Cumo‌‌1 

‌ ‌

Trinity‌‌Cumo‌  ‌

Professor‌‌Dr.‌‌Martino‌  ‌

Introduction‌‌to‌‌ethics‌  ‌

December‌‌2,‌‌2018‌‌
   ‌

Ethics‌‌and‌‌Who‌‌You‌‌Are‌  ‌

When‌‌faced‌‌with‌‌the‌‌question‌‌who‌‌we‌‌are‌‌we‌‌have‌‌to‌‌reflect‌‌on‌‌the‌‌decision‌‌and‌‌actions‌‌ 

we‌‌have‌‌made‌‌throughout‌‌life.‌‌This‌‌concept‌‌can‌‌easily‌‌be‌‌compared‌‌to‌‌an‌‌oak‌‌tree,‌‌how?‌‌It‌‌starts‌‌ 

with‌‌the‌‌roots‌‌of‌‌what‌‌we‌‌think‌‌and‌‌learned‌‌is‌‌morally‌‌right‌‌and‌‌wrong,‌‌and‌‌shows‌‌that‌‌there‌‌is‌‌a‌‌
 

solid‌‌base‌‌and‌‌understanding‌‌of‌‌who‌‌we‌‌are.‌‌As‌‌you‌‌move‌‌up‌‌the‌‌tree‌‌it‌‌starts‌‌to‌‌bend‌‌and‌‌turn‌‌ 

creating‌‌an‌‌natural‌‌form,‌‌coming‌‌from‌‌the‌‌decisions‌‌we‌‌are‌‌faced‌‌with‌‌everyday.‌‌Moving‌‌even‌‌ 

higher‌‌up‌‌to‌‌the‌‌branches,‌‌these‌‌are‌‌the‌‌outcomes‌‌of‌‌the‌‌decisions‌‌we‌‌make‌‌leading‌‌up‌‌to‌‌the‌‌ 

leaves‌‌and‌‌how‌‌we‌‌change‌‌from‌‌these‌‌decisions.‌‌Leaves‌‌are‌‌always‌‌absorbing‌‌nutrients‌‌this‌‌is‌‌a ‌‌

representation‌‌of‌‌the‌‌change‌‌people‌‌go‌‌through‌‌in‌‌life‌‌and‌‌how‌‌often‌‌we‌‌go‌‌through‌‌them.‌‌
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The‌‌leaves‌‌are‌‌constantly‌‌changing‌‌from‌‌season‌‌to‌‌season,‌‌just‌‌like‌‌people‌‌go‌‌through‌‌ 

changes.‌‌Trying‌‌to‌‌content‌‌and‌‌happy‌‌in‌‌life‌‌is‌‌what‌‌most‌‌people‌‌strive‌‌for‌‌and‌‌sometimes‌‌ 

change‌‌is‌‌the‌‌only‌‌way‌‌they‌‌can‌‌achieve‌‌that.‌‌Two‌‌questions‌‌that‌‌arise‌‌from‌‌change‌‌are‌‌“does‌‌this‌‌ 

change‌‌or‌‌innovation‌‌lead‌‌to‌‌fuller‌‌humanity,‌‌an‌‌enrichment‌‌of‌‌human‌‌life,‌‌‘happiness’?‌‌Or‌‌does‌‌ 

it‌‌lead‌‌to‌‌the‌‌destruction‌‌of‌‌human‌‌life?”‌‌A‌‌tree‌‌can‌‌only‌‌grow‌‌up‌‌in‌‌direction,‌‌philosophy‌‌
 

constantly‌‌challenges‌‌us‌‌to‌‌watch‌‌which‌‌direction‌‌we‌‌are‌‌growing.‌‌The‌‌main‌‌way‌‌people‌‌ 

undergo‌‌change‌‌is‌‌inwardly‌‌and‌‌outwardly.‌‌Inwardly‌‌is‌‌how‌‌people's‌‌goals‌‌and‌‌intentions‌‌and‌‌
 

priority‌‌and‌‌mindset‌‌change.‌‌Also‌‌meeting‌‌new‌‌people‌‌have‌‌a‌‌big‌‌impact‌‌on‌‌your‌‌life.‌‌
 

Surrounding‌‌yourself‌‌with‌‌people‌‌who‌‌are‌‌good‌‌people‌‌with‌‌good‌‌morals‌‌has‌‌a‌‌grand‌‌impact‌‌on‌‌ 
 Cumo‌‌2 ‌ ‌

how‌‌you‌‌see‌‌things‌‌in‌‌the‌‌world.‌‌This‌‌is‌‌an‌‌example‌‌of‌‌an‌‌outward‌‌factor‌‌that‌‌impacts‌‌change.‌‌ 

