Principle Of Equality In Practical Ethics Philosophy Essay

Principle Of Equality In Practical Ethics Philosophy Essay The principle of equality in Singers work can be rationally defended from many perspectives, especially when it is being applied to human beings. However, Singer goes further to consider all animals as well. It is the basic assumption of the current investigation that Singers ideas about equality are much more rational, and much less radical, when they are employed to describe human beings; however, when they are expanded to include all sentience, some of the supposed equalities Singer proposes are no longer rational. Some of Singers theories about equality can therefore be challenged by logic, and not accepted, by people who, for example, see a difference between animals and humans, in terms of the equality applied and implied to them. When Singer talks about equality, he rejects the traditional Rawls-influenced notion of moral personality and human equality. Singer proposes a broader and more collectivist ethics, and therefore his idea of equality is also broader. However, there needs to be an alternative to this philosophy because it is untenable and seeks a level of sophistication which the author frequently is unable to convey appropriately, as seen by his use in the following sentence of creative semantics within their rhetoric. The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been with-holden from them but by the hand of tyranny (sic). The French have already discovered that the blackness of the skin is no reason why a human being should be abandoned without redress to the caprice of a tormentor (Singer, 1989). Singers essay, which proposes to have a utilitarian argument structure, is basically all about morality, and it corresponds to the rightness or wron gness of an action that impacts that actions significance in terms of utility. This concept of utility has been stretched and formed the main basis for those who would criticize Singers embrace of the equality of animals and humans, as a dry and humourless statistical impossibility that drained the imagination out of humanity and based impulse on quasi-scientific ethical propositions. This is a valid criticism in the light of various authors use of utilitarianism, but it is also important to keep in mind that utilitarianism is basically a positive principle that lays out a plan for happiness, not equality. In other words, there are bright and dark sides to this issue, in which the philosophy can be changed and develop a more hybrid definition as it is interpreted by different scholars, such as Singer, or Bentham. In these cases, one scholar usually comes before the other. Singers ideas of equality also have a lot to do with the equal consideration of disparate interests. From this perspective, the philosopher can be rationally defended by those who seek to end the reign of racism, sexism and discrimination on the grounds of disability, from society. From an egalitarian perspective then, Singer can be rationally defended in his conception of equality, as it is basically a parallel of the status quo of most industrialized societies, at least in principle. And Singer asks thought provoking questions about the nature of real equality, for example, asking reasonably if any readers would really consider a strangers family to be equal to theirs, if both were under some external threat. Some of the more utilitarian of Singers defences of equality seem to make more rational sense than his defence of animals being equal to humans. Singers utilitarianism has a political and legal value, even in the justification theory perspective, because it can separate levels of harm caused to society in terms of either rules that encompass actions or actions which in themselves become rules. It is difficult to say which interpretation is more faithful to the basic tenets of utilitarianism, but it seems that in terms of alternatives, Singer has chosen not to look deeper into this philosophy than just one counts as one. What can be said, however, is that, justification-theory utilitarianism as stressed by Singer, consists of a doctrine that relates to moral goodness rather than ethical goodness, and also a doctrine that relates to what the author believes is morally right, not ethically right. The originators of utilitarianism, Mill and Bentham, both saw utilitarianism as a moral theory, and this is correct, and therefore the author uses the moral theory to back up their own moral philosophy. Jeremy Bentham incorporated the essential basis of moral equality into his utilitarian system of ethics in the formula, Each to count for one and non for more than one. In other words, the interests of every being affected by an action are to be taken into account and given the same weight as the like interests of any other being (Singer, 1989). In utilitarianism, deliberation can be conflated with intention and determination, whereas justification can be thought of as proven reasonability. There are differences between different categories of the philosophy in general, which are basically involved with the application of theoretical concepts in terms of predicting and justifying consequences and comparisons. So equality of opportunity is not an attractive ideal. It rewards the lucky, who inherit those abilities that allow them to pursue interesting and lucrative