Aristotle Virtue Ethics Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Virtue Ethics Essay One basic notion in Aristotelian ethics that occupies a central significance is Aristotle’s belief in the role of man’s activities in order for one to acquire ethical knowledge. That is, for one to become virtuous or to obtain virtues one should not merely confine himself to mere studying of these virtues but rather one should, more importantly, actualize this knowledge of the virtues. Thus, for one to become good, one should do good. Aristotle further stretches his ideas by proposing the doctrine of the mean. The essence of this doctrine dwells on the basic precept that one ought to avoid the extremes and, instead, settle for the â€Å"mean†. The actions of men, more specifically, ought to be framed upon the â€Å"mean† which is the virtue. For example, the virtue of courage rests on the mean between two extremes: cowardice or the â€Å"lack† of courage, and rashness or the â€Å"excess† in courage. It can easily be observed that Aristotle suggests that one should live a life that does not border on the things that are on the â€Å"most† and the â€Å"least† levels. For example, if I were to follow Aristotle’s ethics I should always see to it that I should consistently draw myself towards the middle value and avoid slanting towards cowardice and excess. All this could have been very well except for one small thing that I cannot seem to fully comprehend. How is it possible for one to ascertain that one is actually taking the middle path? Or how is it possible for one to know that this or that is the middle value or is the virtuous action? Perhaps the key in having an understanding to the notion of the â€Å"mean† is that one should act. That is, as I continually have these ideas as to what I must do when faced with an ethical situation or, at the least, an ordinary situation, I should nonetheless take the course of action so that I will be able to obtain a qualitative understanding that what I am doing is the â€Å"excess†. On the other hand, I will be having quite a rough time in acquiring the understanding as to whether the action that I am doing is virtuous if all that I do is to theorize and never let my theory be put into practice. Aristotle’s virtue ethics reminds me of Plato’s conception of ethics. For the most part of the Republic, Plato attempts to arrive at a conception of a just life by centering on the notion that the just life or that which is good is better than living a life molded on an evil framework and one which prompts individuals to act in an evil manner. At the onset of the Republic’s Book II, a conception of the idea of â€Å"justice† is advanced as the working of an individual in accordance to the role in which one is best suited as well as the belief for non-interference in the activities of others. In essence, this principle is closely related to Plato’s perspective on acting in accordance to one’s nature or intrinsic being which results to the state or condition of being â€Å"just† or acting justly once the individual acts in line to his very nature. Otherwise, if one begins to act beyond what his nature prescribes, then the individual begins to act in an unjust manner thereby resulting to â€Å"evil† actions (Plato and Kamtekar). While Aristotle insists that one should put into action the thought that one may have so as to have an understanding of the middle value that should be taken, Plato, on the other hand, suggests that one should simply go by with one’s nature so as not to be â€Å"evil†. If I were to choose which ethical precept would be better or would fit me best, I would rather be inclined to adopt Aristotle’s virtue ethics over the other because it offers me a chance to actualize myself through my actions and be guided accordingly. Whereas for Plato, what I am seeing is that I should get to know my self first before I act so that I can be good. But this cannot be met easily essentially because I find it quite difficult to know myself if I would not act first. In the light, if all the students in a certain class would build up a virtue like that of Aristotle’s point of view, the achievement of an environment which is formidably that built on the concept of philosophical and tremendously beneficial notions in life, the attainment of the virtue of goodness is towering in the highest hopes—although it eventually does not also undermine the concept of realism. Apparently, many may not stick on this kind of perception and ought to think that it is certainly not possible to achieve a life which is way beyond the bounds of a â€Å"not-so-good† life for that instance, but with the maximum height of human rationality, such may be given enough credit for the philosophers who believed in a life where â€Å"goodness comes in deeds† (Lannstrom). Work Cited Lannstrom, Anna. Loving the Fine: Virtue and Happiness in Aristotles Ethics. Indiana USA: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006. Plato, and R. Kamtekar. The Conventional View of Justice Developed. Trans. D. Lee. The Republic. 2 ed: Penguin Classics, 2003. 8-14.

Sweden’s Position on Personal Privacy in Cyberspace Essay -- Swedish S

Sweden’s Position on Personal Privacy in Cyberspace The Internet and computer age has enabled people to work faster and more efficiently, with practically unlimited access to information. As much as the technology boom has made our lives easier, as with most good inventions, there is some negativity that must be dealt with. The dissemination of information on the global network has put personal privacy at risk. Obviously, we are not going to give up new technologies that enrich human life for the sake of maintaining our privacy; however, measures must be taken to keep the public, or government, from abusing the Internet and computer databases for malevolent reasons. Every country in the world has its own policies on human rights to personal privacy and will deal with the threat the Internet has presented. In this paper, we will explore Swedish laws and regulations and its viewpoint on safekeeping privacy in this Internet age. A recent survey called â€Å"Digital Life Index†, which is conducted year by the Jupiter Research group, concluded that Swedes were the most digital-savvy people amongst 17 Western European countries. This title essentially means that Swedes are more prone to trying out new technologies when they first come out on the market. Swedish households are more likely than their Western European counterparts to own digital handheld gadgets, satellite dishes, mobile phones, and high-speed Internet connections.[1] We can assume that this translates into more time spent using the Internet and transferring information across databases, which requires Sweden to be considerably more conscious of preserving its people privacy. Sweden, historically, has held personal privacy in very high regard compared to other cou... ...Data Directive", <http://dsv.su.se/jpalme/society/eu-data-directive-revision.html> [15] Palme, J.; â€Å"Swedish Attempts to Regulate the Internet†, <http:/dsv.su.se/jpalme/society/swedish-attempts.html> [16] Privacy Exchange, â€Å"Summary of the New Personal Data Protection Act for Sweden†, <http:/www.privacyexchange.org/legal/nat/omni/swedensum.html> [17] Palme, J.; â€Å"Critical Review of the Swedish Data Act†, <http:/dsv.su.se/jpalme/society/data-act-analysis.html> [18] Palme, J.;â€Å"Swedish Law on Responsibilities for Internet Information Providers†, <http:/dsv.su.se/jpalme/society/swedish-bbs-act.html> [19] Swedish Data Inspection Board, <http:/www.datainspektionen.se/pdf/arsredovisningar/eng_1999.pdf> [20] Arrision, S., 23 Oct 2003,"Perspective: Privacy Lessons from Europe", CNet News, < http://news.com.com/2010-1069-962993.html?tag=lh>

