Journal 2/17 Alexis Ziur

During this week we learned about the diverse ethic theories that can be applied to the behaviors of society. It was interesting to note that in order to be able to judge, and make a rational decision when confronting an ethical dilemma, one must separate their morality from reason. Thus, in theory ethics and morality cannot coexist when formulating a decision. Even in Rawl’s theory of justice he explains that the person should be hidden behind a “veil of ignorance” when making a decision or if holding a higher position dictating laws, where they are not driven by their moral values but rather by the facts because they don’t know if someday they would be in the same situation. Taking all this into consideration, we then move to the reading of “The Bicentennial Man” where the story of the robot trying to defy societal standards by advocating for the rights of robots, can be applied to the time in history of a segregated community. The black community did the same thing by defying the Jim Crow laws established during the time period. For the example of “The Bicentennial Man,” Andrew Martin believed that if he could understand, analyze, and behave like humans did he should to be able to enjoy the freedom and rights of those individuals. For the black community during the time of segregation it was the same situation; if the only thing that “separated” from one another was the pigment of their skin, then why couldn’t they enjoy the same rights the white community did. Thus the issue lies in the question of where to draw the line in order to determine whether what we as a society establish as the qualities and characteristics necessary for an individual to fit certain standards imposed by the law or even the opinions of others. Even in today’s world we see these issues were ethical dilemmas still exist in the form of discrimination based on color, sexuality, and religion. With the new presidency we see the president of a nation whose national anthem quotes “land of the free,” trying to establish laws based on his moral notions and what he believes in, which transgress the purpose of this country and the opportunities it has to offer. This in turn makes me feel like we are living in a world were this said line, necessary to distinguish whether the foundations of decisions and laws are based on reason rather than morality, is not clearly established thus allowing authorities to abuse its power.