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Jenn Dodwell's picture

Morality and Connections

I think that morality has a lot to do with connecting, because I think that to be moral is a conscious choice and that this overall choice involves many smaller decisions.  For example, what if:

 -Someone had not studied for a test that was the next day, that there was no chance of passing unless he cheated and that test was one half that person's entire grade...

-That person knew he needed to pass the test in order to not flunk out of school

-He knew that it would be possible to cheat and never get caught....

 This would be a situation in which lots of intermediate decisions would  be made to solve this dilemma.  Firstly, that person would have to decide between the two extremes: passing the test and knowning he cheated, or failing the test and knowing he wouldn't graduate.  Next, once he made his decison whether or not to cheat, he would have to make a series of decisions as to what he would do next in either case.  He would also have to decide if it was possible to talk to someone and see if he could get some help/advice, and so on.

 In any case, the person's decision to be moral or not to be moral would involve many smaller decisions, all of which are connected to each other.  They all lead to the same ultimate purpose, which is either to "do what's right," or to "do what's wrong."  

Finally, I think a key component of morality is continuity, or connection, between one's thoughts and one's actions. For example, if this person realized that it would be immoral to cheat, but did it anyway, would that be moral?  I don't think that it would be.

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