I thought today went pretty well. I was not surprised by the people who took leadership. I knew that the roles of the people would not change based on their role given to them. Hopefully as time goes on more people will jump in with their opinions.
As we get deeper into the content, people will become more passionate. I can't wait to have our first "real meeting". I hope the speeches go over well.
I think we planned out a pretty fair system of how people get to present.
I am more excited to start the project now.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Public Bio: Springfield Game
My name is Bill Morris. I am a 45 year old man. I am the owner of a local Mercedes Benz car dealership. I live very comfortably in a large 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 3 car garage home. I live with my beautiful wife and 2 children. My wife works in my dealership and helps with sales and administrative duty. I have 2 daughters: one is a junior at the local high school, and one is a freshman at Drake University.
For some background information, I spent 6 years in the military and believe that everyone has an obligation to serve their country. As most people know, I am a self-made man. I did not attend college, but that didn’t stop me.
I run the finest dealership in Springfield, Iowa; people come from across the state to buy from me.
And it should come as no surprise to you all that I am a big believer in free speech. If you have ever held a conversation with me, or heard me before, you would have no trouble understanding this.
For some background information, I spent 6 years in the military and believe that everyone has an obligation to serve their country. As most people know, I am a self-made man. I did not attend college, but that didn’t stop me.
I run the finest dealership in Springfield, Iowa; people come from across the state to buy from me.
And it should come as no surprise to you all that I am a big believer in free speech. If you have ever held a conversation with me, or heard me before, you would have no trouble understanding this.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Moral Imagination
When I first saw the phrase “moral imagination”, I thought of a secular philosopher trying to defend the position that all people can be moral in their own way. I’m not really sure why I first thought this. Maybe I thought this because I had just had a conversation with a person about how Hume builds a moral foundation without the existence of a god or a higher power. But anyways…
I assumed that moral imagination would differ from person to person and that no one could ever have the same beliefs as another. “Imagination”, to me, promotes the use of radical ideas and extreme thoughts. I don’t know why I had such a negative connotation to this. I think I was just being bitter about the absence of religion in some of these moral theories. But, after I realized I was being irrational (Kant would be proud of me!), I decided to read the articles with a more open mind. I decided that I would give them the benefit of the doubt and listen for their argument. Also, Professor McCrickerd also stated in class herself that she wouldn’t just randomly assign articles and reading. She only gives us stuff that she thinks in very interesting and relevant to the topics we are discussing in class. I realized that these articles had to be somewhat entertaining.
I found it very true that reading literature helps cultivate moral imagination. This made perfect sense to me. Very few things in this class make perfect sense the first time I read it, so I was very excited that I understood a concept right off the bat. I am becoming a better philosopher!! I understood it as, the more we read, the more experiences we gain. Also, these experiences are better because we do not have to suffer the negative consequences of them first-hand. We just get to observe and make judgments. We get to see how our moral acts play out without even being involved directly in the situation. And judgment helps us gain perception and knowledge about the world around us. And when we know more about our surroundings, it is easier to make moral judgments.
I also found it to be true that people do take offense to education of emotions, as discussed in the Maxwell and Reichenbach article. We were discussing this fact in our Intro to LPS class this morning. We were talking about the Amish and how they give their children no choice of what religion they want to practice. They do not give them choice in their life style until they are older. They socialize them to believe and think in certain ways. Many people were very opposed to this lifestyle and to this thinking in our class. We discussed whether there is a right protecting these children from this religious/emotional socialization.
The final article made sense to me. I was not surprised by the findings of the experiments. People are self centered and do not want to give up their own pleasure in extreme amounts. People are willing to sacrifice some, to the point where they are still comfortable, but no more. This seemed reasonable to me.
I would encourage people to observe and read and take in as many opportunities as possible to learn about your surroundings. It is easier to make judgments this way. People will be more informed and you will be able to recall situations that are similar to the ones that you are currently involved in. You will have examples of behaviors that worked and examples that didn’t. You will have a grounding and actual evidence to base your claims off of.