Another‌‌example‌‌is‌‌a‌‌technology‌‌and‌‌social‌‌media‌‌that‌‌induce‌‌change,‌‌technology‌‌is‌‌constantly‌‌ 

changing‌‌and‌‌will‌‌always‌‌be‌‌updated.‌‌Without‌‌the‌‌outward‌‌change,‌‌there‌‌would‌‌not‌‌be‌‌an‌‌inward‌‌
 

change,‌‌one‌‌cannot‌‌exist‌‌without‌‌the‌‌other.‌‌Technology‌‌helps‌‌us‌‌achieve‌‌our‌‌goals‌‌whether‌‌it’s‌‌ 

through‌‌a‌‌job,‌‌or‌‌a‌‌sport,‌‌or‌‌even‌‌education.‌‌Paul‌‌Wolpe‌‌an‌‌ethicist‌‌said‌‌in‌‌an‌‌interview‌‌“We‌‌find‌‌
 

new‌‌scientific‌‌technology,‌‌we‌‌get‌‌all‌‌excited‌‌about‌‌it,‌‌we‌‌think‌‌it‌‌will‌‌answer‌‌our‌‌problems‌‌for‌‌ 

us,‌‌we‌‌start‌‌to‌‌implement‌‌it‌‌and‌‌we‌‌hurt‌‌people.”‌ ‌in‌‌the‌‌past‌‌western‌‌assessment‌‌of‌‌change‌‌it‌‌is‌‌
 

said‌‌that‌‌we‌‌are‌‌opposite‌‌to‌‌the‌‌first‌‌characteristic‌‌of‌‌inwardly‌‌change,‌‌but‌‌urges‌‌us‌‌to‌‌pay‌‌close‌‌
 

attention‌‌the‌‌impact‌‌of‌‌change‌‌on‌‌the‌‌human‌‌condition.‌‌In‌‌the‌‌classicist‌‌worldview‌‌they‌‌believe‌‌
 

the‌‌natural‌‌law‌‌of‌‌that‌‌human‌‌nature,‌‌and‌‌reality‌‌are‌‌fixed,‌‌static,‌‌and‌‌unchanging,‌‌but‌‌in‌‌fact,‌‌ 

change‌‌is‌‌all‌‌around‌‌us,‌‌even‌‌human‌‌conditions‌‌are‌‌changing‌‌we=heather‌‌they‌‌are‌‌good‌‌or‌‌bad‌‌
 

but‌‌the‌‌chances‌‌will‌‌continue‌‌to‌‌improve.‌‌
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Taking‌‌a‌‌walk‌‌through‌‌the‌‌woods‌‌you‌‌see‌‌all‌‌different‌‌types‌‌of‌‌trees‌‌none‌‌being‌‌the‌‌same‌‌
 

as‌‌the‌‌last‌‌one‌‌you‌‌saw.‌‌Every‌‌human‌‌is‌‌different‌‌in‌‌their‌‌own‌‌ways;‌‌that‌‌is‌‌how‌‌it‌‌is‌‌like‌‌being‌‌in‌‌ 

a‌‌good‌‌community.‌‌Without‌‌having‌‌others‌‌around‌‌you‌‌there‌‌would‌‌not‌‌be‌‌room‌‌for‌‌you‌‌to‌‌learn‌‌
 

and‌‌grow.‌‌We‌‌adapt‌‌and‌‌learn‌‌from‌‌others,‌‌how‌‌they‌‌act,‌‌how‌‌they‌‌react‌‌to‌‌stressful‌‌situations,‌‌
 

and‌‌how‌‌they‌‌overcome‌‌things‌‌that‌‌are‌‌thrown‌‌at‌‌them.‌‌Aristotle‌‌believed‌‌that‌‌anyone‌‌who‌‌could‌‌ 

live‌‌without‌‌human‌‌contact‌‌or‌‌live‌‌on‌‌the‌‌outskirts‌‌of‌‌a‌‌community‌‌was‌‌a‌‌beast‌‌or‌‌God‌‌but‌‌not‌‌a ‌‌

human‌‌being.‌‌We‌‌cannot‌‌achieve‌‌our‌‌full‌‌potential‌‌without‌‌a‌‌community‌‌pushing‌‌us‌‌to‌‌be‌‌the‌‌ 

best‌‌self‌‌we‌‌can‌‌be.‌‌According‌‌to‌‌the‌‌past‌‌western‌‌assessment‌‌of‌‌community‌‌there‌‌are‌‌three‌‌main‌‌
 

principles‌‌of‌‌the‌‌social‌‌contract‌‌theory;‌‌one,‌‌the‌‌individual‌‌person‌‌is‌‌the‌‌basic‌‌reality.‌‌The‌‌second‌‌
 
