Seattle ECON 201 – Utilitarianism Virtue Ethics

Think about two things you learned that week that specifically impactedyou. These do not have to be things that I said. These may be things that youlearned from other students, or something that you had a negative reaction to,or something else that came to mind as a result of material from this course.Write about these in the form of a journal entry. Describe why these thingsare important to you, and how you think they may be applicable to your life.Part of this assignment is to have a conversation about one of the things youlearned with someone – anyone that is not currently in this class. This personmight be a parent, friend, sibling, roommate, coworker, etc. Tell them what youare learning, and ask for their opinion about it. In your journal, you must brieflydescribe that conversation.Each journal entry should be the around 300 words, single-spaced withreasonable font and margins The Module is talking about “Utilitarianism: Virtue Ethics: A Theory of Prudence Argument that Suffering Wrong is Preferable to DoingWrong1. When we call things kalos (beautiful, honorable, praiseworthy), we arereferring a standard 2. That standard is its benefit to you (usefulness, agathos=good) and/orits tendency to evoke pleasure in you 3.4. 5.6. The kalos is the opposite of the shameful (aischron)Therefore that which is shameful is either painful or not beneficial (i.e.harmful) to you (kakon=bad)It is more shameful to do wrong than to suffer wrongTherefore doing wrong is either 1) more harmful/less benefical or 2)more painful or 3) both more harmful and more painful than sufferingwrong (475b) 7. Suffering wrong is more painful than doing wrong 8. Therefore it is less beneficial to do wrong than to suffer wrong 9. No one prefers what is less beneficial 10. Therefore suffering wrong is preferable to doing wrong Four Ways to Be Related to Desire 1) Having no desires2) Having lots of uncontrolled desires that you have the power tosatisfy Those are the two lives immediately suggested by the jar analogy. But whatabout…. 3) Having lots of uncontrolled desires that you no longer have thepower to satisfy This is an important addition, because we might wonder whether the secondlife will inevitable slide into the third life, and everyone, even Callicles andPolus, will agree that this would be a miserable life. But wait, what happenedto the life of temperance??? Why are they not talking about it any more??? So,a fourth life: 4) Having desires that you are in control of Argument for Excellence as a Mean1. There is such a thing as a healthy (virtuous, excellent) body orunhealthy body. 2. It is evident that the state of health in a body is ruined by excess ordeficiency 3. “We must use what is evident as a witness to what is not” 4. There is such a thing as a healthy or an unhealthy soul. 5. Therefore it is probable that a state of health in a soul is ruined byexcess or deficiency.