Responding to peers

Responding to Peers

Try to attempt to take the conversation further by examining their claims or arguments in more depth. Keep the discussion on target and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can.

Listed below is the peers’ responses

PEER 1

1.    The reasons for obeying laws or ethical principles that do not involve punishment or reward are Utilitarianism, Consequentialist, Deontology, and Virtue Ethics.

Utilitarianism as the text states it offers a very straightforward and direct way to evaluate behavior and it further explains that the act that should be chosen is the one that creates the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people (Mosser, 2013).

Consequentialist is to consider the consequences that will result from the choices one confront; if the consequences of one act produce the greatest net good-or the highest utility- for the greatest number of people, this is the act one should carry out (Mosser, 2013).

Deontology, unlike consequentialist, deontologist ignores an act of consequences when evaluating whether it is good, bad, or morally neutral act, it is important to remember that deontologist do not deny that acts consequences; their point is that those consequences should not play a role in evaluating the act’s morality (Mosser, 2013).

Virtue Ethics is an approach to moral and ethical questions that focuses on a person’s character. The virtuous person, or the person of a virtuous character, is someone who has admirable characteristic and displays them in a way that is balanced and harmonious (Mosser, 2013).

2.    Yes, there is a difference between people who obey the law out of fear and those who obey the law out of a sense of duty or character. Those who obey the law out of fear just think about the consequences they must pay if they get caught breaking the rules. For example, the most recent law in New York that drivers should not text and drive or have the phone in your hands while driving. Some drivers put the phone away out of fear of getting a ticket that would risk of paying $250.00 plus point on your license. Those who obey the law of sense of duty or character have moral value and the care for their environment and people around them. These are God fear individuals who think not only for themselves but also for others.

3.    Laws are written for a particular reason, to protect society and the environment. There are consequences to pay for breaking them. No one is above the laws. As long as it is in the book it should not be disregard.

PEER 2

1.    Reason 1:  To be a good example to children and young men and women about what it means to be a member of a society.  My kids are constantly looking at my speedometer on the road and sometimes they ask me to go faster and I just have to tell them that I’m already going the speed limit, which often provokes other questions about why, which of course I’m happy to answer!

Reason 2:  So that you will be treated how you like to be treated.  When someone gets up from their chair for a second to grab something we know that it’s not okay to steal their seat, and when we get up for a second to grab something we hope that others in the room know that it wouldn’t be cool for them to grab the seat we were in.

Reason 3:  To make our parents proud.  Many parents raise their children on a set of principles and hope that as adults they will continue on in the way they were raised. Showing them that the message was received is very fulfilling. 

2.     Yes, I think that people that obey the law out of fear alone have a higher tendency towards disobeying the law when the fear of reprisal is lessoned or they think they will not be caught.  People who obey the law out of a sense of duty or character I think will tend to obey the laws even when there is no chance of them being caught.    

3.     I would find it acceptable to not obey a law when a life is on the line.  For instance, if  someone was severely wounded and time was a factor I would be okay with racing down the highway in an attempt to get the person the most prompt care possible in an effort to save the life. 

I think that any law created in an effort to protect the common good should be followed.  There are still crazy laws on the books in certain states that should probably be disregarded.  For instance, in Montana it is illegal for a married woman to fish alone on Sundays and it is illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all.  I doubt if this bit of law has been enforced in the last hundred years, but it’s still on the books.