In Macbeth, Shakepeare creates a world of Moral Complexity, a place where the lines between reality and illusion are blurred, where ambiguities distort Macbeth's vision as well as ours. In a place like this, values can easily invert leaving readers with enormous challenges as they attempt to place blame. What about our world forces inverted values and moral dilemmas? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilemma Where in your life have you seen these? How do you deal with them? How do you determine right and wrong?
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One of the main things in our world that causes these "inverted values and moral dilemmas" is the "human factor". this is the factor that puts human emotion and thought into every situation.As long as a human emotion is put into the equation, the people' values in the equation will change according to the other people involved. I see thins everyday in school. perfect example is : boy likes girl, girl likes boy's best friend, boy's best friend also likes the girl. The emotions and thoughts of the boy's and the girl change the scenario especially if the girl cares for both boys. she wants to hurt neither of them.
There are a few ways to deal with these issue. a. just walk away. b. sit and just do nothing but stay natural. c. choose one side and pray that you make the right decision in the long run.
determining right or wrong just depends on the scenario and what the person feels is right based on their life experience.
As with the previous question concerning ambition's place in the world, the root to it is the concept of perspective.
In the grand scheme of things there is no right or wrong, that, as Alyson says, is a "human factor", or more universally, an "emotional factor". So it is therefore impossible to make an absolute statement about whether anything is right or wrong, it is up to every individual to decide for themselves depending on how they see the world from their perspective exactly what they themselves believe is right or wrong.
Therefore for one to even begin to try and label things right or wrong they must first have a clear understanding what they believe and what they stand for. They must have a set of morals for themselves before labeling those of others.
I'm not even sure I answered the original question but this is just what came to mind when reading it...
One of the main things i think forces inverted values and moral dilemmas is our lack of fear. If we where fearfull of the outcomes of bad choices then we would be a little more carefull and wouldnt make them.
alyson and teikyo and melissa make very good points. i believe it would depend on how people see the world. Emotion is a great factor when considering this question and knowing what happens after you make a decision based on emotions is another factor. Either way, no one will have the same answer because everyone thinks different.
I agree with Melissa M’s comment about one reason that forces inverted values and moral dilema’s is the lack of fear we have. Due to having lack of fear, we will make any decision that will benefit yourself and not have a problem hurting other people. I believe people only care about their success and not others. I believe society has the wrong message about our values and morals and that people value the wrong things.
I agree 100% with Jenna with the whole society giving the wrong message today thing. In the eyes of today's american capitalist society, the only thing that is important and with living for is the acquiring of money just for the sake of having more of it. And it also seems to say that you are absolutely encouraged to step on just as many less fortunates as you can to get more money and power over others.
So in the view of such beliefs the actions currently being considered by Macbeth (the murdering of his king to acquire further wealth and power) would be perfectly reasonable and even expected. Clearly something is wrong when someone values their own personal wealth over the lives of others...
unfortunately, people do care too much about themselves and it does end up slapping them in the face in the end.
still, i feel that if people cared more about others, dilemmas would be even more so. caring about other people emotions can almost feel like you are also feeling the joy and pain that they are feeling. this makes making a decision even more difficult leading to the dilemma being even stronger.
To add onto what Alyson said, she is correct although that's not totally realistic. In my opinion,it is easier to make decisions once you have someone else' perspective of it. Because then you can compare what your thoughts are to what others think, and its less of a dilemma then. Although, many people don't relay on others' opinions, instead they act in whatever way they do, and deal with the dilemma afterward.
Following up on ALyson's comment, human emotion does play a big role in values adn dilemmas of everyday life. depending on certain people's values these dilemmas can be different.
An example of a dilemma would be having two best friends but them not getting along. someone might act different towards one best friend when with the other, letting each friend influence their behavior.
If you know what you want then you shouldn't let these problems sto you but they usually do because of what Aly said was "human factor". Everyone has something they are sensitive about which causes some dilemmas.
To comment on melissa m. i dont think fear prevents people from making bad chioces. the bad choices are then just seen differently by people. And in dilemmas being fearful prevents you from being able to make a decision/chioce in what direction you want to go. Whether it be the "wrong" way or the "right". not being able to make one just creates more problems.
when determining what's "right" or "wrong" in a situation, you almost have to go with you gut feeling, what you think is best. I mean take in the situation and really think about it, but don't make a decision off what someone said is "right" just becuase they said so. You have to make sure you stand by you decisions and can back them up, other wise you go from having a small situation/problem to possibly having a huge dilemma on your hands.
In agreement with teikyo, whether something is determined to be right or wrong is a very opinionated category. Everyone has a different point of view, different moral values, and a different taking on subject matters.
