Moral Truth

Moral Truth What is Moral truth? In Sam Harris’ book â€Å"The Moral Landscape†, he explains his ideas on moral truth. He explains that moral truth is so complex because of personal whim, and cultural influence. He explains his ideas of moral truth through science, objective and subjective, and consensus and consciousness. With these ideas Harris is able to define moral truth to his best ability, because it is such a difficult subject to understand. In the chapter on moral truth, Harris explains moral truth with the use of science.He states in the book â€Å"science can, in Principe, help us understand what we should do, and should want-and, therefore, what other people should do and want in order to live the best lives possible. â€Å"In other words, He believes that like science, there are right and wrong answers to moral truth. He then explains that science should help us answer moral questions. His other idea is that science is based on our best guess of what it i s and moral truth is the same. Moral truth is also just our best guess of what is right and wrong.Harris is trying to say that moral truth, like science, can have a framework in which we believe is correct, but can always change. Harris explains in the book that the terms â€Å"objective† and â€Å"subjective† are very different. Objective means that a person is using to bias when they are making a statement. He uses the example of having a ringing in his ear. This is a subjective statement, however, is objective because he is not lying. From this idea of the ringing in the ear, he explains that this is a way that we can study depression.We can determine brain states with reference, to person’s subjective thoughts. Finally in the chapter, he explores the ideas of consensus and consciousness. He explains that scientific consensus as scientific controversy that work needs to be done. For example, â€Å"moral controversy proves that there can be no such thing as m oral truth while moral consensus shows only that human beings often harbor the same biases† this idea is basically saying that often people will think differently than others and this creates bias among people.Harris explains that truth has nothing to do with moral consensus, because often one person can be right, while a crowd is wrong. Harris then goes on to explain his ideas on consciousness. He explains that people have moral truth because they are conscious creatures. His understanding of a conscious being is that â€Å"consciousness is only intelligible domain of value. † All in all, Harris believes that moral truth is similar to science because it must be backed up by evidence and often consists of educated guesses.He explains that objective and subjective are very different, however; can often be used in the same ways. Finally, consensus and consciousness outline the basis of moral truth, because without them moral truth would not exist according to Harris. He b elieves that consensus means that only humans can have the same bias, and consciousness shows that only people with consciousness can have moral truth.

Morality the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

For example, throughout the novel â€Å"Huckleberry Finn â€Å", Mark Twain depicts society as a structure that has become little more than a collection of degraded rules and precepts that defy logic. This faulty logic manifests itself early, when the new judge in town allows Pap to keep custody of Huck. â€Å"The law backs that Judge Thatcher up and helps him to keep me out o’ my property.† The judge privileges Pap’s â€Å"rights† to his son over Huck’s welfare. Clearly, this decision comments on a system that puts a white man’s rights to his â€Å"property†Ã¢â‚¬â€œhis slaves–over the welfare and freedom of a black man. Whereas a reader in the 1880s might have overlooked the moral absurdity of giving a man custody of another man, however, the mirroring of this situation in the granting of rights to the immoral Pap over the lovable Huck forces the reader to think more closely about the meaning of slavery. In implicitly comparing the plight of slaves to the plight of Huck at the hands of Pap, Twain demonstrates how impossible it is for a society that owns slaves to be just, no matter how â€Å"civilized† that society believes and proclaims itself to be. In addition, childhood has been described by the author, as an important factor in the theme of moral education: only a child is open-minded enough to undergo the kind of development that Huck does.† It was a close place. I took†¦up [the letter I’d written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I know it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: â€Å" All right then, I’ll go to hell†Ã¢â‚¬â€œEm dash intended here? and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming†¦Ã¢â‚¬ It, describes the moral climax of the novel. Jim has been sold by the Duke and Dauphin, and is being held by the Phelpses spending his  return to his rightful owner. Thinking that being at home in St. Petersburg, even if it means Jim will still be a slave and Huck will be a captive of the Widow, would be better than being in his current state of peril far from home, Huck composes a letter to Miss Watson, telling her where Jim is. When Huck thinks of his friendship with Jim, however, and realizes that Jim will be sold down the river anyway, he decides to tear up the letter. The logical consequences of his action, rather than the lessons society has taught him, drive Huck. Huck decides that going to â€Å"hell,† if it means following his gut and not society’s hypocritical and cruel principles, is a better option than going to everyone else’s heaven. This is Huck’s true break with the world around him. At this point he decides to help Jim escape slavery once and for all, and he realizes that he, Huck, will not be re-entering the civilized world: he has moved beyond it morally. Since Huck and Tom are young, their age lends a sense of play to their actions, which excuses them in certain ways and also heightens the profundity of the novel’s commentary on slavery and society. Huck and Tom know better than the adults around them, but they lack the guidance that a proper family and community should have offered them. Furthermore, Huck and Tom encounter individuals who seem good (Sally Phelps, for example), but Twain takes care to show us that person as a prejudiced slave-owner. â€Å"Preacher be hanged, he’s a fraud and a liar†. The shakiness of the justice systems that Huck encounters lies at the heart of society’s problems: terrible acts go unpunished, yet frivolous crimes, such as drunkenly shouting insults, lead to executions Sherburn’s speech to the mob that has come to lynch him accurately summarizes the view of society given in this book: rather than maintaining collective welfare, society is marked by cowardice, a lack of logic, and profound selfishness.

