I believe that we develop our ethics from a multitude of sources. Our parents or guardians, our peers, our government, and our society as a whole. as we are being raised, our parents have a major influence on our sense of integrity, and what is acceptable behavior. Once we are old enough to start sensibly interacting with our peers, they have a great influence on our beliefs and actions. And then primarily, society tells us what is acceptable or not. Ultimately, I believe that most people make decisions based on how they will be viewed by others. As stated in our textbook, “an action that is illegal can be morally wrong.” In Germany, during the time of the Holocaust, it was illegal to harbor Jewish people for their safety, knowing what their ultimate outcome would probably be. That had an influence legally, as well as socially.
3 Comments for “M1 (Taba)”
ljcassell
says:That was defiantly a good point about the laws in Germany during the holocaust. You stated that you “believe that most people make decisions based on how they will be viewed by othersâ€. Do you think this would come into play for the people who were harboring the Jewish people in regards to future generations? More specifically do you think that some of the people who were breaking this law wanted to be remembered as moral people? It would make sense to me that they would. Which begs the questions what are we doing today to seem moral to future generations?
nskroyer
says:Hi Lexie, I definitely agree with your assessment on how our ethics are developed. It seems like what we learn and how our environment influences us plays a key part in what we consider to be ethical and unethical.
It’s interesting that you brought up the Holocaust rule on harboring Jewish people as an example of an ethical dilemma of what people would consider being morally wrong, but also illegal according to the German law at the time. It seems this can also be applied in the sense that things that are legal may not always be morally right. For example, lying is not against the law, in most cases, but is often considered morally wrong.
Thanks for that interesting take on ethics Lexie, I hope to read more of your write-ups.
msmaglaya
says:Hi Lexie,
I very much agree with you that our ethics can develop from a multitude of sources. The reading talked about a variety of sources such as religion, law, and our culture. I do think that our parents have a primary role in our ethics development because their wisdom helps us define what is wrong and what is right. Additionally, we have other factors such the society where we live in, that can also shape our ethics. Our values, beliefs, and reasoning can be influenced by factors that we interact with or are surrounded by. Overall, I enjoyed reading your discussion post, and you pointed out some important things that helped me understand how we can develop our ethics.