careers. It penalizes the unlucky, whose genes make it very hard for them to achieve similar success (Singer, 1989). When the author is talking about humans, he makes some cogent points. Singer uses utilitarianism as a theory of justification of society and equality of people and animals, but I would also propose that the author looks a little further into utilitarianism and sees that it is really more about proven reasonability as a standard measuring the worth of the end result or consequential result of the concept: happiness, not equality. In terms of institutional application in a historical sense, this has also included a reckoning of the main points of justification theory utilitarianism as a way of grading or categorizing institutions or policy ramifications in terms of testing and proving the efficiency or utility of the institution through a utilitarian viewpoint. This involves justification in that it uses proof and rationalization rather than deliberation theories of intention and determination. This also increases the value of objectivity as a vaunted standard within utilitarianism, seen from this justification perspective. Singer also examines some inequalities that plague society. The important point is that affirmative action, whether by quotas or some other method, is not contrary to any sound principle of equality and does not violate any rights of those excluded by it From this point, Singers theories view inequality as being passed on from one generation to another in terms of wealth and privilege within a family structure that is seen as a space of economic restriction that also works to keep disadvantaged families in the same place from generation to generation. The social class of the parents, from this perspective, will play a large role in the development of their children in terms of advantages or disadvantages that are inherited in the family structure. From this view, society is not seen as the large organism or field of struggle that functional theorists and conflict theorists see it as, but rather is seen more limited in terms of individual and everyday relations. When Singer is proclaiming the equality of animals and humans, this is a controversial subject on which some of his arguments appear less logical. It has been suggested that autonomous, self-conscious beings are in some way much more valuable morally significant, than beings w ho live from moment to moment, without the capacity to see themselves as distinct beings with a past and a future (Singer, 1989). Everyone has their own ethics. Socially positive behaviour may be influenced by moral behaviour, which has a more religious semantic connotation, but ethics should not be confused with moral behaviour. Ethics is not the same as morality or presupposing moral censorship, as some would have it; morality is more of an externalized and often conditioned response, whereas ethics could perhaps be more readily likened to the basic conscience mechanism of social responsibility. Ethics is something that begins with the individual and acts effectively to represent society in terms of fair and balanced information being presented. Animals do have rights. Those who abuse or are cruel to animals can be brought before the law. But there is also a double standard, because the cows supplying McDonalds hamburgers are mistreated and abused every day in a cruel manner, and no one takes a second thought. Animals do have rights, but they are rights that are determined by humans, not animals. When Singer is talking about the equality of humans who are disabled, or minorities, it is a conventional, status quo argument. But when he suggests the equality of animals and humans, he takes a step towards more controversial polemics. (Singer, 1989)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was first published between 1851 and 1852, was written by a renowned anti-slavery crusader and author, Harriet Beecher Stow and it was received with acclamation and was also considered a masterpiece in its time. The author is accredited for writing a book that has been said to be a major contributor of the Civil War. The author herself grew up witnessing the passionate slavery debates and thus she held tight to her abolitionist ideologies. From the onset of the book it is clear that the author generally writes to convince the Northern readership on the need to end slavery. She exposes the horrors of the ongoing slavery that was predominant in the south. Stowe does not shy away from expressing her religious views by emphasizing the importance of Christian love in order to tackle oppression. The author also in this book also propels her feminist’s views and thus portrays women as an equal gender in the society. One of the strengths that the book harbors is the impact it had on the society and also the understanding that one gains of the factors that led to the war. However, a weakness of the book can be found on the author herself since it can be argued that the author’s limited experience of life in the southern area made her to have an inaccurate description of the region. However, looking at the strengths of the book it is easier to see how they outweigh the weaknesses. The book is hailed as one that captures the wild imagination of many Americans and its rich historical context of the events that led to the civil war portrays the book in good light.

