MR. BITRAN

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Maximillian Pitts
5 years ago
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1 MR. BITRAN

2 Why go to school? What is history? What is the purpose in studying the past? This class is the story of us The question we will answer is not What happened in the past? The question is Why did it happen?

3 We tell the story of people in this class Ideas Actions Creations Beliefs Struggles Triumphs Ishmael Baeh Malala Some are horrifying beyond imagination and are examples of the worst parts of human nature but others are a so pure and noble that they are the examples of best of human nature

4 Theme Related Questions How and why do people organize themselves into societies? How should decisions be made in those societies? How are resources distributed? How is power divided? What is the purpose of government? What should be its powers and limitations?

5 What is the relationship between the individual and society? individual and the government? What are the responsibilities of the individual to society and the government to the individuals? What factors have caused major changes in the world? What role does economics play in society?

6 A key concept to understanding history is moral uncertainty. What seems obviously immoral to you is not necessarily seen so by others It is easy to look back and use our sense of morality to judge others Example: Washington was one of the largest slave holders in the colonies yet is our most revered national hero Africans sold other Africans into slavery Hitler improved economic conditions for many Germans in the 1930 s

7 Moral Relativism: Moral judgments are not objective/unbiased. Justifications for moral judgments are not universal, but are instead relative to the traditions, convictions, or practices of an individual or a group of people Moral Absolutism: Ethical view that certain ideas and actions are absolutely wrong or absolutely right. Examples:

8 What are Norms and Mores? Norms are the specific cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation. Ex. Don t hit on your friends gf/bf Mores are strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior. Incest/Rape What norms mores exist in our society? Should all mores be laws? Do they change over time? Some norms are rituals and embedded in the society Issue: Male vs. Female Circumcision

10 Issues are never one sided. They have multiple perspectives. Relativity. At the end of this class you would all recall it from a different perspective Way too long Boring Fun Quick Our job is to find the evidence and then evaluate its merit and meaning Wait to form an opinion until you ve looked at the evidence

In many parts of the world it is seen as perfectly

Girls younger than yourselves are wives and mothers In

in viciously violent acts If the people in these

11 In many parts of the world it is seen as perfectly acceptable to sell a young girl off to be married. Girls younger than yourselves are wives and mothers In many parts of the world boys younger than yourselves are forced into military service. As part of this service they are forced to participate in viciously violent acts If the people in these societies see nothing wrong with their actions, i.e. rights of passage, do we have a right to judge them?

change in the world Any man more right Ex.

13 It is important to have your own beliefs while remaining open minded to others People with strong convictions are the ones who can make a change in the world Any man more right Ex. Gandhi/Martin than his neighbors Luther King Jr. constitutes a majority of one Henry David Thoreau

14 Having an opinion is not enough! You MUST be able to defend your opinion Death Penalty Abortion Gun Control Amnesty for illegal immigrants If you are for or against the death penalty, why? How do you address the opposing arguments? Is your opinion based on data, personal experience, religion, culture

Situational Ethics Actions often cannot be evaluated in a vacuum. Suppose someone moves their hand rapidly forward, is that action right or wrong? The

Ethical Relativism Situational Ethics Actions often cannot be evaluated in a vacuum. Suppose someone moves their hand rapidly forward, is that action right or wrong? The answer seems to depend on other