Shakesphere does an excellent job at working ambiguity into the plot twist of Macbeth. He brilliantly uses multiple characters to express all possible perspectives on whether something is right or wrong. Also, he uses the internal dilemmas of one character, to further question whether any specific acxtion (killing the king for example is right or wrong.)
Being friends with many different crowds of people, I face dilemmas daily. To deal with such dilemmas as supporting one friend without harming another, you must put yourself in the other’s position and whatever resolution is most friendly to both sides, that is what is right.
I agree with Teikyo’s statement. There can be no definite answer to a right and wrong solution. Human’s ways of thinking and moral values are so broad and vary so much it is impossible to put a label on it. Over time society has made their own values to fit their specific needs, humans are allowed to believe and think whatever they want so that is what they do.
The moral dilemma part is with your own emotions and thought processes. Human’s minds work in such different ways it is hard to put a complete answer to the question. Everyone is so different that putting a label on morals is almost impossible. But, what you can say that is everyone contemplates on certain situations because of their emotions, conscious, and gut feeling. That’s how people are made. So, people deal with moral dilemmas all the time because of their true emotions and conscious
I agree with Melissa, Jenna and Emily. People's ideas of "right and wrong" are solely on what is best for themselves. It is unfortunate that this is how the world is but people are for themselves only. We have to fight for ourselves because sometimes other people's emotions will get in the way of backing you up. In some cases, even your best friends or family might not even agree with you.
This is all part of human nature. Everyone thinks differently, sees differently, and makes decisions based on what they know. Everyone can see other sides but they are never in charge of those decisions.
We all have our own perspectives because if we all had the same perspective we wouldn't disagree on anything. Our mind is our mind. not someone else's. What is thought to be "right and wrong" are different person to person. Debating good and bad is a natural part of life and will never change.
I think I relate most to Melissa's comment because the "inerverted values and moral dilemmas" are caused by fear itself, either producing in ourselves or being fearful for others. Every sign of fear mostly encounters a dilemma shortly after.
Fear itself changes a decision entirely. At first you could think of an opinion differently than after the fear sinks in. As exampled in Act I, where MacBeth wants to go through with the murder and then when the time comes to actually pull through with it, he thinks twice about his decision and the fear factor intensly kicks in. Then there's always someone there to push you, like the crazy lady, Lady MacBeth, who tricks him into committing the murderous act.
I agree with Jennas comment. I think that society determines a lot of peoples values and decisions. we are guided far too much on what the media tells us to do and it is not always right. This can cause the inverted values and can also cause difficulty when it comes down to making our own decisions. Like Mellisa said, fear also plays a major part. Especially when it comes to our peers and decisions are made on what others will think of us and what would happen if we strayed from the norm.
I agree with Natalia. It is human nature to go along with what other people to some extent. Also, I agree with Teikyon in saying that there is no right and wrong because people think and feel differently about certain things than others.
I agree with what Alyson and Melissa were saying about human emotion and fear or lack there of causing inverted values and moral dilemmas. Being scared of an outcome of something or not caring what can happen to you or someone else all affect the decisions one makes. Also, your emotions play a huge part in causing dilemmas because many times there are mixed emotions and you don't know what to do.
As for what is right and wrong, like many said, most people today concider what's right doing whats best for themselves. Unfortunatley that is how society has become, almost anyone will do anything if it will benifiet them. Therefore, asking to determine what is right and wrong is impossible because everyone has they're own opinion on what right and wrong are. You determine what is right or wrong on what you feel will do the least damage.
I've seen dilemmas daily, friends not agreeing can turn into a huge issue and I've found the best way to deal with dilemmas is to stick to what you think is right and the least harmful thing to yourself or others.
Everyday people experience dilemmas, even small ones. Just like if you should hit the snooze button, use stick or spray deodorant, eat Lucky Charms or Coco Pebbles, etc. Usually it's an easy choice that don't usually affect our everyday lives (or at least affect it very little.)
As almost everybody has mentioned, a human factor is involved in each little dilemma.
In my life, I try to think ahead to what my actions could lead me to. For example, if I have a dilemma whether or not to do homework, I think of my options, which one is best, and the future to each. I think, in order to succeed I have to do every little thing right, however the Sox are playing in 15. So I think of solutions, in order to succeed I eliminate doing homework while watching and not doing it, so I decide to watch in the latter innings.
People can decide whether something is right or wrong just by thinking logically, however, a human factor can change this.
Like in Macbeth, his dilemma is whether or not to kill Duncan. This human factor kicks in of lust and he ends up killing Duncan. Of course he thought of his options and unfortunately picked the worst. However Macbeth delivers right and wrong from his wife, not from his conscience. Destiny kicks in and he ends up killing his King.
Now, would people kill their leader to take over and blame the murder on his servants? Of course! But I don't think these people have a sense of what's right and wrong. If people have a good set of personal values, they would think thoroughly through their options. However, these days, a good set of personal values is rare.
