Interpretation of the Selected Fables - Essay Example

Interpretation of the Selected Fables Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: The Fable of Education as a Commodity Ethical egoism describes a perspective where one believes that it is moral to pursue self interest. In essence, being selfish is preferred over altruism mostly because efforts of selflessness do not yield much benefit for those involved. Attempts made to help others are likely to fail owing to little knowledge of other people’s interests (Rachels, n.d.). Thus, people are in a better position to fulfill their own interests because they know them. Ethical egoism branches out with some believing that they should act in their won interest without caring about others, believing that others should act in the interest of an individual and believing that everyone should act in their own interest. Thinking from the perspective of an ethical egoist, volunteer work should only be pursued if it helps the individual who is doing it and not for others. Although it may end up being beneficial to others, the primary reason for its pursuit is to benefit the person volunteering. Deidre acknowledges this ethical egoist trend by pointing out that people are increasingly taking part in volunteer work as a means to an end. It has now become a means through which people can enrich their Curriculum Vitae but not because they want to be of help to others. The nature of education has changed such that instead of just enhancing people’s talents, it has become a service that people pay for thus, they expect something back. According to ethical egoism, self interest often masquerades as selflessness or altruism (Augustine, 1997). This is why Deidre sees that increasing participation in volunteer work is because the society is becoming more sensitive to others. However, the reality is that people are using it as a means by which they can enter into the paid employment sector. As an ethical egoist, Deidre’s attitude would seem naïve since she would be ignoring the real nature of people in the world (Augustine, 1997). Increasing volunteering is coinciding with increased value placed on education in the employment sector. Therefore, people are volunteering to fulfill their interests and in the process, helping others. If we are to help other people effectively, pursuing our own self interests is the best path to follow. As people exclusively pursue their interests, they somehow help others. Deciding to help others makes one dependent and reduces their chance of fulfilling their interests (Augustine, 1997). Volunteering with purely altruistic reasons implies that one will be willing to share their knowledge and skills and use them to benefit others whether they are acknowledged or not. In this context, acknowledgement refers to payment or representation of work done in CV. An ethical egoist would view the volunteer situation described in the fable as proof that pursuing self interest is a better policy than altruism. Altruistic principles should only be adopted if they serve the interest of the one adopting it. Critical reflection Reading widely was of great assistance to me in this assignment especially since different scholars vary slightly in their understanding of ethical egoism. I learned that ethical egoism is present in the world in different situations whether undertaken consciously or unconsciously; it is contextual. In future I would look at the interpretation of more scenarios be scholars. The Fable of the Educational Contract In deontology, the main moral issue that is emphasized is duty. The focus of deontology is on the rightness of performing a certain act not on the rewards that one may get from performing it. This means that people have a duty to do the right thing regardless of whether the action is pleasant or unpleasant for them (Lacewing, n.d.). The result of the action may be commended, rewarded or condemned or go unnoticed. The critical issue to note in deontology is that the actions performed are required and therefore, the objective is to ensure that it is performed (Beachamp & Childress, 2001). The rightness of the actions and the fact that it is required is determined by a universal moral law. Anatoly approaches his work as an individual guided by deontological principles. He feels like it is his duty to offer help to those who need it as opposed to approaching his work only from a profit motif. He mentions that circumstances have forced him not to serve as a duty but by looking at the benefits. These circumstances are the contract. A deontologist would not approve of the Agricultural Extension Program because it turns the officers into people who are more interested in fulfilling the terms of the contract instead of doing the right thing. The new reforms made assumptions that the contract will make people more accountable thus, driving them to fulfill their duties. Another assumption was that the officers in charge would be able to fulfill their duties without the contract interfering. If the officers were to treat others as ends in themselves instead of a means to an end, then they would feel obligated to fulfill their duties instead of doing only that which will help then get ahead in life (Gaus, 2001). In doing so, they get respect, which Kant argues is a reward (Darwall, 2002). From a rational point of view, the officers should be able to decide on what is an important duty regardless of their emotions. The contract should be modified to allow the officers to exercise their moral duty without falling short of the contract’s requirements. People with knowledge should be provided with a context in which they can pass on and use this education to fulfill a duty and help those who need help instead of those who can survive without the help. Officers should be given contracts that allow them to perform their duty even when they do not want to do so. Critical reflection I went about analyzing this fable by looking not only at Kantian deontology but also at the perspectives of W.D. Ross as well as the criticisms of the theory. These offered different perspectives of looking at Anatoly’s situation. In doing so, I learned that performing duties is not always assured when emotions are involved. He did what the contract wanted instead of fulfilling his duty towards those who needed it. This has impacted my decisions making schema. The tasks would have been better if I had looked at the historical context of the conceptualization of the theory. The Fable of Accountability Consequentialism is an ethical theory that calls for the consideration of consequences of actions with greater weight rather than the performance of the actions or the intentions behind performing the actions. The goal of morality is to ensure that the world is guided in the production of a better world (Pogge, 2007). This better world is one which is most suitable for a majority of those involved. The focus of utilitarianism is to do that which will benefit the most people if not everyone (Williams, 2006). Personal pleasure is sacrificed or traded in for the good of everyone. Intentions are not as important as the actual consequence. From a consequentialist point of view, Peter’s approached to making business studies better are commendable. His actions show a utilitarian approach to solving the problem through selecting