StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Philosophy Assignment - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
German philosoher Immanuel Kant's deontoligical theory talks about the good and bad things in relation to their universal accetability. His theory includes the idea of a categorical imperative which suggests an unconditional and absolute requirement in all circumstances and is justified as an end in itself (Categorical imperative, first two paras).
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.8% of users find it useful
Philosophy Assignment
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Philosophy Assignment"

Essay Philosophy assignment German philosoher ImmanuelKant's deontoligical theory talks about the good and bad things in relation to their universal accetability. His theory includes the idea of a categorical imperative which suggests an unconditional and absolute requirement in all circumstances and is justified as an end in itself (Categorical imperative, first two paras). When this theory is applied to Herman Melville's novel 'Billy Budd, sailor', different perceptions generate into our minds.

The novel story goes like this: Billy Budd, a gentle, sober, innocent and lovable sailor, serving the British merchant ship 'Rights-of-Man' is shifted to the warship 'H.M.S. Bellipotent' for war service. Billy agrees to shift to the warship out of his patriotism. On the warship, Claggart, his master-at-arms, somehow dislikes Billy. One night, one of Claggart's loyalists tries to bribe Billy in an attempt to make him join the group of some naval men ready to rebel. Aghast, Billy threatens to dump him in the high seas (About the novel, a brief synopsis, fourth Para).

Later, Claggart lies and complaints to the Captain Vere that Billy is involved in an attempted mutiny. In the enquiry, Billy, unable to control his anger and spurred by inability to speak due to stammering, unintentionally hits Claggart and kills him in the presence of Captain Vere. The Captain faces a dilemma as to what he should do in the circumstances. He immediately calls for a drumhead court and sentences Billy to death, despite his love for the latter and the fact that Billy is not intentional in hitting and killing Claggart.

The Captain is also sure that Billy Budd would never resort to involve in a crime of mutiny. Here, the Captain knows that his action of giving a death sentence to Billy is immoral and bad on his part but right and compulsory according to the universal principle of military rules, as laid out by the Kant's deontoligical theory. When viewd in the backdrop of Kant's theory, the court martialling and hanging of Billy is imminent , despite the fact that he is not at fault. Captan Vere must have been influenced by the thought that as a general and univeral principle, any other captain would have acted the same way he did.

It is of course true.2References:Categorical imperative. Deontoligical Ethics. 14 Nov.2005. About the novel. 14 Nov.2005 Essay 2 (Philosophy assignment) 3German philosoher Immanuel Kant's deontoligical theory talks about the good and bad things in relation to their universal accetability. His theory on categorical imperative suggests an absolute requirement in all circumstances and is justified as an end in itself.

Kant says that a person can act as he / she thinks if the action is perceived to become a universally accepted maxim or behaviour. He suggests : act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law. According to Kant, "for instance, one should only lie if they will that it be good for everyone to lie in the same way" ( Kant's categorical imperative). When this theory is applied to Herman Melville's novel 'Billy Budd, sailor', different perceptions generate into our minds.

The novel story goes like this: Billy Budd, a gentle, sober, innocent and lovable sailor, serving the British merchant ship 'Rights-of-Man' is shifted to the warship 'H.M.S. Bellipotent' for war service. Billy agrees to shift to the warship out of his patriotism. On the warship, Claggart, his master-at-arms, somehow dislikes Billy. One night, one of Claggart's loyalists tries to bribe Billy in an attempt to make him join the group of some naval men ready to rebel. Aghast, Billy threatens to dump him in the high seas (About the novel, a brief synopsis, fourth Para).

Later, Claggart lies and complaints to the Captain Vere that Billy is involved in an attempted mutiny. In the enquiry, Billy, unable to control his anger and spurred by inability to speak due to stammering, unintentionally hits Claggart and kills him in the presence of Captain Vere. Here, Claggart lies, as we understand from Kant's theory, to save his soul from the higher ups. There is no other alternative for him. He must have thought that others also would have acted in the same manner in the given circumstances, as laid out by the Kant's deontoligical theory.

