A634.9.4.RB - A Reflection of Our Learning

A634.9.4.RB - A Reflection of Our Learning

Reflect on the three key lessons you take away from the course. Reflect on your perceived value of this course.

Three key lessons I’m taking away from this course is that not all morals or ethics are created equal. Everyone comes from a different background and has been shaped by unique experiences in their lives. Relativism is thinking that moral judgements are not objective in any important sense, they are relative to the individual or culture (LaFollette, 2007). Not even a sibling has the exact same moral and ethical idealism which makes it very difficult to understand why people do (and don’t do) the things they do (and don’t do.) The moral motivation for people is as unique as their fingerprints and comes from upbringing, religion, career choices, their relationships with authority, and so on. Most of us continue to hold variations of our initial beliefs with little critical thought. We each assume that of all possible sets of beliefs, ours must be (mostly) right (LaFollette, 2007).

Another lesson I’m taking from this class is the distinction between Consequentialism and Deontology. Consequentialism is based on the idea that we should choose those actions that have the best overall consequence or outcome. Deontology suggests that we should always act in accordance with moral rules of rights which are somewhat independent of the consequences (LaFollette, 2007).  We talked about the consequences of not telling a family member who is in frail health about the death of another family member. We knew that the consequences of telling the person could result in medical setbacks due to stress and their already frail health but also that if they found out we hid the truth, they would be upset with us. We would be making a lot of assumptions about what the person could and could not handle and ultimately, regardless if we told the person now or later, they would find out. A deontologist would know that the moral thing to do, regardless of health consequences, was to tell the family member of frail health the truth about the family member who had died. These are very difficult things to contend with and thinking that we know better than someone else what is good for them places us in a very precarious spot that is godlike and tremendously risky.

The third lesson that I will take from this class is all of the chapters on the ethics and moral dilemmas that surround racism – we are who we are and live the lives we live because of our predecessors…the habits we give our progeny and our peers will likewise shape their worlds, them, and their institutions (LaFollette, 2007), affirmative action, life and death, religion and morality, death, dying, and physician-assisted suicide, punishment, gun control, and every day morality. (To name a few!) All of the chapters have given me a multi-faceted view on many of the issues that we see/hear/read about/experience, every day. I thought that at 43 years old, I was pretty set with what I think to be right and wrong but reading the different and more objective thoughts about these issues showed me that while I do have a strong idea of what I hold to be ethical and moral, the lines that divide those things I find less ethical and moral are actually pretty thin.

This was a great class that made me have to dig deeper into myself than I thought I’d have to. It was mentally exhausting and pushed me to shake the dust off of things I thought were concrete. Those are good things and have added to my critical thinking toolbox! Lastly, I really loved this: Opening oneself to love and caring allows one to enjoy human satisfaction attainable only in concert with others (LaFollette, 2007). I could not agree more.  

 

Reference

LaFollette, H. (2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.