Instilling Ethics and Virtue as a World-view in

Education and Communication

ETHICS. Ethics is a set of principles and means of conduct that is considered moral or right. It is a rule
of standards of measuring the judgment of goodness and badness of human character and action. The role of
ethics can have many different meanings. Ethics can mean differently in a Western context than in Eastern
context. In Western ethics, Aristotle holds that the role of habit in conduct denotes ethics. According to Aristotle
Ethics, by Richard Kraut, Aristotle claims that a virtuous person is an ethical person because a virtuous person
can judge between what is right and wrong, and he concludes virtues is the center of a well-lived life aka good
life, (TheStanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy(Summer2014Edition)In addition, Aristotle attributed
human well-being to goods such as friendship, pleasure, virtue, honor, and wealth that all equality takes part in
our lives. On the other hand, ethics in Eastern tradition also sets up a criterion of the good such as Confucian
practice that detail the importance of virtue ethics in strengthening the character traits of filial piety, humbleness,
and generosity.However, a general meaning of ethics is that it is an association for moral competence. For
instance, how to live a just life, exhibit good behaviors and moral excellence. Everyone has their own sense of
moral concepts (right or wrong) or ethical principles (ought to do). It is hard to pin down what ethics really is
because we all have different viewpoints to equate ethics. Ethics relate to everything, in the way we act and think
and in the environment. It relates to our every day choices and how we should live. Ethics also has to do with
what you believe in, such as in religious beliefs, but not limited to religion exclusively. Ethics can consist of the
standards of behavior our society accept. Ethics can also of doing what the law requires. It has a value
component where we can evaluate, reflect back on issues, and re-evaluate the choices we make.Also, in
Professor Lauren Hartzell Nichols video about her ISS course, she introduces the word ethics and brings to
attention that her class, environmental ethics is beyond how one should live and how one should value the
environment. She discusses that her class helps students to re-evaluate their values and reflect on the choices
they make. She says that some students will choose to eat less meat or spend more time in nature.After
exploring the different (Western and Eastern) analysis of ethics, I conclude that ethics teach us how to live life
well as humans and be in harmony with the surroundings (animals, plants, environment, etc.) The role of ethics
in our society tells me that we have ethical sensibilities in defending our environment or nature and welfare of
animals.

Ethics and Compliance. Digital Image. Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Web. Dec. 1 2014
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VIRTUE. Virtue can be tied to ethics where the notion of virtue can be applied to virtue ethics. In
addition, virtue is prescribed to ethics because ethics describe what humans should do, usually in terms of rights
and wrong, impartiality or fairness, humaneness, and benefits to society. Virtue ethics is understood as a moral
sense, which holds whether our actions are morally correct or incorrect. Ethical standards enjoin with virtues of
compassion, generosity, loyalty, and etc. Virtuous action can be based on common sense or standards accepted
by the state or universal norm. Additionally, both ethics and virtue refers to standards impose by society and
conform our beliefs according to what society accepts. From my research, a similar keyword and term used is
excellence. I am not quite sure if excellence and virtue have the same connotation, where excellence is defined
as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Virtue in a sense means greatness and endorses the
idea of moral obligation. However, an issue may arise when the agent could act in virtuous way but rights of
others may be jeopardized How can the principle virtuous conduct and individual rights be justified? Overall,
virtue can be as much an internal element (behaviors) as it is an external element (actions). Virtues can be
employed as a conception of ethics and action structured around rules or principles and reasoning.Its extremely
important to have virtue in todays society. This is because we are constantly tested with selfish desires,
egocentric thoughts, and self-seeking imaginations. From the discussion of virtue above, virtue is defined as
moral excellence, a favorable character trait or quality.According to Kant, in his Groundwork, his account of
virtue is defined as actions done from duty have moral worth (Betzler, p. 101, Kants Ethics of Virtue). He
defines duty as not acting from any inclination and acting from an inclination to do what is right, or is it acting in
pursuit of some desired end (p. 102, Betzler). Kant seems to think that virtue is a moral worth of a particular
action without having any desired ends. In other words; for instance, treating someone to lunch in exchange of
friendship would not be considered virtuous according to Kants theory of virtue. The moment of having the
thought of treating someone in hopes of getting something is return is considered an inclination of some desired
end as Kant would say. In a situation where a stranger helps out an elder to walk across the street would
emphasize Kants virtue theory.When asked what is the most important virtue in todays society, each person
would have a different response. Some may observe that helpfulness, joyfulness, courtesy, sacrifice, and
patience are necessary in treating each other in a community or living together in a society. Instilling virtue in
children is definitely crucial in preventing any violence.

