Virtue ethics Essay Example for Free

Virtue ethics Essay Character-based ethics A right act is the action a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances. Virtue ethics is person rather than action based: it looks at the virtue or moral character of the person carrying out an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of particular actions. Virtue ethics not only deals with the rightness or wrongness of individual actions, it provides guidance as to the sort of characteristics and behaviours a good person will seek to achieve. In that way, virtue ethics is concerned with the whole of a persons life, rather than particular episodes or actions. A good person is someone who lives virtuously who possesses and lives the virtues. Its a useful theory since human beings are often more interested in assessing the character of another person than they are in assessing the goodness or badness of a particular action. This suggests that the way to build a good society is to help its members to be good people, rather than to use laws and punishments to prevent or deter bad actions. But it wouldnt be helpful if a person had to be a saint to count as virtuous. For virtue theory to be really useful it needs to suggest only a minimum set of characteristics that a person needs to possess in order to be regarded as virtuous. being virtuous is more than having a particular habit of acting, e.g. generosity. Rather, it means having a fundamental set of related virtues that enable a person to live and act morally well. James F Keenan, Proposing Cardinal Virtues, Theological Studies, 1995 Principles Virtue ethics teaches: An action is only right if it is an action that a virtuous person would carry out in the same circumstances. A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuously A person acts virtuously if they possess and live the virtues A virtue is a moral characteristic that a person needs to live well. Most virtue theorists would also insist that the virtuous person is one who acts in a virtuous way as the result of rational thought (rather than, say, instinct). The three questions The modern philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre proposed three questions as being at the heart of moral thinking: Who am I? Who ought I to become? How ought I to get there? Lists of the virtues What would a virtuous person do? Â © Most virtue theorists say that there is a common set of virtues that all human beings would benefit from, rather than different sets for different sorts of people, and that these virtues are natural to mature human beings even if they are hard to acquire. This poses a problem, since lists of virtues from different times in history and different societies show significant differences. The traditional list of cardinal virtues was: Prudence Justice Fortitude / Bravery Temperance The modern theologian James F Keenan suggests: Justice Justice requires us to treat all human beings equally and impartially. Fidelity Fidelity requires that we treat people closer to us with special care. Self-care We each have a unique responsibility to care for ourselves, affectively, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Prudence The prudent person must always consider Justice, Fidelity and Self-care. The prudent person must always look for opportunities to acquire more of the other three virtues Good points of virtue ethics It centres ethics on the person and what it means to be human It includes the whole of a persons life Bad points of virtue ethics it doesnt provide clear guidance on what to do in moral dilemmas although it does provide general guidance on how to be a good person presumably a totally virtuous person would know what to do and we could consider them a suitable role model to guide us there is no general agreement on what the virtues are and it may be that any list of virtues will be relative to the culture in which it is being drawn up.

Cyberspace :: essays papers

Cyberspace Computers and Cyberspace When does reality end and cyberspace begin? Can crimes committed in cyberspace be punished in reality? Can a â€Å"cyber relationship† have the same rules as a relationship in reality? Basically, is cyberspace part of regular life or is it a world created by us with ever changing and moving norms? Often, people make comment that they become so focused on something and it becomes a part of their life, an extension of them. I feel the same can be said of cyberspace. Reality is what you make it, and that can also include the universe that you see on the computer screen. The cyber world is a society just like the outside world we live in is a society. With increasing ways to access this world, the two worlds are now beginning to overlap and some would even say collide. Some have become so enwrapped in this separate existence with instant messenger, e-mail, chat rooms, and message boards, the internet has seemingly replaced get-togethers, night clubs, bars, and meetings as the number one social gathering place. More people are wired to this world than you will ever meet in a club, so why leave home, this is the best way to meet people. However, it is unfortunate that this also involves taking you away from the reality that is around you right now. Many ignore priorities such as family, friends, and even work to be a part of cyberspace. It has almost become a form of addiction for some. Should crimes committed in cyberspace be grounds for punishment here in the real outside world? Well, I think it depends on the level of crime. If you should threaten someone online, you should receive a ban from that location, but not be arrested. If you should continue that activity, then it will be assessed then, but for first time offenders, a strict warning or ban is harsh enough. The thought of losing out on that experience ever again is enough to stop most. More serious and special case offenders such as pedophiles who are putting kiddie porn on the internet or trying to lure children in chat rooms, should be prosecuted to the same extent as those we find in normal society. The same can be said for online embezzlers and hackers, it is no different to break into a company’s front door than it is to steal from them online.

