Virtue ethics Essay Example for Free

Virtue ethics Essay Unlike morals, which are deeply held convictions held by an individual in regards to right and wrong behavior, ethics are recognized rules of conduct in regards to a specific action or a particular group of people. In short, ethics come from an external social structure whereas morals come from within – a person’s own perceptions of right and wrong regardless of what society’s rules say. The three primary schools of ethics that can be used in discussing ethical problems and dilemmas are care-based ethics, rule-based ethics, and end-based ethics. In the case of ethical dilemma number 2, if one were to apply care-based ethics, then both of the adult parties in the situation would yield to what would be best for the child. Care-based ethics involves having the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes and see a situation from his or her point of view. The ethical dilemma clearly states that the girl was taken away from her foster parents against her will after her biological parents sobered up and wanted to regain custody. To abide by care-based ethics, the adults would need to let the girl make the decision; everyone would have to consider how the child feels. ; care-based ethics is not determined by law, courts, or duty. Utilitarian ethics looks to solve a dilemma by producing the greatest good for the greatest number. In ethical dilemma number 2, utilitarian ethics would most likely favor the girl living with the foster parents because it would be the case of three people against two. The girl spent her entire life with her foster parents, growing up to love and respect them. In addition, her foster parents more than likely developed mutual feelings for her. Her biological parents have had absolutely no connection to the girl and so by a court ruling in their favor they are setting up a family of strangers. In addition, it is unfair to the foster parents who were probably under the impression that they would raise the girl throughout her entire childhood. Both of the laws applied to ethical dilemma rule in favor of the girl living with the foster parents and not the biological parents. However, care-based ethics does so out of genuine concern for the child’s interest. It doesn’t really consider what the outcome for other parties would be. End-based ethics, though coming to a similar conclusion did so by a different route. All parties in the situation were considered and the pros and cons are weighed out based on what is most fair for those involved. I think that though the schools of ethics can be applied to many real life situations and provide a good springboard for making judgments; I believe that applying formulaic standards to something life like could ultimately be hazardous. Life isn’t a math problem where you can plug and chug a situation into an ethical framework and get only one correct outcome. There are many different factors and feelings that need to be considered when making decisions on real life matters. Aristotle’s idea of virtue factored in the uncertainties of everyday life. To Aristotle, to be virtuous was to practice practical wisdom. In other words, he believed that making ethical decisions was dependent on choosing the right thing at the right time for a situation. I think Aristotle would have agreed with the both of the decisions to let the girl live with the foster parents because it would be the most practical choice to keep a loving family together than to tear it apart by giving the girl back to her biological parents.

Old Major :: Free Essays

Old Major Comrades of before the Rebellion, you know me. For the new animals here I am Old Major. As you well know the Rebellion has caused a great change to our farm. I must say you have done exceedingly well on the upkeep of this farm. Isn't the rebellion about being free? Also, did you not get rid of Jones so that we could all feel equal? Be treated equal, share the work equally? Tell me who under these current conditions is benefitting? I have spoken to a few of you and now know how the initial plan went so very wrong. You listened to the pigs, they seemed smart, and some of them would have had good ideas. One pig Napoleon had an idea, and made promises to the rest, so they followed. All but Snowball. Snowball was chased away by the vicious dogs Napoleon raised and he himself took Snowballs plan to use in his own beneficial way. Those pigs care only for themselves and because of their intelligence, they have taken full advantage of you. You now see that you are working for them. They are the ones benefitting, they have all the apples and milk for themselves. They don't do much work and they don't care about you animals as long as they have the power. You will not now let these unfair conditions continue will you? For you have done so much, and received so little in return. I forward my idea of a new revolution. This new revolution will be gone with all unequal facts. Food, working and living conditions will all be fair and you shall not be ruled over by one kind of animal. A committee of two of each animals on this farm will represent and give forward your ideas to each other. Everyone is invited to the meetings so you all know what is happening and you an be involved in the planning for your future, as it is your future! You have been pushed over though, by the pigs, just because they seem