Gatsby Essay

Gatsby Essay Gatsby Essay Mackenzie Hoult Evan Hansen U.S Literature 25 November 2014 The role of love in The Great Gatsby â€Å"The truth about love is all a lie,† as the pop artist Pink would put it. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is set in the roaring twenties. It follows a man named Jay Gatsby who’s one goal in life is to be reunited with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, the protagonist and narrator moves into a humble home neighboring Gatsby’s mansion. Across the bay from Gatsby, Daisy and her husband Tom live in their own luxurious mansion. Throughout the book it is made clear that love is an impossible goal to reach for every character in the story, but especially Daisy and Gatsby. Throughout The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows that love is unreachable for these characters because of how Daisy values materialism over love and because of Gatsby’s illusion of what him and Daisy had to be. In the years that Gatsby waited for Daisy he held such high expectations of their reunion that there was no possible way reality could satisfy him. Gatsby has been in love with Daisy since the day they met, and he wants nothing more than to be with her and give her the world. But because they’ve been apart for so long, Daisy becomes more of an idea in his mind then an actual person that he could be with. When Daisy visits Gatsby for the first time, Nick says, â€Å"†¦ As though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness. Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion† (95). This shows that because Gatsby has waited so long for this reunion, it makes it hard for Daisy to really live up to his expectations, which in turn makes them loving each other almost impossible. Another example of his high expectations for Daisy is when Gatsby tries to tell Tom that Daisy never loved him. Gatsby says, â€Å" ‘I’ve got something to tell you, old sport’†¦ ‘your wife doesn’t love you,†¦ she’s never loved you. She loves me†¦ ‘Oh, you want too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now- isn’t that enough? I cant help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly. ‘I did love him once- but I love you too’† (130, 132). Gatsby wanted everything to go back to the way it was when they first met and because of this he held his expectations way too high for Daisy, who could not love him to the extent she loved her. Gatsby’s unrealistic supposition of Daisy, shown through actions he takes, is why love is unreachable in The Great Gatsby. The actions and decisions Daisy makes throughout her life show that she values material things over love and this is why love isn’t possib le between her and Gatsby. Throughout the book it is prevalent that Daisy values material things more than people. It becomes very clear to the reader when she talks to Nick about her daughter, Daisy says, â€Å"I‘m glad it‘s a girl. And I hope she‘ll be a fool- that‘s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.† This shows that Daisy thinks life is the best when you aren’t aware of much and you’re fooled by Gatsby Essay Gatsby Essay Howard 1 Aly Howard Mr. Jackson English 11 per. 3 09 March 2015 Gatsby’s American Dream In the novel, The Great Gatsby , by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many archetypes, motifs, and symbols are used to portray the moral decay in society, not only in the 1920s, but also today. Characters, weather changes, and a green light are major factors in the story to illustrate the relationship between Gatsby's American Dream and today’s society depiction of their American Dream. The 1920s morals are a lot like 2015’s morals. Even though there may be some decay we always move forward. When using archetypes, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the â€Å"dreamer† through the character of Gatsby when Nick Carraway had seen Gatsby with his â€Å"stretched out arms [reaching] towards [...] a single green light†(Gatsby 26). Gatsby had been reaching for that light as though it was a dream inches away from his grasp. He had wanted the life of perfection, as do many people who try to achieve their goals to pursue the American Dream. The past that Gatsby dreamed of for years was just beyond his reach, but like F. Scott Fitzgerald had made out Gatsby to be, he longed for the past to repeat. As Nick tried to argue to Gatsby about this Gatsby believes that, â€Å"...repeat the past?[...] Why of course you can†(Gatsby 116)! He wanted the American Dream â€Å"as if the past were lurking[...] in the shadow[...] just out of reach of his hand†(Gatsby 117). People today do the same thing reaching out for the dream life trying to get the lifestyle that they want. Using Gatsby as an archetype portrays the dreamers in the 1920s and the dreamers today. Howard 2 Gatsby had the money and the lifestyle that all people in the 1920s and in 2015 want to achieve, even if people can achieve it or not, it is always a life that people wish to have. Another literary device that F. Scott Fitzgerald uses is the device of motifs. Fitzgerald uses the weather as a motif when the feelings during the scene change as well as the weather does, matching the current mood of the story. At Gatsby’s and Daisy’s reunion, â€Å"the day agreed upon was pouring rain†(Gatsby 88). The moment had first been awkward between the two, making a melancholy kind of moment but later when they finally begin to feel the love again, and â€Å"after half an hour the sun shone again†(Gatsby 93). The weather had changed in the exact time that things had been awkward and then evolved into a reawoken love. The sun had come out, making the feeling lighter and a little bit happier, making the reader feel the same as well. Another motif is the geography and settings in the story. Throughout the novel, places and settings represent the 1920s American society that Fitzgerald illustrates. Nick Carraway â€Å"lived at West Egg, the [...] less fashionable of the two†(Gatsby 9). East Egg represents the old aristocracy, West Egg the newly rich, the valley

