I'm writing a paper for my English class on the need for ethical education in American public schools to improve moral literacy, individual responsibility, the overall social climate, and ultimately, value of life in America for all citizens. (That's deep, man. Deep...) So I was thinking of the weird stuff my English and Philosophy teachers have had me dig up over the past few years. And that's when it hit me that Philosophy is one weird science.
I call it a science because it's ultimately unearthing underlying ideals of existence and it's related phenomena. I mean, it's not entirely a science, but kind of... But it's odd to see where philosophy and even ethical questions emerge from. Yes, there are tons of philosophers and prophets that have passed their knowledge to us. But beyond the Heideggers (well, I don't think there could ever be another Heidegger...) and Nietzsche's, a lot of philosophy seems to emerge from some of the oddest places.
Like Eminem's music, which seems to feature constant bantering between multiple characters, each with their respective codes of ethics and morality. Or Wagner's operas, which Nietzsche claims are the closest any artistic creation has come to matching the power of Greek tragedy. Or even film. From something as obvious as The Matrix to something as oddly intriguing as WALL-E, technology has been constantly questioned throughout the past many years (thanks to Star Trek). Or even questioning the value of human life, as seen from the various medical shows that have emerged recently (*cough*Grey'sAnatomy*cough*). Or even the cartoons I mentioned before (which, thank you for the correction about Moral Orel!).
It's odd that with all this ethical and philosophical thought going on around us, we're still often hesitant to bring it up. I personally feel much more comfortable discussing ethics than many, many other things.
In my English class, we read an article (I can't read the title right now... My light's off, as my roommate's asleep) where the author postulated that philosophy and ethics aren't discussed much for fear of offending someone. I find that offensive! People are boung to be offended at one time or another. Why not be offended by something worth being offended by? If people were to discuss their way through offense, we'd have much more intriguing socialization, and people would probably be much more respectful to each other.
But that's probably just me. I've never mastered the 'art' of small talk. To me, if someone exists, I want to know who they are, and small talk has never really satisfied that craving for me. (I'm currently trying to analyzation this behaviorally. I'm not outgoing, and yet my conversations are always sort of deep... Maybe I'll write an in-depth psycho-sexual analysis of my behavior soon).
So there you have it. Give me the chance, and I'll talk your face off about, like, deep things, like atomic destabilization. And stuff. Deep stuff.
(Just a side note: I feel that the current problem with our current society is an unwillingness to examine the total effect of our actions. There seems to be a lack of understanding causation socially. I've been watching myself really closely recently because of this. This is one of the things I think ethics education would help eliminate by teaching rational responsibility toward self and others.)
I call it a science because it's ultimately unearthing underlying ideals of existence and it's related phenomena. I mean, it's not entirely a science, but kind of... But it's odd to see where philosophy and even ethical questions emerge from. Yes, there are tons of philosophers and prophets that have passed their knowledge to us. But beyond the Heideggers (well, I don't think there could ever be another Heidegger...) and Nietzsche's, a lot of philosophy seems to emerge from some of the oddest places.
Like Eminem's music, which seems to feature constant bantering between multiple characters, each with their respective codes of ethics and morality. Or Wagner's operas, which Nietzsche claims are the closest any artistic creation has come to matching the power of Greek tragedy. Or even film. From something as obvious as The Matrix to something as oddly intriguing as WALL-E, technology has been constantly questioned throughout the past many years (thanks to Star Trek). Or even questioning the value of human life, as seen from the various medical shows that have emerged recently (*cough*Grey'sAnatomy*cough*). Or even the cartoons I mentioned before (which, thank you for the correction about Moral Orel!).
It's odd that with all this ethical and philosophical thought going on around us, we're still often hesitant to bring it up. I personally feel much more comfortable discussing ethics than many, many other things.
In my English class, we read an article (I can't read the title right now... My light's off, as my roommate's asleep) where the author postulated that philosophy and ethics aren't discussed much for fear of offending someone. I find that offensive! People are boung to be offended at one time or another. Why not be offended by something worth being offended by? If people were to discuss their way through offense, we'd have much more intriguing socialization, and people would probably be much more respectful to each other.
But that's probably just me. I've never mastered the 'art' of small talk. To me, if someone exists, I want to know who they are, and small talk has never really satisfied that craving for me. (I'm currently trying to analyzation this behaviorally. I'm not outgoing, and yet my conversations are always sort of deep... Maybe I'll write an in-depth psycho-sexual analysis of my behavior soon).
So there you have it. Give me the chance, and I'll talk your face off about, like, deep things, like atomic destabilization. And stuff. Deep stuff.
(Just a side note: I feel that the current problem with our current society is an unwillingness to examine the total effect of our actions. There seems to be a lack of understanding causation socially. I've been watching myself really closely recently because of this. This is one of the things I think ethics education would help eliminate by teaching rational responsibility toward self and others.)
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