September 4, 2009

Philosophy 241 September 4th 2009 What is a moral issue? The Sunflower Part 1: Before Encounter (3-26) Part 2: Encounter (26-55) Part 3: After Encounter (55-97) Part 1: Sunflower: SS soldiers are superior, have a connection to life after death. Mass grave gives no dignity. God: is absent/on leave. No way for him to understand his situation as God?s will. God could not be a part of this. Indifference: to suffering. A Day Without Jews was allowed to happen by other students who are not connected to A Day Without Jews. Connection to the indifference of the people on the streets. No remorse, no smiles, nothing. Part 2: One person representing another. Representing the moral relationship to another. SS man remembers one specific family; Wiesenthal remembers Eli, the last Jewish kid he?d seen. Wiesenthal represents all Jewish people for SS man to seek forgiveness from. Not ?born a murderer?- taking away responsibility. Silence: moral significance, various types of silence, Wiesenthal?s silence communicates a lack of forgiveness. Hidden eyes: sincerity and repentance Part 3: Refuses to take SS man?s belongings. Morally motivated, reject connections Visit to SS man?s mother. Perhaps because he did not forgive the SS man before he died. Lies to the mother to protect the elderly mother? How can we stop indoctrination of evil, believe people are not born murderers Forgiveness: ?act of volition? only sufferer is able to forgive. Practical vs. Theoretical What is the nature of forgiveness? How can I become a more forgiving person? Prudential vs. Moral (use of ?should?) You should leave yourself enough time to get to the airport. You should help a friend in need. Normative vs. Descriptive Stand up for someone or lose your job. Might have been bad to stand up for jews on A Day Without Jews. Normative: prescribe what should be done or evalutate good vs. bad Descriptive: describe how the world is, was, will be. Indifference to suffering is wrong. (Normative) You shouldn?t be indifferent to others suffering. (Moral) Indifference is bad. (Normative) 75% of UW students thing that indifference is wrong. (Descriptive) Molly is prone to indifference. (Descriptive) If I lie, I would lose my job and I don?t want to lose my job. Ethics asks normativce questions. What is right./good? What do people think is right or good? Questions about Wiesenthal?s book: Why is the narrator so sconcerned with sunflowers if he doesn?t care about death? (Descriptive because the answer would be) Is it good to not forgive someone? (Normative) What qualifies forgiveness? (Descriptive) Should one person be a representative for all the jews? (Normative because a right/wrong answer is implied) Was Simon right in not telling the mother the truth? (Normative) Why was sSimon silent at the SS man?s bedside? (Descriptive) Was Simon?s silence the same as that of the Poles? (Descriptive) Should Germans reel responsible for what happened to the jews? (Normative)