ReadingLog:

Chapter2ofSportsbeforethe21stC.
AnnikaConstantino
9/15/15
MainIdeas/StrikingIdeas
ITALLDEPENDSONTHECIRCUMSTANCE
Isitpermissibletodosomethinglikehurtorkillsomeoneduetocircumstancesthatitis
necessary?Likeintheexampleaboutthesailorsandthecabinboys?
Isitokaytokillsomeoneifitmeanssavingmorelives?Ifsacrificingsomeonebenefits
themajority,isitmorallypermissible?
MAJORITY
playsabigpartinwhatisdebatablebetweenbeingmoralornot.Itstateda
lotinthearticleabouthowitplaysabigpartinwhatisdebatablebetweenbeingmoral
ornot.Itstatedaboutitalotinthearticle.IntheIndividualRightssection,itmentions
caringaboutonlythesumofsatisfactions,leavingalesseramountofpeople
satisfactory.Shouldwereallydependonmajorityvoteoneverything?Thisreallytiesinto
politicsanddemocracy.Itisdebatablewhetherthemajorityshouldbeprioritizedinmoral
rights.
Somecansaythatitisrighttobelieveinmajority.ButIwanttorelateittothe
RomanGladiators.Themajorityofthepublicandpeopleenjoyedandwas
pleasedbyslavesdyingforthesakeofentertainmentfights.Sodoesthatmake
slavedeathfightingmoral?Justbecausethemajorityispleased?Whatabout
IndividualUtilitarianism?
CONSEQUENCES
playsabigpartinwhatisdebatablebetweenbeingmoralornot.In
eachdecision,thereareconsequencestothinkabout.Ifweletcertainthingsslidelike
thecannibalismofthecabinboy,itwillaffectthewaysocietythinksandseethings.It
makessocietythinkthatifitisallowedtohappen,itisnowmorallypermissible.Orinthe
samecaseaboutthecabinboy,itdiscouragespeopletobecomecabinboysbecauseof
themurder.
CONSENT
issomethingthattieshugelyintomorals.Itdependsonthecircumstance
withthesethings.Somewillsaythatifyougetconsent,itisokaytodothingslikeuse
somethingofsomeonesortodosomething.Butwhenitcomestothecircumstancesof
thingslikekilling,isitokaytokillsomeoneifyouaskfortheirconsent?Justbecause
theygavepermission,doesitreallymeanitisokayandstillanabsenceofviolationto
whatismorallypermissible?
AWARENESS
issomethingthattiesintomorals.Ifyouareawareofsomethingwrong,
andyoudontdoanythingtofixit,isitconsideredwrongmorally?LikeintheFord
company,theyacknowledgedsomethingwrong,butduetocostsandbenefitstheydid
nothingtofixit.Aretheyconsideredmorallywrong?Forlettingsomethingthatcould
possibleharmpeopleslide?Weretheyprioritizingtheirownbenefitsratherthanthe
benefitsandsafetyofthepublic?
MORALMEANING
thevalueofwhatismoralornotisdebatable.Sometimeswejust
lookatitinanaspectwhereitisjustaboutwhetherornotitisfairforsomeone,or
whetherornotitpleasessomeone,ingroupsandinindividuals.Butitstatedonpage

33,maybemoralityismoresuchassomethingtodowithtreatingandproperlytreating
humans.Treatingoneanother
Properwayoftreatingoneanother
Thistiesintolikeconsent,doesitmakeitokayifwegetpermission?Andthingslike
hurtingotherpeopleorkillingshouldreallybedefinedinthepurposeofmorality.There
arecertainaspectslikehappinessandconsent,butstillthefirstpriorityshouldbethe
properwayoftreatinghumans.
CostandBenefits
Istronglybelievethatcostshouldnotbeapriorityofmorals.Weshouldnotletmoney
ormaterialisticthingsbelikethedecidingpointonwhetherornotsomethingismoralor
not.Justbecauseitsavesmoremoneyandbenefitsthecarcompany,doesnotmakeit
morallypermissibletodo.Ifyouacknowledgeandknowofasolutionthenwhydontyou
fixit?Whyshouldmoneystopyoufromdoingso?
MajorityV.Minority
ThistiesintoHappiness,butwhoshappinesstoweprioritize?Andevenifitdoes
benefitapartofsocietyor(themajority)isitconsideredmoral?
Happiness/Bringinglesspainandsuffering
ThehappinessparttiesintoMajorityvs.Minorityvote.Whoshappinessshouldwebe
prioritizingexactly?Societydoesntallhaveonesamethoughtofhappiness.Likethe
beggars,somecouldbedisgusted,butsomecouldhaveitnotbotherthematall.What
shouldweprioritize?Theonewithamajorityovertheother?
Andthisalsogoesinto,whosehappinessofwhichsideshouldweprioritze?Shouldwe
prioritizethebeggarshappinessorthepublic?Dosocialclassesplayarollonwhich
sideismoreorlesspriority?