The Spaces and Practice of Early Christian Assembly

The most public of spiritual assemblages in the Roman Empire were big jubilations and festivals held in the public temples.† Worshippers believed that propinquity to the Godhead within a temple that is, the comparative distance between oneself and the image or venerated artefact of the Godhead housed within the edifice imbued the person with power† ( Halgren, 1957 ) , the closer 1 could near the God, they believed, the stronger and more auspicious the connection. , accessing infinite nearest the manifestation of the God was restricted to merely a few persons, priests who had been decently educated and initiated in the significances and patterns are allowed by tradition in such a holy topographic point, Access to the temple was besides decreed by tradition and closely regulated by jurisprudence. â€Å"The longitudinal axis of the Judaic temple, for case, ran through a series of dividers and other limits that designated infinites reserved for specific groups—at the outer border of the infinite, Gentiles were allowed ; so, closer in, Judaic adult females and kids ; closer still, Judaic work forces ; and eventually, the priests† ( Richardson, 2002 ) . Religious pattern at this period was non restricted to temples, nevertheless. Smaller meetings frequently took topographic point in sanctuaries and chapels, every bit good as in rented suites. For illustration, at the same clip that the followings of Jesus began coming together, the believers of the God Mithras were besides increasing in figure and by the 3rd century were run intoing takes topographic point in little sanctuaries called mithraeums, suites designed to presume a cave or the underworld. In these irregular infinites, benches lined the two long walls and a little shrine or communion table was arranged at the terminal of the room. â€Å"The ceilings were normally vaulted and decorated with stars to stand for the celestial spheres, In this confidant scene, initiated believers enter the same infinite as the shrine and participated in communalWorship† ( white, 1990 ) . Similarly, by the 2nd century, Jews had an arranged temples and supplication halls in once private houses converted for the intent. One crude illustration, at Delos, had been created through the devastation of a wall that exist two next suites, ensuing in a individual big room. Benches linedthe walls of this assembly room, and a carven marble chair busying one wall provided a focal point. â€Å"No Torah shrine was found in this room, although Torah niches have been found in other early temples, including that at Priene, where another house renovated sometime in the 2nd century was found† ( White,1990:49 ) . Within these infinites, worship patterns were diverse, dwelling of a diverseness of supplications and Holy Eucharists. As members of the Roman Empire began to follow the Jesus spiritual group, they adapted these familiar patterns and infinites for their new intents, inculcating them with new significances. â€Å"The held meetings of the followings of Christ in the first few coevalss after his decease were of three major types, all versions of the patterns of other spiritual groups, peculiarly those of the Jews, for so the followings were Judaic, every bit good as other Roman and Greek faiths. Most of these meetings Involved a shared repast, existent or symbolic, for in the Greco-Roman universe, widening cordial reception by sharing a repast was a cardinal signifier of societal interactThese communal repasts brought Christians together to larn about their religion, to idolize, and to portion experiences, but they besides functioned to make coherence within the new community of Christians† . ( Jeanne, 2008:16 ) , Harmonizing to L. Michael White points out that, communal repasts formed ‘‘the centre of family ( koinonia ) ’’ by bespeaking that a societal relationship existed among those gathered and therefore ‘‘served to specify the worshipping community, the church ( ekklesia ) in family assembly.’’ ( White, 1990 ) . Among these meeting types, the agape repast, or love banquet, was most of import, and although it drew upon Greco-Roman pattern in many ways, it subtitute the imbibing and carousing that traditionally followed Roman banquets with instruction and worship. Those who gathered at a Christian repast would convey some nutrient point with them as an offering for the repast normally bread, wine, or angle merely as many people do today in what is normally known as the potluck supper. Harmonizing to Osiek et EL Balch, eating excessively rapidly upon reaching, nevertheless, would ensue in deficient nutrient for those who arrived subsequently, and therefore Paul adviced the Corinthians that ‘‘when you come together to eat, delay for one another, ’’ promoting those who could non wait to eat to make so at place before they came ( 1 Cor. 11:33–34 ) . Such advice, which counters common Roman pattern, indicates that the emerging Christian pattern was still comparatively flexible and informal, with new etiquette or regulations easy being introduced into the meetings.