Blog Assignment #2

1. Were the questions on the Moral Sense Test difficult to answer (psychologically, emotionally, conceptually, technically, etc.)? Why or why not? Do you think your responses to the Moral Sense Test questions were consistent? Does this matter?

I didn’t feel the questions were hard to answer. I felt while I was taking the test that the questions lead me to place myself in the scenario. Being faced with the questions that followed I answered it based on my current beliefs. As I answered each scenario, I noticed that my answeres varied depending on how I felt about the presented situation. I do not believe that everyone can have the same set of rules that apply to every presented dilemma. Just as the book for our class talked about the bible not being straight forward and subject to interpretation; I believe that our own morals are subject to constant reinterpretation based on the criteria of the situation.

2. Should people always follow the law? Why or why not? When might one be justified in NOT following the law? Give examples.

People should not blindly follow the laws of the land. However, if you go against a law exists you must be ready to answer for the action to the courts. Conversely if there is no law preventing specific action, one must be cautious not to go against the norm and ostracize them from society. There are people who believe that it is the right of the specific individual to choose when the time has come to end their own life. Terminally ill people often seek out ways to peacefully end their own lives. Unfortunately, the tools required for a peacefully exit from there terrestrial existence is not located at the corner market. This creates the need for some assistance from those in society that have access to those tools. Thus creating “Assisted Suicide”, there are laws that prevent such action coming to fruition. Even though all parties involved in the act agree that it is a natural act, lawmakers have said otherwise.

3. In your own words, explain what "social convention" means. Give examples.

Social convention is the set of rules that exist and most of us follow on a daily basis that is considered acceptable within our own society. A society can be in the form of a small group of people to millions of people. I grew up in a time and place where women my mom’s age felt blessed to be taken on as a housewife to stay home keep the house in order and raise the children and the husbands role was to provide the paycheck. If a woman wanted to stay single and have a career they were looked upon poorly and with distain. In the same era only a few hundred miles away the total opposite would be true. So, social convention is actually a set of unwritten rules that are a result of culture and social influences.

4. Should people always follow the conventions of their society? Why or why not? Give examples.

Whether or not to follow the social convention is something most of us face every day. Depending on the circumstances a person may make a choice that goes against social convention to allow their own beliefs to be kept intact. I pray that I never have to make this choice as a father. I was watching a television program about a family whose son, which was about 3 years old, came down with a bizarre disease that attached the extremities. His arms and legs had frostbite like symptoms. In order to save their sons life they had to make the choice to amputate his arms and legs right up to the torso. Social convention would dictate that they do everything possible to save the life of their child, regardless of quality of life. The family decided to amputate the affected limbs dramatically altering all of their lives forever. There was a follow up story a couple of years later and the boy seemed as happy as he could be considering the circumstances. I said when I watched the story I would not do that to my son, that statement came years before I was blessed to be a father myself. My son is seven, again, let me be clear I pray I never have to make a choice like that, and I would choose to allow God to work and I would not allow the surgery to take place. Even if it meant my son would pass away. I don’t believe that extending the length of life is worth the cost of quality of life.

5. Should people always follow their own principles? Why or why not? Give examples.

There are times in which a person has to weigh the cost of sticking to their principles. I hold honesty with high regard as one of my core principles. Being a manager is a position I strive to achieve and I fall into naturally. I have been a manager for over 15 years. There have been times in where I know I was going to terminate an employee. I would have to interact with this person throughout the duration of time from when I found out I had to let them go and the predetermined time the owners wanted the employee to be informed. There was one occasion where a young lady was knew she was on thin ice with the company. I found out we were letting her go early one morning, later that day she came into my office to talk. She wanted to talk about her performance and she started with a very direct “How do you think I am doing?” So now I am faced with lying to her to keep her in the dark about what is coming at the end of the week or tell her what the truth is. If I tell her the truth I stand to upset the owners and they may make my life more difficult, which is not what I want. So I lie to her and tell her there are some area that need improving and try to leave the conversation where she is content enough to continue on until I have to tell her the truth later in the week.

6. Explain in your own words the difference between socially acceptable, legally acceptable, and morally acceptable.

A nursing mother may be in a situation where she would have to allow her infant to nurse while in a public place. She may decide to sit down on a park bench and allow her child to nurse while making no attempt to cover herself. While many states do not have laws preventing such behavior, thus legally acceptable, other people in the park may take offence to this act; deeming the act of publicly exposed child nursing to be social unacceptable. For the mother she feels that prolonging the time before she can feed her child by waiting until she can get to a private location and forcing the child to suffer. Preventing the child from suffering by publicly nursing is morally acceptable.


7. Out of 25 points, how many points do you feel your work on this assignment deserves? Justify your answer.

I feel this post deserves the full 25 points. Each question was answered in-depth and referenced both the book reading and the Harvard Moral Sense Test. I must admit that these questions get me to think about the question instead of just racing to answer the question quickly to finish the assignment.