During my stay in Senegal I made many visits to children's centers for medical observation. While I was there the older kids were whipping and beating the younger children. I asked myself what I should do because this is considered normal for the children. Should I follow my morals and intervene with Senegalese culture or should I do nothing and ditch morals but respects Senegalese culture.
Matilde Just yesterday I was discussing a the prose and poem piece that we had to analyze for our English exam with a friend of mine. While we were discussing the points that we had pointed out we started to wonder whether it was possible to be "wrong" or "right" in a commentary. According to teachers, as long as your comment and analysis is followed up by relevant examples then it cannot be considered wrong. So then we looked at each other puzzled: if everything one says is supported by examples, thus "proven", does it necessarily mean that it's true? Not always what we interpret is really what the author had wanted to write, so how do we know when we're right or wrong?
Moral issues come up everyday, one of the most recent events was the issue of punishment for the man who threw acid into the face of a woman in 2006. He was originally condemned to be punished in the same fashion as what he did to the woman in 2006, however on the day it should have taken place it was called off due to international pressure. When I read this I thought of what could constitute this as a moral action and what it means to punish someone as we covered in class. Is it morally acceptable just because the government said so? Or are we all free to place our own interpretation of what is morally just and unjust on a such a situation? Personally I find that this would have been the definition of "an eye for an eye" which is a glorified version of revenge that is supported by the government. Personally I believe such punishment is completely nonproductive for it does not let there to be any moral growth within the individual only more pain.
One of the may knowledge problems faced by the world today is of course Syria.
NATO, after the rebellion in Libya was being brutally crushed by its leader Muammar al Qhadaffi, decided to intervene, with the backing of a UN resolution, and help fulfill the desires of the local population and safeguard its freedom and liberty.
Syria, who has now been in turmoil for several months is still the subject of no humanitarian discussion, NATO has no intention of helping the population of Syria.
The question is how do they know where to help and where not to. Is economic motif a good reason to help one country instead of another, or is the political nature of the middle-east that makes it OK for its leaders to massacre local populations unchecked? Why has the UN done nothing to help all populations? How do they know that Libya is a more worthwhile cause than Syria?
A knowledge issue that would deal with ethics is whether the UN's version of human rights should be applicable to all cultures. In many Islamic nations and cultures it is acceptable, when someone has committed a certain crime, to have them stoned. This is against the human rights declaration because it isn't acceptable but what is the UN's version based on, because it may not have considered other cultures' interpretation of what is ethical and what isn't.
I was watching TV and as is wont to happen it was commercial break. However, this time the product being advertized wasn't some new car or laundry detergent; rather, it was a commercial seeking donations for the plight of African children. What struck me was not the horrible images on the screen, but the feeling of guilt that this advertizement had instilled in me, guilt that I am not doing something to help these children. This was important for me in that it clearly outlined moral guilt, the feeling that if I don't do something, I am just as much a cause of their poverty. I believe fully that human beings should help each other; however, I was unpleased with the undertone of the commercial, as if somehow the plight of these children was my fault. This sense of obligation that the commercial created got me thinking, to what extent do developed nations have to help poorer countries. This dependence is a bit worrying, because what charities do now is instead of educating the locals, giving them means to fix their own lives, they instead rely on donations and go do everything for the people. There become something of a dependent, not supporting relationship. So while I believe we should give to charities, we shouldn't out of a feeling of obligation, rather compassion.
An activity I have taken part in this year is Model United Nations. It was quite an exciting activity, and most importantly, there are clearly links to Theory of Knowledge. In Model United Nations, we simulate decisions made by worldwide leaders. Those decisions often reveal themselves to be difficult, in particular from an ethical standpoint. An issue that was debated was religious freedom and its limits. As religious freedom has become a rising concern in many western countries, decisions made have to be respectful to various religions and cultures; however, this can be very problematic as different people might have different views on religious freedom. Through the debates that occurred, it was very clear that the ethics of such decisions has to be considered - the various countries present had shown some significantly different views.
