Blog Assignment #4

Last names beginning with H - P: Relationship b/n Law and Ethics1. Paragraph: explain in your own words what the relationship is between laws and ethics.
Laws and ethics definatly coincide with each other. Without ethics we wouldn't have laws. Laws are created when organizations come together and decide on what is right and wrong. Of course as time changes, so do our ethical views, thus do our laws to fit them. Ethics help make our laws and laws help us to live morally.
2. Paragraph & Link: Find one online resources related to this topic—not Wikipedia. Explain in a brief paragraph what you learned about this topic through the resource you found; include the link at the end of your paragraph.
The article I found really pressed the issue that there may never be a clear answer to the relationship between law and ethics. Their relationship tends to do circles around each other and it is important to understand the history of both to come to any kind of conclusion. It references Plato and Kant for many of its reasoning. It clearly says that the two combined are a "problem package & a package deal" and you can't have laws without having ethics.

http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~mbernste/tae.ethics&law.herrera.html
3. Argument: Compose a short argument, in “argument elements” form. I’ll provide the arguable issue; you provide the rest. Make sure each of your premises is a complete sentence, and that your argument doesn’t break any of the rules listed in the first chapter of the Rulebook for Arguments:Arguable Issue: The arguable issue is whether or not we need ethics, given that we already have laws.
Conclusion: We need ethics even though we already have laws.
Premises: We need ethics even though we have laws because
(1) Ethics give certain laws ground rules.
(2) Ethics allow us to decide what is right and wrong in order to make and change laws.
(3) Ethics helps us decide certain the appropriate punishment when a law is broken.

The Role of the Majority View
1. Paragraph: Explain in your own words what a Majority View is. Cite your sources.
Majority view in my opinion is simply a statistical number. It is a view decided by a certain amount of people deciding on an issue. It does not include everyone. Some may decide they don't know where they stand and decide not to vote. Some would be influenced by others to vote a certain way. It isn't a reliable number to count on. The book (Ruggiero) says that the majority view is what we believe to be the wisest, most informed view and that it cannot be counted on.
2. Argument: Compose a short argument, in “argument elements” form. I’ll provide the arguable issue; you provide the rest. Make sure each of your premises is a complete sentence, and that your argument doesn’t break any of the rules listed in the first chapter of the Rulebook for Arguments:Arguable Issue: The arguable issue is whether or not the Majority View is a reliable basis for ethical decision-making.
Conclusion: The majority view is not a reliable basis for ethical decision-making.
Premises: The majority view is not a reliable basis for ethical decision- making because
(1) It does not include the view of everyone.
(2) The views and opinions of certain people can be influence to vote a certain way.
(3) Just because more people believe one way doesn't make it the right way.

The Role of Feelings
1. Paragraph: Explain in your own words what feelings are. Cite your sources.
A feeling is something we believe in, something we stand behind. Everyone has different beliefs dependant on how they were raised and things that they have adapted to in their life. Feelings help to make us who we are and develop our core values. According to the book (Ruggiero) feelings are not reliable and differ from person to person. We all have separate needs and wants.
2. Argument: Compose a short argument, in “argument elements” form. I’ll provide the arguable issue; you provide the rest. Make sure each of your premises is a complete sentence, and that your argument doesn’t break any of the rules listed in the first chapter of the Rulebook for Arguments:Arguable Issue: The arguable issue is whether or not our feelings are a reliable basis for ethical decision-making.
Conclusion: Feelings are not a reliable basis for decision making.
Premises: Feelings are not a reliable basis for decision making because
(1) Feelings differ from person to person.
(2) Feelings are based off our own personal needs and wants.
(3) Feelings aren't always solid, they can change at anytime.

The ability to express yourself in your own words is essential in this class. Did you put everything in your own words this time?
Yes, I did put everything in my own words. I referenced the book when not using them.
What was easiest / hardest about this assignment?
The easiest part was probably the argument elements. The hardest was trying to make a point and without sounding like the book.
How will you apply what you learned through this assignment to your everyday life?
I know now that having a feeling doesn't justify making all ethical decisions. Sometimes it takes more than just a feeling. Also that just because a group may feel a certain way about a certain thing doesn't mean it is always the right decision.
How well do you think you did on this assignment? Explain
This assignment was one of the longer ones, but was one of the funner ones as well. The argument elements really allow you to challenge yourself and your beliefs. My answers could have been longer to be honest.