I agree with Ashley and Jenna. Society definitely plays a big role on your decisions. People tend to care what other people will think of them in the outcome, which influences their decision. Also, people today are faced with the dilemma of making quick decisions, therefore not taking the time to fully think about the outcomes. In the long run I think a lot of people end up making bad decisions. When people see so many bad decisions they think that the choice they saw is the right one, causing the world to have inverted values.
I agress with Teikyo and Mike on how everyone's perspective on things is different which can make things seem like they are inverted when really they are just different people's values.
I also agree with Jenna that society has the wrong idea with our values and what they see as dilemmas may just be someones value based on their perspective.
I agree with Alyson on the fact that human emotion is one of the things in the world that force inverted values. One may forced into a dilemma with multiple options to choose from. Like Erin said, peoples values play a role in ones solution for the dilemma.
Okay guys, here is how I summarize what you have said so far...
"determining right or wrong just depends on the scenario"
"In the grand scheme of things there is no right or wrong"
"no one will have the same answer because everyone thinks different."
Should I go on?
"depending on certain people's values these dilemmas can be different."
"right or wrong is a very opinionated category"
Okay, I think you get my point. Somebody try to make a stand on something. No more of the easy way out. When is doing the wrong thing right? Are you ever punished for doing the right thing? What is the ultimate dilemma?
I believe the ultimate dilemmas are the ones that involve another person or people. Every single person has difference views, morals, and values that they live by or are important to them. What one person thinks is acceptable, another person can be totally against; therefore making your dilemma even harder. I believe that when we don’t have a strong set of beliefs, we then question ourselves wondering if we should live like that person, or value the things others values. You can always be punished for doing the right thing in life. If you make a choice another person doesn’t agree with, you automatically get yourself into a tough situation. When it comes to dilemmas, doing the wrong thing really depends on the situation. For example doing the wrong thing can be considered right to you, but wrong to other people. Therefore I agree with Whitney when she said “What is thought to be "right and wrong" are different person to person.”
I agree with Melissa and Jenna. Fear plays a big part in our moral dilemmas.
But like Brett said about getting away with murder, then I am sure that people would. But our lack of fear makes us not be able to complete these dilemmas fully.
fear is definitely a major factor in a dilemma. fear of a death or death itself, fear of losing status, fear of heartbreak. the closer you are effected by the outcome of your decision, the more you fear making a decision. that is what causes the dilemma in the first place.
Okay, here is my taking a stand...
I think that what is wrong can become right if viewed in the context "which is less wrong?" or "which serves the greater good?"
So if someone was to do something that harmed others but only benefited that person that would be more wrong than someone doing something that could potentially have a negative effect on some but a positive effect on others.
And of course the whole positive-negative thing is relative anyway, but for the sake of taking a stand and trying not to continue to beat around the bush I won't go into that...again.
So in the light of the new view, I think it is safe to say that Macbeth's killing of Duncan for no other reason except to add to his own wealth and power is right up there with very wrong.
I do think that you can be punished when doing the right thing. For instance, say something happens or there is some sort of "drama" in your life. If you tell that someone did something wrong or needs help you can punished by that person and the people with that person. If your friends, which wouldn't then be considered true friends,opinions meant that much to you, they could ultimately convince you that you did the wrong thing. I think in that type of situation peer pressure plays a major roll. Other than that, I really can't think of a true example where doing the right thing would be considered wrong. As Amy had said, I think that your morals play a big part in your answer to these questions.
I agree with Amy. That when you don't have a firm stand on a topic everything around you influences you and your choice.
I believe that you can get punished for doing something right when society thinks it's wrong. For example in the 1960s there was racial discrimination, but some people stood up and did the right thing when the rest of society thought it was wrong.
I think that there is a time when the wrong thing to do is right. If you know that making a decision is going to hurt someone, but then benefit them in the long run. In that situation the wrong dicision is made initially, but then it comes to be beneficially later in life.
You can be punished for doing the right thing because the right thing to you might be the wrong thing to someone else. Not all people are the same. Say for example you work for a big company, and you think that a decision to help the company will be beneficial, but your boss thinks otherwise. So he fires you when you thought it was in the best interest in the company. Two very different perspectives.
I agree with Amy's statement about how the ultimate dilemmas are the ones that involve another person or people. Depending on the situation you do not know whether to stand up for what you agree with or to follow the crowd. I think it's most difficult for teenagers because we are young and want to fit in with our friends. Also, I agree with Amy's other statement how when one person thinks something is acceptable; another person can be totally against; therefore making your dilemma even harder. You don’t always know how to solve a dilemma, which is difficult especially being young. Sometimes I think it’s worth to take the chance to see what the outcome will be because in the end it could benefit you.
