorting the truth. If people are closed minded and not open to other’s ideas I think that they are not completely grasping the truth. To have an understanding of what is true you must be able to see things from other people’s points of view. Often times when individuals are biased or prejudiced against a certain group of people they would not consider looking at certain issues through the eyes of the victims of the prejudice. I believe that all biased and prejudiced thoughts and actions must be eliminated in order to grasp the actual truth.
I think that the better individuals know themselves, the less likely they are to distort data or information surrounding them. I also believe that people with more stable personalities and strong belief systems are less likely to distort data. People who are weak minded or are easily influenced would probably be more likely to distort data. Also, individuals who are unhappy with themselves or their surrounding situation would probably be the most likely to distort information. I think this makes sense because if individuals cannot, or have failed at changing their situation that they do not like, the easiest way to escape that situation would probably be to distort the information surrounding oneself. Distorting certain information surrounding you is a scapegoat in my opinion. Instead of working to change things some people take the easy way out and distort the truth.
The distortion of information could be based on perception as well. For example, I may perceive information much differently than someone else. Because of this I may think one thing is true while the other individual prefers to believe something else. Although we were given the same information, the different manner in which we perceive it may lead to different thoughts about the truth. Who is right in these types of situations? This is an ongoing question that cannot really be answered.
I would agree with Socrates’ statement that we come closer to perceiving the truth through knowledge of the self and by discovering where we are most likely to distort data. I believe that people’s biases and prejudices are the biggest factors in distorting the truth. If people are closed minded and not open to other’s ideas I think that they are not completely grasping the truth. To have an understanding of what is true you must be able to see things from other people’s points of view. Often times when individuals are biased or prejudiced against a certain group of people they would not consider looking at certain issues through the eyes of the victims of the prejudice. I believe that all biased and prejudiced thoughts and actions must be eliminated in order to grasp the actual truth.
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