The Foundation of Our Decisions

After much reflection this semester on why we make the decisions that we do, the most evident take away I had was, everyone’s decisions stem from a different foundation. This foundation may be the way we were raised (virtue ethics), the law set out for us (duty-based ethics), or the outcome of our actions (consequentialism). As a result of this foundation, we each can learn a lot about who we are and where we have come from.

Through understanding that my decisions are a reflection of virtue ethics, I have understood more of why I choose to do the things I do and why I feel guilty when making decisions that conflict with my values.  Recognizing this allowed me to look back on my upbringing, my family values, where Christ plays a role in my life, and who has influenced me in the past to shape the deep values that I have.

Matthew 5:17-48 allowed me to see myself deeper through the lenses of Christ and the behaviors of Jesus.  My whole life, I have focused on my inner self and the development of my heart through the growth of my family, the friendships I have formed, and the experiences I have had. Encounters I have with others, wrong decisions I make, consequences, victories, etc are all things that have made me who I am and have contributed to the heart I have now and the values I hold deeply. Like Jesus lives out, I follow rules not only because they are the law or they are the right things to do at a surface level, but also because they allow me to grow as a person and contribute to my whole self. I truly believe that if we each lived out this way, radical changes could be made to our society and vast amounts of people’s lives would be impacted.

As I grow up and the decisions I make become more and more crucial in my life and affect more than just me but my future family as well, I will strive to make my decisions on the values I hold and the truths I believe. It is easy to let our opinions waver as we get older and the stress of reality kicks in, but if I allow myself to focus on Matthew 5 and truly live out what Jesus longs for each of us, I believe that my decisions can stem from the right intentions. After recognizing how important my values have been to me growing up, I am eager and anxious to pass along these values to my children and family.

The decisions each of us make stem from a foundation- a foundation that can be created by our own experiences and beliefs or our external environment. I rest in the fact that my decisions stem from the foundation of Christ. That is virtue ethics to me: when Christ is at the center and all of our decisions flow from there. What is more comforting?

So... What About Moral Decision-Making?

Ever since I came to know one of my favorite philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche, it has been exceedingly difficult for me to understand morality. When I was very young I decided that religion was not cutting it for me, yet I still had to figure out what was right and wrong. This took a lot of trial and error and a lot of reflection into myself. As I became older it became easier to discern, as I had learned what it felt like, according to my own soul, to make certain decisions and not others. In a way, I began to form my own Virtue Ethics based on a retrospective type of Ego-Based morality. It has turned out well enough I should say. There were definitely times, though, when I was in the same position as Goodwin in Source Code, and the Hebrew women of the bible, having to defy one type of authority for another – the rightful authority of my own choice. It is dangerous to build such a foundation for moral decision-making as it gives one ultimate freedom to act how they wish. Truly, in the end, such a process will get someone what he ultimately wishes, whether that be a beautiful community or time in jail.

My type of moral decision-making, though not religious, ultimately regards virtue. From a philosophical standpoint I wish to cultivate my rational soul – having all three parts in balance with one another so that I may continue to approach wisdom with utmost clarity. This is more difficult than one might think and what it requires most is the forming of good habits. I must consider ever opportunity in my life according to these virtues. For example, my mind works best in the early morning, so I decided to start waking up earlier, which requires going to bed earlier. When I know that I have something I would like to work on the next morning but I have been offered to go out with my friends I have to remind myself of who it is I would like to be. When I take a moment to reflect, it doesn’t take long for me to realize that I would much rather have some sleep and perhaps join them on the weekend. My virtues are based around what I love most, which is learning, so as I continue to form good habits it becomes easier for me to make decisions as I have a clear understanding of what I want and who I am.

I feel like this type of decision-making is easier when one has a goal, whether it is piety or simply doing well in school, and harder with a stern authority. I am my own authority and my own reference – any other type of reference would make me feel like I was being forced or that it wasn’t truly what I wanted to be doing, or who I wanted to be. In the case of the Apostle Paul, I feel like he had himself in comparison with quite a perfect and oppressive authority – that of the Christian god. To try to cultivate one-self in reference to such an idea would inevitably lead to internal torture and moral confusion.

 I guess it is quite lucky for my local community that I should have such harmless virtues. As I come to know myself more, I have to depend on others less, which make my moral compass ultimately aligned with my own virtuous soul.

