My first post-secondary education experience was at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. As a residential student, I was placed in a dormitory with a peer who was an international student from South Korea. Initially the two of us acted pleasantly and courteously towards each other; however, as semester progressed, a few little minor problems escalated into major issues between the two of us roommates. While I initially attempted to resolve these issues with peaceful means including friendly conversations about our conflicts and how we could create an environment that would allow us to coexist, first with just the two of us and then with our resident assistant, our behaviors towards each other became much less mature as time went on.
One afternoon, towards the end of this first semester, I was leaving our room when I noticed that she had forgotten her room key inside our room. In this moment, I faced the decision as to whether or not I leave and lock the door, as keeping our door locked when we were both out of our room was one of our policies we …show more content…
236). In contrast to the theory of utilitarianism, “sees other people not as people with intrinsic worth but as objects for one’s own gratification and benefit” (Boss, 2011, p. 259), which is consonant with my behavior in this scenario. This theory of ethics, regardless, is based on the fact that “people ought to pursue their rational self-interests” because “people achieve happiness by pursuing their rational self-interests” (Boss, 2011, p. 236). When I decided to lock the door and leave my dormitory, I was acting in self-interest knowing that I would feel a small amount of pleasure from this act of vengeance. This act of self-interest, however, was not rational as it was not considering the long-term effects of this
One afternoon, towards the end of this first semester, I was leaving our room when I noticed that she had forgotten her room key inside our room. In this moment, I faced the decision as to whether or not I leave and lock the door, as keeping our door locked when we were both out of our room was one of our policies we …show more content…
236). In contrast to the theory of utilitarianism, “sees other people not as people with intrinsic worth but as objects for one’s own gratification and benefit” (Boss, 2011, p. 259), which is consonant with my behavior in this scenario. This theory of ethics, regardless, is based on the fact that “people ought to pursue their rational self-interests” because “people achieve happiness by pursuing their rational self-interests” (Boss, 2011, p. 236). When I decided to lock the door and leave my dormitory, I was acting in self-interest knowing that I would feel a small amount of pleasure from this act of vengeance. This act of self-interest, however, was not rational as it was not considering the long-term effects of this