In our world, diffrent peoples opinions influence our own opinions. When you are stuck between someones opinion you are close to, and the opinion of someone who you more closly agree with it creates an uncertainty and a moral dilema.
I've seen this when a child will disagree with an ideal that their parents have raised them to believe. A good way to deal with them is to weigh out the pros and cons or each side of the dilema. Right and wrong is a hard thing to determine, just like as in Macbeth there are grey areas. Something could be more right than another if it hurts less people in the process of doing it.
I agree with Jordan in that other people influence your opinion. This happens no matter if you want it to or not. It can cause you to make right or wrong choices and you must learn from your mistakes. Sometimes making the wrong choice can ve the right one in a differnt situation. You must make wrong ones to lean to make the right one. As you get older and have mor life experience, you are more able to make better decisions and to determine if they are the right or wrong one. It is ultimately up to you and you alone what you do, others may sway you in your thinking but they can not decide what to do for you and they can not make your choices for you.
I agree with Jordan when he says “A good way to solve your dilemma is weigh out the pros and cons of each side.” I think when you do that, you always have a lesser chance of hurting someone else when more than one person is involved in your problem. You also will make the best choice for yourself when you see the pros and cons in front of you. I also agree with Brett when he says “In my life, I try to think ahead to what my actions could lead me to”. I can say with every dilemma I have, I always think of what will happen in the future if I choose this or that. The future always plays a big role in every problem you go through because its unknown and there are so many possibilities just waiting to happen. Even though its hard to not think of the future with every decision we make, we really shouldn’t. You never know what the future will bring and everyday if different; so you should never base any decision on it. Its not the easiest thing to say but I think that solving dilemmas should be solved right in the moment, not thinking about anything else. When you do this you stop thinking about what you may want later on in life, and you think of what you want right now.
I believe that in some cases, it is necessary to do what most people believe is the wrong thing to do. Society does play a major role in deciding what is right and wrong, but I think that you have to make the call for yourself. If you know that by doing something wrong, you can achieve something that will in turn be for the greater good, then I believe that it is ok to do something wrong. I think that's what the ultimate dilemma truly is- determining right from wrong.
I also agree with what amy said, that you should try to solve your dilemmas right in the moment. You have to go with your gut feeling and you have to focus on what you think is going to be the best choice to make, in order to achieve the best outcome.
I agree with Patty. Sometimes you have to go against the crowd with decisions. Different people think that different things are right and wrong. It depends on how you were brought up and what the society around you believes is right or wrong. We are greatly influenced by other people in our society, or by society in general. I may look at something and think it's wrong, but to someone else what I say or do is wrong to them.
Doing the wrong thing is right when it agrees with the morals you've grown up believing. For example, relating to Macbeth, murdering is considered wrong by the majority of people. But say the person who someone murdered had murdered their child, wife, family member, etc. Some people then change their opinion of murder being bad to it being okay because it was revenge and the murderer deserved it. I'm not saying that doing that is the right thing to do, but people can easily change what they think is right vs. wrong.
You can definitely be punished for doing the right thing. Society sometimes has inverted ideals of what is right vs. wrong. If you go against society even if you believe it's the right thing and you know it will bring good to the world or someone besides yourself, you can still be punished. When it comes down to it society judges right away. For example, people hear you stopped life support for you parent, grandparent, wife/husband, etc. they can and most likely will automatically assume you're a bad person. However the fact of the matter could be that the person was suffering way too much and it needed to happen. In this scenario you're not being punished by law but you're being looked down by society which is a punishment in itself. You didn't necessarily even do the wrong thing, they just believed it was wrong.
When people are put in the situation of trying to decide how to act on something, other people's opinions matter. Although this is unfortunate it is common. When there is someone who makes a stand on something that most people don't agree on, it opens peoples minds to new things. I believe that in these situations it actually benefits society when you go against the grain.
An easy example of this was Rosa Parks. When she was asked to give up her seat for a white man she refused. At that point in time this was extremely surprising for someone like her to refuse this request. Today, though, most people are thought of as equal. Without her bravery to stand up for something she thought was right things may never have changed and we could be living the same way today as they did in the 1950s. Rosa was punished harshly for standing up for the right thing. But without her, society's sight of the world may have never been changed.
I too, agree with Patty, people who are brought up differently see things differently. But this doesn't change the fact that people should take more risks in doing what they think is right. You never really know the affect it will have on the people or things around you.
I fully agree with Melissa M. Without fear of a bad outcome, the choices that we make would be thoughtless and the outcome would be of no worry at all. This causes a major moral dilemma. In this cases morales are of little concern at all.
