While character is somewhat important in doing the right thing, it is not fully responsible for all actions. It seems plausible that people of good moral character will make the “right” moral decisions, but that cannot be applied to all situations. The public personas mentioned in the article have been under scrutiny for the past few weeks for their ludicrous outbursts. The majority of people are aware of the actions by Kanye West, Serena Williams, and Joe Wilson because all have been the focus of the news and many talk shows. However, how much do we actually know about their character? Yes, most people would agree that Kanye was wrong to grab the microphone away from Taylor Swift. Was it okay for Serena to threaten the line judge? Probably not. Was it okay for Congressman Wilson to accuse Obama of being a liar? I don’t think so. While all of their actions can be considered morally wrong, or at least not the ideal moral decision, they do not essentially define each person’s character. Though Kanye may be known as the attention seeking rapper, Joe Wilson just recently became a well known figure. Unfortunately for Wilson, he is only well known because he disrespected the president. It is all too common that we only hear about the eccentric actions of public figures. My point is, a person’s character cannot be defined by one action and therefore character does not without doubt determine the actions a person will take. All three of the public figures have issued apologies, which may indicate their recognition of a lapse in correct judgment. Perhaps just in that one moment, their good character did not act to do the right thing. Further complicating this idea of character and doing the right thing is the question of what is the right thing. There are people that applauded Kanye for his stunt at the awards show, saying that is was commendable for him to speak his mind. While the majority of people may not feel this way, in that case Kanye’s character led him to do the right thing.
I think that character and virtue both play a major part in doing the right thing. Without character, I believe that one may still have some slight sense to choose the right choices in certain situations (the most obvious example, whether or not to have a public outburst), but one is likely to make bad decisions or to do the 'wrong' thing. However, without good character, many incorrect choices are made.
The article above focused on Kanye West's outburst and the MTV VMA's to steal the spotlight from Taylor Swift. This was not the first time he had said or done something extremely stupid. After Hurricane Katrina, he participated in the infamous TV celebrity fundraiser and claimed that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI at 1:33). This statement, of course, caught like wildfire in the media and everyone was talking about it (as they were about his VMA incident). The list of stupid things that Kanye West has done goes on and there are even websites dedicated to the bad things that he has said/done. In his situation, it is clear that his character and virtues conflict with what many people would believe to be normal or regular. When a person with such fame makes repeated statements that are ridiculous, demeaning or rude, it reflects poorly upon that person. If said person tried to be the best he or she could be, he or she would learn from his or her mistakes and try not to have another 'outburst' or do anything to attract bad attention.
In the case of Serena Williams, she was simply acting inappropriately. To some extent, her outburst was understandable. She disagreed with the line judge and was heated about it. Earlier in that same match, she smashed her racket into the ground. One can conclude that she was being a bad sport about being behind in her match, which I also believe to be true, but no conclusion can be made on her character. She does not have a history, like Kanye West does, that shows her to have poor character repeatedly. Because of this lack of history, in her case, one cannot fairly say that she has bad character.
On a more abstract level, however, I believe that it is quite easy to do the right thing with good character. Granted, the definition of good character can be debated, as can the definition of what is right, but most people can agree that the 'wrong' choices are pretty clear. Of course, there will be catch 22 situations where either of two choices have negative consequences or be viewed negatively, but those with good character tend to steer clear of poor decisions and choices. As I mentioned earlier, people learn from their mistakes, but those that are repeatedly berated for making poor decisionsare are lacking in character and virtue.
Character/virtue is very important in doing the right thing. The principles of ethics (respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficience, and justice) all have corresponding virtures. For example, the corresponding virtue to respect for autonomy is respectfulness, and the corresponding virture for justice is fairness. If a person does not have these virtues, or live by these virtues, they will not have the ability to make good decisions, or ethically correct decisions.
Our book discusses virtue ethics. It says that in virtue ethics, there are "right actions" that a person would do, if that person had a virtuous character. It is quite obvious that when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech he was not acting in a respectful manor, therefore violating the virtue of respectfulness. This goes too for Serena Williams' outburst, and Joe Wilson's response to President Obama. These people did not make good decisions in their actions because they were not "right actions" as described in virtue ethics.