A knowledge issue I have encountered in the real world would be related to CAS. When choosing my CAS activities, there is an issue involved. For example, which activity will help me fulfill my requirements the most? Which activity will give me the most hours, or the most reflections? There is no real way to know which is best, which is why it is a knowledge issue. I chose the best things that I thought would benefit me the most, however with no real knowledge to back me up, only assumptions.
In CAS, for operation smile, which counts as service, a fashion show occurred in November. The fashion show was on a Thursday night and I had a moment, where I felt like I couldn’t participate due to the fact that I had a lot of homework. I was stuck between going home and doing my work or staying and helping the children that would eventually be able to get operated from the money we raise. Was it more important to do my work or help others? In this case, I chose to stay and worked on it in my frees the next day due to the fact that I believed that the effect this show would have, was greater than the effect it would have had if I did my homework on that night.
About two weeks ago, I was doing a catering job for my father’s birthday with a friend of mine. I included this activity into my CAS activities for creativity and service. After a couple of days, I got a notification from my supervising teacher, that my activity could not be counted as a CAS activity as only guest from the family attended the birthday party of my father and I could therefore not state my activity as a service. On one hand this made me angry, as I had put in a lot of work into the organization of the event, but on the other hand it made me think, because in my opinion the organization and the successful planning of the event is service to my family. My CAS supervisor told me, that service must have an impact on society and not only on your own family. But the organization of the family party had an impact on society, as the members of the family who attended spread their good mood to their neighbors and therefore the party had an impact on society’s happiness. My CAS advisor did not except this as a reasonable explanation.
For our advisory service learning project we chose to teach a group of lower school children different sports each week. We checked with the head of the sports department if we could use the field every thursday, however we didn't know we also had to check with the P.E department if we could use their equipment. As we didn't know they were two separate departments, we were using their equipment without their knowledge. We later found out when they sent us an email that we were to ask their department as well before using anything from that department. So because we didn't know that there is two different departments for sports, we didn't know to inform the P.E department as well as the sports department. - Penelope
Last week was exam week, when there is a 2 hour test on the whole years material. We got all of them back, corrected and graded, this week except for one. There is one exam that we got back without anything done to it. It seems like it hasn't even been opened and looked at. The teacher gave us a grading rubric and went over the exam with us. After we went over the exam together he told us to take a look at the criteria and grade our own exams. There is a moral issue when it comes to grading your own exam, do you want to grade it objectivly and be strict with the points, or do you want yourself to do well on it and give yourself the necessary points a little easier. Afterall the exams count a whole lot towards your year grade, so you want to do as well as possible, on the other hand you want to be honest and fair. Is it wrong to give yourself points more easily than you would give them to others just to get a better grade?
In the CAS activity CAP we decided to focus on female genital mutilation in correspondence with Unicef. A campaign against the practice, particularly in African countries, can be difficult however because it relates to an ethical problem also discussed in Tok. By telling the African cultures to stop practicing this ritual on young children, are we not enforcing our own practices and traditions on them? We are telling them to stop because it is physically and emotionally harmful to the children. However, if the women are not circumcised they will never have the chance to lead a respectable life or even marry in their own society. By leading this campaign, we are not only trying to stop mutilation but also encouraging young women to either lead an unworthy life within their community or leave it entirely.
Some interesting reflections here. Lynn, I'm glad to see such a direct link here with TOK, as, like you said, we looked at FGM in TOK. It is an issue that brings the problem of cultural moral relativism to the fore. Julius and carl, your issues are similar - again, the issue of cultural influence on morality - when should you intervene. Orpa, Alexandre and Nuria - I don't see any comment of yours here.
During my stay in Senegal I made many visits to children's centers for medical observation. While I was there the older kids were whipping and beating the younger children. I asked myself what I should do because this is considered normal for the children. Should I follow my morals and intervene with Senegalese culture or should I do nothing and ditch morals but respects Senegalese culture.
