Perhaps more so than Emotivists, Prescriptivists see ethical language as fairly meaningful. They believe that the terms used are able to create absolute rules that everyone ought to follow. It would seem that ethical language is seen by many as very meaningful, although for varying reasons. However agent centred theories such as Virtue Ethics would argue that our main focus of morality should be on becoming as virtuous as possible, rather than deciding what is meant by ethical language. Therefore it would seem that perhaps morality should be more focussed on individuals’ actions rather then defining what is meant by ‘good’ and
In this way, the Reverend places his mission of preaching freedom alongside the efforts of the prophets of old in terms of importance, and thus invites the reader to reflect upon the noble task he is undertaking. Because religion is so widely regarded as a sacred concept that should never be challenged, King’s comparison of religion to freedom is highly effective in convincing the reader that injustices committed upon a person’s freedom are not to be tolerated. King also covers the need for a more secular point of view by creating parallels between himself and Socrates, stating, “Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create
King notes, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality” (King 8). Basically, King is saying that there are two types of laws that society use. One law is considered just because it favors the human beings personality and elevates him morally, while the other law is considered unjust because it demeans human personality.
Meta ethics tries to make sense of the terms and concepts used in ethical theories. Some people believe that ethical language is extremely meaningful as they argue it is essential to be able to define terms such as “good” and “bad” before we can even begin to discuss ethical theories. However others disagree with this and argue that moral statements are subjective so cannot be meaningful as they cannot be described as either true or false. Those who hold cognitive theories about ethical language would argue that ethical statements are meaningful as they are about facts and can therefore be proved true or false. Ethical Naturalism is a cognitive theory of Meta ethics which holds the belief that ethical statements are the same as non ethical ones, so can be verified or falsified in the same way.
His years of public service offered his audience a sense of trust and credibility toward his views. He begins by assuring those opposed to the death penalty, that he has studied, listened and considered their views completely, but he still believes in the death penalty as a means to the practice of social justice. His values and beliefs, nonetheless, are for protecting the precious lives of the innocent and upholding justice in our society. Overall his essay is a keen definition of social and humanitarian justice. Koch’s intellectual strategy works on the emotional, rational and logical aspects of human thinking and deduction.
was against the traditional views and unjust laws, which discriminated against him and his fellow people. He felt that the only way that these unjust laws and traditional beliefs would ever change would be by protestesting. He also felt that without protest the laws and traditions would remain the same forever. Along with encouraging protest, King's letter was also a justification of his actions. By taking the time to answer his critics (or persecutors, as he is in prison) with patience, logic and intelligence, as opposed to retaliating, King was also able to justify his actions.
While Socrates arguments may be sound in his opinion, I'm not sure if I agree with them. Just because of the good laws of the state benefited Socrates and helped him in his upbringing, it doesn't mean that he has to remain completely loyal to them for his entire life. His main point about never returning an unjust act with another makes sense to a degree, but only if you agree with his view that the soul is the only thing that matters and not the body. While I understand that point, I don' think every unjust act ruins the soul. Some acts such as telling a white lie in some situations are
Furthermore the tone creates an authentic voice which helps illustrate to the audience the African Americans anger and frustration towards the concept and from being racially prejudiced against in general. Likewise to the Aboriginals, regardless of their personal characteristic and personality, the African American would be labelled as an uneducated, unhygienic and less important to the whites due to ethnocentrism. This explicitly shows the effects of a social hierarchy, since the African Americans are at the bottom of the hierarchy, they’re treated as a race of no importance and value, which further highlights the racial prejudice that the African Americans suffer from. Alan Parker has utilized his text, Mississippi
He hopes that the clergymen will not ignore or overlook the injustice; that they will look at facts and base their judgment off the facts instead of what society says. In conclusion Dr. King proves to the clergymen that he will always fight injustice no matter what the cost
Look past the skin color of not only Tom Robinson, not only those unfairly punished based on race, but all humans. Yes, some humans should be punished, based on their actions. No man, or woman, should be punished because they have a darker skin color than us. The color of your skin is not in control, but your actions are. Rage is the action that is determining the fate of this bright young man who’s only done good for this world.