It's been nearly a month since I've crafted a new blog, and boy does it feel like it's been too long. I found it difficult to penetrate the wall of finals, moving out of college, removing back home, juggling summer classes, and acquiring a summer job. The result of my inability to manage this AND set out a block of time to blog is the nearly 30day gap in my blogging history. So, instead of studying for my Calculus exam or my Precalculus quiz, I'm blogging first thing this morning. It seems as though that even without school, I still procrastinate, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
My procrastination got me into a bit of academic trouble actually; I registered for classes in the fall of my freshman year ON the first day of classes. As you can imagine, there weren't many classes up for grabs, and I, as a Biology major, ended up in a Philosophy class. Despite the consistent, but sometimes increasing, difficulty I had adjusting to this course, I learned to appreciate philosophy- more particularly the writings of Plato. Consequently, I tend to have some philosophical thoughts. I've been mulling a particular thought around in my head for awhile now. I know I've shared it with one person specifically, but I'm still not sure that I've decided on this thought though. Viewers, I'm turning to your feedback on the philosophical discussion I often have in my head before sleep that I call The Ethics of Right and Wrong. Sounds intimidating, doesnt it?
From birth, parents strive to instill in their offspring a sense of right and wrong. This is evident in humans and animals. My dog still tries to instill a sense of right and wrong in me. When I give her a treat after she performs a trick, she wags her tail or something-Evidently I did something right/acceptible, but when I try to touch my mom while Fluffy, my dog, is sitting in her lap, she lunges to bite me- Apparently I did something wrong. Okay, maybe the dog reference isnt't totally applicable, but I'm sure you see my point. Hopefully.
It's easy to identify the physical manifestation of right and wrong. A figure of authority gives a command, and you defy or respond contrary to their order. You're in the wrong- Hands down. This concept goes all the way back to Eden. My query transcends such black and white occurrences of right and wrong and pertains to the more intangible occurrences whereby decisions are not necessarily manifested in a physical sense. Let me paint a scenario:
You're in a well lit white room. Can you see it? Good. You sit accross from an elderly man; you two are separated by a silver table. The old man dozes off, as elderly folksies tend to do, and when his head cocks back against his brown chair, a wad of $100 bills falls from his left nostril. Obviously, if you grabbed the funds and left, you'd be a thief and wrong, and if you gently nestled the funds up his proper nose hole, you'd be right and worthy of praise. But what if you're considering this situation in your mind. You're not sure what to do, and you haven't made a decided mental stand on this situation. After some thought, you decide to steal the cash, but before you can act on it, his wife walks in, wakes him up, he retrieves the cash, and they leave. You had no chance to act on your thoughts due to an intervention in this situation. In this example, were you right or wrong? Or is it impossible to tell?
Viewers, I'm sure you see where I'm coming from. All deranged, unrealistic, and vivid scenarios aside, my question is this: Is the moral state of right and wrong dependent on a physical manifestation of mental thought, or can one be wrong without physically expressing their mental decision?
Help me out on this one.
Post comments below, and thanks for reading!
P.S- A number of people have said to me,
P.S- A number of people have said to me,
"I'd love to comment on your blog, but I
don't have a blogspot account that'll allow me to comment."
For those of you in this sad lot in life, you can still comment. Just be sure to check the OPENID box on the page where you can post a comment, enter your name, type up that comment, and post it away!
