Self-Reflection on a Course in Ethics and Equality

¶ … performed well. This self-evaluation details my learning in the areas that we studied in class, including the pride/craftsmanship approach both Sennett and Taylor address in their respective works. I appreciated the inclusion of these books in the course because they offer what I believe to be unique perspectives on relevant ethical issues.

In The Craftsman, Sennett talks about the fact that people need to take pride in their work, and extends that argument to show that people who do take pride in their work will be happier than those who do not. The argument could be utilitarian, but it could also be Marxist because Marx also believed that the capitalist system in which workers are divorced from any craft led to feelings of alienation, disenfranchisement, and conflict in the society.

In Restoring Pride, Taylor talks about the same issue from a different point-of-view. Taylor claims that some people are better than others at some things, and that it is our responsibility to recognize what we are good at and perfect those talents and strengths in the same way Sennett recommends in The Craftsman. However, Taylor also extends the argument about taking pride in one's work to refer more to a person's moral character. Taking pride does not mean being arrogant, even if it implies someone is superior in that field.

For example, many professional athletes are humble people but they are the best at what they do and they know it. Because I analyzed both of these course texts in deep and meaningful ways, and used them to investigate and communicate my own thoughts on morals and ethics, I believe that I performed exceptionally well in this part of the course. I also performed well on other course materials, including the set of four essays that are related to equality.

These essays extended what Taylor has to say about equality, but in different directions. For example, in the first essay I wrote about the basic differences between ethics and morality. I concluded that ethics are more formal and tend to work their way into the law, whereas morals are more informal and personal, and therefore tend to work themselves into family and community life. Religions, for example, refer to morals, whereas businesses refer to ethics.

Because I understood immediately how to approach this subject and why the difference between morals and ethics is an important one to understand, I believe I performed well on this assignment. I have since reflected on this assignment, and realize now that morals and ethics are both based on value systems and worldviews. Morals and ethics both have theoretical and practical components, but ethics tend to lend themselves more to theory.

In the second essay, we grappled with the difficult question, why equality? Is equality actually desirable in a society? If so, why is equality important and how can a group of diverse people such as the United States ensure equality? Although this essay was the hardest for me to write because of the complexity of the subject, I believe I did well with this assignment, especially after reading the professor comments. As Taylor points out emphatically in Restoring Pride, not everyone is equal.

This reality caused me great distress when I was considering the ethics of equality. We are told to value equality in the United States, and at the same time, we recognize excellence and greatness because we value competitiveness. Therefore, equality does not mean sameness. Equality means having equal access to resources and the opportunity to succeed. Moreover, I believe equality means equal moral regard for every person.

A child with Down's syndrome deserves equal consideration as a child without Down's syndrome, even if it means that the child with Down's syndrome will be unlikely to become an accountant or a doctor. Their differences do not warrant discrimination. Both children deserve access to education, to healthcare, and to a good life. In the third essay, we discussed how to apply ethical theories to the study of equality. I used this essay as an opportunity to learn more about formal analyses of equality such as utilitarianism.

Utilitarianism is the belief that ethics can be based on the consequences of an action, and that actions that create the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people are ethical. I also examined total utility equality as well as Rawlsian equality, and wrote about these different theories in the essay. I found that these ethical theories helped illuminate different ways of putting equality into practice.

This essay made me consider the utility of programs like affirmative action, which is a program based on equality of both outcome and opportunity. Equality from a utilitarian perspective means equal opportunity as well as equal outcomes. The fourth essay allowed me to further explore my beliefs on how ethical theories apply to gender, race, and social class. This was one of my strongest essays because of the fact that I enjoy envisioning a more just and equitable world. Women have only been able to vote for a hundred years.

Europeans have for several centuries conquered people under the premise that their society and values are superior to those from other cultures. Because I believe in equal rights, equal opportunity, and equal access, I not only learned a lot by exploring my beliefs, but I think I also expressed my beliefs in ways that were clear and coherent. My Grade: A- Based on my self-evaluation of learning in this course, I believe I deserve an A- as my grade.

The criteria for the grade of A- is to "produce convincingly argued evaluations," as well as offer reasoning to support arguments. Throughout the course assignments, I have argued my case with evidence from outside readings. Because I have integrated my own beliefs with the readings and from formal ethical theories, the work I have done on essays and short assignments is worthy of an A-. I believe that there is always room for improvement, though, which is why I would not give myself an absolute A grade.

Looking back at my learning, I think that I could have gone deeper into some of the issues such as the luck theory of equality, and perhaps tried to have a more solid grounding in formal philosophy.