The Issue of Morality In Our Culture

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over these past four weeks, it’s that morality is as complex of an issue as rocket science, or at least it can be. In a world full of materialistic, egotistical, money-hungry sharks, it’s easy to fall into the belief that in order to survive, one must fend for them self. And while it’s important to stand one’s ground, there is a fine line between being selfish and graciously walking away from what you know to be harmful to you or others. My purpose in saying this all is to preface my explanation of how I see normative ethics present in today’s modern society. How we morally respond to the decisions we are presented everyday says a lot about the person we are and who we are becoming. That being said, I will use this time to talk about the ways I see normative ethics playing out in our culture, while also observing what the scripture and media have to say about this issue.

When it comes to understanding a culture, observing its entertainment content is a great way to get to know the people and values behind the work. Take Source Code, for example. The movie was released in 2011—right around the time of the iPhone 4’s launch—and in such a tech savvy, business minded world, Source Code captures an intensified look at how our government and society functions. In terms of how this relates to ethics, it does not take much for one to gather that Dr. Rutledge—the fictional Director of the Source Code Project in the film—is someone who can be understood as a consequentialist ethicist. These are those people in society that focus strictly on achieving beneficial end results. Oftentimes, you will find this type of thinking in the corporate world, especially in business relations and economic practices. It seems to be socially acceptable to justify a decision when what is chosen is the lesser of two evils, but that’s the thing—both options are still evil. With that said, the corporate world will continue to function as a hub for consequentialists as long as money is involved.

Moreover, if one were to try to apply consequentialist ethics to a romantic relationship, the results would most likely be ugly. Human beings typically don’t take well to being evaluated for their usefulness, because the last thing we want in a relationship is to feel used. Romantic relationships fail to be just that—romantic—when they serve as just a mean to an end. That is why I believe virtue ethics to be the most appropriate method to take when loving someone. While duty-based ethics could also apply to romantic relationships, such as a husband feeling obligated to not flirt back with other women at a bar because he has made a vow to his wife, such moral guidelines do not produce confident results. In other words, if the man wants to flirt with other women, he eventually will, regardless of whether or not he has a ring on his finger. However, a virtuous man—one that has spent time cultivating such honorable traits as wisdom, temperance, and courage—will make the decision not to flirt with other women based on his sense of character, not some obligation. That is why it is my personal opinion that virtue ethics is the only true way to love someone, because the moment you start to feel obligated towards him or her, you risk opening the door to resentment.  

Furthermore, just as Jesus did not stress obeying the law, but instead, turning inward to reflect on one’s inner disposition (Matthew 5:17-48), we, as a culture, must be willing to take responsibility of positioning our hearts in a way that is receptive to all the hurt and injustice in this world. Then, and only then, will we see a difference in the ways we do business, learn, and love one another.

Strange Ethics

The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is quite a jarring expression of just how deeply ethics run through the human experience. The story of poor Dr. Jekyll, a deeply christian man who, like the Apostle Paul, was tormented by his inability to stay on the right moral path. Both of these men made the distinction that it was not their entire being that was bad but more so they simply possesed tiny elements of immoral tendencies. To think of Virtue Ethics, with the emphasis on forming habits in both cases, is quite interesting. It seems that morality weighs so heavily on people's conscience, as in the case of Dr. Jekyll, that they would do just about anything to rid themselves of the fear and guilt completely. 

Dr. Jekyll detests his immoral tendencies so he procures a potion that creates a seperate man from his original self that can run amuck without worries of moral issues. This other person, Mr. Hyde, being seperate from Dr. Jekyll should expel all the immoral tendencies so that Jekyll will not have to bear them on his consciousness. Yet something goes wrong and Jekyll begins to morph into Mr. Hyde even without ingesting the position. Though he thought the actions of Mr. Hyde would stay detached from him as Jekyll it seemed that the more he allowed Mr. Hyde out, to more his immorality became manifest in himself. This seems to me like an inverted type of Virtue Ethics. Pertaining to the habit building of good character traits, the building of virtue in ones soul, if you give in to your immorality, even in a clandestine way, habit will be formed yet it will not be virtuous. One must be virtuous in their intentions as much as they are in their acted deeds. If Jekyll had better intentions, rather than a clever scheme to rid himself of the guilt of his immoral nature, he would gain te strength as well to face them and deal with them in his intentions and his soul as well.  The intention of creating Mr. Hyde came from Dr. Jekyll -- this exhibits the inextricable nature of ones intentions and actions. 

