About a Game that Promotes Violence - Essay Example

ABOUT A GAME THAT PROMOTE VIOLENCE Introduction Virtue ethics as a broad term refers to those theories that emphasize the role played by character as well as virtue in philosophy of morals. It does so with an aim of bringing about good consequences (Internet Encyclopedia of Phylosophy, n.d). As such virtue ethicist will more often give the advice of one to act as a virtuous person would in one’s situation. Audi’s decision making framework concerns the roles that reasons make in one’s action. How one gets to know whether what they are doing is right and how practical reasoning can guide ethical judgment. It thus gives an account of how practical reasoning can explain action, connect intention with reasoning and make justifications for practical judgment. This will therefore provide the basis for ethical decisions. This essay therefore seeks to analyze and compare what a virtue-ethicist and someone using Audis ethical decision framework would do in the situation of a new game that involves a certain level of violence when it comes to deciding whether to run its add or modify it first. Additionally, the essay will discuss how each of these two concepts would justify it. Finally, the essay will discuss what I would do including how I would justify my actions. Virtue-ethicist Internet Encyclopedia of Phylosophy (n.d) discusses: The virtue ethicists take their inspiration from the ideas of Aristotle and thus believe that a virtuous person has got all the ideal traits. These traits even though derive from ones internal natural tendency need to be natured. This will ensure they are established and become stable in and individual. Virtuous persons will show kindness to others for instance, not because they need to gain favor but because it is their character. Virtue ethicists therefore emphasize the morals or character towards duties or rules. Similarly they believe in the consequences of actions that an individual engages in. thus, the consequence of good morals will maximize well being of a society. Therefore having understood their ideology, what then are they likely to do in the situation of this children’s game? The fundamentals are the belief in the consequences of actions of an individual. As such, the impacts of allowing the add to be run with the scene that involves the violence towards the school students reconstructed in it will the basis for arguing for or against it. It is definitely true that the implications of that make the film very suggestive. How will the victims or friends and family of the violence victims be affected by the film? Definitely, it will affect them the negative way. They will be offended. Therefore the consequences of this actions make the virtue ethicists disallow the add as it is. This implies they would advocate rejecting the add and sending it back to work. Audis ethical decision framework Audi, (2006) outlines: Audis ethical framework uses practical reasoning to explain individual’s actions, give a link between reasoning and intention and justify one’s practical judgment. This is the framework for which the basis for ethical decision is derived. As such the role that reason plays in ethics as well as the nature of how human acts. As humans respond to problems that characterize the human society, reasoning is applied towards these pervading problems. It provides two forms of reasoning where one focuses on action while the other on the truth as their objectives. Therefore reasoning will account for the cause of actions that an individual takes. These actions however follow some guiding principles. As such the individual reasons with a desired end in mind and with a commitment to some principle that guides them. Therefore the means to the end must be guided by some principles. This is ethics. Understanding this ideology therefore implies that considering the situation of this game, the end is to have the game more appealing to the young audience. What was the means towards this end? The team reconstructed the violent scene as truthfully as possible. Let us examine the reasoning here. What was the principle that guided this team in reasoning to adopt this means? This is what Audi focuses on, the means towards an end in terms of reasoning, and the guiding principles around the particular reason that an individual engaged in. What each would do Each of these two schools of thoughts will have a different approach towards the game’s add. Virtue ethics concerns theories that emphasize the role played by character as well as virtue in philosophy of morals. It does so with an aim of bringing about good consequences. As such virtue ethicist will more often give the advice of one to act as a virtuous person would in one’s situation (Internet Encyclopedia of Phylosophy, n.d). What then will it do in this case? This impliedly suggests that it will advocate for what a virtuous person would have done. It is much of what one would have expected done to them. Therefore, virtue ethics examining the consequence of the film which is pain, grief and trauma to the victims of the school violence as well as their close friends and family, it will not be in support for this film. The consequences are thus informing the decision made about the add. The impacts of the add are not having a good outcome. As such Virtue ethics would request the team to get back to work and put more ethics in making their add. Virtue ethicist would justify their actions by explaining that the impacts of the video on the victims and their relatives would not be a good one. The resultant effects of the film based on its suggestive manner in relation to violence it can cause. Therefore the dangerous consequence of the trailer informs the decision that Virtue ethicist will make to refer the film back for more work. Audis ethical framework uses on the other hand, since it uses practical reasoning to explain individual’s actions, give a link between reasoning and intention and justify one’s practical judgment; it will have a different view. This is the framework for which the basis for ethical decision is derived. It will therefore examine the basis for the decision to reconstruct the violent scene and include it in the film. After that, the guiding principles towards including it would be examined and with the end in mind (Audi, 2006). The end indeed was to attract more young people in it which were not a bad intention. However what are the guiding principles in this means. Were there any principles that guided their means? The desire to have more market for their game is. Therefore, having a deliberate motive backed by reasons Audi’s ethical framework thus find them correct in arriving at their decision. Audi’s ethical framework would justify this as follows: the team that made the game’s add engaged in a practical reasoning. As such they drew their conclusion which is more young people attracted through using the violent scene as their premise. Thus acting from this practical reasoning can be viewed as rational and hence granted will. They deemed their actions as an appropriate means and as such were justified in executing it. This is the motivational structure for which their actions were built. This is the justification Audi’s ethical framework would have for allowing this trailer. In contrast, I would have my own recommendations to this film. It is only fair enough we be rational and sensitive the feeling of others. Just like the virtue ethicist would say. “Do unto others what you would want done to you”. This implies some sensitivity to the feelings of those whose children were harmed in the violent situation, the impacts that the film would have on other people including those who play it. This would then be the guiding principle upon which I would make my decision. Therefore my decision would be to give a vote that would send back the film to more work. I would justify this by considering the moral implications that the film has on the society. As a decision is made, the guiding principles upon which these decisions are made should be looked in to. Ethics is therefore my guiding principles and in order for me to exercise ethics in judgment I need to take in to considerations the consequences of the fill to the human society. Conclusion This essay has therefore gained an understanding of the two schools of thought discussing them individually as follows: Virtue ethics refers to those theories that emphasize the role played by character as well as virtue in philosophy of morals. It does so with an aim of bringing about good consequences. As such virtue ethicist will more often give the advice of one to act as a virtuous person would in one’s situation. Audi’s ethical framework on the other hand uses practical reasoning to explain individual’s actions, give a link between reasoning and intention and justify one’s practical judgment. As such, it is the framework for which the basis for ethical decision is derived. The essay has leaned that Audi’s ethical framework would adopt the film as it is while Virtue Ethicist would have a decision that would affect changes on the film. My own opinion has been explained to vote changes on the film. References Audi, R. (2006). Practical reasoning and ethical decision. Routledge. Internet Encyclopedia of Phylosophy. (n.d.). Virtue Ethics. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from Internet Encyclopedia of Phylosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/virtue/ Read More