Right, Wrong and Everything In Between Essay -- Ethics, Morality

In the fields of education and psychology, scholars generally advocate increased moral education in hopes of instilling in children a desire to develop their own character (Huitt, 2004; Nucci, 2008). Nucci (2008) argues that while all of the social concerns in the United States are not intrinsically moral, there exists a linkage between social issues and the decline of moral values. Claiming that the ongoing debate on morality in today’s youth relies too heavily on uninformed personal views, he urges the public to revisit the scholarly literature with its methodically conducted research (Nucci, 2008). Therefore, in order to further the development of society in the areas of moral responsibility and ethical behaviors, the need to investigate moral development of children, acknowledge a number of potential factors involved in this process, and ascribe points of its future direction becomes ever more time-sensitive. The following summary and discussion points derive from one-on-one observations and responses recorded from a multiracial 5-year-old boy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania whose parents are both Christians. He was clinically interviewed in his house, specifically in his own room that he solely occupies, without the presence of his parents, who were in the dining room at the time. During my interview session, because he was familiar with setting and the objects within, frequent distractions arose, yet whenever the boy gave his response to the question or situation, he did so coherently. Similar to the study of 5- to 9-year-olds conducted by Wainryb et al. (2004), the interview initially probed the boy’s sense of right and wrong. The findings show that this boy encourages sharing and will report classmates to the teacher for... ...ited Berkowitz, M. W., & Grych, J. H. (1998). Journal of Moral Education, 27(3), 371-391. Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Huitt, W. (2004). Moral and character development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Kohlberg, L. (2008). The development of children’s orientations toward a moral order: I. Sequence in the development of moral thought. Human Development, 51(1), 8-20. Nucci, L. (2008). Moral development and moral education: An overview. Social and Moral Development and Education. Wainryb, C., Shaw, L. A., Langley, M., Cottam, K., & Lewis, R. (2004). Children’s thinking about diversity of belief in the early school years: Judgments of relativism, tolerance, and disagreeing persons. Child Development, 75(3), 687-703.

