Study Journal #1

September 8

• Ethics and morality are not the same thing. Morality is a set of "rules" that are immutable, while ethics are rules that are changed over time. I always thought that these two words were synonymous, but it makes sense that ethics change over time and from group to group.
• Philosophy has three tenants: Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics. These three items correspond to the following questions: What is reality? How do we know what we know? Given what we know, what should we do? Again, ethics comes down to what is the general consensus on what to do in a given situation. It can be bent and changed over time.
• Aristotle believed that ethics was more about becoming and doing good rather than knowing good. The same is true about hypocrisy. A person can tell others what is right from wrong, but if they don't follow what they teach others, then are they really good / ethical?

September 10

• LDS ethics require that we treat neighbors with respect regardless of the situation. It doesn't matter if your neighbor might be a terrible person. If they are going through hard times, help in any way possible. You might become friends over time and help them to change for the better.
• There are four principles of situational ethics: pragmatism, relativism, positivism and personalism. All I could think of was the song "What is Love?". I guess a lot of music was based off of ideas from situational ethics in the 60's.
• Situational ethics rely on more of a case by case decision process, rather than a set of rules or laws. The only rule it stays true to is "love", or do what is better for the greater good. How would our court systems work though if every case was decided differently by different judges? How do we decide what is the greater good? Unless you are omniscient, this method of thinking is impractical and nearly impossible to implement.

September 15

• Knowledge is power. Data is knowledge. Computer scientists hold the data. Therefore, computer scientists hold the power. However, power should not be abused. Without good ethical codes of conduct, computer scientists can become corrupt and cause great harm in a variety of ways.
• From the article about the fish, sometimes we don't see all the details about something from just quickly glancing at it. We need to interact with it so that we can learn about it.
• Order of Ignorance 2: Lack of Awareness: I do not know that I do not know. Unless you sit still and think about nothing and interact with nobody, this area in the orders of ignorance should be decreasing constantly. We should always be exploring for new information and new knowledge.

September 17

• Temptations of the devil can ALWAYS be overcome by renewed faith in God and by repentance. This phrase doesn't say SOMETIMES or MAYBE, it says ALWAYS. This would be a good quote to put on the wall or as a note to self.
• Many people think that "Christ is peace" means no war. However, this also can apply to having a peace of mind, peace of spirit, peace in the home. Following Christ will help us to avoid contentions.
• He that takes offense when no offense was intended is a fool. He who takes offense when offense was intended is an even greater fool. - Brigham Young --It doesn't matter what other people think about you or call you. The only opinion of yourself that you should care about is Heavenly Father's opinion.