If Kanye West, Serena Williams and Joe Wilson had acted respectfully, as "virtuous agents", they would have probably made better, moral decisions.
Character and virtue play an important role in decision making. However, actions do not necessarily define a person. Everyone makes mistakes and misbehaves at some point or another. I think it is important to highlight that everyone has the ability to do the right thing. The character traits that form an individual can make someone more or less likely to do the right thing based on their values and typical actions. Virtue can come naturally and someone can live their life with moral excellence and goodness, but virtue is also the ability to conform to the moral and ethical principles within a society. In the case of Serene Williams, Kanye West and Joe Willson, these people have the ability to be virtuous and make the moral decision. I also think that they are capable of understanding the difference between right and wrong, so ultimately their recent actions are very possibly out of the norm and have nothing to do with their true character. It is also important to highlight that the media has portrayed their actions as inappropriate and unprofessional, but some may see things differently. Some may believe their actions were honest and that they all had the courage to speak their minds. I think this behavior unacceptable and should be addressed, but they should not be defined by these actions. One could argue that what Williams, West and Willson did was wrong, but ultimately it is not a reflection of their character and or virtue.
Character in virtue play some role in decision making, yet I believe that it doesn't play a pivotal role in it. For example, in western societies, it is common to attribute behavior to a person's character or personality. An example of this would be a man diving in front of a car to save a child in the street. I think it is also important to look at the situational context. For example, Serena Williams was playing a game of tennis. Her heart was racing, her sympathetic nervious system was active and suddenly a judgement was made that she deemed unfair. It is possible that her elevated heart rate contributed to the inappropriate remarks she made. In this case, her inappropriate remarks have more to do with the situation rather than character.
I think it is innacurate to judge people who are in the limelight on the character based on one sitaution. More information is needed before a person can accruately deem if Serena, Kanye, or Wilson have defective senses of virtue or character. -Jennifer Hicks
I think that character/virtue plays a very important role in making a right decision. A person's character/virtue is often a good indicator of the line of decision making they follow, whether it be right or wrong. For example, it is much more difficult to imagine a person who continually demonstrates poor moral character, such as lying, stealing, or cheating, making a correct moral decision than it is to imagine someone who demonstrates good characteristics such as telling the truth, helping others, ect. This is simply because someone who has demonstrated poor moral character in the past is likely to demonstrate it again in the future. Furthermore, a person's character/virtue often directly influences the line of reasoning they take to make a decision. A thief thinks that it is alright for him to steal, because others have more than him and he feels he deserves as much as everyone else. This characteristic of feeling stealing is alright is how a thief will justify making the decision to steal. However, most people would agree that in all but extreme circumstances, such as starvation, stealing is wrong. Yet we have seen that his character as a thief led him to make the wrong decision to steal. Nevertheless, I feel what is more important to note about public faces behaving poorly and demonstrating their poor judgment is that they are the role models and leaders of many Americans and people around the world. When they behave badly, whether they are showing their "true colors" or not, they are making a statement to the public that behaving inappropriately is an OK thing to do. Clearly, it is not. Therefore, I think these people, especially because of their leadership roles, need to be held to the same standard as everyone else. If I sat in class and yelled out that Prof Barash was a liar because I disagreed with one of the ethical theories she was teaching, I would be asked to leave. I do not see why these people feel they should be treated any differently. If someone is going to be consistently viewed in the public eye, I do not they should be judged differently then you would judge a person sitting next to you yelling out "You lie!" in the middle of class. Wilson, Williams, and West should have been asked to leave, just as any average person in an average setting would be asked to leave. Overall, I feel that character/virtue plays an extremely significant role in right decision making.