The Apostle Paul on the other hand, unlike Jekyll, continued to work it out within himself through his writings. This is much less of an avoidance and certainly an example of clearer intentions in comparison with Jekyll's. This would be an effort towards building more virtuous habits in ones soul and not just in ones actions.

One final hurrah!

It's been a blast getting to know these wonderful women this semester. I surely am going to miss them! Cheers to group 3! 

Our Decisions Matter

Often we are faced with decisions in our lives that require us to reflect on our values to really decide what is right and what is wrong. While we may know what is right, it can be difficult to choose that path at t specific situations. For example, for college students it is known that drinking before you are 21 is illegal and should not be done, however, college students find themselves wrestling with this decision on a regular basis. Now, taking a look at the story of Jekyll and Hyde, this is a small wrong compared to the sins Hyde was committing. However, what we can learn from this story of Jekyll and Hyde is that while everyone wants to believe that they can choose the right thing in all situations, there is a voice in the back of our heads that make us contemplate choosing right from wrong. Hyde represents the person in each of us that does not always choose the right thing- the person that truly makes us believe choosing the wrong decision will make us happier. It sounds crazy, yet we all as human beings can relate to this feeling and find ourselves, at one point or another, in a situation like Jekyll and Hyde.

Taking a look at the different classic characteristics, it can be stated that Jekyll throughout the novel expressed signs of consequentialism. He was focused on the final result. He wanted immediate gratification when taking the poison to rid him of his own conflict and solve it through his evil self “Hyde.” This decision making process proved to be faulty and ultimately resulted in the destruction of many people’s lives. This decision-making process and story that came from it depicts the tragedy and domino affect that one person’s decisions can have on the people around them. While each of us may make decisions based on a different classic category, everyone can feel the affects of our decisions. That is powerful. When we choose to base our decisions off our own virtues, we have to understand that others are affected through that whether they have the same vales as us or not. When we make decisions based on others or an external source of authority, this again will have a domino affect even to the people that are not involved. Finally consequentialism, as made apparent through Jekyll’s decision making, has a drastic affect on those around the decision maker as well. Jekyll’s decision to find instant gratification in taking this poison resulted in deaths of his friends as well as himself. 

Our decisions affect others. The way we live our lives matters. This is an amazing gift that we each need to remember when we are making decisions. We have been blessed with the opportunity to create our own lives and tell our own story through our choices. However, if we do not have a conversation with our inner selves, we will make decisions that could yield a situation similar to Jekyll and Hyde, ultimately loosing site of who we are.

How Being a Consequentialist Ethicist Was the Ruin of Dr. Jekyll

I remember the first time I came across the story of Jekyll and Hyde. It was my first day at Governor’s School for the Arts freshman year of high school and I was reveling in the excitement of spending my next four years in the musical theater department. What I find most fascinating about musicals is that their stories can range in capturing almost every essence of human life, including the battle between good and evil. There, on that first day of school, we watched Jekyll and Hyde the Musical, and it was then that I was introduced to the story that I am now encountering again, but this time in a different light. The question that stems from the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—which also happens to be the question we have been observing these past few weeks—is this: “Who’s to say what’s right?” In other words, “How do we decide what is right or what is wrong?” Throughout this time, I will interpret the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and speak of the ways it gives light to the issue of moral decision-making.

As soon as the novel begins, it doesn’t take long for the reader to gather the wicked character of Mr. Hyde. On just the second page, Mr. Enfield begins telling the tale of Mr. Hyde trampling over the young girl as he remembers it. Just from this short story, one can gather that Mr. Hyde is not the most pleasant man to be around, both in his behavior and outer appearance. It seems to those who encounter him that they are staring directly at the face of pure evil, and in a way, they are. As the story progresses, we start to make question of who exactly this Hyde character is. We know that he has a personal relationship with Dr. Jekyll, but as to why, we do not. In fact many people, including Mr. Utterson, are baffled to understand why a man of honor like Dr. Jekyll would associate himself with Hyde, let alone mention him in his will. We later discover that their relationship goes much deeper than a man and his desired successor. In fact, it becomes much more complex than that.

