Week 3 Discussion PHI 208
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208
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Philosophy
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Apr 3, 2024
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Week 3 Discussion PHI 208
Good afternoon, PART 1 –
Discuss either the formula of universal law or the formula of humanity.
Universal law states that all must apply it. If I completed an action and thought the action was right, would I think the same if everyone were doing that same action? Test Case
: With the economy worsening, I do not have the money to purchase the items I want and need. Every time I go to the store, I will walk out with all my items and not pay for my items.
1.
Maxim
: Every time I go to the store, I will walk out and not pay for my items.
2.
Universal Law
: Every time people go to the store, they will walk out and not pay for their items.
3.
The World
: Describe what the world would look like if everyone in it must obey the universal law. This will cause an incredible amount of shrinkage for the store, impacting overall prices for every store to increase for those not stealing. This would lead to store closures and job losses,
impacting the economy even more. This behavior would disrupt our law enforcement with increased calls to pursue these matters. 4.
Is There a Contradiction?
Consider whether there is a contradiction in the world you have imagined. No contradiction- A world where everyone walks out of the store without paying for the items would become chaotic, eventually leaving a possible shortage of items because there is no profit to keep producing. Stealing would be the new normal. There would not be enough law enforcement to stop everyone. There is no way to provide a contradiction for this case. 5.
State Whether the Maxim Is Moral
: If there is no contradiction, then the maxim is moral. If there is a contradiction, then the maxim is immoral.
Therefore, this maxim is not moral.
PART 2 – Test Case: “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”
“They have gone down the highways of the South on torturous rides of freedom. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. Some have been kicked out of their churches, have lost the support of their bishops and fellow ministers”.
1.
Maxim
: State the maxim of your action using first-person singular.
As I fought for freedom, I was jailed and kicked out of my church.
2.
Universal Law
: Formulate a universal law based on the maxim.
Everyone who fights for freedom will be jailed and kicked out of their church. 3.
The World
: Describe what the world would look like if everyone in it must obey the universal law.
4.
Applying universal law to this case, many people would not fight for freedom or what is right
for fear of being jailed and losing affiliation with the support system of their church. This would lead to unjust practices as no one would fight for what is morally right and just. 5.
Is There a Contradiction?
Consider whether there is a contradiction in the world you have imagined. I don’t see a contradiction for this case being a universal law. If we did, we would not have protesters fighting for the freedom of women's rights or for laws and legislative acts; there would be no marches when police brutality takes place. People would be too afraid to speak up due to being jailed, leaving us in a world less free. Conclusion: A utilitarian would agree with the conclusion that the consequences of the action taken in part one would have a much greater negative impact on society if this were a universal law. References: Kant, I. (2017).
Groundwork for the metaphysic of morals
Links to an external site.
(J. Bennett, Ed. & Trans.). Early Modern Texts. http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/kant1785.pdf (Original work published 1785)
King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1986).
Letter from a Birmingham jail
Links to an external site.
(A. Hornsby, Jr., Ed.).
The Journal of Negro History
,
71
(1–4), 38–44. (Original work published 1963)
1
st
reply: Great discussion, Antonio. Moving forward, I will take the time to read through the post
prior to taking a stab at my assignments to ensure my understanding is aligned with my classmates. How you described your contradiction and conclusion allowed me to see how my post was incorrect. You are right; there must be punishment when a disruption or unorderly protest occurs, but to what extent should the punishment be? It should definitely not involve one’s life being lost. 2
nd
reply:
Hello Professor Wise,
Thank you for the correction in my statement. I went back and forth and confused myself when applying my responses during this week’s discussion. I will need to go back and read the chapter again to ensure I truly understand the content. Thank you for providing additional clarification to
guide me. Your Example of Maxim: "I will continue to fight for freedom even if I am kicked out of my church and put in jail."
To apply a universal law to your example it would read: Everyone will continue to fight for freedom even if they are kicked out of church and put in jail. From my understanding of utilitarianism and deontology, deontology is the best foundation for our ethical thinking and practices. Deontology stands for right or wrong regardless of the outcome.
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