Making Moral Decisions: The Synergistic-Reflective-Equilibrium Model :: Philosophy

Making Moral Decisions: The Synergistic-Reflective-Equilibrium Model ABSTRACT: This treatise is a contribution towards the understanding of why humankind cannot agree on the foundation of morality and why moral pluralism is the logical constitution of moral reality. The synergistic-reflective-equilibrium model is the model that will describe how persons can make moral decisions as pluralistic agents. If this model is correct, then it will not be a new discovery, rather, it will be a new description of how pluralistic agents do in fact make moral decisions. This synergistic-reflective-equilibrium description should then be useful not only in giving a fuller understanding of how moral decisions ought to be made, but also how moral philosophy can be united into a pluralistic collective whole. The first part of this paper defines the synergistic-reflective-equilibrium mode. It briefly explains how it is a combination of both the theory model of moral decision-making and the intuition model of moral decision-making. The second part of this paper defines mi d-level principles and explains how they are a natural development of the synergistic-reflective-equilibrium method. It will then be shown that both Mill and Kant used this method in their own moral theories. Lastly, it will be shown how "weighing and balancing" and "specification" are integral components in this model and were also practiced by Mill and Kant in their moral systems. Introduction This treatise is a contribution towards the understanding of why humankind cannot agree on the foundation of morality and why moral pluralism is the logical constitution of moral reality. The synergistic-reflective-equilibrium model is the model that will describe how persons can make moral decisions as pluralistic agents. If this model is correct, then it will not be a new discovery, rather, it will be a new description of how pluralistic agents do in fact make moral decisions. This synergistic-reflective-equilibrium description should then be useful not only in giving a fuller understanding of how moral decisions ought to be made, but also how moral philosophy can be united into a pluralistic collective whole. I. The Synergistic-Reflective-Equilibrium Model The synergistic-reflective-equilibrium model is the position in which the justification of what is right or wrong is done by using neither a pure theory model, nor a pure intuition model. The synergistic-reflective-equilibrium model is a back-and-forth process—starting with particulars and going to the general and back to the particulars and so on and so forth. This is a constant process that never really comes to closure as new decisions are constantly having to be made.

Phases of Tragedy in Blood Diamond †the Movie Essay

Complete innocence describes the hero to be dignified, because of their innocence. Their pride and strength is overpowered by something they cannot control. In the movie Blood Diamond, Soloman walks his son to school. Showing a typical, I deal way to show complete innocence. Also showing a perfect father/son relationship before all the rebels came. With this scene showing a father and his son sharing a joke on the way to school it is shown to be innocent fun, which is a perfect example of complete innocence at the beginning of the movie. When young and innocent people first encounter realities of adulthood it is known as inexperience. A central character will live so the action closes with an adjustment to mature experience. In the movie when Danny was young he was brought up believing that the war was just about fighting against communism. As you can see in the movie, Danny has now discovered the conflict diamonds are the reason for the war. When Danny tries to smuggle diamonds, and goes to see his friend at a vineyard it shows that he has learned and has mature experience. Continuing through the stages of tragedy we see a completion of an ideal. Despite a tragic end because of the successful victory, a sense of peace is shown after the hero’s death because of a final accomplishment. Ain the final scene with Danny you see that Soloman reunited with his son. Danny knew he would die, so he made amends by calling Maddie, and giving Soloman the diamond that he worked so hard to get. Even though Danny died some peace was restored and Soloman and Maddie gave him the credit he deserved when Maddie wrote her article. Even though our hero can complete his quests, he/she has their own faults. From innocence to experience throughout stories we see our hero’s fault, but by the time they realize their faults it is too late to change. Danny knew that diamond smuggling was illegal and also wrong, but he did it anyways. In the end Danny gets shot and is in extreme pain. He only then realizes that it was all because of him contributing in the diamond smuggling. Danny did manage to regain some loyalty when he handed Soloman the diamond and told Soloman and his son to leave him there to die, so that they could escape with the diamond together. The natural law, known as fate, also takes a toll on heroes. Overshadowing the heroes/heroines and allowing the audience to look down on the action. When Soloman was at the fence there were so many people that the chance of seeing his family was slim to none. Fate clearly took part when he happened to see his family on the other side of the fence. Fate was showing Soloman that his family was still alive, so he could still try to save them. To make the audience even more sympathetic we enter a world of shock and horror. Our hero receives punishment or torture, possibly humiliation, so deep they cannot achieve a heroic pose. At the start of the movie Soloman’s village was torn to pieces. Others in the village were shot or had their hands cut off. The young boys were taken to the mines. Unnecessary torture was demonstrated to his village which was truly a world of shock and horror.

The Militarization Of American Police Departments - 884 Words

I chose to do this second paper on the militarization of American police departments. This will lend to the thesis Greg and I intend to submit for our final presentation – so we are beginning our research now. As discussed in class, the militarization of police departments is leading American police departments – city or small towns – to act like occupational forces. This is due to several different factors ranging from the availability of weaponry and tanks, to the training of the police departments, to the accessibility of locating crime by advanced surveillance and tracking systems. To further our exploration, Greg and I chose two episodes of the HBO show Vice to watch and elaborate on. For our final presentation we will incorporate these as well as a book Greg has read and some interesting research we will find online. Not only is the militarization of police departments a controversial subject, the consequences of such a transition of our police is det rimental to many. The episode of Vice, and something we are all aware of and have discussed extensively in our courses, reference that the consequences are felt far more severely on the African American population and in low income areas. The two episodes of vice interview several different people about the effects this has on them individually and their communities. These effects, in turn, lead to lack of faith in law enforcement. The first episode of Vice is titled â€Å"Surveillance City† and takes place isShow MoreRelatedAdvantages Of Police Militarization712 Words   |  3 PagesThis paper provides an overview on how the police militarization in the New York City under the New York Police Department in affecting the culture of both police and people living the city. The paper further discusses the benefits and issues arising from police militarization. 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