I think that one of the main reasons most people in the country have inverted values is because of the media and television they see. We watch shows about people marrying for money and get the impression that you need to be good looking in life rather than intelligent. They show us things that do not better our well being and that make us worse people.
I agree with melissa m's comment on how our lack of fear plays a part in how easily moral values can be inverted. Sociey also changes alot of peoples perspectives and I think that is why values are,most of the time, inverted. Politics and things you learn from television also contibutes to changing perpective people may have and the only way determine right form wrong would be to follow what you think is right and don't fall into peoples persuation, which is imposible to do most of the time but if you couldn't choose a side you can't really choose the right from wrong because you don't know your own persepective on things.
I agree with kristopik003 that the media is responsible with corrupting the minds of mind from a very young age and giving them inverted values by giving them the impression that you need to be rich, or beautiful, popular in society to "succeed" or make it.
Some people try to overcome dilemmas by using their religion to guide them, or they think of how their reputation can be affected by their decision. However, some people even try to do what they think is the ethical thing to do even if it goes against popular belief. I've seen dilemma everywhere and it can be the small things in life such as, taking 2 free sample at the supermarket when you're supposed to take , or big things such as using accounting fraud to make a multi-billion dollar company financial condition look better( Enron Scandal). As for me, I try to do what I think is right when confronted with dilemma but it isn't always easy and it can be difficult to distinguish between right and wrong.
what is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right...this a quote i heard all the time in middle school and i think it applies well here. even though the decision you make may not be agreed upon by the majority of other people, doesnt make it right or wrong. I think that you should do what you personally feel is right and just follow your gut.
-gina
I agree with what Gina is saying. You can be punished for doing the right thing, because sometimes the “morally right” thing isn’t seen as the right thing in the eyes of society. Sometimes you have to go against what society and the media say is right and do what your morals and what your gut tell you to do. The society and media have such a big impact of the decision making processes to the people today. It can become confusing and overwhelming and what you believe in might fade out in comparison to what everyone else is telling you.
I agree with melissas comment most because in the grand scheme of things fear influences everyone into which decision they make no matter what the circumstance. With Alyson's situation of the 2 boys and the girl, the girl is going to help make her decision based on fear. She's going to worry about whether or not she will lose a friend, maybe ruin the boys friendship, and worst of all lose both of them. There is always fear of consequence in all situations which causes the "inverted values and moral dilemmas". The question is however, will you make the right decision?
You can find dilemmas in school, like when kids are trying to cheat. You can look at Hitler who was partly Jewish and faced the moral dilemma of telling his fellow Nazis. We deal with them by trying to determine if it is right or wrong, this is not an easy task. So sometimes we willfully take the wrong path.
after reading mr.alaimo's comment it got me thinking...
In a lot of situations your never going to get your way. And what one person thinks is right isnt always going to satisfy what everyone else wants. No matter how you look at it your wrong in one way or another because its never going to satisfy everyone. However, if you personally believe what your doing is right what does it matter if it doesn't please everyone in life. Your never going to please every single person. High school is a perfect example and thats why there is constantly drama, drama, drama. There will always be conflict whether you do what you believe is right or not. On a crazier note, someone is in the process of trying to murder you. Your pinned on the ground with a knife to your heart and you happen to be able to turn it around and you stab him before he gets you. He dies. People are going to think you are wrong for doing that others will think you had every right to.
In conclusion is anything ever right? Can you honestly be completely right where everyone takes your back? Is being right a personal feeling or a feeling of the public? Is there ever a correct decision? ...
Alot of times we do the wrong thing because we feel that we have to. But the truth is that most of the time it is just the easy way out of things or the simpler path to take. By doing that you are really doing the wrong thing but acording to our society you can do whatever you have to if it benefits you. And on the other hand sometimes you do get punished for doing the right thing
Right and wrong isnt a matter of opinion or based on the situation for me because my lord and savior Jesus Christ has shown me the way to conduct myself in the bible and the bible is absolute fact (it even says so in the bible... which is absolute fact).
You can tell Shakespeare agrees with me, because the people in Macbeth who do bad things, are the ones who need Jesus (like the witches.)
I agree with what Gina said about following your gut because i think it is really important to do what you feel is right. We have all seemed to agree that it his hard to determine right from wrong and for one person something may seem right but to another it could be completley wrong. I think making a decision consists of laying out the pros and cons of the outcomes of any choice you make and deciding what you feel would be the best decision in the long run for you and/or anyone else involved in the situation.
I think the main cause of inverted values and moral dilemmas is society and the way it gets us to think certain ways and have certain opinions we may not truly believe in. Also, your friends, family, teachers, coworkers, and anyone else you know can also cause you to have moral dilemmas. With all these people “telling” you how you should think, and sharing their ideas, you will ultimately be influenced by them, causing you to have contradicting viewpoints. Granted, you can stick with you own beliefs and not listen to what anyone else has to say, but many people are influenced.