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RELIGION. There are so many meanings of religion and consist of multiple of definitions.A plausible
definition of religion pertains to religion as a practical application for one's yearning of affirming humanity's
common bond and a teaching that is crucial for a full, meaningful existence. The teaching include traditional
religious values, beliefs, ideas, virtues, and experiences of a divine that engages all dimensions of human
existence --spiritual, intellectual, ethical, psychological, emotional, social, and aesthetic. They are deployed by
particular cultural and historical contexts. It usually refers to a community of people that hold beliefs and rituals in
connecting to the ultimate meaning of being and life. It is a social construction that seeks to define certain
beliefs, practices, institutions, and communities as religious and unifies people in the quest of for life's meanings.
Each religion has their own set of standards, its own ultimate goal of life, its own rituals, and its own moral
standing. Religions can also identity with ethics and virtue because most religion advocate high ethical standards
and provide motivations for ethical behaviors. Religion is related to ethics because it refers one's ethical
standards in terms of feelings, laws, norms, and values. Professor Wellman, in his video, he discusses about his
course Studies in Religion, he identifies religion as the social enactment desire for the ultimate. In addition,
Professor Wellman explains social science is a way to deconstruct social values and how people construct them.
Therefore, religion is crucial for social scientists to understand human culture and human lives. Professor
Wellman introduces a question that evoke would in a social scientist. He brings to light the question of: why
religion tries to partner with the state. Is it a good or bad thing? Then he says an aspect of a social scientist will
examine what is legitimate. This makes clear to me that religion is not just about the religious or spiritual aspect
but critical in the global and political system. Indeed, I agree with Mr. Wellmans argument that religion is a part
of every ones culture since religion stands as an institution just like science and politics stand together to
respond to humanity. It also deals with organizing people to preserve a form of culture that fosters universal
fraternity.

Pin by Mom On A Spiritual Journey on New World Energetics. N.p.,n.d. Pinterest. Pinterest.
Web. Dec. 1 2014.

COMMUNICATION. Communication is at the root of our daily experiences whether with a

relational partner, a stranger, or a brief encounter. As social beings, we express, communicate, and negotiate our
identity through the way we dress or the way we comport ourselves. Language is used to convey messages and
meanings in our relationships. The dynamic and complexities of human features is grounded in personal
attributes such as experience, developmental process, and social and personal identities. In addition, there are
different styles of speech such as the degrees of formality, genres, etc., and we are able to switch among them
according to the contexts. Everyday communication appears to be natural, mundane, and usually informal
speeches; for instance, phone conversations with friends, family dinner conversations, and occasional
exchanges with neighbors. There are many categories of communication such as verbal, non-verbal
communication and written communication. Furthermore, our identities, cultures and performance is structured
through communication. Social identities and cultures are the integral part of communication. They provide
framework in which social interaction can take place and shape our behavior in embedded with cultural and
social expectations.Communication is connected to almost every relevant occasion in our life. It is especially
important in the eyes of social scientists when researching about every aspect of human interaction and
conceptualizing individuals or communal relationships. Communication is also related to the individuals social
skills in public and professional contexts.

