HW question for 4/26 on Kant

[Jay Levine]

Tonight's HW question, based on pp. 103-116 (ch. 5) is the following:
Have you ever been blamed for something that was not directly your
fault? Examples in current events abound: teachers being fired for
poor MCAS performance, CEOs being fired for a decreased stock value,
military generals demoted for military defeats, etc. If the
circumstances were "out of your control", should you still assume
total responsibility for the consequences? What would Kant say about
this? One last question: have you ever done the unpopular, but
morally correct thing? Can you think of an example of something at HHS
that would qualify as such?

[Rhianna Waterman]

There was this one time I borrowed a pencil from my friend; I asked that person if my other friend could borrow it for a period after me and that particular person said it was okay. Well, it turned out the person I lent it to lost it. When I informed the original owner, that person blamed me for "giving the pencil to an irresponsible person." Technically, it wasn't my fault. In this particular situation, I don't believe I should have taken responsibility for the consequences because the orginal owner gave me PERMISSION. I didn't lose the pencil, the person I gave it to did. I would have taken responsibilty for the lost pencil if I didn't ask the owner first and then lent it to someone else.

 

Referring to the situation Kant described about falling off the Empire state building, he said if he landed and killed someone, it wouldn't be his fault since "There is no autonomy, so there can be no moral responsibilty." He argued that no one would say he was acting freely because his movement was governed by the laws of gravity.

 

If a teacher marks a grade right on my test and it is actually wrong, I usually go and tell the teacher. It is unpopular because students are afraid that their grade will be lowered, but for the most part, teachers will be pleased with the student's honesty and let him/her keep their grade.

[Jen Shaw]

one thing that many students and myself have gotten blamed for before
is cheating. even when it isnt even their fault, they still get in
trouble. for example, if youre taking a test and another student looks
at your paper for the answers, you may not even notice that theyre
doing it. when the teacher catches the cheater, they automatically
assume that it was your fault as well and you were showing them your
paper. you both end up with zeros even though you were not cheating at
all. in my opinion, i should not take any responsibility in that
situation, but maybe cover up my test better next time.

something that a lot of people wouldnt do but is morally correct is
return money that has fallen out of a strangers wallet or pocket. for
example, i was in the grocery store one day and i noticed lady had
dropped about $50. i immediately picked it up and returned it to her.
when i found her, she explained to me that if she didnt have that
money, she wouldnt have been able to buy food for the week. if i hadnt
of given the money back, that lady would of had no food for the week.
people should think about the lives of other before doing something
they know is wrong.

[Misa Tran]

Many people get blamed for something they've never done such as stealing, cheating, or even committing crimes. Some circumstances are definitely out of our control but sometimes I do feel that I should be taking the responsibility. Yet I don't because it's not in my nature to verify something that I didn't actually do... "To act freely is not to choose the best means to a given end." Kant has mentioned it's a human obligation to act morally, not  a desire to act morally. 

Unpopular act at H.H.S? Probably telling some people to stop standing in the middle of the hallway. It's a bit annoying.

[Stephanie Pelletier]

One thing that I was blamed for even though it was not directly my fault was losing a team card game.  My teammates blamed losing on me because I was the one playing in the last round, and even though I won, we had lost overall. Two out of three of them had lost their rounds, but suddenly it was all my fault.  It was not my fault because I did my fair share.  In this case, I should not have to take full responsibility for losing the game because they were the ones who had put us in that situation.  If it were in fact my fault, I would have no problem taking full blame for what happened.

Kant would say that if you could not control what was happening, then it would not be your fault. 

A very unpopular thing to do, that I myself have done, is to admit to a teacher that you did not complete an assignment they had given you the night before as homework. No one wants to get credit taken off for missing work, but you're conscience tells you it is the right thing to do. Teachers respect the honesty and usually let you make up the work. I had to take responsibility for my decision not to do the homework because it was under my control.

On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 5:51 PM, Jen Shaw <shaw....@gmail.com> wrote:

[bridget stemmler]

Though I cannot think of a personal experience in which I have been unjustly punished, i am sure it happens to most. Philosophically, Kant denounces responsibility for circumstances that were not in one's control. I have to agree with him on this aspect. There have been times when i have had an unpopular yet moral opinion and stood by it. An unpopular choice at Haverhill High? Showing any regard for the rules i guess. I feel a sense of duty to obey just rules that Kant would find appropriate.  

[Phil Sasso-Flanagan]

People get blamed for things that they don't do all the time. This takes place everywhere, school, home, even in court.  A  witness may give false information to help the defendant and the wrong person could go to jail. I got blamed (and still do) for braking power a seat in my moms car when I didn't do it. If something is not under your control, then it can't be your fault for it occurring. (I liked the way Stephanie put it). And I agree with Misa about people standing in the middle of the hallway when others are trying to get by, Seriously, get out of the way it drives me crazy.

