Dialectical Journals: A Walk in the Woods Quote #1: “Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of the town.” (Bryson 3) Response:…
It is more common for the public to hear of disasters rather disasters that were narrowly missed. In “The Fifty-Nine-Story Crisis”, Joe Morgenstern tells the tale of structural engineer William LeMessurier navigating complicated ethical decisions in order to salvage a flawed building. By doing this LeMessurier risked his entire career and could have harmed thousands of people had he not made the right decisions. When LeMessurier had a student question a building he helped design, the Citicorp Center, he decided to test whether quartering winds would increase the strain on the building.…
Huemer’s Moral Argument Michael Huemer argues in favor of legalizing recreational drug use by addressing three major concerns that are commonly used to argue in favor of drug criminalization: (1) Drug users may harm themselves (2) Drug users may harm others (3) Drug use may make people less productive and less altruistic In order to address the first two concerns, Huemer posits that there exist countless legal behaviors that result in self-harm and harm to others. These behaviors include “smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol [....] [and being] an inattentive and inconsiderate spouse and parent” (PPE 584-6). If it is not the role of the government to restrict these activities, then it should not be the responsibility of the government to prohibit…
The writer analyzes the moral code within Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The writer depicts the meaning of a moral code and its differences in societies. The writer questions the origin of an individual's moral code. The writer analyzes the inevitable conscience, its power, and meaning. The writer depicts and interprets Mark Twain's thoughts on the conscience and society's moral codes.…
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development was created by a man named Lawrence Kohlberg. He was a professor at Harvard, as well as a psychology. Subsequently, he decided to move into the moral education field. He believed that there are three levels of moral development; each level is divided into two individual stages. His theory was influenced by the thinking of the Swiss psychologist, Piaget; American philosopher, John Dewey; and American philosopher/ psychologist, James Mark Baldwin.…
Your grandfather’s Alzheimer’s has progressed to such a degree that his mental capabilities are no more than those of a lab rat. Scientists are in need of test subjects, so your grandpa is shipped off to a facility where they test unregulated amounts of drugs, makeup, and shampoos on him. R. G. Frey uses this example of testing on cognitively impaired humans throughout his piece, “Moral Standing, the Value of Lives, and Speciesism.”. This paper will outline Frey’s arguments on why human life generally has more value than animal life and highlight the exceptions to the rule that justify the mentioned scenario, while also presenting objections to the unequal value thesis and evaluating those oppositions with respect to humans with cognitive disabilities…
It is no secret that the idea of wilderness grips every American citizen. Some authors including, William Cronon, have gone to great lengths to explain American infatuation with the wild. Cronon in his article The Trouble with Wilderness, Or Getting Back to the Wrong Nature, presents the sublime nature of wilderness as one of the reasons Americans imagine nature. I believe both I, Krakauer and Chris McCandless disagree with William’s Cronon’s assessment of the American psyche. Rather than seeing the wilderness as, “rare places on earth where one had more chance than elsewhere to glimpse the face of God” (Cronon), Krakauer, McCandless and most Americans believe wilderness is a place to find yourself.…
“I’m Not Good. I’m Not Nice. I’m Just Right. I’m the Witch.”…
Moral Development In the book to kill a mocking bird Scout has changed or she also got more mature throughout the story. One reason is that Scout starts to learn about how the people of Maycomb feel about blacks. Scout also changes due to the fact that she did not know who Boo Radley was then she was willing to walk Boo Radley home. The third reason why scout has changed is due to the fact that she has got more time to mature.…
Morality is a particular system of values and principles of conduct held by one person or society. Each person has their own set of morals, and they can be influenced by things such as culture or other people. There is no universally right moral value system, and as far as morals go, there is no right or wrong. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a man named Adolf Hitler persuaded the citizens of Germany that jewish people were a threat to their society. Adolf Hitler took control over Germany and established his Nazi government.…
The musical Into the Woods, by Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book) is a compilation of fairytales with a unique twist of life’s hard lessons after getting what you “wished” for. The play’s main story line is composed of well-known fairytales such as: Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Jack and the bean stock. These fairytales are all intertwined in order to help the protagonist (the baker) collect all the ingredients the witch has asked for in order for him and his wife to have a baby. The play is a metaphor for the different paths a person may take when opportunities unfold.…
Children from a young age are affected by the people and things around them. In the story we see events through the eyes of scout who is 6 years old when the novel begins. As Jem and Scout grows up, they are influenced by some more characters in the story. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a MockingBird, Calpurnia, miss Maudie and Mrs Dubose are minor characters who influence the values and beliefs of Jem and Scout. Calpurnia tries her best to raise the children according to her beliefs which includes teaching the children how to act in a respectable manner.…
“A life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood” These words of Thomas Carlyle impeccably describes scout as she is living in order to understand the life in Maycomb. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author explores the concept of moral development of Scout for a little innocent girl growing up into an intelligent adulthood, Jean Louise. As she struggles through her life with the people around her. She starts to mature and realize the truth behind Maycomb as she faces discrimination, comprehends Atticus’s wisdom, and the effect and inspiration of Boo Radley on her life.…
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ‘The consequences of evilness on others and how good and evil can coexist in a person’ One main theme, which is commonly seen throughout ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, is the coexistence of good and bad people in society, and how the evilness of people can affect others. The protagonist, Scout, and her brother, Jem, think that everyone in Maycomb is good, from their childish perspectives. Throughout the story, Jem and Scout both start to develop and they learn how to not be affected by the malice of others. They learn through their father and from experience.…
When tough decisions are brought up there is a thin line between right and wrong when it comes to morality. Morales are principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. While we have been reading Richard Matheson’s novel, I Am Legend we have been discussing the morality of Robert Neville’s actions and decisions about his own survival. From one perspective, Neville must do whatever it takes to ensure his own survival and therefore his actions do not concern whether he is right or wrong as long as he lives. The other perspective would be that Neville does not only have to answer to himself for his actions, but others might consider him to be a monster without any morality that will kill and harm any creature.…