Impact of Cultural Differences on Healthcare Essays

Impact of Cultural Differences on Healthcare Essays Impact of Cultural Differences on Healthcare Paper Impact of Cultural Differences on Healthcare Paper Culture is defined as a particular way of living which incorporates beliefs, standards, values, language, behavioral norms, styles of communication and thinking patterns. Cultural diversity is evident in various manifestations such as language, ethnicity, religion and gender. Sometimes it is also evident by an individual’s level of education and even age. Consideration to differences in culture is important in the delivery of healthcare. This is because culture often determines an individual will respond to communication by a health professional which in turn has a bearing on the outcome of the patient’s condition. Sensitivity to cultural differences is necessary to ensure accurate and effective communication on the client’s health. Treating the patients with respect is not sufficient to avoid cultural problems.   It is necessary to also be familiar with various cultural customs so that misunderstandings can be avoided and health practitioners can provide their clients with better care. Galanti (2009) described a case where cultural issues were not considered resulting in a misunderstanding between the client and health care professionals. A Hispanic lady, had to give confirmed consent so that she could go a hysterectomy. The lady, Maria Ramirez,   being able to communicate in Hispanic only had her son serve as her interpreter as he was bilingual. The young man when describing the procedure seemed to be accurately translating as he indicated the correct body parts. The mother agreed to sign the consent form.   The next day, she learnt that she could not have children anymore because her uterus had been removed. She was very angry and even made threats to sue the hospital. In Hispanic culture it is not appropriate for a man and his mother to talk about private parts. The son, being in an awkward position told his mother that the surgery would involve removal of a tumor from her abdomen. He pointed in this general area. The Hispanic woman was upset because in Hispanic culture the status of a woman is derived largely from the children she can produce. The health care provider and management managed the situation by offering apologies, but the damage miscommunication had already occurred. Fortunately, the lady did not pursue the issue further, though for her it was a painful loss as she was not aware of what surgery she had agreed to.   In this case the appropriate thing to do would have been to not involve members of the family when discussing anything sexual with a client. If family members must be present, then the family members should be of the same gender to avoid embarrassment and miscommunication. In another incident, a woman called Susi in her thirties had a horse riding accident where the horse threw her off its back upon being startled by a snake. The woman fell on a stump and sustained massive injuries with internal bleeding. Upon being rushed to hospital, the surgical team found that she had bled into her abdomen severely and her kidney would have to be removed. The woman had a medical card which identified her as Jehovah’s Witness. It stated that she was not to be transfused, no matter what the circumstances. Despite knowing this, the physician, Dr Andrews, felt compelled by the Hippocratic Oath to transfuse her. Her husband could not be reached so the doctor proceeded with the transfusion, and in so doing saved the woman’s life. The woman however was not grateful; she instead sued the doctor for battery and assault. She won a $20,000 settlement (Galanti, 2009). A study conducted in the 1980s amongst Jehovah Witnesses indicated that they would sue if they were transfused. A physician, who finds himself in a situation where he/she finds it necessary to transfuse a Jehovah Witness, ought to think of the possible consequences by going against the patient’s will, especially the legal ones. In addition, by violating the wishes of the client in order to fulfill the Hippocratic Oath (which in this case is a personal belief), is an indication of arrogance and ethnocentricity. No group