Ethics
An extention of my previous post about identity: I figure, the reason why ethics is so important (and therefore why I study ethics) is because of a failed identity. You see, the only way people can know me is through the spurious external qualifiers that I enjoy/practice (i.e. Jeeps, Martial Arts, Photography, Marine Corps, etc...) and through the way I act.
Hell, the way I act is one of the only ways that I can know myself. This is because my actions reflect who I am deep down inside, not my external qualifiers. For instance, if I act courageously in the face of danger, then it is reasonable to assume that I am a courageous person. If I act in a caring manner, it is reasonable to assume that I am a caring person. My actions are the only way to cut through the BS and get a glimpse of who I am deep down inside without being obscured by all of the societal nonsense that we as human beings put up.
So it's possible that the study of ethics is the only way we can truly get to know ourselves and other people. For even when we define ourselves as ourselves (i.e. If I define myself as "Brian" and nothing more) we are still using descriptive nouns that do not do justice to our identities. There is no way out of this either. If I say I am "I", I am still using a pronoun to override my identity. There is no short and succinct method for describing yourself (contrary to what the Simpsons might say (g)).
This is why I like the idea of virtue ethics (i.e. an ethics based not on normative rules but on goals that we as human beings should strive towards). Rather than restricting what I do or trying to apply some faulty universal principle to every one of my actions, virtue ethics supply me with a general guideline with which to make decisions. I believe this to be extremely important in light of my previous statements.
Now the only question is "What virtues are good?" and furthermore, "What is good?"....I need to read more G.E. Moore.
Hell, the way I act is one of the only ways that I can know myself. This is because my actions reflect who I am deep down inside, not my external qualifiers. For instance, if I act courageously in the face of danger, then it is reasonable to assume that I am a courageous person. If I act in a caring manner, it is reasonable to assume that I am a caring person. My actions are the only way to cut through the BS and get a glimpse of who I am deep down inside without being obscured by all of the societal nonsense that we as human beings put up.
So it's possible that the study of ethics is the only way we can truly get to know ourselves and other people. For even when we define ourselves as ourselves (i.e. If I define myself as "Brian" and nothing more) we are still using descriptive nouns that do not do justice to our identities. There is no way out of this either. If I say I am "I", I am still using a pronoun to override my identity. There is no short and succinct method for describing yourself (contrary to what the Simpsons might say (g)).
This is why I like the idea of virtue ethics (i.e. an ethics based not on normative rules but on goals that we as human beings should strive towards). Rather than restricting what I do or trying to apply some faulty universal principle to every one of my actions, virtue ethics supply me with a general guideline with which to make decisions. I believe this to be extremely important in light of my previous statements.
Now the only question is "What virtues are good?" and furthermore, "What is good?"....I need to read more G.E. Moore.