When viewd in the backdrop of Kant's theory, Captan Vere also must have thought what others would have done in the circumstances.Accodingly, he immediately calls for a drumhead court and sentences Billy to death, despite his love for the latter and the fact that Billy is not intentional in hitting and killing Claggart. The Captain is also sure that Billy Budd would never resort to involve in a crime of mutiny.4References: Kant's Categorical imperative.Talk:Deontological ethics.14 Nov.2005 About the novel. 14 Nov.2005

Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Philosophy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Philosophy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1511261-philosophy-assignment
(Philosophy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Philosophy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/literature/1511261-philosophy-assignment.
“Philosophy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1511261-philosophy-assignment.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Philosophy Assignment

My Life Philosophy

This essay considers personal Philosophy from a number of perspectives.... While the writer is a Muslim and follows very strongly in Muslim beliefs, he understands that one's life Philosophy encapsulates a number of diverse things that are not entirely included in religion.... nbsp; Having experienced Western culture to a great extent my life Philosophy had begun to take on such a tenor.... The spiritual feeling inside the mosque, the architecture that helps you feel comfortable spending many hours with a huge amount of people, all praying at the same time, made this the best part of the trip, and a changing point in my life Philosophy....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

Comptronix Corporation - Identifying Inherent and Control Risk Factors

It includes integrity, competence, ethical values and the management's Philosophy, assignment of authority, operating cycles and the directions given by the board.... It could be material, individually or combined with misstatements in other classes or balances.... This occurs mostly due to the absence of proper internal controls to check such… Besides factors connected to the peculiar statement, the auditor needs to take external conditions into account that might help in controlling the Internal Risk....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Out of Our Heads by Alpha Noe

Alpha Noe's main point in his works; Out of our heads is trying to put across the idea on the functionality of the brain in relation to consciousness.... Noe postulates that the brain functionality is not based on the gray meat slab that is located under the cranium but rather… Noe's point on this book then tends to disapprove the notion that the functionality of the brain works as most neuroscientist's works have shown previously. From the points that Alpha Noe brings out Out of Our Heads by Alpha Noe PART 1....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Two Questions

uestion Two My personal ethical Philosophy stems from the concept of doing unto others as you would they to you, guided by the biblical teaching of loving one's neighbor as you love yourself.... Inevitably, action has to be taken to save lives and the future of the country.... However, because I owe my loyalty to my employer, it will be… The first step would be to approach each of them individually to establish what they know about the report, albeit at the risk of losing my employment....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

The Concept of General Will

According to Rousseau, when people lived in the state of nature they were ‘noble savages', meaning they were free of various sins of the contemporary society.... One can hardly suggest that this is an accurate view. 2.... The concept of general will argues that when people… It is not a utilitarian principle....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Need questions filled out for me

Why would this be important in a Philosophy centered honoring parents, ancestors, traditional and rituals.... The would be importance in Philosophy centered honoring the parents, ancestors and traditions and rituals in understanding the social hierarchy as the Philosophy advocates for discipleship while integrating the humanity and social roles that results to social harmony, goodness and happiness (P.... ) Confucius and Daodejing Philosophy expression comparison Confucius philosophical expression claims that political and social problems can be resolved by the initiation of social reforms and moral values (P....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

The Religious Message of Steve Jobs Biography

This paper ''The Religious Message of Steve Jobs' Biography'' tells that the religious message of Steve Jobs' biography written by Walter Isaacson is in essence a message of not giving up, and instead learning from one's mistakes in order to make the world a better place.... nbsp;… This 'religious message' is demonstrated through the use of the religious theme of Job's journey from college where he experimented with spirituality right till his middle age where he applied his theories to his personal as well as professional life....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

Solomon and His Attempts to Separate Different Kinds of Love

Diotima has been a controversial figure in the history of Philosophy.... This assignment "Solomon and His Attempts to Separate Different Kinds of Love" focuses on Solomon's emphasis on the sexual nature of affection as related to intimate love, most commonly referring to heterosexual sex....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us