I agree character and virtue are important in doing the right thing, but not that one action defines the two. Having good character and virtue may be the cause for doing good and moral things regularly, but they cannot be held responsible for one slip up. In the case of Serena Williams, she displayed an inappropriate outburst during a tennis match in reaction to a poor call, and it can be considered a poor moral decision. As far as I am aware, she does not have tantrums every time she plays tennis, so does that give us the right to deem her with poor character? Should we take into account the educational foundation she has started, or only focus on what the media portrays? Point being, few of us know Serena Williams well enough to make that judgment. In the case of Joe Wilson, it can be agreed upon that calling the President of the United States a liar, regardless of affiliated party, is an extremely poor moral decision…but once again, can we judge him as having poor character and virtue? Do any of us know him well enough to know his personality outside the political arena? Although his extremely inappropriate outburst caused many of us to deem him with bad character and poor virtues, as stated in a previous blog, the majority of us had no idea he even existed until his display…it may be unfair to judge him based on one incident. Kanye West may be depicted in a slightly different light. It is quite well known his Taylor Swift disruption at the VMAs is only the most recent of many displays of his opinion. Although he may have acted inappropriately while sharing his opinion, the media, as it does with many celebrities, is responsible for the image the rest of us see. Kanye may be digging himself deeper with every one of his outbursts, but once again, how can we really know his character and virtue if we are not aware of the many many decisions he, and the others have made in their lives.
In doing the right thing, character should be considered unimportant because it is so subjective. Virtue ethics requires that a person develop good moral character and then make decisions based on that character. The character is the motivation for the decisions. However, how do you answer the question of what good moral character is, where it comes from, and whether it is even an achievable goal? For example, Confucianism would say that moral character is innate and incorrect moral decisions are made because of people's failure to cultivate that correct moral character. However, Christianity would have you believe that humans innately have a bad moral character, and must work against it their entire lives. To top it all off, Kant says that one bad decision proves bad moral character, and while moral values exist, they remain a frail and unattainable goal.
Based on these lines of reasoning, it may be assumed that Kanye or Wilson do not even have the capacity to obtain moral character, or that their moral character is forever flawed based on these isolated events. Who's to say that either of these things is true or not true? If there is already conflicting accounts on where moral character originates and what it originates as, there can be no surefire way to define what it actually means to be virtuous. Therefore, we cannot judge Kanye, Serena, or Wilson based on virtue ethics alone (or even at all) because it is entirely too subjective.
Character and virture are very important when determining what the right thing to do is. However, in life, people make mistakes. When people make mistakes who are in the lime light, the world has a tendency to criticize much more harshly. Which makes sense since these people are looked at as role models, who even though are 'famous' per say, should be held accountable and responsible for their actions as any 'non-famous' person should.
On the other hand, although their actions were said to be rude and uncalled for, each of them were saying what they believed in. Kanye was just speaking his mind right? Wilson was saying how he felt and Serena spoke up about what she thought was an unfair call. Yes, there all could have been handled in a more fashionable manner, but in a sense, they were all speaking out based on their feelings.
Character is something you do when no one is looking. We are not at liberty to judge these particular persons characters and virtue based on the mere fact we don't know them. Yeah, we saw their outbursts but we don't know them as a person. Who are we to judge?
An individuals’ character and virtues are vital in doing the right thing. A person with poor character or imperfect values will be unable to act justifiably in certain situations.
The examples used in the article of Kanye West, Serena Williams, and Joe Wilson do not provide enough insight into their true character and what their values truly are. There are too many alternative motives in each of these cases. Were Kanye West's undeniably rude actions a reflection of his character and his lack of commendable values or was it for publicity? Did Joe Wilson's shout out illustrate racism, or some other type of poor character and lack of values, or was it a stunt to draw support to the republican side of the debate and make democrats question the president and his plans. In addition, we honestly have no idea if Joe Wilson actually possesses the ideal character and ideals and was only expressing how he felt or perhaps the president was lying, we will never now. Although there are no alternative viewpoints to the Serena Williams outburst, I do not feel it is a representation of poor character and virtues. This is because every person gets upset when something they love and are passionate about goes awry.
In the end, I believe and individuals character and virtues are vital in doing the right thing; however, each case and every action must be dissected intensely to discover whether the actions were representative of the individuals character and virtues or if some alternative motives perceive them poorly.
This is a blog for students of my PH 251 (Fall 2009) class. Please use this forum to initiate discussion and participate in our examinations of medical ethics. Your responses will count towards your participation grade.
