The Crucible “Piety and virtue are not only delightful for the present, but they leave peace and contentment behind them. ”---- John Tillotson. Although it is usually perceived as a concomitant of religious goodness, piety at times is false. Like a beautiful plant which grows deformed and withers because of wicked roots, false piety bears the fruit of evil, which fulfills one’s selfish and malicious agenda by taking advantage of the trust of others. Such phenomenon is demonstrated most vividly through Arthur Miller’s skillful depiction of Abigail Williams and Reverend Parris’s manipulation of the people of Salem in the play The Crucible, where they use the townspeople’s desire for virtue and piety to achieve their personal gain.
In every day life, we face many situations that require a moral decision. We have to decide what is right and what is wrong? Not always is this an easy task thus, it seems important to analyze how we make our moral decisions. I will start with an analysis of how we make decisions in general
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” famous children's book author Dr. Seuss wrote. Although his books may seem silly, Dr. Seuss’s works were very meaningful and sincere and have inspired many people. However, one of the greatest fears is being judged because someone is different, and this is expressed in many other literary works as well. To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the perspective of a girl named Scout, whose father Atticus tried to teach Scout and her brother Jem to be different and not be corrupted by the racism and classes of the southern town they live in.
Thousands of philosophers have dedicated their lives to try and find truth. Some believe they have succeeded while others died still searching. The concept of morality has also been debated for centuries. Agreed upon ideas of what is right and what is wrong are crucial components of any functional society. Below, Friedrich Nietzsche, german philosopher and author of Beyond Good and Evil will offer his opinion on these topics along with Niccolo Machiavelli; famed politician and philosopher well known for his book The Prince.
“A Genealogy of Morals” is compiled of three essays, that challenges the question of moral values and judgments .The first essay, “Good and Evil,” “Good and Bad" analyzes what Frederich Nietzsche calls "master morality" and "slave morality. " The methodology of Master morality was created by the strong, powerful, and free nobleman who perceived their lives and lineage as good and just. But in contrast, those they saw as weak, unworthy, and who were enslaved were labeled as “bad," since their weakness was unwanted.
The most obvious and controversial of Hitler's ideas are those that deal with race. His conception of a "master race," often depicted through the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Aryan, was the cornerstone of his entire policy and agenda. According to Hitler, the Germanic people were this race, the "highest race, [a] master people," destined for world dominance (Hitler). This idea of a master race clearly stems from Nietzsche’s work On the Genealogy of Morals. Nietzsche speaks extensively of "noble races" and their superiority in fields such as science, art, and war.
This past semester in Philosophy 152: The Moral Choice, we discussed several situations that questioned the morality of our everyday society. The course was centered around the teachings of famous philosophers such as Aristotle, St. Augustine and, most importantly, Supreme Pontiff John Paul II. John Paul’s encyclical letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church highlight the relationship between faith and reason. This letter is called Fides Et Ratio and has had a major effect on the current teachings of the church and subsequent philosophers.
Evaluating the morality within ourselves they evaluate morality on the principle of what is wrong or right. As equally
As a result, amiability became a trait that was selected for, and this is believed to have given rise to a core morality (Rosenberg 168). This begs the question: where does morality come from? Philosophers like Immanuel Kant would say that it comes from a certain, lofty sense of morality that supersedes reality, but evidence suggests that morality’s uncertain origins evolved from
This is especially true of moral philosophy because it brings out our deepest and most strongly held desires. Thus, all philosophy has been a mere confession of the individual’s desires and values and an attempt to impose them on
The ideas of Hegel and Paine about religion, proved that it was significant. It pioneered and taught man of the concepts of reason and liberty. Religion became a way to urge man to improve and participate. In other words, man tried to understand because it held the idea that they can acquire knowledge. And that it allowed man to assume that it can participate since he is similar to other men.
In the late 18th century, German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote extensively on the basis of morals. In his Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals¸ Kant describes the dichotomy present in humans which is a result of humans being both a rational and a natural creature. The rational portion of human pulls them towards acting morally through use of reason. At the same time, the natural aspect of human beings acts as a counterweight, pulling people towards their natural inclinations, especially self-interest. The strength of this counterweight seems massive when a look is taken at human history.
Discussions about morality, along with other aspects of life such as religion and politics, have been one of the hot topics being debated about nowadays. One of the reasons why this has been a hot topic for debate deals with the nature and source of morality. It is important to note that there are different perspectives given the various cultures and religions around the world. To further understand this concept of morality, one should be open and accepting of the various arguments presented. Morality is defined as principles dealing with the difference of right and wrong.
Adolescent population is a very vulnerable group for risk behavior and this time period can determine the lifestyle and health status of adulthood. Their health is strongly associated with behaviors learned within a socio-cultural context. Many studies revealed that behaviors linked to social learning can either increase or decrease the school-aged children’s risk for adverse health outcomes that may persist through adulthood. [100] An increased interest in the effects of religion on health is appeared in medical literature.
According to ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many others, humans have absolute moral values; the determination of what is right and wrong is present in all of us. Although humans have an innate feeling of what is good and bad, learning, analyzing, and understanding absolute values from other people and the media is crucial to human growth and the strive towards being a virtuous person; relying just on ourselves is not enough to achieve a moral understanding of moral values. Since ancient times, the human race has been teaching the concept of goodness; oral traditions in order to pass down knowledge and written media such as religious bibles and textbooks are some of the many ways that humanity presents their philosophies.