CHOICES. Understanding ethics is a vital matter for addressing the most difficult decisions that
administrators face when addressing the challenges of governance resiliency. Often value-related issues in
public administration are governed around the effects of efficiency, economy and equity. The argument here is
that how do you respond to the value-related issues and yet promote a stable society? These grandiose choices
that public administrators face also bring back the competing values of ethics--the right versus wrong dilemmas.
In essence, what should be considered when competing values and ethical determinations are at stake. Choices
like these may be a highly complex endeavor, but each individual indeed faces the dilemma of governing choices
at every level of their experiences whether it is on a personal, civic, or economical level. By recognizing and
better understanding the consequences and conflicts that approach to decision-making or choice-making gives
dialectic criteria for basing our actions. Our ethical standards, virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty, and
Ethics, religious beliefs are intertwined with the choices we make. However, feelings, norms, and laws can
deviate from what is ethical. Therefore, it is necessary to examine one's standards and behaviors to ensure that
it is reasonable, which means the continuous effort our own moral conduct and choices to ensure they are in line
with our ethical reasoning.We are constantly making choices, every minute of our lives. We want to avoid illegal
or harmful acts that are not considered ethical. Sometimes we have to make tough choices and sometimes the
choices we make can entirely affect our whole life and behaviors. According to Daniel Kahneman and Amos
Tversky, the ability of any of us to make a choicewhats in our best interest is limited. This is because the
information we have overestimates us. In other words, we dont necessarily know what we want in the future.
Sophia Rosenfield, a 2013 Guggenheim, says, We value the objects we possess over the ones we lack in ways
that dont make any objective sense (The Choices Isnt Clear, Rosenfield). In a book called Life Choice:
Teaching Adolescents to Make Positive Decisions About their Own Lives, aims to help students to make positive
choices that will affect their lives. The technique that the book describes is to enable the students to use both
their brain and emotions to help them make good choices. Its important that the students are able to develop
internal controls such as controlling their own desires for sensual pleasures such as (taste, smell, touch, and
sights) and luxury comfort. Assisting students to become aware of the consequences of their actions is also
relevant in their life choices. Another way of teaching the students to be more informed about their choices they
make is to use stories to considerations to the issues involved. For instance, did the character make a good
decision? If not, what can the character do to improve? These are a few questions that the students can reflect
upon. I find that these exercises are all important points to discuss around the issues of making ethical and
positive choices. We could learn from imminent leaders who made strong leadership choices. The choices that
individuals make could transform the world. It is the choice that we make can emphasize great value and power
for social and political changes into this world. For example, one of the most well known achievement and
leadership implication of charisma is the great Mahatma Gandhi. He had successfully mobilized the Indians from
South Africa and led the whole nation of India to independence. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the exceptional
leaders that is worshipped and praised by his people, and even influences political scientists, celebrity scholars,
sociologists, psychologists, and religious leaders today. On his basis on the claim of leadership, he has certain

qualities that draw people in, which organize his push for a nationalist political movement to non-violence. His
autonomy of political movement guiding people leads us to compare him to Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi,, Buddha
and Moses crossing people over. Moreover, his national apostolate and virtues had inspired leaders in many
countries to emulate his example. Furthermore, Mark Hunter says that most people do not realize our
relationship to choices (The Brink, How Great Leadership is Invented, Hunter).

