Ethics as a Set of Moral Beliefs - Essay Example

According to Singer, many human beings spend so much of their income on non-essential things that are not essential to their life survival or preservation of their health.

The author contends that if the money spent by people on non-essential things were to be donated to charity, it would imply the difference between life and death for children who are in need (Singer 1). The author believes that the consequences of human action should get used to determine what is right from wrong. I believe that Singer’s argument is justified, however, human beings are prone to desires and want more than what they just have. It is an innate feeling that brings satisfaction to their lives and to simply cut off one’s desire for luxury is quite difficult.

In ‘consider the lobster’, David Foster Wallace appears to urge his audience to empathize with the lobsters that they eat. The author documents the Maine Lobster festival by providing a glimpse of the events that take place, the lobsters that get served and where they can be found, and further details on the utensils that get used. His essay aims at asking people to consider how these lobsters get caught, prepared, and eventually served to the crowd (Wallace 4). He persuades people by graphically describing the process of preparing lobsters when boiling in hot water and how they appear to try to escape the heat.

Wallace’s argument is quite valid. I believe that the basis of his argument should form the understanding of the debate on ethics. by providing consideration to the feelings of another human being or animal, can we base our decisions on what is right or wrong. Of course many might disagree with Wallace’s persuasion that developing an understanding for others should set the basis of ethics by stating that some people are just born ruthless (Graff & Birkenstein 46). Others might also counter against Singer’s calls for more sacrifice towards charity by arguing that charity begins at home and or it is the survival for the fittest.

However, such arguments just go to show how divisive the debate on ethics is, and also the fact that no one is still right or wrong in their arguments. Ethics is a set of moral beliefs on what is right and wrong. Every individual holds their own principles in regards to what is right and wrong. The diversity among human beings ensures that differing opinions results in the process of determining what is right and wrong. Also, the wide aspect of human life ensures that the day to day operation calls for varying responses to the field of ethics.