Ethics M/W/F 2-3
Notes from January 13th
William Clifford:
· Everything we do strengthens some tendency in ourselves EX: every time you steel it becomes easier.
Jean-Paul Sartre:
· All of our acts make nonverbal statements to the world. EX: of I do X I make the statement that X is ok, and it makes it easier for others to do as well.
· You create yourself through every act.
Thrasymachus:
· Justice was created by the week to manipulate the strong (moral skepticism)
· Justice is not intrinsically good, only extrinsically good. It gives you a good reputation.
· People are habit driven. Habits are hardest to make and break.
Objections to Thrasymachus’s ideas:
· Materialistic
· Psychologically draining
· Can’t be spontaneous
· No true friendships
· If everyone acted this way life would be brutal, nasty, and short (Hobbes)
Rebuttals:
· Everyone will never in fact act this way.