Lao Tzu Quotes. N.p.,n.d. Inspiration Boost. Inspiration Boost. Web. Dec. 1 2014

http://inspirationboost.com/lao-tzu-quotes

SOCIOLOGY. Sociology has been born out of the eighteen-century traditions, but now sociology is
a vast and important in a world of constant transformations. Sociology is a field on which researchers try to
interpret the world in various ways in order to solve why humans do what they do. Sociologists comment and
critique societies and finds a solution on how to create a functional society in the midst of the massive and
complex worlds we live in. The value of sociologists seeks to promote a harmonious world by reviewing and
appraising what works and what doesn't work. Sociology is important in securing a world in this lifetime or
subsequent lifetimes to become a better place. It is equally important for all people to understand and make
sense of the world they live in. This involves a reflexive account for each individual to actually become aware of
their actions and their role in our societies. Sociology is an open, humanistic, multi-paradigm, and ever changing
discipline that brings almost all of the other disciplines and themes in study.Sociology is a quest for social
reconstruction where social relations and social change is surgically transformed. The world is getting more and
more complex and diverse. It is even getting harder to characterize the social world. There is even less
agreement on what characterize social attributes of gender, nation, class, and etc. As an institution, it is time for
sociologists to refocus on the conversation of improving a deficient system and create a more meaningful one.
Marx, Weber and Durkheim, classic sociologists, enable us to make us think. How to analyze our thoughts and
how they shape society. In the 1920s, a sociologist from Chicago, Robert Park advised his students to become
super-journalists, in order to become a sociologist. (Park, He means that sociologist's task is to be the gatherer
of social information in order to document the nature of the social world. The second task of a sociologist is to be
a thinker or a philosopher of human social life. It requires sociologist to not just gather information but to
contemplate on the data and make connections on a wider scale of understanding than just in the context of
facts. Thus, sociology is an important field of study to connect the developing rationality of the new scientific and
technological world, which seeks to advance social life and the world.

LIBERAL EDUCATION. Liberal education is an education that integrates humanities,

performing arts, natural and social sciences, and mathematics. Liberal education tries to answer what does it
mean to be an educated person today. John Henry Newman (1947) stated that liberal education viewed in itself,
is simply the cultivation of the intellect, as such, and its object is nothing more or less than intellectual
excellence. Debra Humphreys, a vice president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, also
claimed that liberal education inculcates creative thinking, teamwork and problem solving, civic knowledge and
engagement, ethical reasoning and action, and synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and
specialized studies. As times have gotten stronger, many students are looking for a higher education that can
land them on a high paying job. There is an unusual level of anxiety for many young people today as they
scramble together to face this dynamic, multi-ethnic, overly competitive, and ever-changing world. Teachers
alike, reinforce the idea that students need to be competent in math, science and technology fields; in order, for
them to be at an advantage over other applicants in the work force. My biology teacher often recommends her
students to go into the life sciences and medicine since medical jobs would be prolific and necessary in the
coming years as globalization continues to take its course. It gave me the impression that mathematics,
sciences, engineer, and technology were venerated more than the humanities and arts. Entering college, I was a
premed major and followed what everyone thought about the veneration of sciences and technology. I assumed
that my high school teacher, parents, or some statistics-crunching prestige were worthy of my trust. However, not
until I encounter liberal education was I inhuman, in some real way, to choose what I want to study. Nowadays,
what exactly is a liberal education? Typically when we hear the word liberal, we are apt to think that it a person
belongs to this partisan group or a persons political view. We also think that a liberal education is a well-rounded
education that touches upon all different subjects and kinds of fields such as sciences, history, math, and arts.
Liberal education is derived from the Latin liber, meaning free. A liberal education is a kind of education that
frees a person. So what exactly does that mean? Arent we free? In a sense liberal education liberates us from
slavery. We are not free because we are tied down by ignorance and falsehood. Liberal education helps us see
instances of ignorance and falsehood for what they truly are inasmuch as it allows us to discover and
contemplate what is real, what truly exists (Guerra, The Place of Liberal Education in Contemporary Higher
Education). In addition, Leo Strauss (1899-1973), a Professor in Robert Maynard Hutchins Distinguished Service
Professor in the University of Chicago said liberal education is education in culture or toward culture
(Leo, What is Liberal Education?). He states that culture means taking care and improving the native faculties
of the mind in accordance with the nature of the mind. Moreover, liberal education reminds oneself of human
excellence and human greatness. Students in Grand Valley State University claims that a liberal education
develop critical thinking skills and reflection that guide students to think for themselves and guide them on
making ethical decisions. In turn, it informs individuals and prepares students to be responsible citizens.

Sandwalk: What does liberal arts education mean in the 21st century? N.p., n.d. Blogspot. Blogspot. Web.
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