My Moral Philosophy

A detailed Summary of My Moral Philosophy

Everyone human being on the planet carries with them a moral philosophy of some kind. For some people it is a way of life, and they consult their philosophy before making any moral decision. However, for many their personal moral philosophy is undefined or unclear to them. Perhaps these people have a philosophy of their own that they abide to, yet fail to recognize that it exists. What I hope to uncover with this paper is my moral philosophy, and how I apply it in my everyday life. Further, I will compare my ideas with the works and ideas studied thus far this semester.

In my life, morality is something that has been developing since birth. Many of my moral decisions were influenced by the instruction of my parents growing up. What was considered right and wrong was advised by my parents. I went through a process of trial and error where my parents would condemn what was wrong and praise what was right. That helped me in making decisions further down the line. For example, if I knew that if I kicked our pet cat my parents would think it was wrong, I simply would not do it. Growing older I realized why my parents would advise against something such as kicking our pet cat. They believed it was cruel to torment the

However, I do not renounce all ideas related to egoism. I do agree with some of the ideas pertaining to psychological egoism. I believe that many people act out of self-interest and do not think of others when making moral decisions. Contrary to psychological egoism I hold that it is not one's self interest is not inescapable. It is possible to bypass your self-interest and make decisions independently of it. Unfortunately I believe that many people are acting out of self-interest, which can prove destructive to other people.

One of the stories discussed in class that really moved me was the story from The Republic about a Shepard named Gyges. Gyges came into possession of a ring that makes him invisible when he turns it around on his finger. He takes advantage of his invisibility and takes what he wants from other people. The character Glaucon from the story believed that we would all do the same if we could get away with it. It was only the punishment that was deterring people from taking what they want from others. I too believe that for many people the only thing keeping them in line is punishment. If one million dollars fell out of the back of an armored car and an average citizen picked it up it is likely they would keep it if they knew they would not get in trouble. This is a purely egoistic principle since that person is only calculating his or her own self-interest. For me, I would return the money due to the fact I realize how much suffering the party who lost the money would endure. It !

not kicking the cat. Since moral virtue is not embedded in us in nature, it is something that can be altered.

Morality is also something that is relative to culture, and the concept of cultural relativism affirms this. What is considered immoral or disgusting in one culture can be considered perfectly acceptable and commendable in another. For example, for a woman to lie on a public beach topless in Santa Barbara would be considered immoral, unnecessary, rude, and dirty. In fact, this could be punishable by law. However, if the same woman lied topless on a public beach on the French Riviera she would be considered moral, beautiful, and law would permit it.

animal and cause it unnecessary pain. So, being a rational being like my parents I too agreed that to cause unnecessary pain to our pet was wrong. I understood this is something I "ought" not do.

A concept studied thus far that I found myself identifying with was Ross's Prima Facie Duties. I agreed with Ross that humans have certain duties that are evident. In addition, his Prima Facie Duties were short, to the point, and rational. Some of the principles conveyed were: Fidelity, Reparation, Gratitude, Beneficence, Self-Improvement, Justice, and Nonmaleficence. I see these duties as

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Approximate Word count = 1864
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History