Entry 6

How did the third contemporary issue effect your principles? What more have you found that you need to reasonably respond to these moral issues beyond a set of principles? Are their other skills or knowledge that will make you a more effective ethical being? What are they?

     The third issue slightly effected my principles on the issue of capital punishment.  I found that I have more a problem with the prison system, then I thought I before these readings, and discussions.  I have found that we should keep a death penalty on the books, but not for actual use, only as a deturrent for future crimes.  I have also found that vengence is the only real reason people are executed (because the determent theory has so many holes), if that is the case then the death penalty is never justified, because venegence is only a wrong done on the basis of a wrong. (AKA an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind).  I'm sure there are always going to be other skills and knowlege that I will need to become a more ethical being, however what they are, I don't know at this point.  I feel that the discoevery of these skills is the true meaning of life and we must keep live and learn in order to become more ethical beings. 
I commented on Javier Luque's blog

Entry 5

The second contemporary issue effected my understanding but noot my principles on abortion.  I would say that my principles didn't really need adjusting, but rather I needed to have a deeper understanding of where my principles were derived from.  I would say that Noonan's posistion was least consistant with my own principles because he says that a fetus does not have the abillity to speak for itself and therefore needs representation.  I disagree with this perspective because I feel that a fetus is not yet a person or even a sentient being and therefore is entitled to no representation.  So to me his point is null and void.  I feel that the only real justification for pro life advocacy is an argument based on decency, not morality.  More specifically, decency in the level of grotesqueness of the abortion.  If a baby's skull needs to be crushed in order to abort the pregnancy, then the baby should not be aborted.  Also if the baby has become a fully concious being then it should not be aborted.  Other then these two circumstances I am fully supportive of the pro choice argument presented by Warren. 

I commeneted on Jess Biondi's blog

Entry 4

The first contemporary issue; human cloning, from my persepctive didn't really effect my principles.  I believe human cloning goes along with most of my individual principles.  Considering I've followed stem cell research and to a lesser extent human cloning my own personal principles didn't really come into play all that much on the issues.  Tooley was certainly much more consistant with my views and principles.  Tooley's method of self refliection as a soceity points out the hypocracy in Kass' argument.  Tooley believes that most of the reasons against human cloning and stem cell research are null, because we already practice many of these things as a soceity.  I totally agree with this view. 

I commented on Javier's blog.

Entry 3

  I find the social and ethical principles of social responsibility and by extension communism and socialism most apealing.  I believe this fits with my basic principles outlined in the first assignment.  For example one would in a sense, need to be mandatorily kind and generous if these systems were in place.  I do not believe my personal values and principles conflict with my social and moral principles, although i'm sure someone could find a way in which they do.  I live by both to the best of my abillity, although sometimes the needs of life cause me to divert from the principles i've laid out.  I will go about living by both principles by trying to continue to expand my awareness and perception and also continuing to be a left wing activist.  I will also continue to be what I see as an honest, moral and jsut person. 

I commented on rebbeca's blog

Blog Entry 2

The personal principles that i adheared to before coming to this class were somewhat varied.  I believed in being your typical good person in general.  I also believed that a person must be generous and kind.  Where i differ from most people is that I am very skeptical and a little bit negative.  I believe that one must always question and reflect on everything one hears and sees in their daily life.  Without being both externally and internally reflective, I find that life has very little real meaning or depth to it.  I do not believe that these principles and ideas were taught to me, at least not in any way that I can recall.  I believe I aquired these principles through experience and my own brain chemestry and personality make up.  I belive that the reading has greatly impacted me and broadened my view on the world and those who inhabit it.  I see both contradictions and connections where I had not previously.  Out of the reading and lecture topics I am most drawn to the taoist principles.  I find this to be a very practical and appealing way to live.  I have pondered trying to practice the principles described in my own life, although this change would be difficult I think I would find it gratifying.

I commented on Evan Gerry's blog