Wallace also strongly points out that we need to be “a little less arrogant” and not believe solely in our preconceived notions about things, because we usually tend to be wrong. We must be aware of our surroundings and learn how to control how and what we want to think. Wallace says that we get to decide what has meaning and what does not, and we must do this with awareness, an open mind, and give ourselves choices of how to view situations. Bertrand Russell tells readers in “The Problems of Philosophy” that unlike typical sciences where one discovers correct answers, we are constantly searching for the value of philosophy. Russell says that philosophy does not find right answers, but rather encourages thinking.
Kant argues that any action cannot be moral unless the motives are moral. For each of these philosophies, the question of living the "good life" is an intricate part of the belief system. For the Utilitarians, living a life that benefited as many people as possible, in essence, a life that caused the greatest widespread good results would be considered a life of virtue. For Kant, the only moral action is one that is done entirely because of obligation. He also makes the distinction between motives, saying that an action can be "in accord with duty" and still be immoral.
He contended that negative, antisocial emotions are the result of frustrated basic impulses. Once free of their defensive behavior, their reactions are positive and progressive. Rogers believed that, given the opportunity, people would make wise decisions and move toward psychological adjustment. This experiential psychological approach is the core of humanistic psychology. Its starting point is not assumptions about what methods to employ but about the nature of the lived reality of experience.
However to act morally then we must be capable of exercising freedom or the autonomy of the will .The opposite of this is what Kant did not believe in and this is heteronomy and that is something is right because its satisfies some desire, emotion, goal or obligation. After excising our freedom and good will then duty is left to follow, as duty is what makes the good will good. It is important that duty can be done for its own sake , our motives need to be pure. To act morally is to do one's duty, and one's duty is to obey the moral law. Kant
What is Person-Centred Therapy? The theory behind this was influenced by the work Carl Rogers did with emotionally troubled people, where he believed that we have a remarkable capacity for self-healing and personal growth, which then leads to self-actualisation. Unlike Freud who emphasised the importance of psychological continuity, meaning that our past is a key determinant of the present, Rogers felt the key was with the person’s current perception and how we live in the ‘here and now’. Rogers also noticed most centrally to his theory that people when explaining their situation would refer to themselves directly, showing their understanding of ‘self’ or ‘self-concept’. This is crucial as self-concept is a central component of our overall experience and influences our perception of the world and perception of self within it.
In today’s society it is human instinct to crave power, and to obey authority. Power is a mechanism individuals are taught to aspire to and obedience is norm individuals are told to conform to. When authority is present it is instinctual for a person to behave the way that the dominate tells them to even if what they are being told to do is wrong. Meanwhile, power can quickly go to a person’s head and make them react in cruel and demoralizing ways towards people they have supremacy over. The Milgram experiment and the Stanford prison experiment both show proof of what power and obligation to please authority can do to a person.
How does your position affect your approach to morality- for example, should a moral system be strict, clear, and absolutistic, or permissive, flexible, and relativistic? There have been numerous discussions by philosophers and also scientists to establish whether man is essentially good, bad or both. Others have argued that man’s mind is initially a blank slate and from that point on his character/nature is defined by his actions. But the truth of the matter is that man is naturally good. His nature dictates for him to achieve what is good for him and others around him consequently his happiness.
In decision making one needs to have earned trust so the decision itself can be relied on. If you cannot rely on someone you cannot trust him. Making bad decisions can make people stop trusting you. Respect Respect is something my father has mostly thought me. I am brought up in a way that you should tread people the way you want to be treated.
Such demands preclude debate about their appropriateness or legitimacy; they are simply asserted as unchallengeable facts" (Ostell, 1992). The attitude I was showing was believed to be rude and mean. Instead of being a rude and disrespectful as a person, Mr. Douglas began teaching me that I was worth something. He showed me through trust and faith that I could work toward being a good person and that I could change who I was. It was a choice.
Freire’s Conception of Conscientization Freire’s meaning of conscientization revolves around the way a man interacts with not only others, but how his interaction with the world benefits society as a whole. He explains that the essential functions of conscientization rely solely on the practice of critical dialogue with love, humbleness, hope, trust and that the essential functions are guided towards giving the oppressed a voice. Freire believes it to be conducive to education because it will prevent man from living in the same epoch when a new epoch has already emerged, promote a pursuit of higher intelligence, and will eventually “fight the oppressive elements of reality”(Freire). What good is man if they do not progress as time progresses? Throughout the first essay, Friere stresses how “man needs more than ever to be integrated with his reality”(Freire 6).