Dr. Jekyll, for the sake of preserving his moral character, set out on a series of experiments, which ultimately lead to the creation of his absolute immoral alter ego, Mr. Hyde. As this relates to normative ethics, we could say that Dr. Jekyll embarked on this journey as a consequentialist ethicist—someone who evaluates their actions based on how well they will benefit. In this particular case, the creation and existence of Mr. Hyde was rooted in Dr. Jekyll’s desire to completely separate the good and evil that lived in him into two physical entities. And while that seemed like something that would benefit Dr. Jekyll at the time, it only gave rise to his demise. The more time Dr. Jekyll spent embodied in his evil double, Mr. Hyde, the more power he gave to his immoral desires. As he fed his pleasures secretively thinking he could get away with having the best of both worlds, his own experiment started to fail him. It wasn’t long before Mr. Hyde took full control over the mind that once housed Dr. Jekyll.

What this story tells us, although fictional, is that there are extreme consequences in living a double life. One may successfully get away with it for some time, but after a while, those secrets will come back to haunt you. This novel captures one of the downsides to consequentialist ethics by showing us how dangerous it can be to crave final results. With that said, had Dr. Jekyll taken a virtue ethics approach and focused more on understanding his personal habits of character, as opposed to disguising them, this tragic story could have been prevented. But for many of us, it takes trial and error to understand how we thrive as moral beings. Unfortunately for Jekyll, his lesson came a little too late.

Ethics in the Bible

The Bible is fraught with ideas about morally based decision making. It is quite interesting to see the multiple types of ethical categories that are employed without. In the reading of Exodus 1:8-22 it was apparent that the midwives adhered to Virtue Ethics. They were instructed by an external authority, the Pharaoh to kill the baby boys and keep the baby girls. Though by law, the midwives should of obeyed, they instead chose to make their decisions based on their own virtuous character -- to them, to kill the baby boys was unjust and simply murderous. Not ever for a powerful Pharaoh could these women even consider to act so heinously. In this reading, though, it did say explicitly that these women "feared God" but since they were not making the decision after consulting God and instead made the decision in reference to their character (which could be related to their religious disposition) they were acting a virtuous way.

In Matthew 5:17-48 the use of Duty-Based ethics is quite apparent. It is referring to the commandments and instructing the proper way in which to obey them. The reading explicitly refers to things that can be broken, as in there are things to which you must refer to and act accordingly within. When these commandments are broken the trespasser will be persecuted: they will "be called least in the kingdom of heaven." According to this reading, one must obey these commandments otherwise they are not obeying the law of god. The law is spiritual and the body that we live in is carnal, according to Romans 7:14-25, meaning that we do not have the correct nature already instilled in us, instead we must obey the laws and commandments of God for those will direct us morally and ethically. This is an external authority to which we must refer in order to find guidance for our rotten nature.

As mentioned in the other readings, outside of the Bible, Consequentialist ethics do not seem to play a big role in the Biblical readings. Again, according to Romans, we are only living in sin, so to base our judgment on sin would be incorrect no matter what. All decisions must be based on one's duty to god, adhering to the commandments, or rather referring to one's own virtuous nature that was learned from forming good habits in reference to the laws of god. In Matthew 5:17-48 it reads that one cannot take gods name in vain, neither should they swear at all. It seems that one cannot even swear properly if they abide closely to their religion -- not even by their own head. If they were to swear by their own head, it would mean absolutely nothing for they do not have control over their own head. God has control over all things, so merely being human does not give you to right to swear by anything at all because you do not have such power; only god, as the external authority has the power to do such and all that a believer can do is to follow the word of god if they ever hope to do anything right.

