Importance of Ethics on Organisms

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Good Intentions and Bad Actions
Ethics and Meaning of Life
How to remain authentic in a commitment or a promise
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

People often engage in various activities; some of them are ethical, whereas others are unethical. Honest activities that foster love, empathy, and assertiveness usually get their drive from good intentions. However, some of these acts lead to selfish outcomes that compromise the rights of other organisms. For instance, individuals kill animals so that they can get meat and other by-products. According to Singer, people should accord the same level of respect that they give human beings to animals since both have the right to life (6). Thus, the purpose of the paper is to examine the importance of ethics on organisms.

Good Intentions and Bad Actions

Why People Should not Eat Animals

People should not eat animals because they have rights just as humans, and therefore, they should receive respect and dignity. In deontological ethics, actions determine results. Thus, the act of slaughtering a creature for food leads to its death because before one eats an animal, one has to kill it (Singer 6). Since it is not fair to take away the life of any being, butchering an animal for food is wrong. Comparatively, in the consequentialism approach, results are products of actions.

Hence, when people do something, they should expect a proportional outcome. The implication of the consequentialism approach is that individuals should practice only those actions that give just, assertive, and ethical products, which do not compromise the lives of other organisms. Alternatively, people should use food with high protein content like beans and peas instead of meat. Additionally, they should eat animal products such as eggs or milk. By eating alternative proteins, individuals would respect the rights of animals and minimize their afflictions or deaths.

Four Types of Moral Luck

Nagel pioneered four types of moral luck, which include circumstantial, constitutive, causal, and consequential types (95). Circumstantial moral luck refers to a kind of moral luck that emphasizes the environment of the agent. It highlights the vitality of the agent’s environment and its effects on the activities that the agent executes. Furthermore, constitutive moral luck focuses on personal character, which has little impact from the external environment since it is in the personality of an individual (Singer 9).

Causal type is associated with the results from events that a person is involved, which compels the person to engage in some deeds that concern the event. Consequential moral luck emphasizes the outcomes of actions as it focuses on the consequences. In reference to animal liberation, activists argue that creatures suffer due to human activities. According to activists, actions have proportional effects. Additionally, Singer argues that humanity dictates the execution of right actions initiated by good motives (9). Thus, he encourages the practice of assertiveness and constitutive moral luck.

Kant’s Statement and Autonomy of Animals

Kant’s statement that animals do not have independence or autonomy is wrong, as animals have feelings and intelligence, and therefore, they are autonomous with regard to their entities. Furthermore, when people use animals as a means to their ends, they fail to respect the ethics, and so they treat these creatures as objects. According to Singer, dogs, cats, and horses are among the most affected animals by these inhumane acts (7).

People use them as objects for experimental studies and other procedures that humiliate them. Dogs, which are among the primary victims of inhumane acts, demonstrate high levels of intelligence. For instance, dogs are instrumental in saving human lives and display distinctive forms of intelligence. Therefore, using them as objects to attain certain ends like in scientific experiments is wrong, and so Kant’s assertion is irrelevant and incorrect.

Ethics and Meaning of Life

Nagel Approaches to the Meaning of Life

According to Nagel, life is like a rat contest, and everyone is competing to achieve set life objectives. He argues that individuals do everything for a reason. For instance, he states that we consume when we are hungry or read newspapers to understand the current affairs of the country. From his perspective, regardless of the hard work that a person demonstrates, the action will not remain permanent because, after some time, the earth will end (Nagel 95).

Essentially, achievements, downfalls, and challenges that life presents are only part of life and do not explain its fullness. Nagel notes that people should not care about matters that relate to the existence, as it is clear that no one cares about their livelihoods. From his perspective, it is evident that he upholds the notion that the only people who care about an individual are the family members.

Nagel Assertions

Therefore, he concludes that we only matter to our relatives just as they matter to us, and so it is pointless to understand life. Thus, the existence is not fundamental in any way since even after death, the difference is minimal, and people forget the presence of others. According to Nagel, one can improve the meaning of life if one is involved in political, religious, or historical acts that are part of significant events (97). In his assertion, the events inspire many people. Therefore, by being part of these events, an individual would inspire many people, and life would be valuable. Nagel’s arguments have their foundation on the fact that as much as people may try to inspire and work hard in achieving goals of life, they will eventually die, and society forgets them.

Counter to Nagel’s Arguments

The meaning of life is the concept of existence, which is complicated and not necessary, and thus one should not try to understand it (Nagel 95). However, this is not relevant because of the existence of life in itself important and very meaningful. Individuals are alive, for they have goals to fulfill. It is tantamount to note that each one has an important role to play in a lifetime. The essence of life is evident from those who have inspired and left good legacies, which have remained in the minds of people in the past and present generations.

Therefore, in as much as Nagel oppose the concept of existence, people should work hard so that they can leave legacies behind that would make others proud of them. Consequently, it is essential to note that good gifts last long, even after the person is gone, and remain in the minds of individuals as a form of inspiration and motivation.

My Reflections on the Meaning of Life

In my analysis, everyone should strive to achieve the most out of life. We should try to live successful lives and inspire those around us. According to my, life has meaning if we work hard, attain the best from our livelihoods, and inspire those around us. From my assertions, it is vital to living a fulfilled life, and everyone should work hard to achieve their goals. As Nagel argues that nobody cares regardless of the effort we put in action ((95), people should not expect others to praise them.

In contrast, they should deliver the best out of goodwill, but not from the praises of others. It is vital for an individual to do the best while still alive, as good and bad legacies follow the individual even after death. It is essential for a person to leave a useful gift that would remain as an inspiration to many people from one generation to another, even after the person’s demise.

How to remain authentic in a commitment or a promise

Responsibility is a dedication from another party to fulfill specific promises made by the good party. Additionally, authenticity is being your true self and real personality. Due to the fear of losing their jobs, rejection, imitation, or low self-confidence, many people hide their real personalities and portray a different self. Thus, many people end up living like others and fail to live their lives. For individuals to remain authentic in a promise or a commitment, they should be assertive, gain self-confidence, and value their real personalities. In my case, I will ensure that I remain authentic in the promise or commitment by being real. I will ensure that I demonstrate my true personality so that other parties can understand that I am committed to the security or commitment to be honest.

Conclusion

The paper discusses the essence of ethics and respect for the lives of both people and animals. It elaborates the fact that people must accord respect to animals in the same way they give to humans. The paper also highlights the vitality of using alternative proteins and other substances for experiments instead of using animals as food or experimental objects. It also explains the irrelevance of Kant’s statement and the importance of life.

Works Cited

Nagel, Thomas. What Does it All Mean? New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Print.

Singer, Peter. The Animal Liberation Movement. London: Old Hammond Press, 1985. Print.

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