ReplyDeleteMatilde
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday I was discussing a the prose and poem piece that we had to analyze for our English exam with a friend of mine. While we were discussing the points that we had pointed out we started to wonder whether it was possible to be "wrong" or "right" in a commentary. According to teachers, as long as your comment and analysis is followed up by relevant examples then it cannot be considered wrong. So then we looked at each other puzzled: if everything one says is supported by examples, thus "proven", does it necessarily mean that it's true? Not always what we interpret is really what the author had wanted to write, so how do we know when we're right or wrong?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually Luca
ReplyDeleteMoral issues come up everyday, one of the most recent events was the issue of punishment for the man who threw acid into the face of a woman in 2006. He was originally condemned to be punished in the same fashion as what he did to the woman in 2006, however on the day it should have taken place it was called off due to international pressure. When I read this I thought of what could constitute this as a moral action and what it means to punish someone as we covered in class. Is it morally acceptable just because the government said so? Or are we all free to place our own interpretation of what is morally just and unjust on a such a situation? Personally I find that this would have been the definition of "an eye for an eye" which is a glorified version of revenge that is supported by the government. Personally I believe such punishment is completely nonproductive for it does not let there to be any moral growth within the individual only more pain.
One of the may knowledge problems faced by the world today is of course Syria.
ReplyDeleteNATO, after the rebellion in Libya was being brutally crushed by its leader Muammar al Qhadaffi, decided to intervene, with the backing of a UN resolution, and help fulfill the desires of the local population and safeguard its freedom and liberty.
Syria, who has now been in turmoil for several months is still the subject of no humanitarian discussion, NATO has no intention of helping the population of Syria.
The question is how do they know where to help and where not to. Is economic motif a good reason to help one country instead of another, or is the political nature of the middle-east that makes it OK for its leaders to massacre local populations unchecked? Why has the UN done nothing to help all populations? How do they know that Libya is a more worthwhile cause than Syria?
A knowledge issue that would deal with ethics is whether the UN's version of human rights should be applicable to all cultures. In many Islamic nations and cultures it is acceptable, when someone has committed a certain crime, to have them stoned. This is against the human rights declaration because it isn't acceptable but what is the UN's version based on, because it may not have considered other cultures' interpretation of what is ethical and what isn't.
ReplyDeleteCarl Schulze
I was watching TV and as is wont to happen it was commercial break. However, this time the product being advertized wasn't some new car or laundry detergent; rather, it was a commercial seeking donations for the plight of African children. What struck me was not the horrible images on the screen, but the feeling of guilt that this advertizement had instilled in me, guilt that I am not doing something to help these children. This was important for me in that it clearly outlined moral guilt, the feeling that if I don't do something, I am just as much a cause of their poverty. I believe fully that human beings should help each other; however, I was unpleased with the undertone of the commercial, as if somehow the plight of these children was my fault. This sense of obligation that the commercial created got me thinking, to what extent do developed nations have to help poorer countries. This dependence is a bit worrying, because what charities do now is instead of educating the locals, giving them means to fix their own lives, they instead rely on donations and go do everything for the people. There become something of a dependent, not supporting relationship. So while I believe we should give to charities, we shouldn't out of a feeling of obligation, rather compassion.
ReplyDelete- Nick
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn activity I have taken part in this year is Model United Nations. It was quite an exciting activity, and most importantly, there are clearly links to Theory of Knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIn Model United Nations, we simulate decisions made by worldwide leaders. Those decisions often reveal themselves to be difficult, in particular from an ethical standpoint. An issue that was debated was religious freedom and its limits. As religious freedom has become a rising concern in many western countries, decisions made have to be respectful to various religions and cultures; however, this can be very problematic as different people might have different views on religious freedom.