While character is somewhat important in doing the right thing, it is not fully responsible for all actions. It seems plausible that people of good moral character will make the “right” moral decisions, but that cannot be applied to all situations. The public personas mentioned in the article have been under scrutiny for the past few weeks for their ludicrous outbursts. The majority of people are aware of the actions by Kanye West, Serena Williams, and Joe Wilson because all have been the focus of the news and many talk shows. However, how much do we actually know about their character? Yes, most people would agree that Kanye was wrong to grab the microphone away from Taylor Swift. Was it okay for Serena to threaten the line judge? Probably not. Was it okay for Congressman Wilson to accuse Obama of being a liar? I don’t think so. While all of their actions can be considered morally wrong, or at least not the ideal moral decision, they do not essentially define each person’s character. Though Kanye may be known as the attention seeking rapper, Joe Wilson just recently became a well known figure. Unfortunately for Wilson, he is only well known because he disrespected the president. It is all too common that we only hear about the eccentric actions of public figures. My point is, a person’s character cannot be defined by one action and therefore character does not without doubt determine the actions a person will take. All three of the public figures have issued apologies, which may indicate their recognition of a lapse in correct judgment. Perhaps just in that one moment, their good character did not act to do the right thing. Further complicating this idea of character and doing the right thing is the question of what is the right thing. There are people that applauded Kanye for his stunt at the awards show, saying that is was commendable for him to speak his mind. While the majority of people may not feel this way, in that case Kanye’s character led him to do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI think that character and virtue both play a major part in doing the right thing. Without character, I believe that one may still have some slight sense to choose the right choices in certain situations (the most obvious example, whether or not to have a public outburst), but one is likely to make bad decisions or to do the 'wrong' thing. However, without good character, many incorrect choices are made.
ReplyDeleteThe article above focused on Kanye West's outburst and the MTV VMA's to steal the spotlight from Taylor Swift. This was not the first time he had said or done something extremely stupid. After Hurricane Katrina, he participated in the infamous TV celebrity fundraiser and claimed that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI at 1:33). This statement, of course, caught like wildfire in the media and everyone was talking about it (as they were about his VMA incident). The list of stupid things that Kanye West has done goes on and there are even websites dedicated to the bad things that he has said/done. In his situation, it is clear that his character and virtues conflict with what many people would believe to be normal or regular. When a person with such fame makes repeated statements that are ridiculous, demeaning or rude, it reflects poorly upon that person. If said person tried to be the best he or she could be, he or she would learn from his or her mistakes and try not to have another 'outburst' or do anything to attract bad attention.
In the case of Serena Williams, she was simply acting inappropriately. To some extent, her outburst was understandable. She disagreed with the line judge and was heated about it. Earlier in that same match, she smashed her racket into the ground. One can conclude that she was being a bad sport about being behind in her match, which I also believe to be true, but no conclusion can be made on her character. She does not have a history, like Kanye West does, that shows her to have poor character repeatedly. Because of this lack of history, in her case, one cannot fairly say that she has bad character.
On a more abstract level, however, I believe that it is quite easy to do the right thing with good character. Granted, the definition of good character can be debated, as can the definition of what is right, but most people can agree that the 'wrong' choices are pretty clear. Of course, there will be catch 22 situations where either of two choices have negative consequences or be viewed negatively, but those with good character tend to steer clear of poor decisions and choices. As I mentioned earlier, people learn from their mistakes, but those that are repeatedly berated for making poor decisionsare are lacking in character and virtue.
Character/virtue is very important in doing the right thing. The principles of ethics (respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficience, and justice) all have corresponding virtures. For example, the corresponding virtue to respect for autonomy is respectfulness, and the corresponding virture for justice is fairness. If a person does not have these virtues, or live by these virtues, they will not have the ability to make good decisions, or ethically correct decisions.
ReplyDeleteOur book discusses virtue ethics. It says that in virtue ethics, there are "right actions" that a person would do, if that person had a virtuous character. It is quite obvious that when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech he was not acting in a respectful manor, therefore violating the virtue of respectfulness. This goes too for Serena Williams' outburst, and Joe Wilson's response to President Obama. These people did not make good decisions in their actions because they were not "right actions" as described in virtue ethics.
