MSLD 634_February 2019_2477

Lesson 1 In addition to expanding my perspective on ethics, this course has introduced topics that I’ve not deeply considered. For example, I learned about the specifics of consequentialism and deontology. Prior to this course, I did not know the intricacies of each theory; however, through discussions, general assignments, and our reflection blog, I was able to gain understanding of each theory. After learning about each theory, I thought I was a hardcore deontologist. Deontology reflects the way that many of us attained and developed our moral beliefs (LaFollette, 2007, p.31).  Deontology theories view morality as a set of moral rules with varying degrees of significance; the problem is determining which rules are weightier than others (LaFollette, 2007, p. 31). Consequentialist hold that we are morally obligated to act in ways that produce the best consequences (LaFollette, 2007, p. 23). The more I learned about consequentialism and deontology, the more conflicted I became. D...

When I was a child, I thought the only people who carried guns in public, were police officers. Having a gun was like having all the power in the world, and only those who were specially trained, could own and operate guns. Now, as an adult, the man in front of me in a Wal-Mart checkout line, casually carries his gun; there are department store security guards who don’t even carry.  I think that the reality of layperson gun ownership really set in when I considered my family; my dad, stepmom, sister, and brother-in-law, all own guns. My dad even took me to a shooting range and recommended a gun that would be the right power and weight, so that I would not be overwhelmed. Though my family and friends keep encouraging me to get a gun, especially as a single female, guns make me extremely uncomfortable. For example, when my brother-in-law accidentally left his gun at my house after a family gathering, instead of meeting him halfway to give him his gun, he came back the next day (th...

In reading about psychological egoism and ethical egoism, I am admittedly confused. LaFollette (2007) noted that psychological egoism is the theory that everyone’s actions are always self-interested, while ethical egoism is the theory that people should always and only act to encourage their own self-interests (p. 272). Maybe it’s me, but even after reading further, I can’t see the big difference. In other words, one form of egoism did not seem any better than the other because both are self-focused. In order to better understand, I watched an Ethical Egoism presentation for a verbal explanation of the terms (Ethical Egoism, 2016). In the presentation, the speaker provided the same definitions outlined in the LaFollette text, along with examples; even with the examples, after re-reading my text, I am still confused. Is it correct to say that psychological egoism is selfish, while ethical egoism looks after self, but is not selfish and when self-interest is not the motivator, mor...