[Jaclyn Solimine]

 
Once I was blamed for leaving the downstairs heat in my house turned on all night. Usually my parents turn it down before they go to bed, but they asked me to make sure it was turned down because I was staying up late with my sisters to watch a movie and it would get cold if without the heat. Anyway, I ended up going to bed earlier than my other sisters, and I asked them to turn the heat down before they went to bed. They ended up not turning the heat down and I was blamed because it was my "responsibility" to make sure it was, even though I had given the responsibility to my sisters by asking them to do it. Kant may agree with my side of the argument because after I went to bed, the situation was out of my control.

 

An unpopular thing that I have done is tell a teacher that I had actually gotten a question wrong that they had marked correct. Usually they just let you keep your grade, but sometimes they mark it down. However, it seems morally correct to be honest with the teacher and actually get the grade you earned.

[Adelise Roberts]

People get blamed for things that aren't their fault all the time, for example, people sometimes get framed in crimes and are faced with the consequences even if they didn't do anything.  One time when I got blamed for something that was not my fault was breaking my sister's camera even though I didn't do it.  I agree with Stephanie and Phil when they said that if it is not under your control, then it can't be your fault for occuring.  Kant would say that if you couldn't control what was happening, then it was not your fault.  In HHS, people can drop papers on the ground and instead of picking them up, other people just kick them out of the way like they aren't important to someone else.

[Emily Lawler]

I have mosst likely been injustly punished for something that I never did in the first place. My sister decided to make cookies for the family, and she was going to clean up all of the baking things afterwards. My mom thought that i was the one who made the cookies when she came home to a filthy kitchen. I was the one who got in trouble and got stuck cleaning the ENTIRE KITCHEN from top to bottom. Technically it was not my fault, but my parents said that even though i told her she needed to clean up, it was still my responsibility to make her do it.

 

Kant would say that if things our out of our control, they are not our fault. How could we possibly have an effect on a situation if it isn't our problem that it even happened in the first place?

 

I forgot that I had an essay due, and the night before it had just slipped my mind. I did have a lot of homework, but there was no chaos that could prevent me from writing the essay. Instead of saying that I forgot to print it, my dog ate it, or i had a doctors appointment, I said that i had just forgotten. Many people, usually including me, would rather make up a reason than telling a teacher you forgot about their assignment.

[George Bonner]

teachers shouldnt be fired for not teaching strictly to the test so
that we get better test scores. although, according to our governor,
we DO have the highest test scores in the US, pat yourself on the back
everybody. we are collectively more inteligent than west virginia.
http://fruitfly.files.wordpress.com/2006/08/redneck.jpg (no offense to
anyone from, or with family or friends in WV)
CEOs getting fired doesnt affect me, and i have a overall negative
atitudes toward all CEOs because they dont pay enough taxes. THAT
BEING SAID, i am not aware of any CEO who has been fired for dwindling
stock prices. if they have been fired, im sure they got millions of
dollars in compensation, so theyll be fine.
again, not aware of generals demoted for mlitary defeats, examples
would be nice. I am however aware of the all around awesomeness that
is General mcchrystal and his forced resignation due to a rolling
stone article where he said obama "wasnt very engaged" that irritated
me because a person should be able to speak their mind without fear of
losing their job.

back to kant. if you are in charge you are responsible for everything
that happens within your command. when you are put in charge, you are
aware of the circumstances and must suffer the consequences. you
should surround yourself with smart people who get things done.
therefore, you wont fail.

unpopular, morally correct thing? cant say I have.

[Emily DelDotto]

Many people get blamed for things they've never done all the time, such as cheating on a test or stealing. You might not be aware that the student is looking over at your paper, but the teacher would assume that you helped them cheat and you both would likely get zeros. Kant would say that if you cannot control what's happening, then it's not your fault. An unpopular thing to do, as many others have said, is to admit to a teacher that you forgot about his/her homework assignment and didn't do it. Many people would make up an excuse saying how they left it at home or something. 

[Lucille Sirois]

Having three brothers, I am the easy target and usually get blamed for
their actions. We have an alarm in our house because my mom is so
parinoid. Well, it is a rule that the last one to go to bed has to
set the alarm and then put a gate at the top of the stairs to show
that the alarm is on, and that is usually Edwin or myself. One night
I went to bed well before Edwin, but I woke up around four in the
morning to the high pitched alarm. My younger brother Leland had gone
downstairs and set off the motion sensor. As it turned out Edwin had
set the alarm but forgot the gate. Instead of apologizing, he blamed
me for not putting up the gate. He was so persistant on blaming me,
he started to convince my parents that it was me and not him.