I think most people deal with dilemmas by trying to do what’s best for them, but also thinking about other people’s feelings and reactions to the decision you ultimately make. I believe this because if you decide to do something that only benefits you, it may have a negative effect on other people and they may look down on it. On the other hand, if you decide to do something that only benefits others but not you, you’re not getting anything out of it for yourself. That’s why I think people try to get that in-between balance.
Doing the wrong thing can also be right, and you can be punished, in a way, for doing the right thing. For example, if a girl wants an abortion and thinks it’s the right decision for her, then that’s the right thing to do. However, other people who think abortion is wrong will look down upon that and criticize her (this is the “punishing” part).
I agree Completly with Breanna.
i agree with everyone that says that your opinion is affected by those around you. no matter how many people say that they don't care what people think or whatever, you know they're lying. Everyone cares about other peoples opinions, maybe not all the time, but at one point or another they do care. By allowing someone elses opinion to change your own you start having inverted values. You also are put in moral dilemmas with the people you surround yourself with, as rob said. So basically, i think that people around you and their opinions are really what causes inverted values and moral dilemmas.
I agree with Mithun's comment. I believe that using our religion is a good way to be a deciding factor in which option you choose. Also I believe in what he says in Enron. It is easy to see how people made their decision and their values.
When is doing the right thing wrong? I think this is all based on ones opinions and thier thoughts on a particular subject or ones perspective. Other people might think one thing is right while you think it is wrong...vis versa. So in the perspective of people nothing can really be certian on what is right and what is wrong, our morals and society shape our choices.
I can definitely agree with the comment that Melissa made about fear being the main factor for inverted values and moral dilemmas in our society. I think people are afraid of facing the truth sometimes which leads to the opposite of what things seem. Sometimes when your afraid of something you make it seem to be something different than what it is.
I guess the only way to really prevent inverted values and moral dilemmas is to never be afraid of going for something you believe in. Fear ties in with truth and if you're afraid of doing something that you really trust in, then the odds are you're not going to get the truth of the situation. So overall, I'm saying to be true to yourself and go through the scary bumps in the road to be able to see the truth or else the opposite of what things seem with come through.
whether something is right or wrong completely depends on the type of person. People are faced with different dilemmas every day and it depends on the type of person to see how they react to it. different people have different morals and like thanoj said it is up to them to find a way to deal with them. Like hitler it must have been difficult being part jewish while exterminating his people.
Dilemmas force people to make decisions that may not be easy for them to make. Contrasting sets of values support the options one faces. One set of values is the one that humans naturally are born with while the other may be those one learns from society. Usually the societal factors are the ones that make the decision so difficult. Without societal factors the decision would be clear and there wouldn't be a dilemma.
One example of this is takes place in Nazi Germany. Young officers and soldiers were affected by their society to think that the extinction of the Jewish people was justified because they caused all of Germany's problems. These soldiers could have done things to prevent their actions from harming innocent people, but their society told them that they were doing a great service to their country. Obviously, the Nazis' efforts were wrong, but the men who served as soldiers or other workers made a decision that seemed right to them and to millions of German citizens around them. Their society affected their judgement and the values that humans naturally hold true. People's values can be inverted so easily because the world around them changes what they know to be right.
Without this instinctive knowledge of good, revolutionaries throughout the world would never have been able to obtain civil rights for millions of people. They were able to overcome the societal factors faced in their lives. Society is the thing that blurs the line between reality and illusion.
I agree with Amy when she said that no problem has a definite solution that iws right or wrong. What may be correct for you may be very wrong for somebody else. I also believe that fear plays an active role in moral dilemmas because without that fear factor, our society would fail as we know it. I also agree with what Jordan said about people influencing other peoples choices. If we didn't listen to our friends opinions sometimes, then we probably wouldn't be able to make some of the choices we are faced with
When it comes to dilemmas, I think there are 2 types of fears. One type of fear is the fear of others. You don’t always know what others might think of your solution to your dilemma (ex: the way they look at you after all of this, or what might happen to them once choosing something you value or believe in (ex: the other person might get hurt). The other type of fear is fear of what will happen to yourself. This can be fear of the consequences you might face with yourself, or fear of you still being unhappy after all of this. One thing is sure that both of these fears play a role in every dilemma we go through.
I agree with John once again. That is very well true with the Nazi's in Germany. Society plays a big role in dilemmas.
Like he said how dilemmas force people to do things that may not be easy to make is a very good statement. This is very well true, and this is why I agree with him.
