If everyone abandoned their commitments when circumstances changed, the concept of commitment would become nonsensical, resulting in a logical inconsistency. Therefore, according to Kant, Ben and Sarah would be bound by a categorical imperative to continue paying their mortgage if they are able. The situation is more complex, however, than Kant's moral system addresses. When applying the universal law test, we find that Ben and Sarah are equally bound to their other commitments, including their commitments to themselves and their child. The only way to find their correct moral path in the Kantian sense would be for them to intend to follow through on all of their commitments, and to do everything in their power to follow that intention, even if they are not ultimately able to. This shuts out the option of strategic default, because strategic default is an intentional dismissal of a financial obligation, something that would...
While Sarah and Ben are morally obligated to attempt to fulfill their financial commitments, should they find themselves in a situation where their livelihood is in fact endangered.
While "technically" it is the responsibility of the individual mother regarding feeding the formula, it is also true that as her milk dries up, the baby becomes dependent on the formula, whether the family can afford it or not. Perhaps the proper role would be to reinvest back into the Third World, both in education and technology, to find a way that the basic issues surrounding the use of the
In this "slave morality," as Nietzsche states, the values of the master morality, which are proper, and turned around, which undermines the natural order. He believes the natural order was that the strong continue to succeed at the cost of the weaker members of society. In response to their lowered status in the order, the caste used their hatred, revenge, and resentment to create morals that would weaken the master
The utilitarian perspective focuses on the broad impacts of the actions, rather than just how the actions affect specific individuals (Andre & Velasquez, 2010). From the utilitarian perspective, genetic testing has the potential to do great harm to many, and to benefit many. The utilitarian arithmetic points out that the benefits to the companies in utilizing genetic testing is that profits increase. The argument can also be made that
In addition, we might ask ourselves if the richer nations have or not a greater responsibility as far as the research and development in the area of sustainable energy are concerned. (Reid, environmentalleader.com) Believing that there are such energy sources or consumption policies which would allow the planet's resources to be maintained for a longer period, while making sure that all the nations are provided with a comfortable living is
This is a pertinent observation and one that is possibly central to understanding the problem of environmental ethics today. Bugeja goes on to state that "…the new technologies that now keep us constantly connected also keep us constantly distracted" (Bugeja, 2008). He also makes the important point that, "Digital distractions now keep us from addressing the real issues of the day. Each of us daily consumes an average of nine
William Styron's novel Sophie's Choice presents an almost unimaginably terrible moral dilemma to the reader. In the novel, the character Sophie and her two children are taken to the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Nazi purge of the Jews. When entering the camp and being examined by an SS officer that is also a doctor, she tells the doctor that there has been a mistake, that she is not
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now