â€Å"After the repast, those gathered would portion a ceremonial breakage and feeding of staff of life, followed by a approval and sharing of a cup of vino, marking Jesus’ pronouncement for his recollection at the Last Supper† . ( Macy, 2005 ) After this, they would prosecute in a assortment of larning and worship activities, which, harmonizing to historiographer s Carolyn Osiek and David L. Balch, included ‘‘singing, instruction, and prophesying† . The 3rd type of assemblage was the Eucharistic meeting, wer they shared Meal, this was transformed into a symbolic rite focused entirely on staff of life and vino as figure of speechs for the flesh and blood of Christ. The development of the agape and funerary repasts, thath did include a sharing of staff of life and vino in recollection of Christ, most have preceded the outgrowth of Eucharistic patterns, merely when and how the strictly Eucharistic assemblage emerged is ill-defined. Like the agape repasts, these Eucharist repasts took topographic point in private places, but over the 2nd and 3rd centuries important alterations in services indicate they were going progressively formalized both in leading and in activities. â€Å"Justin, in the 2nd century, refers to the individual taking the service as the presider or the president, but by the 3rd century, the organisational Structures of the Christian motion developed into an episcopos, a Grecian term intending ‘‘overseer’’ or, in modern idiom, a bishop ; the term priest besides became popular. The service itself was altering every bit good, described by Justin and his modern-day Ignatius, the bishop of Antioch, as symbo lic or representational, a jubilation of Christ’s forfeit of his ain flesh and blood.† ( Macy, 2005 ) By the 3rd century, the turning popularity of these representational services would necessitate a particular infinite that would suit them, taking to the creative activity of formal assembly suites. ( Mercer, 1985 ) â€Å"The 4th type of early Christian meeting took topographic point out of doors, such as the meeting of the followings of Jesus on the Mount of Olives shortly after his decease, a narrative related in The Letter of Peter to Philip, which was found among other Gnostic texts at Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt.† ( Elaine Pagels, 1989 ) Little is known, nevertheless, about such out-of-door meetings, in portion because they seem to hold been used largely by Gnostic groups, whose beliefs and patterns challenged those of the emerging orthodoxy and were accordingly stricken from Orthodox civilization and paperss. Outdoor worship therefore became associated with dissident groups and fell out of favour. What must be kept in head, nevertheless, is that despite the differences among these early types of worship, early Christian worship infinites and patterns were extremely diverse. â€Å"No individual, original, pure Christian pattern of all time existed.† ( Bradshaw, 1992:30 ) From the earliest period, Christian groups expressed their thoughts about Jesus and God in different ways, and those thoughts, runing from the eventual orthodoxy of the major episcopates in Rome, Antioch, and Carthage to the Gnostic positions of the Marcionites, Donatists, and Montanists, were extremely diverse. Early Christians expressed their spiritual thoughts through a assortment of spiritual patterns ways, merely as modern-day Christians do.2.1.2The infinites and Practice of Early Christian assemblyMost Biblical bookmans, archeologists and classicists, agree that the meeting of Christians, like those of other spiritual groups, by and large occur topographic point in the places of frequenters, that i s, in Greco-Roman houses. The phrase ‘‘meeting from house to house, ’’ found repeatedly in the Gospel texts, good characterized thepractice of early Christians. The physical worlds of those infinites, and the places in peculiar, along with the cultural imposts of the period, strongly influenced emerging Christian pattern. To understand how, it helps to hold some cognition of the physical features of those places Architectural and textual grounds of Greco-Roman houses in the first and 2nd centuries point out that several assortments existed. Give the long, hot summers of the Mediterranean part, the houses of the wealthiest place proprietors were used as worship infinites ; opening into a series of suites arranged around an oasis-like unfastened infinite that brought air and visible radiation into the house. â€Å"Entry into the house was gained through a anteroom or hallway. Within a Grecian house, this led to a room in which the family frequenter conducted concern, and beyond this was the bosom of the house: the courtyard, which was roofless but lined by columns that supported an overhead fretwork that would be covered with flora to protect the residents from the Sun. In a Roman or Latin house, the anteroom off the street by and large led right into an atrium, or unfastened courtyard, which would be unfastened to the sky and incorporate an impluvium ; a shallow pool that gathered rainwater ( fig. 2.1 ) .† ( Osiek et el Balch, 1997:6 ) the private infinites of the place surrounds the courtyard and several closed suites reserved for the members of the family. â€Å"The cardinal parts of antediluvian houses—the anterooms, atria, were considered much more public in character. Such houses, peculiarly those in which the concern of the wealthy was routinely carried out, welcomed the entry of people from the street.† ( Halgren,1957:19 ) .

