ETHICS AND

This world is not one in which certainty is possible This world is not one in which certainty is possible. If you think you’ve achieved certainty, you are almost certainly mistaken. That is one of the few things you could be certain about. -Bertrand Russell

Who am I? Is their life outside of Earth? How do you know what is true? How do you know who a real friend is? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are right and wrong a matter of opinion? Is there life after death?

You are philosophizing.

Every time you: Think about the right or wrong thing to do Puzzle over a difficult situation Wonder the best way to live or act Think about the meaning of life or love Then you are philosophizing. The ability to wonder is the defining characteristic of philosophers.

There is no simple answer to this question. Philosophy is: Thinking about thinking. Rational critical thinking. Justification of belief. Thinking about how we conduct our lives. A love of wisdom.

Philosophy centers around difficult questions Philosophy centers around difficult questions. If the answers were simple, then there would be no questions and no philosophical evaluation.

What do we mean by wisdom What do we mean by wisdom? Wisdom has little to do with knowing lots of facts, displaying common sense or having a high IQ. Wisdom has to do with being insightful about human existence and doing things at the right time, for the right reasons.

Above all else, wisdom involves realizing how little humans really know. Coming to this (sometimes painful) realization is necessary for achieving wisdom. Many say that this is the first step towards philosophizing.

RIGHT vs. This is only one small part of philosophy. By thinking about a few situations we can see how difficult it is to provide a solid answer to these types of questions. WRONG

#1 You are at an ATM machine at the bank to take out some money. The machine mistakenly spits out an extra $100. Do you keep the money or return it to the bank?

#2 There is no wireless Internet at your house. You notice you can connect to your neighbour’s wifi and use theirs without paying. Do you do it?

#3 You see an item at a yard sale that you know is more valuable than the posted price. You want to buy the item. Should you tell the seller it is worth more?

#4 Is it stealing to take a pen from a bank? What about (a lot of) extra napkins from a restaurant?

#5 You are attending a concert of your favourite band. You could only afford to purchase “nosebleed” section seats. You see open seats much closer to the front, is it okay to go sit in them for the concert?

#6 Your teacher praises your work on a project in front of the whole class. You know that your partner actually did the majority of the work. Is it fair to take the praise?

#7 Is it okay to laugh at a sexist joke? A racist joke?

#8 You are going through an old box of things and find 10 years worth of birthday cards from an elderly great-aunt. Each birthday card has an uncashed cheque for $100 in it, with your name on it. You know that your great-aunt has been having financial trouble in her old age, but you also know the cheques were meant for you. What do you do with the money?

#9 You are given a difficult choice – will you save the life of a loved one, or save the lives of 100 strangers?

When answering the previous question, did you take into account who the strangers might be? Would it affect your decision if you knew the 100 strangers were all prisoners? How about if they were all homeless? Would you change your mind if they were all children? Would knowing your loved one had a fatal illness with less than 6 months to live affect your decision?

As you can see from this exercise in right versus wrong, philosophy does not always lend to concrete answers. Philosophy is about exploring all possible questions, striving for deeper meaning and understanding why we believe what we believe.