Final Medium Post :(
This semester has been so fun as well as interesting. I did not know what to expect from this class, but it was better than I ever thought. Ethics is such a demanding subject for the mental gymnastics of your brain, trying to utilize both your logic and opinions. In this class I have grown to respect these philosophers even more as morals and ethics are a very tricky subject to universalize or create a philosophy to live by. I learned this semester to better understand difficult readings by considering the perspectives of others, whether that be contrasting philosophical theories, or the opinions of my peers within our weekly discussion or through reading other’s medium posts.
In particular, the unit of The Mencius really demonstrated these learning outcomes. During this reading, we compare Mencius’ perspective to the contrasting one of Gaozi. At first, I agreed with Gaozi but as the conversation continued, I was swayed by what Mencius had to say. He presented an example that although water has no preference to flow left or right, it does always flow down. This, with comparing my opinions to those in class that Tuesday helped strengthen my navigation through this unit, and further develop my comprehension skills, as well as the medium post I wrote that week. Writing medium posts really aided me in putting my thoughts into a comprehensible format/structure.
https://raven-poole.medium.com/week-3-the-mencius-in-sections-622c218c2128
The second unit that improved my comparative and conception was reading Kant and Sidgwick and the disparity between the two. When first reading Kant, I disagreed with him greatly, however after reading Sidgwick after it was clear how ambiguous ethical laws get when you start allowing exceptions. Relying on utilitarian calculations was just not a principle I could endorse as it seems impossible to properly calculate any outcome given, we are not omnipresent beings. This unit also improved my cognition on moral philosophy enough to develop some of my own opinions. This was the first time I had an opinion on a reading/theory that was strong. You can view my rant about it here:
https://raven-poole.medium.com/the-rant-of-equal-outcomes-continues-a577c1d559a0
Overall, I have really enjoyed this semester, and class. I think it has equipped me with a better sense of navigating philosophical ideas, as well as improving my ability to form my own input and opinions on these topics. Discussing with the class and visiting contradicting theories has taught me a lot and really made me think. I am grateful for this and will use these newly developed skills to continue studying philosophy in a more efficient way these next two semesters.