I agree with all the comments above. Everyone makes a good point on how society influences one's actions and creates a greater dilemma. We act based upon others' opinions, and influences on us, and sometimes the way we are influenced, changes what we would truly do in situations of dilemmas. Basically, most of the time we act in the way the society wants us to act, and not how/ and what we think is best. Just like with the right thing being wrong, and wrong being right. There is no right or wrong in any given situation. Who is the judge of what is right and wrong? When we think one thing to be right, there is always something/someone who can oppose to it. In my opinion, this is what truly makes a great dilemma.
i agree with amyfischl's comment about the types of fear. i definately think that fear can hold someone back whether it be fear of what other people may think or of what will happen to them after the decision. they dont know what will happen after they make their decision and i feel like that is enough to make them not decide correctly. you need to decide open mindedly and confidently and not shy away becuase of what "could be"
i agree with natalias comment. i think that we act based on how society tells us to. by not following what we always believe is right in order to fit into societys ideals we begin to have inverted values and put ourselves in moral dilemas.. just like everyone else has been saying.
I agree that fear plays a role in decision making. This fear wouldn't be present though without society. Society is the root of fear and indirectly causes it. This idea resembles transcendentalism that society is responsible for evil and bad in the world. This means that right and wrong are already set and the only thing separating you from making the right choice is society and fear.
MacBeth lets Lady MacBeth affect his instinctive decision making (which would have let Duncan live) and make the wrong choice.
I completely disagree with Vicki and think she is a fool for saying that.
just kidding its just weird how everyone is agreeing
i feel that what is right and what is common are not always the same thing. as others have mentioned, religion can decide what is right or wrong for an individual. Every day people face decisions involving what is right versus what is accepted.
Quite often, doing the right thing can be a great deal harder than doing what is common. You must stand up for your beliefs and moral values to do so. The fact that doing what is common is also what is simple and involves the least objections, people are persuaded against doing the right thing. In fact, doing the right thing can be punished (ex. calling your parents drunk because you cant drive home) telling the truth is right but it is much harder to do because a punishment comes hand in hand. In conclusion, you must weigh the consequences and the decision before you make your final decision.
I agree with Melissa's first comment, if people are scared if anything then it does force inverted values and moral dilemmas because people don't need to worry about anything. if they do have fears, then it will affect the decisions people make and the way people act.
I agree with what Amalia said about fear being a major factor in the cause of moral dilemmas. People are usually afraid of making a wrong decision and therefore choose their actions very carefully. I also agree with the idea that in order to minimize and prevent having moral dilemmas and inverted values is to not have fear in your decision-making. If you don't fear the outcome of your actions, then you won't be torn between two or more options. You'll decide on something and stick with it without any doubt that you made a good decision. So it's important to put fear aside while facing moral dilemmas.
to mr. Alaimo's comment, i think doing the wrong thing can sometimes be right depending on the situation. for example, if it's helping out someone else and you're breaking some laws or rules. Even if others don't approve of it and it's in yours or someone elses best interest. the ultimate dilemma like Amy said you can always be punished doing the right thing and it depends on the person and the situation at hand.
I agree with Amy Gregor that society has a huge impact on how you deal with dilemmas. I think that sometimes other peoples views can cloud your own. The hardest thing about dilemmas is going with what you think, and not letting other peoples opinions affect your own. It's important though to put all others aside and try to find out what you think is the right thing to do.
I agree with what Samantha said, you can always be punished for doing the right thing, and you can be rewarded for doing the wrong thing. However, it is hard to say if you made a good or bad descision unless you just don't worry too much about it and stick with your decision, like Chris said. Then, you will have confidence in what you decide to do.
When you feel like it is absolutely necessary to do something people may see as wrong, in order for you to do what you think is right. That's when i think doing the "wrong" thing is right. People are always being punished for doing the right thing, everyday there are injustices like this. I think this is because sometimes a person who is judging cant fully understand what makes the wrong thing right. It's hard to think outside the box and see through a "Wrong" action to find right underneath.
The ultimate dilema is doing the right thing that others may seem as wrong. Doing the right thing and going against society's standards. The biggest dilema thought i think is doing the right thing and knowing that by doing that, you're sacrificing something important to you or putting yourself last.
I agree with JonJon when he says that society plays a very big role with the labeling of "right" or "wrong". if it feels right to you, who are they to say that you're not right? (Of course this excludes all illegal activities)
I agree with ashley l's comment. we are far too guided by the media and how they tell us what is wrong and what is right. Society changes everyone when they are exposed to it and dilemmas occur when too much exposure happens. Melissa makes a great point abbout the lack of fear. Most people like ourselves are afraid of the outcomes and thus creating more dilemmas in our lives.
When Chris says that we need to put our fears aside to make our decisions, there can be another whole side to it. For example, if you don't care about what the outcome or what the consequences are then you have nothing to base your decision on to make the best one possible.