Enron Collapse

What are the main reasons that Enron collapsed? I think the reasons for the collapse are three fold. Firstly Enron’s accounting practices(mark to market accounting- companies estimate how much revenue a deal is going to bring in and state that number in their earnings the moment the contract is signed) Its managements goal was to maintain the appearance of value by always having rising stock prices rather than focus on creating real value for the company.Secondly its reliance on Special Purpose Entities to constantly raise capital without increasing its indebtedness. It allowed losses to be kept off the books while assets to be stated. Enron had its own executives manage these partnerships and would make the deals work by guaranteeing that if whatever they had to sell off declined in value, enron would make up the difference in its own stock. So basically it was selling part of itself to itself.It was these financial bolications to the SPE’s that ended up triggering the collapse. Thirdly its lack of a truly independent auditor to stand up to Enron ultimately caused its downfall. 2. Do you think Enron could have survived? I think if the company had acted internally when Sharon Watkins reported suspicious accounting, and dealt with it internally , Im sure the share prices would have dropped upon reporting of the actual financials but maybe the company could have avoided bankruptcy. 3.Crisis Management Consultant of Arthur Anderson, what would your advice be to the CEO? I think I would have admitted the absurdity of performing both auditing and consulting functions I maybe would have focused on the hiring of of Arthur anderson employees as enron employees, who then managed the affairs of their old colleagues. Ethical lines got blurred. Then use this platform to lead the industry to reforms and act oversear of how to avoid their mistakes and breakdowns of communication within their corporation.

A Report On The Battle Of Wanat - 1267 Words

Forethought or the counter ability to think as far down the road as we need is not always a blessing given to us. This is exactly what led to the Battle of Wanat. Sights are set on the 50-yard target because the rifleman is shooting at you, yet the 1000-yard target is a tank that has your position zeroed in. Near sighted vision requires a broad peripheral reaction force. Under staffing and over extending the battle force led to the variable that would ultimately lead to the almost defeat of Combat Out Post (COP) Kahler, ex-fil, and the awarding of a Medal of Honor. The events that lead to the establishment of COP Wanat have been studied and picked apart from at the highest levels of our military. Multiple Army Regulation (AR)†¦show more content†¦The approval of final plans to move from COP Bella and build COP Kahler happened. Rock Move is the name of the operation. Rock Move consisted of the closing of COP Bella and the construction of COP Kahler. COP Kahler was the un-official name given to the new COP in the village of Wanat in the Waygal valley. When the moved happened, multiple elements of TF Rock are used. Multiple companies played specific roles in the closing and opening events. CH-47 Chinook Helicopters were the prime moves from personal from COP Bella to Camp Blessing. At the same time the Chinooks made multiple turns from COP Bella to COP Blessing, TF Rock was sending a small contingent of vehicles to the location of COP Kahler. Overnight, COP Kahler was established when the Highly Mobile Multi Wheeled Vehicle’s (HMMWV) approached the plateau set forth for Kahler. Initially the multi-squad element that arrived at Kahler only set up a perimeter and security for the arrival of more Soldiers the following day. Once the sun was up, the small element started to build defensive positions. Throughout the entire build up process, the Soldiers were limited to certain times of day that they could work. Due to the enemy being ho lding a strong point within the valley, the Soldiers always wore their body armor. During peak hours of heat, Soldiers rested and prevented the waste of key supplies like water. Shortly after sun up on theShow MoreRelatedThe Battle Of Operational And Intelligence Failures1950 Words   |  8 Pagesattle of Wanat In 2008, U.S. forces near the village of Wanat in Nuristan province, Afghanistan were almost overrun during an enemy attack. The attack became known as the Battle of Wanat and resulted in nine soldiers killed and 27 wounded (United States Army Combined Arms Center, 2008). In this paper, a battle analysis review will highlight the circumstances surrounding the battle, and the operational and intelligence failures attributed to the losses in life. A review will highlight what aspectsRead MoreIntegrity Is The Greatest Moral Obligation Essay746 Words   |  3 Pagesassignment as a public affairs officer in 2010. General Charles Campbell, the FORSCOM commander was preparing to give a conclusive investigation briefing to the family members of fallen soldiers that died during Battle of Wanat. The Battle of Wanat is often called the Army s worst single day of battle in the Afghanistan conflict. About 3 months earlier, Campbell had signed off on the investigation conducted by CENTCOMâ₠¬â„¢s Lieutenant General Natoski. The recommended charges were dereliction of duty againstRead MoreEssay about Profession of Arms11066 Words   |  45 Pagesand flow have continued. The Army in Desert Shield- Desert Storm was highly professional; the Army after the next decade of build-down and the exodus of captains and other leaders and talent in the late 1990s was arguably much less so. A recent report suggests that the operating forces of the Army, after nine years of war in the Middle East, exhibit more clearly the traits and character of a profession, comparatively, to force-generating side of the Army. So, as described above as a producing