It is unjust to...
...to force someone to respect you
- e.g. in The Little Prince the king commands them to bow 50 million times
...to not forgive someone
...to not help someone in need
- if you have lots of money and you buy a boat instead of feeding starving people
...to expect mercy
- stealing an orange, thinking oneself to be outside the law
...to not break an unjust law
- laws themselves might be unjust, so it is just to break them
...to judge for someone else what is right for them
- thinking someone else shouldn't eat chocolate because you think chocolate is evil
...to not respect individual boundaries
- relativism
- the example of cannibalistic customs
- what if they don't eat non-cannibals? (i.e. they "farm themselves" in a self-contained way)
- what if they are "furries"?
- "think about the children": are children free-will units?
- is there such a think as 'self-contained'? how integral are they
- communism and the question of integration
...to let unjust actions continue
- to not reestablish balance, e.g. in civil rights
- double-standards in internal relations; it's OK to let it happen abroad? in a country from which we derive no gain?
...to stereotype and thereby dehumanize people
- dehumanizng: easier to let statistics pass by
More abstract notes
- Just laws; difference between "lawful" and "right"
- Relativism
- Self-containedness, forcing views on (weaker) groups
Connections
To Socrates Workshop Mon1b
Scene-building A - Judging scope of actions/beliefs
Dispute between:
- Parent who believes in alternative medicine for their children:
- Doctor with student at same school:
Back-stories:
- Parent: Mary, mother of seven, her oldest child has TB; generations of family don't use medicine
- Doctor: Ellie, mother of a child who hangs out with a child who might have TB; worried that the child isn't being treated properly
Confrontation:
- Ellie's child, really sweet kid, comes over to play with Mary's kid. Mary's kid is coughing a little bit. Ellie calls Mary to say that her child has TB. Mary says TB hasn't been around for years. Ellie lectures her on vaccination. Mary's child knows better than to play in sewage where she thinks TB might be found; she believes in the natural course, that he child can fight off disease. Ellie notes that her child does not seem to be healthy, is coughing. Ellie says Mary is also putting her other children at risk. Mary thinks it's all bordering on paranoia. Ellie instructs her that vaccinations don't have to be done all the time, just every ten years or so. Ellie's children are vaccinated and safe, so why does it matter what Mary does with her children. Ellie doesn't have a right to say why Mary should do, since her children shouldn't be affected.
Issues, questions & solutions:
- What would Mary do if her child does have TB? She thinks natural selection should step in, that her child wasn't genetically fit to live.
- Why don't you home-school them, where they won't affect other kids? Their father died. Mary can't teach every subject. Her kids are healthier than the other students taking medicine.
Scene-building B - Power struggle
Dispute between:
- Prison guard/warden (e.g. at Guantanamo)
- Prison's family
Back-stories:
- Cindy Apple's husband drafted for war, tortured as untried war criminal,
- Warden says guard was long enlisted, but in a new post. Guard was big guy, 30 y.o. like the Apples.
Confrontation:
- Subject was captured as POW, brought in for interrogation. Refusal led to wounds and to death. Cindy says her husband would clearly not have information, had they checked his background. Guards can't take a chance, and must use any means necessary. Saving lives, have to go through other people to find the more important people.
Issues, questions & solutions:
- Is this a personal, or a larger issue?
- Was it an accident, or a mistake?
- Can the warden do anything now to make it up?
- How effective is torture? Can beaten-down people provide articulate, reliable information?
- Is the guard being punished? No, he has been relocated (different from punished?).
- Will Cindy go home to her own government and make the same demands?
- Is there any order that the guard would refuse to obey if from a superior officer? No, his ties to countrymen override those to other humans.
- Does Cindy have any sympathy/empathy for the guard's decision?
- How does one deal with continuing torture while not knowing whether the prisoner really knows something?
Scene-building C - Not helping someone in need
Dispute between:
- Bystander in a crowd: didn't help prevent a crime
- Paramedic who got there too late
Back-stories:
- Bystander: Jane, 27 y.o. accountant, watching scene through window while watching HBO; moving away soon; had thought someone else would call; was ironing.
- Paramedic: Margaret, 38 y.o. female; studied medicine at top universities; family has been affected by gang violence.
Confrontation:
- Jane ironing on a Friday night, didn't think much of a dispute outside between man and woman. Margaret arrived five minutes too late, since no one called in the fight. Margaret blames Jane for not stepping in. Jane says she couldn't have helped, would have even by put in danger. Margaret blames Jane for not doing anything. Jane thought someone must have already called. Jane said it looks like someone outside had already called. Jane says this is just something one on that street gets accustomed to. Jane's solution is that she's moving away, thinks there's nothing any one can do but move away from it. Margaret thinks individuals have a responsibility to do something.
Issues, questions & solutions:
- Does it depend how common such an occurrence is in the neighborhood? Desensitization?
- Did Jane's opinion about her neighbors affect her decision not to call?
Scene-building D - Double-standards
Dispute between:
Back-stories:
- Sarah, not selected for promotion; single mom with two kids; international experience; five years experience, one year with current firm.
- Mr. McCormick 50 married, mid-life crisis, fraternity member; step-children, ex-marine.
Confrontation:
- Mr. McCormick hired James over Sarah. Sarah visits boss in office, asking for explanation of decision to promote James. Mr. McCormick says a difficult decision. Sarah asks whether personal details (e.g.) came into play. Boss says a fair process. Sarah says the women in James' office aren't there for business reasons. Boss says James has great ideas, as he articulates on the links. Sarah presses boss on whether he called references, could recall the conversations. Sarah says James doesn't have children, rather a BMW.
Issues, questions & solutions:
- Why James? Boss says almost flip of a coin. Boss is comfortable with James. Boss needs to make quick decisions.
- Is Sarah a feminist? Does she demand many rights?
- Does Sarah play golf? Is the decision based on golf relationship with James? James is a "team-player," boss says.
- Does the job require a very personal relationship between boss and employee? Boss: "ease of communication."
- Could boss ever have same rapport with a woman, non-romantically?
Back to Page
