ethics argument paper 1

Beautiful Souls, Prologue

Eyal Press is a journalist based in New York City. Born in Jerusalem, he grew up in Buffalo, NY, and was educated at Brown U in Providence, RI. His investigative writing has earned him a number of award nominations and awards, including the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism.

1. Let's talk about why some of the Nazi soldiers took the option of laying down their rifles and not participating in the mass execution. We know only the actions of that group, not their reasoning. You can read more context about this event here [While not graphic, some details at this website involve acts of disturbing violence.]: https://www.facinghistory.org/ holocaust-and-human-behavior/chapter-9/reserve-police-battalion-101

2. In fact, how do we know why any of the other people featured in the Prologue acted as they did? We surely know what they did, but why is an important consideration in figuring out an ethical stance in a particular situation.

3. Let's also talk about where the title of this book comes from (see p. 7). Why might Press have chosen it based on that quotation?

4. Notice also on p. 7 the claim that philosophers often grapple with ethical issues at abstract levels. How would Aristotle and Kant be examples?

5. Do you agree with Press's claim that greed and apathy are the largest sources of conformity in a society like ours (p. 8)? Explain.

6. What are any observations about free will are offered on the last half of p. 9?