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Philosophy Discussion
For many, war is a tough topic because of the morality behind it. Generally, killing people is wrong and punishable to the highest degree. In the first video, Perry speaks on war as justifiable depending on the circumstances. For instance, in the case of self-defence. The consequences of going into war should be seriously considered before any action is taken and in war, all the rules that protect innocents should be followed. However, when we observe all the wars that have taken place, innocents are always harmed, and they suffer the most. The next scholar discusses pacifism- the act of not harming human life. He talks about pacifism as the default action of any country which I wholesomely support. There should be as many actions as possible taken to avoid war. The main question I had after watching this video was, is pacifism viable on a global scale?
The second video goes into economic justice, attempting to define the theory of justice put forward by John Rawl. Justice is simply a social contract between people in society. Citizens agree to treat each other with respect and follow societal rules to ensure we live in harmony and progress as a whole. The concept of the original position is also ideal in attempting to understand how society would function without the veil of wealth, poverty and so on. It begs the question, how would anyone like society to be if they didn’t know what socioeconomic group they would be in?
The final video discusses the ethical implications of punishment, specifically in the US. Three main views justify punishment- for retributivism, deterrence and rehabilitation. Punishment is only justified if it provides one or all of these consequences. The reading also discusses Rachels, a scholar who believes in retributivism- returning malice with malice. For instance, if someone does something wrong, they deserve to have something wrong done right back to them. This is simply the concept of an eye for an eye which in my opinion, has no place in the justice system. There are too many circumstantial aspects that must be taken into consideration. This video raises the question of whether the high incarceration rate in the US means that the punishment system is broken.