a certain set of rules and specifications that would be followed by all the instructors to make the studies possible on the gravy train. In addition, he also made sure to include rules on the type of behavior that should be exhibited during teaching making the quality uniformly high. This is an example of rule utilitarianism since the consequences are of having everyone follow a particular set of rules (Hooker, 2000). Thus, a consequentialist would judge the gravy train program as the best approach to meeting the goals of the teaching center. It would also be approved of because it contains characteristics of utilitarianism such changing the dynamics so that the consequences are for the benefit of most of those involved (Schneewind, 2003). The assumptions of Peter’s initiatives are that the instructors will be responsible for their actions and thus, will follow the rules because of the consequence of higher quality that is expected. In addition, it is assumed that the teachers will put aside their personal morals and act according to the rules that have been specified by the program (Hooker, 2000). It is also assumed that the people Peter consulted while formulating the rules of the requirements for the program made decisions while knowing what would be good for all those involved. The program could use more professionals to help in formulating the rules. The fable shows how consequentialism can be applied in the world successfully. However, it does not show the effect of inherent inequality among people and situations on consequentialist endeavors. Despite all that is put forward as the best decision, there is a minority that will not be represented and thus, is left to suffer. Critical reflection Preparation included reading extensively and reflecting on how consequentialist ideas are applicable in the world. I leaned that consequentialism is most successful for endeavors that are meant to benefit numerous individuals seeking similar benefits. Especially if these benefits can be met using a similar method. I also learned that minority needs cannot be met using a utilitarian approach. I have gained insight to the fact that sometimes sacrificing personal morals can benefit more people. If everyone is gaining or performing highly, it is hard to tell apart a single high achiever. Looking at more case studies would have improved the task. The Fable of the Educational Requirement Moral rationalism refers to the premise that people can make moral decisions based on their beliefs. Despite any desires that an individual may have, they are still capable of making moral choices. The outcome of such decisions is not good for everyone but is morally right. Whatever an individual holds in terms of their belief is what will dictate their decision even if the decision is not informed by feelings. People can keep their emotions separate from their decision making faculties (Nichols, 2002a). When faced with a difficult decision, one can make a choice by seeing which action outranks the other in importance. Yanita believes that CPEs are a good way of ensuring that people in her field of work are kept up to date and improve on their skills. However, she is faced with an issue of getting enough time to complete her obligations to the CPE and finish the financial retirement course that she needs because she is contemplating retirement. A rationalist would see that Yanita used reason in approaching her decision making (Nichols, 2004b). She weighed her options and decided that passing off the financial course as one of the CPEs would be the best way to ensure that she gets what she wants. On the other hand, a rationalist could also see Yanita as an individual who let her feelings get in the way of making a decision thus, resulting in her taking an unethical course of action. Yanita herself starts to feel guilty. Yanita’s decision can be defended morally by looking at it from the point of view that Baier (1998) puts forward. He suggests that ethical decisions are arrived at when an individual looks for the best reasons for and against a certain action them making judgment following weighing relevant facts (Baier, 1998). In this sense, Yanita weighed the relevant facts and concluded that she was an expert in her field and her skills would not be compromised by her missing some of the CPE hours requirements thus, the financial course was a better choice. The assumptions underlying the system include that the practitioners would see it as an ethical duty to fulfill the requirement (Joyce, 2002). The system could use a change so that those who have been involved in the field for longer could be exempted from as many hours as others. This decision would be beneficial since they would still be productive without having too much pressure out on them. The value of productivity should outrank others. Critical reflection Preparation included reading to get a picture of how moral rationalism was arrived at. I learned that, contrary to popular belief, making ethical decisions is possible in any situation depending on what values an individual holds with higher regard. The assignment has shown me that moral decisions do not always serve a greater good. In addition, they do not satisfy an individual’s desires. Rather than just reading literature on the subject, future tackling of such an assignment would benefit from getting opinions by talking to them about the issue. References Augustine, K. (1997). In Defense of Moral Subjectivism: An Argument for the Subjectivity of Moral Values. Retrieved from http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/keith_augustine/moral.html. Baier, K. (1998). The Rational and the Moral Order. In James P. Sterba (ed.) Ethics: The Big Questions. Oxford: Blackwell, pp.69-83. Beachamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2001). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 5th Edn. New York: Oxford University Press. Darwall, S. L. Edn. (2002). Deontology. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Publishers. Hooker, B. (2000). Ideal Code, Real World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lacewing, M. (n.d.). Deontology. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved from http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/philosophy/downloads/a2/unit3/moral-philosophy/Deontology.pdf. Gaus, G. F. (2001). What is Deontology?, Part One: Orthodox Views. Journal of Value Inquiry. 35, 27-42. Retrieved from http://www.gaus.biz/deontology1.pdf. Joyce, R. (2002). The Myth of Morality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nichols, S. (2002a). How Psychopaths Threaten Moral Rationalism: Is It Irrational to Be Amoral?. The Monist, 85, 285-30 Nichols, S. (2004b). Sentimental Rules: on the Natural Foundations of Moral Judgment. New York: Oxford University Press. Pogge, T. (2007). World Poverty and Human Rights Second Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press. Rachels, J. (n.d.). Ethical Egoism. Moral Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.memelyceum.com/documents/kchu228/egoism.pdf. Schneewind, J. (2003). Moral Philosophy from Montaigne to Kant. edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Williams, B. (2006). The Human Prejudice. In Philosophy as a Humanistic Discipline. ed. A. W. Moore. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Pp.135-152 Read More