Consequences,whatbringsthem?
Connections
Thestoryofthecabinboyandthetwosailorsremindmeoftheethicsexerciseswedida
fewweeksago.Wewereaskedtochoosewhetherornottopullatrackleverforatrain
tosave5peoplefromdyingortosave1personfromdyingifwedontpullthelever.It
statedinthearticleonthesailortopic,Hadnoonebeenkilledandeaten,allfourwould
havemostlikelydied.Solikeinthetrainstory,isitokaytokillsomeoneifitmeans
savingmorelives?Ifsacrificingsomeonebenefitsthemajority,isitmorallypermissible?
Doyouthinkitisokaytokillsomeoneiftheyarealreadyonthelinetodying?This
remindsmeofthetrainstoryagain,andhowitisdebatableonwhetherweshouldand
areallowedtokillpeopleiftheyareonthewaytodyinganyway.Suchasthefatmanto
bepushedtosavetheworkersinthewayofthetrain.Heissacrificedtosavemany
morelives.Isitmorallypermissibleduetothefactthatheisveryobeseandcoulddie
thenextday?Shouldweprioritizehealthieroryoungerlivesforwhatismorallyright?
Suchasgivinghealthinsurance,shouldwegiveittoagrandparentorachild.
Withtheterroristscircumstance,wetalkedaboutsomethinglikethislastyear.Wetalked
aboutamericanmilitarydronemissilesbeingshotovertovillagesintheMiddleEast,
wheretheUSBELIEVESthattherearemembersofAlQaedaliving.Nottomention

humanconditions,(innocentvillagersbeingkilledonaccidentwhenmissilewasaimed
forsomeoneelse),ourgovernmentdoesntknowforsureifthepeopletheyaimforare
reallyterrorists.Theycouldbemistakenbystereotypicallooks.Wedontknowforsure,
butshouldwestilldosomethingaboutit?Shouldwestilleliminatethemjustincasethey
reallyare?Doesitmakeitmorallypermissible?

SomeQuestionsIhad
Isitokaytokillsomeoneiftheyrelifeisonthelinealready?Shouldwechooseto
prolongsomeoneslifeeveniftheyremostlikelygoingtodiesooninthelongrun?
Isitpermissibletodosomethinglikehurtorkillsomeoneduetocircumstancesthatitis
necessary?Likeintheexampleaboutthesailorsandthecabinboys?
isitokaytokillsomeoneifitmeanssavingmorelives?Ifsacrificingsomeonebenefits
themajority,isitmorallypermissible?
Shouldthemajoritybeprioritizeinmoralsorshalltheindividualrightsbeprioritized?
Doesthisapplytopoliticsaswell.
Doyouthinkitisokaytokillsomeoneiftheyarealreadyonthelinetodying?
Shouldweprioritizehealthieroryoungerlivesforwhatismorallyright?Suchasgiving
healthinsurance,shouldwegiveittoagrandparentorachild.
Shouldlivesthataremorevulnerablebelessersignificancethanlivesthatarent?
Isitokaytokillsomeoneifyouaskfortheirconsent?Justbecausetheygave
permission,doesitreallymeanitisokayandstillanabsenceofviolationtowhatis
morallypermissible?
Whatisthetruemeaningofmoral?Thereismoreofareasonbehindit?
Dosocialclassesplayarollonwhichsideismoreorlesspriority?
Whoshappinessshouldwebeprioritizingexactly?
Whatifthereisaproblemthatregardsharmtothepublic?(relatingtoford)Ifyou
acknowledgeandknowofasolutionthenwhydontyoufixit?Whyshouldmoneystop
youfromdoingso?

WordsIdontknow:

conscientious
profligate
unsusceptible
inalienable