What makes you believe you've made the right choice?

[Jeremy Haug]

Do you weigh it on how it makes you feel? Or do you follow some moral
guide line? What emotion follows you after you've made the choice?

[Tanya Voytus]

I think this answer is different for everyone - and only YOU know how
YOU consider your choices. Some people have a strict moral code, and
when they step outside of those bounds, feel "guilty" or as if they've
made the wrong choice. Others, "feel" good after completing actions
that are against the standard moral code (e.g., the rush someone gets
from shoplifting).

Personally, I feel as though if you want to place value terms on your
actions, i.e., decide whether they are "right" or "wrong", "good" or
"bad", then emotion should not be as much as a factor as logic or
reason. Many moral theorists that we will discuss later on in the year
approach morality very logically, and have created ethical systems to
determine the rightness of an action. For example, Kant's basic moral
theory is that you should look at your action and decide whether or
not the world would be a good place if everyone did the same action
you did. However, I instinctually feel from experience that people's
lives are too varied to place such a black and white maxim on. Either
way, though, individual emotions are even more varied than that, so to
try and analyze an action through them could get messy.

[Nethera]

I do what feels right and if it feels right then I do it. Normally being nice to other people is the right thing to do, even if it annoys me.

[Tanya Voytus]

Thank you for posting!!

So, Christine, emotion seems to work for you. Inherently, you "feel"
good when you do things that are, by typical moral standards, "good".
You feel good when you're nice to people. However, if it annoys you,
then you're no longer feeling good. Instead you're feeling annoyed.
Since you feel annoyed, how do you know that being nice is still the
right thing to do? Is that decision made my feeling or logic at that
point?

[Nethera]

I try to put others before myself because I feel that's the right thing to do, so even if I'm annoyed I still try to be kind to them, I'm not sure why.

[Shaun Fletcher]

Not sure why? The main aspect of philosophy is to explore that why. Give it a shot, or an example. Why or when would you put people before yourself? When would you put yourself first?

[Nethera]

I have a hard time in general putting myself before others; but I've gotten better at it. Maybe is because I think others are more important. I'm not sure though.

[Tanya Voytus]

I think it would be interesting as a class to explore this idea of the
relationship between the Self and the Other. The 18th century Spanish
philosopher José Ortega y Gassett wrote a book called "Man and
People" ("Hombre y Gente") that addresses this issue in a nice way. He
was known for saying "I am myself and my circumstance." Perhaps we
will get a chance to read excerpts from his book and explore what this
relationship really entails.

Christine - thank you for posting and raising these questions. The
more you try to answer these questions about why you do the things you
do, the better understanding you will have of yourself. Great job, and
keep going!