Interesting Facts About Arsenic

Arsenic is best known as a poison and a pigment, but it has many other interesting properties. Here are 10 arsenic element facts: Arsenics symbol is As and its atomic number is 33. It is an example of a metalloid or semimetal, with properties of both metals and nonmetals. It is found in nature as a single stable isotope, arsenic-75. At least 33 radioisotopes have been synthesized. Its most common oxidation states are -3 or 3 in compounds. Arsenic also readily forms bonds with its own atoms.Arsenic occurs naturally in pure crystalline form and also in several minerals, usually with sulfur or metals. In its pure form, the element has three common allotropes: gray, yellow, and black. Yellow arsenic is a waxy solid that converts into gray arsenic after exposure to light at room temperature. Brittle gray arsenic is the most stable form of the element.The element name comes from the ancient  Persian word  Zarnikh, which means yellow orpiment. Orpiment is arsenic trisulfide, a mineral that resembles gold. The Greek word  arsenikos means potent.Arsenic was known to ancient man and important in alchemy. The pure e lement was officially isolated in 1250 by the German Catholic Dominican friar Albertus Magnus (1200–1280). Early on, arsenic compounds were used in bronze to increase its hardness, as colorful pigments, and in medicines.When arsenic is heated, it oxidizes and releases an odor similar to that of garlic. Striking various arsenic-containing minerals with a hammer might also release the characteristic odor.At ordinary pressure, arsenic, like carbon dioxide, does not melt but sublimes directly into vapor. Liquid arsenic only forms under high pressure.Arsenic has long been used as a poison, but its readily detected. Past exposure to arsenic may be assessed by examining hair. Urine or blood tests can assay recent exposure. The pure element and all its compounds are toxic. Arsenic damages multiple organs, including the skin, gastrointestinal tract, immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and the excretory system. Inorganic arsenic compounds are considered more toxic than organic arsenic. While high doses can cause a quick death, low-dose exposure is also dangerous because arsenic can cause genetic damage and cancer. Arsenic causes epigenetic changes, which are heritable changes that occur without alteration of DNA.Although the element is toxic, arsenic is widely used. It is a semiconductor doping agent. It adds a blue color to pyrotechnic displays. The element is added to improve sphericity of lead shot. Arsenic compounds are still found in certain poisons, such as insecticides. The compounds are often used to treat wood to prevent degradation by termites, fungi, and mold. Arsenic is used to produce linoleum, infrared-transmitting glass, and as a depilatory (chemical hair remover). Arsenic is added to several alloys to improve their properties.Despite the toxicity, arsenic has several therapeutic uses. The element is an essential trace mineral for proper nutrition in chickens, goats, rodents, and possibly humans. It may be added to livestock food to help the animals put on weight. It has been used as a syphilis treatment, cancer treatment, and skin bleaching agent. Some species of bacteria can perform a version of photosynthesis that uses arsenic rather than oxygen to obtain energy.The element abundance of arsenic in the Earths crust is 1.8 parts per million by weight.  Approximately a third of the arsenic found in the atmosphere comes from natural sources, such as volcanoes, but most of the element comes from human activities, such as smelting, mining (especially copper mining), and release from coal-burning power plants. Deepwater wells are commonly contaminated with arsenic.