I assumed that moral imagination would differ from person to person and that no one could ever have the same beliefs as another. “Imagination”, to me, promotes the use of radical ideas and extreme thoughts. I don’t know why I had such a negative connotation to this. I think I was just being bitter about the absence of religion in some of these moral theories. But, after I realized I was being irrational (Kant would be proud of me!), I decided to read the articles with a more open mind. I decided that I would give them the benefit of the doubt and listen for their argument. Also, Professor McCrickerd also stated in class herself that she wouldn’t just randomly assign articles and reading. She only gives us stuff that she thinks in very interesting and relevant to the topics we are discussing in class. I realized that these articles had to be somewhat entertaining.
I found it very true that reading literature helps cultivate moral imagination. This made perfect sense to me. Very few things in this class make perfect sense the first time I read it, so I was very excited that I understood a concept right off the bat. I am becoming a better philosopher!! I understood it as, the more we read, the more experiences we gain. Also, these experiences are better because we do not have to suffer the negative consequences of them first-hand. We just get to observe and make judgments. We get to see how our moral acts play out without even being involved directly in the situation. And judgment helps us gain perception and knowledge about the world around us. And when we know more about our surroundings, it is easier to make moral judgments.
I also found it to be true that people do take offense to education of emotions, as discussed in the Maxwell and Reichenbach article. We were discussing this fact in our Intro to LPS class this morning. We were talking about the Amish and how they give their children no choice of what religion they want to practice. They do not give them choice in their life style until they are older. They socialize them to believe and think in certain ways. Many people were very opposed to this lifestyle and to this thinking in our class. We discussed whether there is a right protecting these children from this religious/emotional socialization.
The final article made sense to me. I was not surprised by the findings of the experiments. People are self centered and do not want to give up their own pleasure in extreme amounts. People are willing to sacrifice some, to the point where they are still comfortable, but no more. This seemed reasonable to me.
I would encourage people to observe and read and take in as many opportunities as possible to learn about your surroundings. It is easier to make judgments this way. People will be more informed and you will be able to recall situations that are similar to the ones that you are currently involved in. You will have examples of behaviors that worked and examples that didn’t. You will have a grounding and actual evidence to base your claims off of.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
??
When I read it this time I kept thinking if Sister A was really as convinced as she said she was. I had a whole different picture of this old woman with a strong internal conflict. I did not take her as seriously as I did the first read. I saw her as not quite a dominating personality. I saw her as a weaker leader. I also felt more sorry for Brother Flynn this time when I read it. I felt sorry because you now know that Sister A. did not really convince herself that he was guilty of anything. I also saw Sister James in a better light. She was lead by her emotions, but she also listened to both sides of the argument.
This second read made me understand that everyone doubts their convictions. Even the people who seem to have it all figured out really don’t. People of high authority, who lead many others, do not always believe in their teachings or in their advice that they give to others. Evidence can be seen through Sister A.’s leadership. She seems that she is 100% convinced that Brother Flynn has committed previous acts of molestation and thinks that he is continuing it here at her school. But, at the end, she exposes her internal conflict. She really was not totally convinced.
This second read made me understand that everyone doubts their convictions. Even the people who seem to have it all figured out really don’t. People of high authority, who lead many others, do not always believe in their teachings or in their advice that they give to others. Evidence can be seen through Sister A.’s leadership. She seems that she is 100% convinced that Brother Flynn has committed previous acts of molestation and thinks that he is continuing it here at her school. But, at the end, she exposes her internal conflict. She really was not totally convinced.
?
DOUBT
I think that no one can ever be certain if you really think about your opinions. There is always going to be some doubt. Also, if you don’t doubt yourself, how do you know if you really believe what you do? If you have never been challenged do you really have the right to say that you believe something?
Parts of significance:
A. Did I ever prove it to whom?
J. Anyone but yourself?
A. No.
J. But were you sure.
A. Yes
J. I wish I could be like you.
A. Why?
J. Because I can’t sleep at night anymore. Everything seems uncertain to me.
----
A. Don’t
F. Please! Are we people? Am I a person flesh and blood like you? Or are we just ideas and convictions. I can’t say everything. Do you understand? There are things that I can’t say. Even if you can’t imagine the explanation, Sister, remember that there are circumstances beyond your knowledge. Even if you feel certainty, it is an emotion and not a fact. In the spirit of charity, I appeal to you. On behalf of my life’s work. You have to behave responsibly. I put myself in your hands.
