Studying Moral Philosophy

The articles “Are we born with a moral core? The Baby Lab says ‘yes’” and “Is Morality Innate and Universal?” support the idea of a universal moral code across all human cultures.

Philosophers have studied and analyzed divergent implications and answers to ethical problems and the morality construction in which is the correct way of going about life upon many years. Philosophers have begun to narrow down the cases that provide the best support to answer ethical questions which we encounter. That being, divine command theory, utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics all provide adequate insight to everyday morality. There are flaws and strengths to each and every one of these concepts. However, divine command theory proves to provide the most requisite intellect with minute disfigurement. Divine command theory offers a chance at a purposeful reason to undertake morality with the right

“[A] manner or technique of treating subject matter that presents, through volume of detail, a deterministic view of human life and actions.” (dictionary.com) Naturalism is defined as a word and type of literature Crane uses in the novella, Maggie. In order to avoid proper names along with pronouns in specific scenes, Crane uses a naturalistic device as a tendency. This throws the reader off-balance conveying a pure( documentary explanation. In this naturalistic work of literature, there is an unusual occurrence where the appearance of Maggie seems as if it's a miraculous event. Someone outside of nature. (“Death is treated...”)

Hypothesis and overview of the essay (approximately 1 to 2 pages) This section should focus on using clear, concise writing to introduce your argumentative position based on the "Moral Instinct" editorial.

#7 Moral reasoning is individual or collective practical reasoning about what, morally, one ought to do. Philosophical examination of moral reasoning faces both distinctive puzzles

This course has helped me reflect on the foundational moral principles which God calls me to follow. It is easy to allow the world's increasingly relativistic mindset to creep into how I view morality. Being reminded of the fundamentals of Christian and Catholic morality has made me more eager to live them out in my own life, and also challenges me to stand up and defend morality in situations where things are unclear.

Crimes are committed on a daily basis by people who are aware of the illegality of their actions and the effect on the victim. Equipped with this knowledge, criminals still make the decision to cross the line of law and morality, crossing the divide between right and wrong. The idea of right and wrong is one of the main concepts society is built on, everyone is aware of it. The perception of this concept, however, is changed by experiences in life, and decisions made in life are based on these perceptions. The distinction between right and wrong will conclude the direction in which one’s moral compass points. An individual’s personal experiences throughout life will transform their ideas of right and wrong, changing

Humanity rises from the predominant catalyst of social mores that align with society’s norms. Morality, although a proverbial construct we familiarize with, fails to be defined universally. As with any ethical issue, the distinction between “good” or “bad” has been debated amongst philosophers, theologians, and even within internal consciences. Common-sense morality lacks empiricism compared to science, yet its implications hold equal weight, for a well-defined moral construct gives rise to individual and societal ramifications. Often, it seems unquestionable why certain acts are deemed “bad”. However, these instincts lack universal application, thus morality must be clearly defined.

Documented use of the word natural begins as early as the 14th century in the French and English languages as naturel and in the Latin language as naturalis. (1) The meaning of the word natural is relative to the context it is used in, which is evident even in early descriptions. The meanings for the French, English, and Latin origins of the word natural include “by birth”, “of nature, conforming to nature”, “of one’s inborn character; hereditary” and “of the world of nature (especially as opposed to man)”. (1) It is important to note that the word nature was described during this time period as essentially being the essence or principle of life and the course things

Today, individuals are faced with decisions both big and small daily. Throughout history, many psychologists have studied how people arrive at the decisions they are faced with daily. Recent studies have looked at many of the factors that influence an organism (non- human and human) to evaluate the decisions of right and wrong in the terms of morality. The idea of morality is built on the innate and learned abilities that guide an individual’s decision-making. For decades, philosophers and psychologists have wrestled with the distinction between moral relativism and moral absolutism. Moral relativism is known when something could be morally right in one society, but morally wrong in another. Unlike moral relativism, moral absolutism is the

Moral realists claim that despite human opinions about ethical values, there are objective moral truths which make some ethical claims true. Despite the objections of moral realists, what some people refer to as moral truths are nothing more than mistaken assertions based on the presumption of moral qualities; in fact, this paper will explore the idea that there are no accessible moral features in this world and any attempt to assert moral truths is just a reaction to an idea based on social expectations.

Initially, it may seem as though right and wrong are starkly divided, such as the colors black and white are starkly opposite. Despite this conviction, I’ve grown to understand that strictly categorizing these entities are of inept and inconsiderate nature. Similar to how most articles in the world are neither black, nor white, most ideas, motives, and tangible and intangible objects fall in between the classifications of right and wrong. Appropriately labeled “the grey zone”, actions that challenge the implemented structure of morality conflict the subjective judgement. When the situations of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and doing the right thing for the wrong reasons arise, I must elect that there are circumstances in which the former is acceptable and justifiable.

The concept of morality is presumed to be universal among humans, but the specifics of it surely aren’t. Most people are inclined to do what they assume is right, but one person’s sense of “right” may contrast with someone else’s. In “The Moral Instinct”, Steven Pinker explores the many ways a person’s morals affect their judgment through describing the five “moral spheres” we experience.

Before the beginning of the semester, I had a general understanding of three major philosophies- Utilitarianism, Deontology, and Feminism. These three philosophies come up frequently in my life. I judge an event in which philosophy is the main focus. In addition, I like to use these three principles in my moral judgments and decisions. Reaching the end of this class and semester I can say that my knowledge of these three philosophies has expanded immensely. The critical, informational, and literary aspects (stories that provide analysis) of the book The Moral Life has helped to increase my understanding and appreciation of the philosophies. I have used these philosophies in the past for personal, academic, and professional decisions and actions, however, I plan to use these philosophies in the same three areas for future actions and decisions.

Naturalism is a scientific aspect to examine the meaning of life. All life has started with the Big Bang 15 billion years ago. This position suggests that the meaning of life can be found by the origin of life. However, as scientific fact shows that there is no time and space before the Big Bang, life is determined as meaningless.