has the right to impose their beliefs on another. There lies in a danger in considering cultural differences when providing healthcare. This danger is one of stereotyping people. Even though someone may belong to a particular religion or ethnicity, everyone is unique and it would be dangerous to assume that â€Å"Chinese believe this† and â€Å"African Americans do this†. It is therefore necessary for health professionals to differentiate between generalizations and stereotypes. If upon meeting a Mexican woman, a doctor assumes she has a large family, that is a stereotype, but if the doctor says to himself/herself that, â€Å"Mexicans tend to have large families, I wonder if Maria has a large family†, then the doctor has generalized (Galanti, 2000). References   Galanti G, 2009, Cultural Diversity in Healthcare, retrieved from , ggalanti.com/case_studies/cases_by_topic.htm Saturday 19th December, 2009 Galanti G, 2000, An introduction to Cultural Differences, West J Med. 2000 May; 172(5): 335–336

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others How much of your day do you spend obsessively comparing yourself to your friends or colleagues? Your best friend from college makes more money than you do, even though she’s been at her job for less time. Your cubicle mate always gets complimented by your boss, even though you know she spends half her workday on Facebook. If you’re a frequent player of the comparison game, you know it always leads to you  feeling terrible about yourself. Yes, everyone on LinkedIn is doing better on the ladder than you are. And yes, everyone on Instagram is living their best life. But did you know that without the whole story, you really have no basis for comparison? Here’s how you can make sure to not fall into the trap of needless comparison. The next time you play the â€Å"here’s why he’s better† game, simply remember these tips, take a deep breath, and work on improving yourself rather than holding yourself against impossible standards.1. Realize that c omparisons don’t tell the whole story.Are you comparing what you know to be your worst against what you judge to be someone else’s best? Are you comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle? Your early career to their glory days? Your entry-level salary to their 40-year career? Remember that comparisons require metrics, which are hard to come by even when you aren’t trying to compare apples to oranges or seeds to trees.2. Understand that you’re wasting precious time.Every hour you spend comparing yourself to someone else is an hour you’re not spending doing better, learning more, acquiring new skills, and moving forward. Comparing yourself to someone else shifts your mindset away from where it needs to be- on you- by putting it somewhere else much less productive. Focus on yourself and what you must do to be where you need to be, and cut out the rest of the noise.3. Know that social media is not your friend.The next time you fall down a n Insta-hole of perfectly posed pictures, turn off your device (or at least shut down your app) and force yourself to spend at least one hour without logging back on. If you spend that hour working on a self-improvement project, that’s all the better. Work on building the kind of life you can be proud of. Focus on the present, not on how many â€Å"likes† you got on your last post. Do something for yourself or someone else that will actually matter.4. Turn that frown upside down.Address whatever negative feelings are lurking in the back of your brain and try to turn them into positives. Use your jealousy and insecurity to spur you to grow faster and more. In fact, instead of viewing the person who’s making you feel less-than as competition, you can think of him or her as a muse or an inspiration to do better. You might even reach out to that person in a mentorship or brain-picking capacity!5. Keep your dignity.You have nothing to gain in comparison situations, b ut everything to lose- not just your time and energy, but your drive, your passion, your pride, and your dignity. You’re only in control of one life- your own. Do what you can to make it the best it can be, and don’t become bitter and jealous while forgetting to make something of yourself in the meantime.

