Ethics

Ethics, in my opinion, are more the codes and rules instilled in us by society.  I think the word morals describes one's own code that he or she creates on his or her own experiences.  Everyone has their own set of values, but I would make the claim that human's ethics are mostly similar since the are instilled by society.  This also raises the question: should one follow their own moral code or should they follow by the rules and expectations of society?

Obedience to Authority

When looking at Milgram's Obedience to Authority, one can see how this serves as an explanation for the terrible regimes throughout time.  It is hard to believe that Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Mussolini would have came to power if it were not for this principle.  These regimes rested upon the sole ability that the people would not think for themselves and listen to their own morals.  The question I pose: since all of these leaders came up as trusting leaders who would bring real change, what kind of test should we use today to test the intentions of our own political leaders.  

Identity

During high school, I started to question how unique or identity is and how much it stands apart from others.  I came to the conclusion that we are unique individuals because nobody has had the same exact experiences as us.  But how much do these differences really matter?  Are they vast differences or simply minute, little things?  Depending on how big or small the differences are, what does this say about the possibility of human beings to truly connect with one another and find a significant other?

Concerning descartes.....

I definitely think that Descartes was monumental in terms of his contributions to philosophical thought.  He questioned true existence and what we can actually know.  My only criticism would be that descartes's theory that all of our thoughts could be controlled by demons is somewhat impractical.  Now, of course no one can disprove this, but I feel like his original theory, knowledge should be determined by reason and logic, is more appropriate.  What does everyone else think?

Raindrops on the ends of your teeth

Few things are coming to my head at the moment, but cest la vie(France).  I think if there's one thing i've been kind of question lately it would be: what is the difference between individuals and how different are people really from one another?  I do not have a clear answer, just a question.

Where shoud ownership stop?

Now I do not want to sound like too much of a radical or what have you, but I believe private property should have strict set bounds.  I think in America this is a true problem.  Power, water, healthcare, and many other sects of public life are owned and operated by private corporations.  This means we have to go and search for the best deals ,and corporations are held less accountable than the government.  I understand capitalism and the almighty dollar are what drive our economies, but I believe they should not possess some of the basic human essentials.  A good indicator of the abuse that can occur happened in South America in the 90's.  A company gained a monopoly on all of the water in the poor, third world country.  This caused people to have to pay outlandish prices for water.  The monopoly was so strong that they even claimed ownership of rainwater after storms.  Just a thought.

First post

I am not entirely sure what to right on the first time, but I thought I would do something.  I think a big part of my world view is caught up in society and how human beings interact and deal with each other.  Since early adolescence, I have found myself concerned with the conflicts of the world and of my very own life.  I usually try to think about the best way to solve them and bring an end to conflict.  I think my ultimate goal would be to have the world come as close to a utopian society as possible.