----
A. I have doubts! I have such doubts!
I was not expecting that. I had a totally different image in my head. I pictured that she was going to be at total peace after she forced him into moving. Now I see her as more human. Very few people never question themselves.
I most sympathize with Mrs. Muller. She has to see her son get beat up by her husband. She has a hard life and just wants her son to be able to get a good education. She has seen so many difficulties that even a person that may be molesting her child is seen as a positive thing just because that relationship provides comfort. You can tell that she is exhausted and does not want any more problems.
I most admire Sister Aloysius Beauvier in this play, which is kind of weird. She always stuck up for her opinion. She had a strong stance on things even when she was uncertain. I think that this is good in a leader. As her position as principal, she ran the school very well. I admire this because she knew that she was hated, but she still kept on doing her job. When you are in a position of authority, you have to make strong stances even if you have a little (or a lot) of doubt. It takes a very tough person to carry a role like that.
I assumed that all the students were white. I pictured a Catholic school with all little rich, white children. So, I was surprised when I found out that Donald was black. But, this also made the story make more since.
Sister A thinks that the relationship between the people of the church should be more business oriented whereas Brother Flynn thinks that it should be more personable. This creates a tension in how they see people should be treated and punished. Sister A does not see people with their individual emotions and characteristics, she just applies the rules.
“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” I think that this quote better explains what I was trying to say earlier. If you have never doubted yourself, how do you know what is really true, or what you really believe?
I think that no one can ever be certain if you really think about your opinions. There is always going to be some doubt. Also, if you don’t doubt yourself, how do you know if you really believe what you do? If you have never been challenged do you really have the right to say that you believe something?
Parts of significance:
A. Did I ever prove it to whom?
J. Anyone but yourself?
A. No.
J. But were you sure.
A. Yes
J. I wish I could be like you.
A. Why?
J. Because I can’t sleep at night anymore. Everything seems uncertain to me.
----
A. Don’t
F. Please! Are we people? Am I a person flesh and blood like you? Or are we just ideas and convictions. I can’t say everything. Do you understand? There are things that I can’t say. Even if you can’t imagine the explanation, Sister, remember that there are circumstances beyond your knowledge. Even if you feel certainty, it is an emotion and not a fact. In the spirit of charity, I appeal to you. On behalf of my life’s work. You have to behave responsibly. I put myself in your hands.
----
A. I have doubts! I have such doubts!
I was not expecting that. I had a totally different image in my head. I pictured that she was going to be at total peace after she forced him into moving. Now I see her as more human. Very few people never question themselves.
I most sympathize with Mrs. Muller. She has to see her son get beat up by her husband. She has a hard life and just wants her son to be able to get a good education. She has seen so many difficulties that even a person that may be molesting her child is seen as a positive thing just because that relationship provides comfort. You can tell that she is exhausted and does not want any more problems.
I most admire Sister Aloysius Beauvier in this play, which is kind of weird. She always stuck up for her opinion. She had a strong stance on things even when she was uncertain. I think that this is good in a leader. As her position as principal, she ran the school very well. I admire this because she knew that she was hated, but she still kept on doing her job. When you are in a position of authority, you have to make strong stances even if you have a little (or a lot) of doubt. It takes a very tough person to carry a role like that.
I assumed that all the students were white. I pictured a Catholic school with all little rich, white children. So, I was surprised when I found out that Donald was black. But, this also made the story make more since.
Sister A thinks that the relationship between the people of the church should be more business oriented whereas Brother Flynn thinks that it should be more personable. This creates a tension in how they see people should be treated and punished. Sister A does not see people with their individual emotions and characteristics, she just applies the rules.
“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” I think that this quote better explains what I was trying to say earlier. If you have never doubted yourself, how do you know what is really true, or what you really believe?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Abortion Articles
Thomson: A Defense of Abortion
Thomson is very back and forth on his opinions. He has decided that abortion is right in some cases and wrong in others. I think he understands both sides so well that it is hard for him to make a choice. And then every time he thought he hit and absolute truth, there would always be an exception. He opposes abortion when it is for selfish reasons. He gives the example of the woman wanted an abortion in her 7th month of pregnancy because she doesn’t want it to interfere with a vacation. That he says he just wrong. He states that the right to life, in most cases, is stronger than and more stringent that the right of the woman do decide what shall happen within or to her body.