 Cumo‌‌3 ‌ ‌

is‌‌society‌‌comes‌‌after‌‌the‌‌individual‌‌and‌‌is‌‌formed‌‌by‌‌adding‌‌together‌‌individuals,‌‌who‌‌already‌‌
 

have‌‌a‌‌measure‌‌of‌‌completeness‌‌in‌‌themselves.‌‌   ‌

The‌‌last‌‌principle‌‌is‌‌people‌‌coming‌‌together‌‌to‌‌form‌‌a‌‌society‌‌and‌‌give‌‌up‌‌some‌‌of‌‌their‌‌ 

individual‌‌rights‌‌for‌‌the‌‌common‌‌good.‌‌To‌‌have‌‌a‌‌healthy‌‌community‌‌you‌‌need‌‌to‌‌be‌‌willing‌‌to‌‌ 

put‌‌others‌‌before‌‌yourself,‌‌become‌‌more‌‌selfless.‌‌
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The‌‌last‌‌philosophical‌‌characteristic‌‌of‌‌the‌‌human‌‌person‌‌is‌‌responsible.‌‌There‌‌are‌‌five‌‌
 

dimensions‌‌of‌‌responsibility;‌‌we‌‌are‌‌responsible‌‌to‌‌ourselves‌‌as‌‌individuals,‌‌responsible‌‌to‌‌others‌‌
 

right‌‌now‌‌in‌‌the‌‌present,‌‌responsible‌‌to‌‌others‌‌in‌‌the‌‌past‌‌and‌‌future‌‌generations,‌‌responsible‌‌for‌‌ 

the‌‌earth,‌‌and‌‌for‌‌some,‌‌we‌‌are‌‌responsible‌‌to‌‌God.‌‌For‌‌me,‌‌I‌‌agree‌‌with‌‌all‌‌but‌‌being‌‌responsible‌‌
 

for‌‌others.‌‌You‌‌cannot‌‌control‌‌anyone‌‌but‌‌yourself.‌‌That's‌‌why‌‌you‌‌can‌‌only‌‌set‌‌people‌‌up‌‌with‌‌
 

good‌‌morals‌‌and‌‌ethics‌‌to‌‌help‌‌them‌‌get‌‌through‌‌life.‌‌
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After‌‌reading‌‌and‌‌applying‌‌the‌‌five‌‌philosophical‌‌characteristics‌‌of‌‌the‌‌contemporary‌‌ 

human‌‌person‌‌you‌‌are‌‌asked‌‌to‌‌answer‌‌the‌‌question‌‌“what‌‌is‌‌our‌‌ultimate‌‌end‌‌goal?”‌ ‌Thomas‌‌
 

Aquinas‌‌answered‌‌this‌‌question‌‌with‌‌the‌‌vision‌‌of‌‌God.‌‌God‌‌created‌‌humans‌‌in‌‌his‌‌eyes‌‌meaning‌‌
 

we‌‌are‌‌not‌‌all‌‌perfect‌‌but‌‌to‌‌go‌‌we‌‌are.‌‌That‌‌does‌‌not‌‌mean‌‌there‌‌is‌‌no‌‌room‌‌for‌‌improvement‌‌and‌‌ 

room‌‌to‌‌learn.‌‌The‌‌ultimate‌‌goal‌‌we‌‌should‌‌be‌‌looking‌‌for‌‌is‌‌how‌‌to‌‌make‌‌ourselves‌‌happier‌‌and‌‌ 

fuller‌‌in‌‌the‌‌richer‌‌humanity.‌‌“In‌‌other‌‌words,‌‌our‌‌ultimate‌‌goal‌‌in‌‌life‌‌is‌‌to‌‌exist,‌‌and‌‌we‌‌achieve‌‌ 

that‌‌end‌‌when‌‌we‌‌“are”‌‌in‌‌the‌‌fullest‌‌manner‌‌that‌‌is‌‌open‌‌to‌‌us”.‌‌To‌‌sum‌‌up‌‌the‌‌five‌‌ 

characteristics‌‌in‌‌who‌‌we‌‌are‌‌changing:‌‌is‌‌the‌‌venture‌‌forward‌‌in‌‌hope‌‌of‌‌life‌‌and‌‌reality‌‌that‌‌ 

makes‌‌change‌‌happen.‌‌Being‌‌able‌‌to‌‌acknowledge‌‌our‌‌being-with-others‌‌and‌‌join‌‌with‌‌them‌‌the‌‌ 

building‌‌of‌‌a‌‌community,‌‌and‌‌being‌‌able‌‌to‌‌form‌‌a‌‌sense‌‌of‌‌accountability‌‌that‌‌is‌‌formed‌‌inside‌‌ 

the‌‌community.‌   ‌ ‌