Kant would say that any actions that are out of our hands are not our
responsibility because there is no possible way we can control them.

Some people, as Emily pointed out make up stories or excuses or do
something clever because they havn't completed an assignment. In
Latin, I once did part C instead of B. Instead of changing the
numbers and letters and fake it, I told the teacher when she came
around to check homework. Instead of giving me a zero, she said to do
B that night and have C for the next day.

On Apr 26, 8:16 pm, Emily Lawler <elawle...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have mosst likely been injustly punished for something that I never did in
> the first place. My sister decided to make cookies for the family, and she
> was going to clean up all of the baking things afterwards. My mom thought
> that i was the one who made the cookies when she came home to a filthy
> kitchen. I was the one who got in trouble and got stuck cleaning the ENTIRE
> KITCHEN from top to bottom. Technically it was not my fault, but my parents
> said that even though i told her she needed to clean up, it was still my
> responsibility to make her do it.
>
> Kant would say that if things our out of our control, they are not our
> fault. How could we possibly have an effect on a situation if it isn't our
> problem that it even happened in the first place?
>
> I forgot that I had an essay due, and the night before it had just slipped
> my mind. I did have a lot of homework, but there was no chaos that could
> prevent me from writing the essay. Instead of saying that I forgot to print
> it, my dog ate it, or i had a doctors appointment, I said that i had just
> forgotten. Many people, usually including me, would rather make up a reason
> than telling a teacher you forgot about their assignment.
>
> On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 7:56 PM, Adelise Roberts

> <adelise.robe...@gmail.com>wrote:

> >>>> > that would qualify as such?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Nick Roy]

 I often received the most blame even when my sister starts the problem because I'm older and I'm supposed to always beable to tolerate them. Therefore, when my sister starts the fight and I get mad at her, I'm often the one to blame. I don't think I should get the blame because it's not like I'm the one who's attacking her, she's attacking me, and I usually won't just sit there and take it.

 

Kant would say that since I am the one being verbally attacked, I have no control over it and it's not my fault.

 

Finally, I have asked teachers for the homework when they forget. However, most of the time it works out better in the end because then you don't get double the homework the next night.

[Michaela Pierro]

I can't think of any time that I was punished for something that wasn't my fault. I wouldn't take total responsibility for something that was "out of my control". Kant would say that is would not be your fault if it was out of your control. Once on a test, a teacher marked a wrong answer right, and I admitted that I noticed the mistake.  It was an unpopular decision to willingly get points taken off a test, but it was the morally correct thing to do because in the end I get the grade that I deserved.

 

On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 11:40 AM, Jay Levine <jaymle...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Austin Ratkevicius]

It seems that everyone has been incorrectly blamed for something that
they had no influence in. I feel that we should not have to deal with
the consequences of something out of our control. I feel that Kant
would not feel we should not easily accept the consequences because we
did not act solely on our own free will to cause the situation.
I have done the unpopular but moral thing, and I usually feel that it
was worth it regardless of the consequences.

On Apr 26, 11:40 am, Jay Levine <jaymlevin...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Calé Frost]

At the moment, I can't think of anything that happened that I was blamed for that wasn't directly my fault, although I'm positive that those kinds of situations happen to me quite often. Either way, Kant would say that we should not be blamed for these indirect occurences because our actions alone did not affect a certain situation. 

Kind of going back to the cheatign thing, when you forget to study for a test and are stressed and worried that we are going to fail, it often seems as if cheating by providing a cheat sheet or glancing at our neighbor's test seems like the only way to perhaps get a passing grade. This has happened to me before, but cheating is never worth it; it's better to be honest and do the "unpopular" thing: allowing yourself to get a lower grade because of your failure to prepare. When you cheat, you learn nothing from your actions and your morals are lowered. While you will end up with a lower grade, you will also end up with a clear conscience.

Mr. Harvey is convinced that we are all cheaters.

[Zachary Brown]

I used to be blamed all the time for letting up goals when I played soccer. I would be goalie and the defense would let people run right by them and score easily. It was usually the defense's fault, but I took the blame for not being able to stop the goals. Kant would agree with me not taking the blame because it was out of my ability to stop the ball from going in, in many situations. Although there may have been a few I could save, many were out of my control, thus Kant would agree with me. A time I once did the unpopular but moral thing was when a teacher in middle school was askng what we had for homework. She forgot to write down we had a math test, so I corrected her. My classmates were angry at me, but I knew I did the right thing. Our teacher would have remembered we had a test, and I assume nobody would have studied, so I helped everyone out.