Socrates And The Self Defense Clause Essays - Philosophy, Ethics

Socrates And The Self Defense Clause The question of Morality and what it means: Throughout the recorded history of man, there has been a series of questions continually asked by each generation. ?Who are we? Where are we going? Why? Is there a God Are just a few of the questions that continue to engage the minds of so many today. But perhaps the most difficult one to really grasp has to do with the theories of ethics and morality, or in layman?s terms, ?What is good and bad, and how do we live our lives to uphold the good while shunning the bad As time has gone on there have been many theories and ideas proposed, ranging from the divine hand theory (dealing with how organized religion handles the matter of ethics), from utilitarianism (short version maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain, ethical egoism on a grander scale really), to the vague theories of Immanual Kant, (who stressed the theory of universal law, categorical imperatives, and what would happen if we applied it, supposedly). With all these great philosophical minds over the course of eons workin g on the problem with ethics, I find it rather ironic that no one pays heed to what one of the greatest minds in history, Socrates ( circa 470 B.C. to 399 B.C.) had to say concerning this question of morality. Socrates, seemingly was able to create a whole ethical theory based on a single statement, ?One must never do wrong, even for wrong received.? Words he uttered literally on his death bed just days before his execution took place in Athens. Simple words, yet with such magnitude and underlying meaning that we must examine this further in order to fully understand it. The statement, ?One must never do wrong, even for wrong received? seems to be a predecessor to the Judo-Christian philosophy ?treat others as you would have them treat you? or more commonly referred to as the golden rule. A first glance we seem to have all we need laid out for us right there. This statement calls for us to be honest, not to kill or maim anyone, and creates a world where life is more simple. Or does it? What about situations where some one is violating you, trying to harm you? May you defend yourself, and in fact is self defense a legitimate moral justification in this case? Looking at the literal text in ?One must never do wrong, even for wrong received? seems to imply that you may not. Even if our life is at stake, since attacking them would be doing wrong, we must not do so.? So in other words, Socrates must hold that self defense cannot be a legitimate moral justification for your actions. Ah but does he really ? Is it wrong to defend your life? I think not, in fact it is one of the highest goods possible. Not only are you saving a life by doing so (your own) you are also reaffirming to the public that human life is indeed sacred, and more so should be defended against all evils. In fact your self-defense appeals to the Athenian virtues of justice. One must recall that Athenians hold six virtues up above all others, and that these should not only be followed, but are indeed the highest qualities one could have. In this example, by defending your life your showing giving a shining example of justice (namely its wrong to kill). Since you are showing justice (knowing what is right and what is wrong) your making an example of our initial maxim ?One must never do wrong, even for wrong received.? You can also defend yourself in a nonlethal way, which by then doing so you are appealing to the Athenian virtue of piety (knowing what is sacred, or holy if you will). By saving your life and sparing your attackers, you are showing that life is a sacred thing, which further promotes your own piousness. For the vast majority of us, it hold true that we value life above all else, that defending it is a good in of itself, and based on Athenian virtue it seems the same here. Also by knowing what is pious

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essays

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essays The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay ?â€Å"The Lottery,† a short story written by Dr. Shirley Jackson, It’s a 3rd person Narrative tale story with a neutral tone but an unforeseen ending. The author creates a story filled with interesting setting, symbolism, even in forms of characters, irony, grim reality, and a ritualized tradition that masks evil, which ultimately demonstrates how people blindly follow tradition. The setting of this story is anonymous the town is unnamed and its locations is not stated. with the help of close reading it seems to take place in a rural small farming community that has about three hundred people. In the beginning of the story the writer painted a beautiful atmosphere fill with joy but also anticipation because throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling about the residents and their annual practice hosted every year on June 27th called â€Å"The Lottery†. While reading through the second paragraph of the story there is an overwhelming sense that something terrifying is about to happen. Jackson’s use effects such as foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting. The literary device call Allegory is well seen in this story. The nature of the lottery itself is seem as an aspect of the story that is not exactly part of the plot nor the character’s even thou it connects to all the parts. Some other symbols that are mention are the Black box, the ballot which is blank containing one with a black dot and stones. The black box seems to symbolize the past, present and origins.The Black box also represents death. The ballot with the black dot can also represent evil or chosen one. according to folktales any white surface that has a black dot on it is consider sinful or curse.The Significant of the stones in this story give a hint that violence was seeking in. The social context in this story was clearly seen that the villagers was participating in a tradition that their themselves was not fully sure why it wa