I think the ultimate dilemma is one that, if you do the "wrong" thing, will help you but ultimately hurt others, while the "right" thing will benefit others while you come last. This would make the "right" choice wrong for you and the "wrong" choice more appealing. Then, fair is foul and foul is fair.
When Arianna says that its "excludes all illegal activites," I think that that is the main concern. You could look at it where thinking that even the law and our legislation shouldnt have the right to tell us what is right and wrong. And if they shouldn't tell us what is right and wrong, then who should? The real question is: What does right vs. wrong mean anyway?
No matter what, our decisions are gonna be biased. Especially the decisions of teenagers. We can blame the media for that, but it's really our fault for caring so much of what a random magazine says about life. Or for caring about pointless tv shows of beautiful people marrying rich and having the rest of their life figured out. It's wrong to let it affect your life in such a way that you're making decisions upon it. For example, a bullimic girl might think she's doing the right thing by making herself throw up so she could look like the girl on the cosmo magazine cover. But she thinks she's right for reasons that are not her own, reasons that are really the reasons of a group of people trying to sell magazines and make money, which makes her decision completely wrong. For wrong things to come out right, you have to make it based on yourself and your thinking.
I disagree with Melissa when she says that lack of fear makes us do bad things. I think it's the total opposite, being too fearful to be ourselves or being afraid to stand up for what we truly believe in makes us choose the wrong choice. It may not be seen as the wrong choice because everyone else is choosing the option (thanks to society), but it's wrong for the person making the right wrong decision.
I think what the majortity of people are saying is making sense. The fact that society shapes our perspective of right and wrong through many mediums (movies, television, magizines, ext)greatly effects the desicions people will make. Also fear seems to be a huge factor, the fear of what will happen if you dont do something, or if you do do something. Right and wrong is all opinion and it changes from culture to culture. These diffrences in ideals can range from the slurping of soup to the more extreme such as suicide being an ok practice in some asian cultures.
Well, Jds...
In a way I can relate to what you are trying to say, but the path you decide to take, say for example, the "wrong path" can lead to the "right one," in anytime.It can be very beneficial at times, to take the "wrong path" because on that path you might learn valuable lessons to help you choose the "right path" later on, so you don't repeat your mistake again. But to be honest, who really knows what the "wrong path" is? YOU DON'T. The way you see things isn't always the same why another person does..."it takes two to tango." While I might believe I took the right path you could look at me and describe that the path chosen is wrong and you would never take it.
Basically, anything you do wrong can turn out to be right, it just throws you in a scenario and pretty much says, "you figure it out for yourself." From there is where you make the decision of how you feel you should handle it. Yes, you may be punished later for maybe doing the right thing(in your opinion)but if you feel its the right thing then you should be willing to accept the punishment and move forward from it.
I think this question connects well with the last one because i think the biggest flaw in our culture is that we are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. As a result of all of our ambition we learn to put ourselves first and to not worry about other and therefore we as a culture have inverse values, we only care about ourselves. Also another reason for theses inverse values is that we want to fit in so if other people have inverse values , then you may not want to stand up for what you actually believe.
Also i think you determine what is right and wrong by how you grew up. I know what I think maybe wrong could be different from what you think maybe wrong. Also your peers and groups of friends influence what you think is right and wrong because you respect your friends and if they think something then you are more likely to listen and take in what they have to say because you know them and whether or not you should take what they say to heart when making a decision. The outside world has a heavy effect on our values and what we think is right and wrong but we should all grow up and create our own set of values by taking the best out of your family, friends and cultures values and see what is important to you and that way you can grow up and think for yourself.
Secular opinions on right and wrong. Just going to bullet a few for future reference. Most of you summed up a small percentage of the stuff going through my mind. The indecisiveness and variety is get. I disagree with the thing "no two people think the same." The differences in thought pattern and insignificant at most for quite a few folks I've met.
Alright critique the following:
Right - Being a loving, caring mother and going all out in preserving a child. If that means "tough love" or self-sacrifice, then it's justifiable.
Providing for the survival of a family via food, shelter, or water.
Helping the weak, the elderly, the poor, the unprivileged in survival. Charity, in general.
Love as a concept.
Wife and husband reproduction. Giving birth, spreading one's speed.
Spitting the truth, regardless of how evil it may seem. Seeking knowledge and honesty prior to bias.
Self-sacrifice to save one more important than you.
Listening to Soulja Boy.
Planting trees and raising animals?
Unforgivable Sins - Raping and brutally killing children?
Defecating upon a holy place.
Depending upon a substance as an escape from the realities of life. (more of a cowardice thing, not necessarily a sin>)
Disobeying out of pure laziness.
Insulting others on subjects one can't control. F.E. down syndrome, appearance, mental handicapabilities, tragedy etc.
Any objections?
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