Marquis: Why Abortion if Immoral
Marquis states that killing an innocent being is wrong and immoral. He states that people would not argue with this claim. He also states that killing is the loss of future. Therefore, he stated that defenseless, innocent little babies had a long future ahead of them and asserted that if you take that future away it is immoral.
Feinberg: The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations
Feinberg states that rocks cannot claim good treatment. But, he claims that we should still be nice to and treat rocks/animals/plants with respect. But, he stated that these things cannot claim this kind of treatment from us. He also supported this claim by saying that these things cannot be reasoned with, that is why you cannot give them rights.
Thomson is very back and forth on his opinions. He has decided that abortion is right in some cases and wrong in others. I think he understands both sides so well that it is hard for him to make a choice. And then every time he thought he hit and absolute truth, there would always be an exception. He opposes abortion when it is for selfish reasons. He gives the example of the woman wanted an abortion in her 7th month of pregnancy because she doesn’t want it to interfere with a vacation. That he says he just wrong. He states that the right to life, in most cases, is stronger than and more stringent that the right of the woman do decide what shall happen within or to her body.
Marquis: Why Abortion if Immoral
Marquis states that killing an innocent being is wrong and immoral. He states that people would not argue with this claim. He also states that killing is the loss of future. Therefore, he stated that defenseless, innocent little babies had a long future ahead of them and asserted that if you take that future away it is immoral.
Feinberg: The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations
Feinberg states that rocks cannot claim good treatment. But, he claims that we should still be nice to and treat rocks/animals/plants with respect. But, he stated that these things cannot claim this kind of treatment from us. He also supported this claim by saying that these things cannot be reasoned with, that is why you cannot give them rights.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Random Act of Kindness
In the cardio room at the Bell Center, there are some free weights in the back room. People always use them and them throw them randomly on the floor. I always see the random workers come in and have to pick them up. I don't know if I felt bad for these people or if my perfectionist personality kicked in, but I put them all back on the rack. And of course, I not only put them back on the rack, I paired them together and put them in order (from light to heavy).
Yay Random Acts of Kindness!!!!
Yay Random Acts of Kindness!!!!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Random Act of Kindness
Our bathroom always gets so trashed after Friday and Saturday night. It is actually really gross. Whenever I take my shower I always pick up the mess people leave behind. I always feel really bad for the people who have to pick up after us. So, I decided to pick up all the bobby pins and random tags and cleaned up the food that was left behind (I never understand why there is food in/around the showers to begin with). I hope I made somebodys Monday a little brighter!
Abortion
Do fetuses have a right to life? – Yes
I think that a fetus is just a small person. I do not believe in people playing God and determining which people can be born and which people can’t. I believe that all people have a right to life, but I also believe that you can lose that right (capital punishment)…but that’s another story.
I feel strongly about this because I believe that sex is meant for reproduction. I believe that people should have sex with their significant other after they are married. If this happened, we would not even have this argument because people would want their children.
I understand that some people get raped, but why should the person who results from that (the baby) be denied life?
I guess my main argument is that a fetus has not done anything to deny him or herself the right to life, which all people have.
I do not think life starts at birth. The fetus is a living person. Some people may use the argument that it is dependent on the mother; therefore it can not be said to have life. But, what about people on life support? Are they alive?
I think that a fetus is just a small person. I do not believe in people playing God and determining which people can be born and which people can’t. I believe that all people have a right to life, but I also believe that you can lose that right (capital punishment)…but that’s another story.
I feel strongly about this because I believe that sex is meant for reproduction. I believe that people should have sex with their significant other after they are married. If this happened, we would not even have this argument because people would want their children.
I understand that some people get raped, but why should the person who results from that (the baby) be denied life?
I guess my main argument is that a fetus has not done anything to deny him or herself the right to life, which all people have.
I do not think life starts at birth. The fetus is a living person. Some people may use the argument that it is dependent on the mother; therefore it can not be said to have life. But, what about people on life support? Are they alive?
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