If Kanye West, Serena Williams and Joe Wilson had acted respectfully, as "virtuous agents", they would have probably made better, moral decisions.
Character and virtue play an important role in decision making. However, actions do not necessarily define a person. Everyone makes mistakes and misbehaves at some point or another. I think it is important to highlight that everyone has the ability to do the right thing. The character traits that form an individual can make someone more or less likely to do the right thing based on their values and typical actions. Virtue can come naturally and someone can live their life with moral excellence and goodness, but virtue is also the ability to conform to the moral and ethical principles within a society.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Serene Williams, Kanye West and Joe Willson, these people have the ability to be virtuous and make the moral decision. I also think that they are capable of understanding the difference between right and wrong, so ultimately their recent actions are very possibly out of the norm and have nothing to do with their true character.
It is also important to highlight that the media has portrayed their actions as inappropriate and unprofessional, but some may see things differently. Some may believe their actions were honest and that they all had the courage to speak their minds.
I think this behavior unacceptable and should be addressed, but they should not be defined by these actions. One could argue that what Williams, West and Willson did was wrong, but ultimately it is not a reflection of their character and or virtue.
Character in virtue play some role in decision making, yet I believe that it doesn't play a pivotal role in it. For example, in western societies, it is common to attribute behavior to a person's character or personality. An example of this would be a man diving in front of a car to save a child in the street. I think it is also important to look at the situational context. For example, Serena Williams was playing a game of tennis. Her heart was racing, her sympathetic nervious system was active and suddenly a judgement was made that she deemed unfair. It is possible that her elevated heart rate contributed to the inappropriate remarks she made. In this case, her inappropriate remarks have more to do with the situation rather than character.
ReplyDeleteI think it is innacurate to judge people who are in the limelight on the character based on one sitaution. More information is needed before a person can accruately deem if Serena, Kanye, or Wilson have defective senses of virtue or character.
-Jennifer Hicks
I think that character/virtue plays a very important role in making a right decision. A person's character/virtue is often a good indicator of the line of decision making they follow, whether it be right or wrong. For example, it is much more difficult to imagine a person who continually demonstrates poor moral character, such as lying, stealing, or cheating, making a correct moral decision than it is to imagine someone who demonstrates good characteristics such as telling the truth, helping others, ect. This is simply because someone who has demonstrated poor moral character in the past is likely to demonstrate it again in the future. Furthermore, a person's character/virtue often directly influences the line of reasoning they take to make a decision. A thief thinks that it is alright for him to steal, because others have more than him and he feels he deserves as much as everyone else. This characteristic of feeling stealing is alright is how a thief will justify making the decision to steal. However, most people would agree that in all but extreme circumstances, such as starvation, stealing is wrong. Yet we have seen that his character as a thief led him to make the wrong decision to steal.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I feel what is more important to note about public faces behaving poorly and demonstrating their poor judgment is that they are the role models and leaders of many Americans and people around the world. When they behave badly, whether they are showing their "true colors" or not, they are making a statement to the public that behaving inappropriately is an OK thing to do. Clearly, it is not. Therefore, I think these people, especially because of their leadership roles, need to be held to the same standard as everyone else. If I sat in class and yelled out that Prof Barash was a liar because I disagreed with one of the ethical theories she was teaching, I would be asked to leave. I do not see why these people feel they should be treated any differently. If someone is going to be consistently viewed in the public eye, I do not they should be judged differently then you would judge a person sitting next to you yelling out "You lie!" in the middle of class. Wilson, Williams, and West should have been asked to leave, just as any average person in an average setting would be asked to leave. Overall, I feel that character/virtue plays an extremely significant role in right decision making.
