Soc 120 Week 2 Assignment for Ashford Essay Example

Soc 120 Week 2 Assignment for Ashford Essay Example Soc 120 Week 2 Assignment for Ashford Paper Soc 120 Week 2 Assignment for Ashford Paper Some of us like to believe that we are all born of sin and into sin regardless of what culture, race, ethnic identity, or class. We all have a sense of what is morally right and the relativity of it. There are traits, customs, and beliefs that make us distinctive to certain cultures, races, and classes, which due to the differences we all follow, a set of different moral standards. Each culture tackles moral questions based on their own moral beliefs. Universal moral requirements are presented to show that through differences there is still a huge connection of moral beliefs to show that we are more alike, than we as humans are willing to admit. Relativism maintains when it comes to right and wrong there is neither, because what is virtuous within a particular individual, culture or societies morality must be understood and taken into consideration (Mosser, 2010). Looking into the arguments of Lenn Goodman that there are certain things that are simply wrong, there are some who would definitely agree, yet there will be a few that would present a logical argument that would contradict his arguments. The areas of moral debates that Goodman chose would bring on a mass debate of arguments when it comes to cultures, races, ethic identities, or classes. Within the American society there are a huge amount of different cultures that certain cultural virtues held by some groups will not be acted upon due to the laws of the United States. The beliefs of Lenn Goodman are based on the history of moral knowledge and what many of us as Americans think are right (Goodman, 2010). There are universal moral requirements as we have witnessed over time throughout history. The claim of certain rights and wrongs has been a forewarning for battles since the beginning of time. Goodman claims are that every person has the rights to live and be free from any and all inhumane treatment. Goodman stated, â€Å"all human aspirations worthy of the name deserve respect and support, materially and morally/intellectually† (Goodman, 2010) but, to judge those things that is not morally right. All people regardless of what culture, race, class, etc. have the right to be treated equal and have the right to live their own life; people of these areas that make decisions to take a life based on certain reasons should be punished. There is no excuse for taking a life, but there is a time for everything, even murder. Goodman stated, â€Å"Murder is wrong because it destroys a human subject. Warfare is not always wrong; it may be necessary to protect such subjects† (Goodman, 2010). Goodman discusses slavery as one of the acts of wrong in the article and several would agree with his views on this issue. â€Å"Slavery is the deepest exploitation, overriding subject hood to make a person a tool for use† (Goodman, 2010). In the past and even in today’s society some cultures would agree that slavery is racially and ethically right. In opinion, in today’s society especially in the south, there are still a large portion of the older Caucasian generations, that still look down upon the African American population simply because of the color of their skin. Many believe slavery was abolished years ago. Yet, there is slavery today, immigrants are being purchased and sold to work for nothing. This is inhumane when it comes to any moral standards that we have regardless of what race, culture, class, etc. we are apart of. Goodman states, â€Å"Drugs are sold only once. Humans can be sold multiple times† (Goodman, 2010). Looking at polygamy, it is a gender marked because it is related to women. In some cultures having multiple wives symbolizes wealth, domestic labor, and objects of enjoyment (Goodman, Lenn, 2010). â€Å"Polygamy changes the nature of marriage,† says Goodman. Polygamy exploits slavery just not in such a monstrous way. Slavery keeps its victims alive while removing their rights from participating in society, keeping them inferior to the demands of their superiors. Another area of relativism and morality is terrorism. According to the reading, (Goodman, 2010), â€Å"Terrorists explode the values they claim to fight for; their victims blood blurs and blots whatever ends were meant to justify the carnage. † Examples of these beliefs exist almost everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan; suicide bombers (terrorists) walk into groups of strangers and kill them. They are not only taking the innocent lives of others they are also on a suicidal mission for the beliefs of what they are doing will provide a change. Yet, they believe in the point that they are proving and they have a moral belief that they are pleasing the God they serve. â€Å"Terrorism is willful targeting of non-combatants, aiming to intimidate and attract attention. It is a war crime, since war, if just at all, seeks only to block an enemy’s ability to make war† (Goodman, 2010). A devastating example of this is 9/11. Terrorists hi-jacked several planes, which were used to not only destroy buildings but take the lives of innocent people. Among the American people and several other cultures around the world this was viewed as morally wrong because the lives of innocent people were taken. There would be no other sacrifice of American lives but the satisfaction of a war launched on terror and Al Qaeda. In opinion, having a familiarity with the different views morals allows us to identify the things that exist in everyday life that are unfair or just plain wrong, opens up a window to continue to try to get everyone to agree on one set universal moral requirements. Where do I stand when it comes to the views of Goodman? I agree with him one hundred percent. References Goodman, L. E. (2010). Some Moral Minima. Good Society Journal, 19(1), 87-94. Retrieved from EBSCOhost on May 3, 2011. Mosser, Kurt (2010). Ethics and Social Responsibility. Bridgepoint Education Inc. Retrieved on May 5, 2011 from https://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 1/sections/copyright