Unveiling What the Bible Has to Say About Moral Decision Making

This week’s assigned biblical readings open up a door for us to explore how scholars interpret the Bible in terms of moral decision-making. While all of the excerpts do a great job at individually representing their moral stance, Matthew 5:17-48—a text favored by virtue ethicists—really puts it all in perspective for me. What is interesting to note about this passage is that it is Jesus’ interpretation of the Ten Commandments that can be found in Exodus 20:1-17, which we also read this week. As the commandments are raffled off in Exodus for the Hebrew people, it should be very apparent to the reader why this is a text favored by duty-based ethicists. The Ten Commandments outline a list of rules delivered from God and while they aim at good intentions, they still are an “external source of authority.” Wherever there is a Law, there is an obligation, and while that works in some situations, it tends to falter in others. Moral decision-making should not lie in an external source, but instead, an internal reservoir. With that said, I will explore why Matthew 5:17-48 appropriately addresses the way we, as human beings, should be handling making decisions.

As previously noted, the text from Matthew captures part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Its reason for significance lies in his reinterpretation of the Ten Commandments, as well as its rhetorical structure. Jesus internalizes the commandments and rewords them in a way that the people listening can relate to. While the law stands firm in its historical roots, Jesus does not stop there. He takes it one step further. This passage is of great importance because it shows us that while the law serves a good purpose, it should not be all that we base our decision making on. What is even more important than the law is one’s moral character and Jesus does a perfect job at exemplifying that. Jesus could have taken to heart the commandments that Moses delivered to the Hebrew people and yet, he searched them a little deeper. He provides an ideal picture of what we should be doing if we truly long to be virtuous people. Oftentimes, we get stuck stressing over the world’s external rules, but Jesus calls us to focus our attention on our “inner disposition.” It is within one’s heart that the root of evil acts either begins to sprout or is uprooted.

Furthermore, there is no denying that whether you relate most to virtue ethics or duty-based ethics that there is a struggle that accompanies making moral decisions. This is something very evident in Romans 7:14-25, where Paul confesses his own shortcomings in controlling his desires. Paul captures the inner struggle of morality at its finest, admitting to the dilemmas that we often face as human beings. It is true that we “live with mixed emotions about [our] morality,” whether that involves following a set of rules or our gut. I think this week’s readings do a great job at depicting the various sides of moral decision making, but at the end of the day, making the best decision should lie within one’s own self, not in what the world around you tells you.  

Decision Making in the Bible

Virtue ethics as I stated previously, is where I believe I relate most in the way I choose right from wrong. However, it is evident through discussion with others and through studies that there is a wide spectrum where people fall on how they decide right from wrong. Taking a look at the Biblical word, new perspectives give a different meaning as to where decisions stem from and what makes one way of choosing right from wrong feel good to different people. Through three different sections in the Bible, this is made extremely evident.

Taking a specific look at Matthew 5:17-48, we can see where virtue ethics come from. Jesus focuses on the external law and evaluates it from an internal perspective. This really explains how people in today’s world make decisions as well. With virtue ethics, people recognize right form wrong based on the law, but make the right decision because internally it feels right to them. Jesus was a great example of someone who lived this out. He recognized the commandments and the laws that were laid out for him, however in Matthew it is shown that to emphasize his character and focus on the internal, he made the right decision. If we all lived this way, our world may be a little better off not only because the laws are followed, but also because people internally would feel good about the lives they are living and the decisions they are making.

Another verse I want to focus on is Romans 7:14-25. The story of Paul’s internal struggle to make the right decision can be the most convicting story for people in today’s world. It is hard to admit that while we know the correct thing to do, there are often times where we simply choose the wrong action. This is where I understand how even though people may live their lives based on that of virtue ethics, the wrong decision could still be made. The inner battle we deal with when making decisions is real and as stated in an analysis of Romans, it is the truest depiction of moral decision-making.  Paul exemplifies the average human being and all of the internal struggles that are handled while making decisions. It can be easy to point fingers at Paul and question why he is feeling this way when the right decision may be black and white, but at the end of the day, we have all been Paul at one point in our lives and if anything that should bring us comfort.

Overall, after taking a look at Matthew, a few verses in Exodus representing duty based ethics and consequentialism, and Romans, it is made evident that there are different ways to few the decision making process. God did not lay out exactly how our decisions should be made. Jesus dealt with virtue ethics, Paul dealt with inner struggle of morality, and the Hebrew woman tapped into consequentialism.  The most important thing to take from these stories and examples of decision making in the Bible is that God recognizes there are decisions to be made and He is not always going to make them black and white, however if we follow Him and lead with our heart’s desires, the decisions will take care of themselves and the correct decision will be made in the end.