I agree character and virtue are important in doing the right thing, but not that one action defines the two. Having good character and virtue may be the cause for doing good and moral things regularly, but they cannot be held responsible for one slip up. In the case of Serena Williams, she displayed an inappropriate outburst during a tennis match in reaction to a poor call, and it can be considered a poor moral decision. As far as I am aware, she does not have tantrums every time she plays tennis, so does that give us the right to deem her with poor character? Should we take into account the educational foundation she has started, or only focus on what the media portrays? Point being, few of us know Serena Williams well enough to make that judgment. In the case of Joe Wilson, it can be agreed upon that calling the President of the United States a liar, regardless of affiliated party, is an extremely poor moral decision…but once again, can we judge him as having poor character and virtue? Do any of us know him well enough to know his personality outside the political arena? Although his extremely inappropriate outburst caused many of us to deem him with bad character and poor virtues, as stated in a previous blog, the majority of us had no idea he even existed until his display…it may be unfair to judge him based on one incident. Kanye West may be depicted in a slightly different light. It is quite well known his Taylor Swift disruption at the VMAs is only the most recent of many displays of his opinion. Although he may have acted inappropriately while sharing his opinion, the media, as it does with many celebrities, is responsible for the image the rest of us see. Kanye may be digging himself deeper with every one of his outbursts, but once again, how can we really know his character and virtue if we are not aware of the many many decisions he, and the others have made in their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn doing the right thing, character should be considered unimportant because it is so subjective. Virtue ethics requires that a person develop good moral character and then make decisions based on that character. The character is the motivation for the decisions. However, how do you answer the question of what good moral character is, where it comes from, and whether it is even an achievable goal? For example, Confucianism would say that moral character is innate and incorrect moral decisions are made because of people's failure to cultivate that correct moral character. However, Christianity would have you believe that humans innately have a bad moral character, and must work against it their entire lives. To top it all off, Kant says that one bad decision proves bad moral character, and while moral values exist, they remain a frail and unattainable goal.
ReplyDeleteBased on these lines of reasoning, it may be assumed that Kanye or Wilson do not even have the capacity to obtain moral character, or that their moral character is forever flawed based on these isolated events. Who's to say that either of these things is true or not true? If there is already conflicting accounts on where moral character originates and what it originates as, there can be no surefire way to define what it actually means to be virtuous. Therefore, we cannot judge Kanye, Serena, or Wilson based on virtue ethics alone (or even at all) because it is entirely too subjective.
Character and virture are very important when determining what the right thing to do is. However, in life, people make mistakes. When people make mistakes who are in the lime light, the world has a tendency to criticize much more harshly. Which makes sense since these people are looked at as role models, who even though are 'famous' per say, should be held accountable and responsible for their actions as any 'non-famous' person should.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, although their actions were said to be rude and uncalled for, each of them were saying what they believed in. Kanye was just speaking his mind right? Wilson was saying how he felt and Serena spoke up about what she thought was an unfair call. Yes, there all could have been handled in a more fashionable manner, but in a sense, they were all speaking out based on their feelings.
Character is something you do when no one is looking. We are not at liberty to judge these particular persons characters and virtue based on the mere fact we don't know them. Yeah, we saw their outbursts but we don't know them as a person. Who are we to judge?
An individuals’ character and virtues are vital in doing the right thing. A person with poor
ReplyDeletecharacter or imperfect values will be unable to act justifiably in certain situations.
The examples used in the article of Kanye West, Serena Williams, and Joe Wilson do not provide enough insight into their true character and what their values truly are. There are too many alternative motives in each of these cases. Were Kanye West's undeniably rude actions a reflection of his character and his lack of commendable values or was it for publicity? Did Joe Wilson's shout out illustrate racism, or some other type of poor character and lack of values, or was it a stunt to draw support to the republican side of the debate and make democrats question the president and his plans. In addition, we honestly have no idea if Joe Wilson actually possesses the ideal character and ideals and was only expressing how he felt or perhaps the president was lying, we will never now. Although there are no alternative viewpoints to the Serena Williams outburst, I do not feel it is a representation of poor character and virtues. This is because every person gets upset when something they love and are passionate about goes awry.
In the end, I believe and individuals character and virtues are vital in doing the right thing;
however, each case and every action must be dissected intensely to discover whether the
actions were representative of the individuals character and virtues or if some alternative motives perceive them poorly.
-KEENAN