Major Philosophical Issues - Essay Example

The consequences of an action should be important criteria for the people. Velasquez has maintained that various philosophers like Bantham had pursued the philosophy that actions, which result in maximum happiness for a maximum number of people, are invariable good, and therefore, the end justifies the means if it generates happiness for people. Popularised as act utilitarian theory, the actions, that are designed to benefit or have beneficial cascading effects on others, are morally and ethically right.

Morality can only be defined by rationalizing ‘whether one is inflicting evil on others’. Emmanuel Kant has been emphatic that moral obligations are imperatives and his two Rules define the categorical imperatives: Rules of Universality; and Rules of Respect. The first one makes says that people at all time must act appropriately and the second rule promotes the value of respect and say that well being al all individuals is important and therefore, one should not use others for their vested interests. Velasquez has preferred the moderated version of Kantian philosophy and believes that people must act in a manner that minimizes harm and promotes happiness amongst a maximum number of people.

No, ethics are not based on virtues. Virtues can be broadly defined as highly recommending characteristics of moral principles that people aspire for but they are not mandatory codes of conduct. Ethics, on the other hand, are value-based conduct that is needed to lead a worthy life that serves the benefit of the people at large. Therefore, a person may aspire to be generous and honest in his work, but even if he is not generous or honest but does not harm others by his actions, he will not be considered unethical.

Philosophy is part and parcel of every human being and he or she exhibits it through wisdom and individual perspectives towards the various aspects of their daily life. The interpretations and rationalizations of one’s actions and reactions are dependent on one’s sociocultural paradigms. That is the main reason that in a multicultural society, people often come across a moral dilemmas. It is therefore important that understanding cross-cultural value systems is promoted within and outside the society so that resolution of moral and ethical dilemmas becomes easier.

Velasquez agrees with Locke that State was established with the sole purpose of protecting the citizens’ natural rights (lives, liberty, and property) and is based on the ‘consent of the people’. The State thus makes rules to maintain law and citizens, residing in the state give ‘tacit consent’ to abide by the laws of the state. Therefore, people have a right to rebel if they think that the State has not been able to uphold their rights.

Velasquez has broadly categorized justice into two types: retributive justice where rewards and punishments are given as per the laws of the states or the norms of the society. Distributive justice is defined in terms of the distribution theory of goods and services and the related consequences that befit that particular theory. In a socialistic society, wealth is equally distributed while Plato’s theory recommends that productivity and merits should be the main criteria for disbursing justice.

Velasquez’s concept of ‘art’ is considerably influenced by Aristotle’s theory that art and artistic impressions reflect real life or reality and identify with the ‘universal values’. Though he has not completely refuted Plato’s interpretations of art that say that art imitates reality and therefore, cannot be trusted completely, he agrees that art should be interpreted with the rational interpretation because it helps to ‘purge our erotic and aggressive passions’.