Analysis Of David Velleman's 'Genesis Of Shame'

In “The Death of Honesty,” William Damon raises the concern that current apathy towards increasing dishonesty threatens democracy. In this essay taken from the online volume “Endangered Virtues ” published by the Hoover Institute in 2012, Damon initially concedes that there are situations where lying could be considered acceptable. However, with that being acknowledged, he transitions to his main premise that honesty is losing its importance in society and will lead to its downfall, and he cites examples in politics, law, journalism, and business in contemporary society where dishonesty is expected, and even, condoned. Damon finally directs his remarks pointedly at teachers and current students who accept cheating in schools. To persuade

Honesty is a good principle, however it does not have to be absolute. Although we should always strive to stay honorable and genuine, deception, under certain conditions and during certain times are justifiable. This point is acknowledged and bolstered in the novel Grapes of Wrath, repeatedly throughout history and proven through scientific research.

Someone once stated,” Tell me the cold truth, but don’t paint me a pretty lie.” As we walk our journey of life, we come to understand that the truth is harsh and yields to no one;moreover, the lie’s hurt increases as it grows. Honesty is important in all situations because eventually the truth shows and people base how they connect you in their life by your honesty or lies.

It is actually very hard to be completely honest all the time and in every situation. But I believe that being honest can be very rewarding in the end because you are not deceiving others or yourself which is beneficial to you and society.

Honesty without integrity can also lead to moral disasters. Well, honesty may be important but not sufficient for integrity. Integrity is both essential and significant. It is acceptable and one will agree with what Stephen L. Carter says about a person having honesty but not integrity. There are also some white lies present. Sometimes saying the truth or telling everything you know might hurt somebody. Harm may not be the intention but positively the effect.

In the essay The Ways We Lie, author Stephanie Ericsson writes in depth about the different types of lies used by most people everyday. While listing examples of them, Ericsson questions her own experiences with lying and whether or not it was appropriate. By using hypothetical situations, true accounts, and personal occurrences, she highlights the moral conflicts and consequences that are a result of harmless fibs or impactful deceptions. In an essay detailing the lies told to ourselves and others, Ericsson points out one bold truth; everyone lies. Through her writing, Ericsson causes the reader to look into how they’ve lied in the past and how to effects others and the general greater good of society.

Lying: it’s something everyone is guilty of. Whether they be big or small, lies are everywhere. We live in a society full of lies, so we take the consequences of lying with a grain of salt. There’s no doubt about it; lying can be dangerous. Therefore, we should be more wary of our lies and their consequences. Lies can be detrimental and do have the potential to change society for the worse.

Unacknowledged Shame Theory is seen in a perspective that shame can cause a destructive emotion and can promote crime instead of preventing it if it is not managed positively. By using apology in return for forgiveness symbolises that reparation can commence (Braithwaite, 2004).

In Richard V. Reeves 's article “Shame is Not a Four-Letter Word”, published in The New York Times on March 15, 2013, he argues that shaming is a viable tactic to battle teen pregnancy. I strongly disagree with most of the author 's points, including his idea that shame is useful against teens, his claim that access to contraception and competent sex ed isn 't enough and his opinion that the negative effects of shame are not devastating enough to outweigh the positive.

Honesty is a well known trait everyone needs to have. The trait is defined by always being straightforward with one another; in other means, not lying. Sometimes it takes a dishonest person to show someone the value of how to be truly honest with others. I am the youngest of 3 in my family and my two older brothers are a good example of learning from being dishonest. Not that they are disrespectful in any means, but growing up watching them tell the occasional lie to my parents really taught me something. I saw the result of them being not honest and the punishment that came with it.

In the essay, “Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’”, published on May 15, 2011, Professor Daniel J. Solove is trying his best to convince his well sophisticated audience that the issue of privacy affects more than just the everyday people veiling a wrong doing. His argument focuses around ethos, and a lot of it. Although there are some logos and pathos, they aren’t as nearly as strong as his ethos. In the type of society that we live in today, privacy has become more and more broad. Everyone sees it on an everyday occurrence just about; including on social networking sites, HIPAA forms, or even with people just simply observing

Honesty and deception both play valuable roles in all parts of personal lives and society. Richard Gunderman stated, “To tell the truth is to live authentically and responsibly, to really live.” Living honestly is a way to have less stress to your life, proven by Richard Gunderman in “Is lying bad for us?” However, dishonesty seems to at an all time high with the growth of communication as stated in “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. In addition, lying can provide incredible short-term benefits discussed by Stephanie Ericsson in “The Ways We Lie.” Gunderman’s claim on authenticity is valid because most cultures see honesty and trust as two of the more lauded values. Telling the truth relieves stress and adds trust. Yet, there is a seemingly

“Privacy is not something that I’m merely entitled to, it’s an absolute prerequisite.” Marlon Brando’s statement poses the notion that privacy remains a necessity that the communal force must recognize so that a citizen can satisfy his or her personal impulses. This leads the progenitors of a community to ponder the following question: If a communal force chooses to endorse a citizen's right to privacy, are the consequences less detrimental than if that same privacy is denied? Considering the guilt one bears when not following social norms, the dilemma the main characters in The Scarlet Letter face,and the unique identity one can shape when granted a right to privacy the answer is a prevailing yes.

While humans often live life in a duality, with a face they put on for the public and the true character they show with friends, the private life may easily seep into the public eye. In his piece Testaments Betrayed, Czech writer Milan Kundera asserts that the curtain between public and private lives is not to be removed, and those who do so are deplorable voyeurs. Although it is immoral for one to reveal another’s private life, the barrier between public and private lives must be torn down when the public benefits, whether by the intruder or the individual in question himself.

Self-disclosure is the voluntary sharing of personal history, preferences, attitudes, feelings, values, secrets, etc. with another person (Griffin, p. 97). As stated in the introduction Altman and Taylor look at relationships as an “onions.” The different layers are representative of different feelings of a person. When