Second Foundation 10. Approaching Crisis

A week had passed on the Second Foundation, and the First Speaker was smiling once again upon the Student. â€Å"You must have brought me interesting results, or you would not be so filled with anger.† The Student put his hand upon the sheaf of calculating paper he had brought with him and said, â€Å"Are you sure that the problem is a factual one?† â€Å"The premises are true. I have distorted nothing.† â€Å"Then I must accept the results, and I do not want to.† â€Å"Naturally. But what have your wants to do with it? Well, tell me what disturbs you so. No, no, put your derivations to one side. I will subject them to analysis afterward. Meanwhile, talk to me. Let me judge your understanding.† â€Å"Well, then, Speaker – It becomes very apparent that a gross overall change in the basic psychology of the First Foundation has taken place. As long as they knew of the existence of a Seldon Plan, without knowing any of the details thereof, they were confident but uncertain. They knew they would succeed, but they didn't know when or how. There was, therefore, a continuous atmosphere of tension and strain – which was what Seldon desired. The First Foundation, in other words, could be counted upon to work at maximum potential.† â€Å"A doubtful metaphor,† said the First Speaker, â€Å"but I understand you.† â€Å"But now, Speaker, they know of the existence of a Second Foundation in what amounts to detail, rather merely than as an ancient and vague statement of Seldon's. They have an inkling as to its function as the guardian of the Plan. They know that an agency exists which watches their every step and will not let them fall. So they abandon their purposeful stride and allow themselves to be carried upon a litter. Another metaphor, I'm afraid.† â€Å"Nevertheless, go on.† â€Å"And that very abandonment of effort; that growing inertia; that lapse into softness and into a decadent and hedonistic culture, means the ruin of the Plan. They must be self-propelled.† â€Å"Is that all?† â€Å"No, there is more. The majority reaction is as described. But a great probability exists for a minority reaction. Knowledge of our guardianship and our control will rouse among a few, not complacence, but hostility. This follows from Korillov's Theorem-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, yes. I know the theorem.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Speaker. It is difficult to avoid mathematics. In any case, the effect is that not only is the Foundation's effort diluted, but part of it is turned against us, actively against us.† â€Å"And is that all?† â€Å"There remains one other factor of which the probability is moderately low-† â€Å"Very good. What is that?† â€Å"While the energies of the First Foundation were directed only to Empire; while their only enemies were huge and outmoded hulks that remained from the shambles of the past, they were obviously concerned only with the physical sciences. With us forming a new, large part of their environment, a change in view may well be imposed on them. They may try to become psychologists-â€Å" â€Å"That change,† said the First Speaker, coolly, â€Å"has already taken place.† The Student's lips compressed themselves into a pale line. â€Å"Then all is over. It is the basic incompatibility with the Plan. Speaker, would I have known of this if I had lived – outside?† The First Speaker spoke seriously, â€Å"You feel humiliated, my young man, because, thinking you understood so much so well, you suddenly find that many very apparent things were unknown to you. Thinking you were one of the Lords of the Galaxy; you suddenly find that you stand near to destruction. Naturally, you will resent the ivory tower in which you lived; the seclusion in which you were educated; the theories on which you were reared. â€Å"I once had that feeling. It is normal. Yet it was necessary that in your formative years you have no direct contact with the Galaxy, that you remain here, where all knowledge is filtered to you, and your mind carefully sharpened. We could have shown you this†¦ this part-failure of the Plan earlier and spared you the shock now, but you would not have understood the significance properly, as you now will. Then you find no solution at all to the problem?† The Student shook his head and said hopelessly, â€Å"None!† â€Å"Well, it is not surprising. Listen to me, young man. A course of action exists and has been followed for over a decade. It is not a usual course, but one that we have been forced into against our will. It involves low probabilities, dangerous assumptions – We have even been forced to deal with individual reactions at times, because that was the only possible way, and you know that Psychostatistics by its very nature has no meaning when applied to less than planetary numbers.† â€Å"Are we succeeding?† gasped the Student. â€Å"There's no way of telling yet. We have kept the situation stable so far – but for the first time in the history of the Plan, it is possible for the unexpected actions of a single individual to destroy it. We have adjusted a minimum number of outsiders to a needful state of mind; we have our agents – but their paths are planned. They dare not improvise. That should be obvious to you. And I will not conceal the worst – if we are discovered, here, on this world, it will not only be the Plan that is destroyed, but ourselves, our physical selves. So you see, our solution is not very good.† â€Å"But the little you have described does not sound like a solution at all, but like a desperate guess.† â€Å"No. Let us say, an intelligent guess.† â€Å"When is the crisis, Speaker? When will we know whether we have succeeded or not?† â€Å"Well within the year, no doubt.† The Student considered that, then nodded his head. He shook hands with the Speaker. â€Å"Well, it's good to know.† He turned on his heel and left. The first Speaker looked out silently as the window gained transparency. Past the giant structures to the quite, crowding stars. A year would pass quickly. Would any of them, any of Seldon's heritage, be alive at its end?

Online Shopping On The Internet - 1410 Words

One particularly interesting way that our identities are formed through consumption is on the internet. Consumption online is unique in that the items we purchase, the items we view and do not purchase, and our purchasing habits are all compiled as data. Our identities as online shoppers are summarized by not only the purchases we make online, but everything else we consume on the internet. Browsers store internet history and calculate what we are likely to consume next. This data is a form of identity that we have complete control over, but little awareness of. Online shopping not only builds identities for individuals, but gives producers additional opportunities to market towards us, further shaping our identities. These identities are†¦show more content†¦These identities are, in turn, used by society to draw conclusions about our character. This is not to say that our personal identity and the identity others associate with us as are the same, but rather that judgements places on us by others are based on the way which our identities are presented. Society’s utilization of personal identity to form judgements of others is extremely apparent in the social hierarchy that is created in schools. In adolescence, we are categorized in groups. Every school has a popular group and an athletic group. Descriptions such as hippie, nerd, and goth are attributed to social circles. It is impossible to avoid these categorizations as a student, which makes the way we present ourselves to our peers especially important to our identity. My entire life, I have been known as a nerd. As a child, I was praised by my parents for my academic achievements, so I have, for the most part, always positively reacted to being categorized as such. By embracing this identity, I have caused myself to seek ways to reinforce it. I believe my academic success as a young adult is greatly attributed to the work I have exerted to reinforce this identity. I value my grades and am disappointed when they do not meet up with what I believe a ‘nerd’ sh ould receive. I make an effort to associate myself with people who value their education and careers, so that I might be influenced by them to