Through the debates that occurred, it was very clear that the ethics of such decisions has to be considered - the various countries present had shown some significantly different views.
A knowledge issue I have encountered in the real world would be related to CAS. When choosing my CAS activities, there is an issue involved. For example, which activity will help me fulfill my requirements the most? Which activity will give me the most hours, or the most reflections? There is no real way to know which is best, which is why it is a knowledge issue. I chose the best things that I thought would benefit me the most, however with no real knowledge to back me up, only assumptions.
ReplyDeleteIn CAS, for operation smile, which counts as service, a fashion show occurred in November. The fashion show was on a Thursday night and I had a moment, where I felt like I couldn’t participate due to the fact that I had a lot of homework. I was stuck between going home and doing my work or staying and helping the children that would eventually be able to get operated from the money we raise. Was it more important to do my work or help others? In this case, I chose to stay and worked on it in my frees the next day due to the fact that I believed that the effect this show would have, was greater than the effect it would have had if I did my homework on that night.
ReplyDeleteAbout two weeks ago, I was doing a catering job for my father’s birthday with a friend of mine. I included this activity into my CAS activities for creativity and service. After a couple of days, I got a notification from my supervising teacher, that my activity could not be counted as a CAS activity as only guest from the family attended the birthday party of my father and I could therefore not state my activity as a service. On one hand this made me angry, as I had put in a lot of work into the organization of the event, but on the other hand it made me think, because in my opinion the organization and the successful planning of the event is service to my family. My CAS supervisor told me, that service must have an impact on society and not only on your own family. But the organization of the family party had an impact on society, as the members of the family who attended spread their good mood to their neighbors and therefore the party had an impact on society’s happiness. My CAS advisor did not except this as a reasonable explanation.
ReplyDeleteFor our advisory service learning project we chose to teach a group of lower school children different sports each week. We checked with the head of the sports department if we could use the field every thursday, however we didn't know we also had to check with the P.E department if we could use their equipment. As we didn't know they were two separate departments, we were using their equipment without their knowledge. We later found out when they sent us an email that we were to ask their department as well before using anything from that department. So because we didn't know that there is two different departments for sports, we didn't know to inform the P.E department as well as the sports department.
ReplyDelete- Penelope
Last week was exam week, when there is a 2 hour test on the whole years material. We got all of them back, corrected and graded, this week except for one. There is one exam that we got back without anything done to it. It seems like it hasn't even been opened and looked at. The teacher gave us a grading rubric and went over the exam with us. After we went over the exam together he told us to take a look at the criteria and grade our own exams. There is a moral issue when it comes to grading your own exam, do you want to grade it objectivly and be strict with the points, or do you want yourself to do well on it and give yourself the necessary points a little easier. Afterall the exams count a whole lot towards your year grade, so you want to do as well as possible, on the other hand you want to be honest and fair.
ReplyDeleteIs it wrong to give yourself points more easily than you would give them to others just to get a better grade?
Lynn
ReplyDeleteIn the CAS activity CAP we decided to focus on female genital mutilation in correspondence with Unicef. A campaign against the practice, particularly in African countries, can be difficult however because it relates to an ethical problem also discussed in Tok.
By telling the African cultures to stop practicing this ritual on young children, are we not enforcing our own practices and traditions on them? We are telling them to stop because it is physically and emotionally harmful to the children. However, if the women are not circumcised they will never have the chance to lead a respectable life or even marry in their own society. By leading this campaign, we are not only trying to stop mutilation but also encouraging young women to either lead an unworthy life within their community or leave it entirely.
Some interesting reflections here. Lynn, I'm glad to see such a direct link here with TOK, as, like you said, we looked at FGM in TOK. It is an issue that brings the problem of cultural moral relativism to the fore. Julius and carl, your issues are similar - again, the issue of cultural influence on morality - when should you intervene. Orpa, Alexandre and Nuria - I don't see any comment of yours here.
ReplyDelete