Leadership and Ethical Decision-Making Assignment

Leadership and Ethical Decision-Making - Assignment Example The consultation of the ethics review committee with the ethics consultant group is therefore very important in decision making. Business ethics provide that the contractual obligations of a company to its clients must be fulfilled (Solomon, 1999). The situation presented in this case demonstrates that the business partner did not meet his end of the bargain because the responsibilities given to him are not met as illustrated in the case. The failure of the business partner to meet the obligations provided is the basis on which the decision of the ethics review committee is to be based so that proactive action is taken against the partner. Furthermore, the failure of the business partner to meet the timelines under which the business research shows that the obligations are not met in this case. As a result, the ethics review committee in consultation with the ethics consultants group will base their leadership decision on the lack of compliance to the business obligation of the partn er. The action to be taken against the partner is motivated by the fact that the client is always the most important person for any business. This is due to the fact that it is the client who provides revenue to the company through investment and therefore capital for the company is assured through which revenue is acquired. The business partner by failing to encourage the consulting team to conduct timely business research shows that the ethical values of business practices are not practices; this is illustrated by the fact that the presentation of the research findings to the client is due in a very short time which would not enable proper research to be carried out. This is a failure of business ethical practice which is shown when the business partner uses previous research related to the one presented in the case. Because of the time differences in the business researches, and due to the changes in the business environment, application of the previous research will not be relia ble in business decision making. This would result to the loss of faith by the client on the company which will lead to eventual loss of the client. The steps of leadership decision making will be applied by the ethics review committee in this case in consultation with the ethics consultant group. This will ensure that the business partner will take business responsibility for the failure to meet the business contractual obligations by not enabling timely business research as required. The first step p in decision making is the identification of the problem or the opportunities available to the business (Di Norcia & Joyce, 2000). In this case, the problem to be identified by the ethics review committee is the failure of adherence to business ethics by the business partner. The opportunity that the business has is the possibility of convincing the client to invest in the project despite the ethical defiance by the business. Therefore the ethics review committee will base its decision of the negative implications of the problems that the non-compliance to business ethics on the firm. The ethics review committee will then gather all information relevant to the development of the business ethics case. Through the consultation with the ethics consultant group, the committee with therefore make its decision. The situation is then analyzed in the third step of decision making.

Enhancing Employability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Enhancing Employability - Assignment Example Unlike other industrial sectors that require immense capital to invest in, this sector of business comprises of small businesses, which require less amount of minimum capital in order to invest in. This means that even college student after getting through with their course work are capable of acquiring capital and investing in small businesses. Throughout my entire life, I have always wished to invest in self-employment, since it will allow me to work under my own conditions and rules. I have also wished to create a less formal working condition for fresh graduates. Additionally, I want to invest in a business sector that provides more than better services to the community. In this paper will, therefore, detail my qualifications, analyze my job skills/opportunities verses my skills, and justify my career choice. Methodology In the Business and Administration class students are always divided into small groups comprising of seven students each. Apart from discussions and assignment w orks, the groups are also charged with the task of coming up with available business opportunities they are interested in, at the end of the course. From the discussion groups, students are expected to list all the available business opportunities that are available in the current local and global markets and discuss the requirements required for each job opportunity. From here, each student is also expected to select one of the business opportunities they have described in their group, and justify why he or she is interested in that area of business opportunity. From the business opportunities described in my group, I decided to choose the self-employment opportunities available in the small business management and administration. In order to understand the requirements needed...