1 Roots of Civ.Joshi/Fetko

Write down your ideas for question 1. Be prepared to share these ideas with the class!! 2

1-What’s the best route to take to go from Manchester, CT to Providence, RI if I want to make the best time? 2-Is it ever OK to kill another human being? 3-Should I study for my exam tomorrow or play another hour on my PS3? 4-What happens after I die? 5-Is is alright to frame a guilty person? 6-Is it better for a society if everyone drove on the right or left side of the road? 7-If you found a ring of invisibility, what would you do? 3

 Thanks to Drs. Richard and Linda Elder 4

“kind, open-minded, impartial, truthful, honest, compassionate, considerate, and honorable” AND avoiding being… “selfish, greedy, egotistical, callous, deceitful, hypocritical, disingenuous, prejudiced, bigoted, spiteful, vindictive, cruel, brutal, and oppressive.”  Thanks to Drs. Richard and Linda Elder ub_0.pdf 5

 Think about this ethical question… When, if ever, is it right to take someone’s life? 6

A runaway train is barreling down the tracks. Tied to the tracks are 5 individuals. You are in control of the lever that switches the track and will save the 5 individuals. However, there is one person tied to the other track. Do you switch the track? Killing the one person. Or let fate take its course and kill the 5 individuals? 7

Same scenario… Runaway train, 5 people tied to one track and you have the ability to switch the track saving their lives. However, on the other track there is a 3 – YEAR-OLD CHILD tied to the tracks. Do you switch the tracks? Killing the 3 year old. Or do you let the 5 individuals meet their doom? 8

There is a runaway train barreling down the tracks… 5 people tied down to the tracks. HOWEVER, this time there is no lever to switch the tracks. You are on a bridge with a man standing next to you. In order to save the 5 individuals, you must push the man in front of the train to stop it from killing the five people. Do you push the man killing him? Or allow five individuals tied down to the tracks to die? 9

Let’s Ask Mr. Heinz 10

Mr. Heinz is ordinarily a law-abiding man. One day, his wife becomes gravely ill. Heinz takes her to the doctor, who prescribes a medication for her. She does quite well on this medication and begins to recover. However, Heinz has no insurance and runs out of money quickly paying for this expensive medication. After a few months, he can no longer purchase the medication and his wife begins to take a turn for the worse. One day, he is in the pharmacy and notices that no one is behind the counter. The medication is in plain view. Should he steal the medication to help his sick wife? 11

12

 Thanks very much to Mr. Robert Cooper, former social studies teacher here at MHS for these scenarios. 13

14

15

 Where did you agree and disagree?  Was it clear why your partner would respond the way they did?  Did talking to your partner change your view on any question? Please take no more than 10 minutes… 16

17 A – Yes, you do as you’re told to do by your boss, it is his/her responsibility. B – Yes, this is what is accepted in that culture so “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” C – Yes, because if you don’t do this, you might be fired. D – No, giving in to the bribe would only make that official want to ask for more and more money down the line. E – No, bribery is wrong anywhere, anytime, for any reason.

A – Yes, it isn’t yours. B – Yes, the police might be looking for it for an investigation and you don’t want to get into trouble. C – Yes, you hope there might be a reward. D – No, whoever was involved with this crash might find out who turned in the money and want to “talk” to you about what else you know. E – Are you dumb? Take the money and run. 18

A – No, friendship means being loyal. B – No, you might lose many friends if you turned them in after word got out. C – Yes, they left you in the lurch so you owe them no loyalty. D – Yes, your friend is a minor, this won’t impact his/her record when they turn 18. E – Your friend stole, they deserve to get caught. 19

 Complicated – there are many possible reasonable responses to any ethical situation.  Important – how we answer these kinds of questions for ourselves as individuals and as a society determines the kind of life and society we have. Ethics has consequences.  Useful – If you want to know how you see the world, examining ethical questions is a great way to do so.  Contextual – The response any one person has in a situation is dependent on their context, their upbringing (culture), their maturity, their material wealth, their having thought about it beforehand, and so on.  Ever Present – Ethical situations come up literally hundreds of times a day. 20

 1-PERSONAL BENEFIT/HARM  Would I get caught? Stand up in court?  2-MORAL PRINCIPLE  Does it violate some moral principle or personal code? (Think morality, Golden Rule, principles of secular humanism, human rights, etc.)  3-IMPACT  Does my action (or inaction) impact the bigger problem?  4-CALCULATION  Is it worth the time/money/resources (something measurable)?  5-CULTURE  What does my family or group’s tradition say? 21

How do Laws differ from Ethics? How are Laws similar to ethics? Could they be related in some way? 22

23 Ethics Laws Ethics Laws