So What?

The question of so what? as far as it relates to our ethics and decision making is one that we have been grappling with throughout the course.

My mindset going into the discussion and my mindset after the readings is that most individuals will follow duty based ethics, if any at all.  From readings done in some of my other classes, most notably Political Theory, I've had the opportunity to get a glimpse at what some of the more famous philosophers have to say on the subject.  Plato and most the follow believe that individuals themselves tend to see justice and morals as something that are determined by the society in which individuals are living in.  Meaning that people are for certain things such as murder or rape or robbery being illegal not because they themselves do not want to do these things, but they do not want them done to them.  Perhaps it's a bit off on a tangent to go to such extreme examples, but as far as a cultural reflection on the topic, I think it's valid to understand how human nature and the building of society has seen the role of ethics in the sustainment of  humans.  To be part of a society, most individuals agree at least tacitly to be a moral and ethical person.  That is, to the degree that society believes certain behaviors and actions are moral or ethical.  I've used the example of my speeding occasionally on my way to school.  I realize that it is against the law, and duty based ethics keep me from doing things that I see as truly dangerous, but my training and my background give me reason to believe that I can get away with certain rule violations such as speeding while others may not.  I believe it is this duty based ethics system that kept Dr. Jekyll "good" for as long as it did.  Without the duty based ethics and the responsibilities the Dr. Jekyll saw in a man of his stature in Victorian society, I believe he would've let Mr. Hyde run rampant far earlier.

When it comes to the individual members of said society, once you get passed the duty based ethics that control most truly extreme negative behavior such as murders, rapes, etc., you are left with those that practice more virtue based ethics.  They believe certain things such as drinking, cheating on tests, are morally wrong and will not or should not do them not because society necessarily says that they are wrong, but because there own beliefs tell them to do what is right, even when others aren't looking.  I think this virtue ethics comes into play in the movie Source Code.  Although keeping a soldier alive, even in the mostly vegetative state that he was kept alive has led to the saving of countless lives, Cpt. Goodwin believes that it is morally wrong to do so, and even though society may think differently, even though her duty based ethics would more than likely disagree, she helps Cpt. Stevens.

All told, there are several layers of ethics and different types of ethics at work that keep society as a whole moving forward.  As to what level each plays in the overall scheme I still cannot say.  My belief is that duty based ethics, comprised mostly of whatever is the norm or considered moral or ethical by society at that time plays the larger role.