Courage Under Fire

The film â€Å"Courage Under Fire† tackles ethical issues and moral dilemmas. Here an officer during the course of his investigation, searches for the truth in the different accounts regarding a Desert Storm mission while struggling with his own demons. Wildland Fire Leadership Values and Principles espouses three main merits in a leader; Duty, Respect and Integrity. In the film, the characters display such characteristics under different circumstances.Perhaps one of the main principles that can be observed in the film is the choice of the two key characters to choose the difficult right over the easy wrong. Rather than leave their crash site in the middle of night, where darkness will provide them good cover and a good chance to escape safely, Captain Karen Walden did otherwise for the sake of her injured co-pilot. She took into consideration the safety of all the members of her team and tried to save what could be saved. When Monfriez tried to stage a mutiny to push the team to escape, Cpt.Walden asserted herself; demonstrating her prowess as a capable leader, who earlier in the day effectively put to use all their available resources to assemble a make-shift fort to keep them safe and make good use of their ammunition until rescue arrives. As for Colonel Nat Serling, he accepted full responsibility of his actions and their consequences during the attack which took the life of his closest friend. Though there was visible stress after he realized his action, it was brief and he rallied his men to finish the mission.His decisions and his alertness during the event prevented major loss in their part. In the Monfriez’s false account, his description of Capt. Walden was of characters contradictory to those of the values and principles mentioned above. This characterization devoid of notions of integrity, respect and duty produces a person unfit for such a job that required leadership and proficiency. Along with demonstrating the leadership principles and values, the characters also perform actions that they consider fitting in their given situations.To arrive at these actions, they relied on their own capacities rather than waiting for the orders of outside forces; like what Colonel Serling did when he ordered the tanks to turn on their lights to distinguish their own forces from that of the enemies’. Though command was asking him to relay the conditions, he preferred not to focus on the question and proceeded to give orders based on his analysis of the situation. Amidst pressure Capt. Walden stood by her decision, having confidence in her capabilities.Her ability to translate her bravery into actions and also her leadership skills to the men, resorting only to drastic measures when circumstances call for it, display her influence over the people around her. This influence should not be interpreted as something overbearing; the abilities of Walden and Serling to communicate their desires and convince others to do it, suc h as General Hershberg agreeing to extensions and allowing Serling time to explain and Capt. Walden’s command over her troops, are qualities of good and effective leaders.Only when it is abused or used incorrectly does it become overbearing and unbecoming of a good leader. However, the feedback they get as people with position are not the same. A hint of gender bias appears in the film; Walden was the first woman to be awarded a medal already handed to numerous men, such a ruckus was made in the decision to do so stemming from existing ideals that as Eagly et al. states; â€Å"in explicit leadership roles, women tend to be viewed less positively than men (qtd. in Unger 253), and Monfriez weakens Walden’s character by emphasizing on her emotional attributes.While Serling kept on with the mission even though Boylar had died, Walden chose to remain in the site for her injured co-pilot. This might be attributed to differences in leadership due to dispositions but other co ntrasting elements should also be taken into account. While the tank has been confirmed hit, thus its crew dead, Walden’s co-pilot was still alive and as a leader bound by moral duties, Walden chose to stay. Steven Covey in his foreword to Greenleaf, Spears and Covey’s (4) book, wrote that â€Å"†¦the essential quality that sets servant-leaders apart from others is that they live by their conscience- the inward moral sense of what is right and what is wrongâ€Å". Though not directly, the conscience that exists in member-oriented leaders is a factor of moral courage which according to Hildreth (96) â€Å"consists in enduring, through the force of the moral sentiment, those numerous pains which spring from the malevolence of others to whom our conduct gives offence; particularly those pains which we are subject through the sentiment of self-comparison, pains of obloquy, mortification, and disgrace†.Aside from conscience, moral courage is similar to other f acets of ethical leadership such as â€Å"judicious use of incentives, astute ordering of priorities and allocating resources where they count the most† (Greenleaf, Spears and Covey’s 73). Both these values can be observed in the key characters. Courage Under Fire not only showed the bravery of its characters in the field of battle but in the midst of people and their peers as well.It is in this film several embodiments of leadership virtues can be seen and perhaps learned by those who choose to watch this. Courage Under Fire. Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon. 1996. DVD. 20th Century Fox, 2000. Greenleaf, Robert K. , Spears, Larry C. , & Stephen R. Covey. Servant leadership: a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. 25th ed. New Jersey: Paulist Press.2002. Hildreth, Richard. Theory of Morals: An Inquiry Concerning the Law of Moral Distinctions and the Variations and Contradictions of Ethical Codes . Boston: Published by C. C. Little & J. Brown. 1844. Unger, Rhoda. Handbook of the Psychology of Women and Gender. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. 2004. â€Å"Values and Principles. † fireleadership. gov. 3 June 2009. < http://www. fireleadership. gov/ values_principles. html>

Sarbanes Oxley Act A Important Part Of Business

A vital part of business today is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It was created to protect the integrity of business and the interest of consumers and investors. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act enforces the monitoring of finance data and information technology as it relates to storage of information. It requires the audit of a company’s assets, accounting and finance. The act requires certifications by top company officials’ to guarantee that data submitted is true and accurate. Monitoring to ensure compliance is performed by audits. Falsification of data or non-compliance to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act can results to in penalties of fines and/or imprisonment. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also known as SOX came into existence in July 2002 and led to key changes to the regulation of corporate governance and financial practice in addition to setting a number of non-negotiable deadlines for compliance. Its purpose is to protect shareholders and the general public from accounting errors and fraudulent practices, as well as improve the accuracy of corporate disclosures. It is named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who were its main originators. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed through both houses of Congress on a surge of bipartisan political support. Public shock influenced the political process. Congress was compelled to react assertively to the Enron media fallout, a struggling stock market, and impending re-elections. As a result, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed in the SenateShow MoreRelatedSarbanes Oxley1476 Words   |  6 Pagesfirms. Sarbanes Oxley has made many changes to many companies. The major financial scandal s have impacted many investors and required more regulations to avert this problems. Sarbanes Oxley has tried to increase ethics in the upper management in many public companies. 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