Microsoft vs Foss

Microsoft’s Foss Patent Infringement Holly Stark ITT Technical IT 302 Abstract This paper takes an in depth look at the claims from Microsoft that FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) committed patent infringement in 2006. It also discusses how the events have impacted FOSS, whether negatively or positively and how the actions have changed both since 2006. Microsoft’s Foss Patent Infringement Free software is wonderful and corporate America seems to love it. It's often high-quality stuff that can be downloaded free off the Internet and then copied at will.It's versatile – it can be customized to perform almost any large-scale computing task – and best of all its crash-resistant. More than half the companies in the Fortune 500 are thought to be using the free operating system Linux in their data centers. In 2006, Microsoft cast a shadow over Free and Open Source Software by alleging that they had violated 235 patents such as the Linux kernel, Samba, OpenOff ice. org and others. Foss’s legal representative Eben Moglen contended that software is a mathematical algorithm and, as such, not patentable. Parloff, R. 2007) But what of Microsoft’s claims? Are they valid? But first to answer that you need to understand what a patent really is. A patent is essentially a limited monopoly whereby the patent holder is granted the exclusive right to make, use, and sell the patented innovation for a limited period of time. Granting exclusive rights to the inventor is intended to encourage the investment of time and resources into the development of new and useful discoveries. Once the term of protection has ended, the patented innovation enters the public domain.The problem of the patentability of software has become one of the most debated issues with regards to open source software. The Supreme Court stated in a unanimous opinion that patents have been issued too readily for the past two decades, and lots are probably invalid. For a va riety of technical reasons, many dispassionate observers suspect that software patents are especially vulnerable to court challenge. This ruling works in FOSS’s favor. Patents can be invalidated in court on numerous grounds; others can easily be â€Å"invented around. Still others might be valid, yet not infringed under the particular circumstances. FOSS has some well known patrons working in its corner as well. In 2005, six of them – IBM (Charts, Fortune 500), Sony, Philips, Novell, Red Hat (Charts) and NEC – set up the Open Invention Network (OIN) to acquire a portfolio of patents that might pose problems for companies like Microsoft, which are known to pose a patent threat to Linux. So if Microsoft ever sued Linux distributor Red Hat for patent infringement, for instance, OIN might sue Microsoft in retaliation, trying to enjoin distribution of Windows. Parloff, R. 2007) A preliminary legal analysis of FOSS licenses conducted seems to suggest that the novel l icensing model used by FOSS is legally valid, a fact that lends substantial credit to the movement. Other indications as to the soundness of the licenses are also encouraging; a ruling in Germany that has recognized the validity of the General Public License (GPL) ( J. Hoppner,2004), which further serves to stress that FOSS is a global phenomenon that is revolutionizing the entire field of software development.Microsoft realized that something had to change when it comes to patents. They basically had three choices. They could do nothing, it could start suing other companies to stop them from using its patents, or, they could begin licensing its patents to other companies in exchange for either royalties or access to their patents (a â€Å"cross-licensing† deal). They chose to do the latter. In December 2003, Microsoft's new licensing unit opened for business, and soon the company had signed cross-licensing pacts with such tech firms as Sun, Toshiba, SAP and Siemens.On Novemb er 2, 2006, Microsoft went public and announced a partnership with Novell to collaborate to help Microsoft's Windows, a proprietary operating system, work with Novell's Suse Linux, which is based on open-source code. In addition, the software makers struck a deal on patents designed to give customers peace of mind about using Novell's open-source products. This partnership made Novell the only company in the industry that was able to provide the customer not only with the code to run Linux, but also with a patent covenant from Microsoft. Evers, Joris 2006) Some thought that it showed that Microsoft was kind of being forced to see Linux as a significant competitor and the FOSS model as a viable business model. (Upfold, Peter 2006) My personal opinion is that this was an attack on the open source community. Microsoft hasn’t actually changed its tune; it’s still actively attacking free software and trying to abolish GNU/Linux while promoting Windows and other proprietary software as though they are complementary to free software, which they are not. It’s PR nonsense and Microsoft is good at PR.Since then, Novell was sold in 2010 to Attachmate Corp. and a concurrent sale of certain intellectual property assets was sold to CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft Corporation. It plays right into the hands of Microsoft’s PR campaign, which strives for a fusion where Microsoft controls both sides of the competition and then derails the side which is less favorable to Microsoft. Microsoft has done that over and over again for many years and victims include giants like IBM and Apple.While FOSS licenses generally protect end user freedom in the realm of copyright, they have no effective protection against threats from software patents, especially from entities outside the FOSS community. In responding to the threat from software patent holders, the FOSS community has created innovative licensing schemes. ( Davidson, S. J 2006) Permissive licenses, such as the Apache licenses, have different patent rights clauses from reciprocal licenses, such as the MPL and GPL. In dealing with potential patent claims, GPL 2. has a â€Å"Freedom or Death† termination clause – â€Å"any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all. † GPL 2. 0 does not allow the development of software that requires any kind of license payments for third party patents. (Hacker. J. n. d. ) GPL 3. 0 was drafted to cope with global software patent threats and to provide compatibility with more non-GPL FOSS licenses. The current GPL draft 3. 0 keeps GPL 2. 0’s copyleft feature and includes new provisions addressing evolving computing issues, such as patent issues, free software license compatibility, and digital rights management (â€Å"DRM†). McMillan, R 2007) As of today, Microsoft is still attacking free software with two types of tactics. The tactics largely include litigation and the use of so-called Fear-Uncertainty-Doubt (FUD) tactics designed to undermine the popular perception of the open source philosophy. This year alone they have won several cases either outright, in appeal or countersuits against Motorola’s Android features. The rest of the FOSS community seems to be on edge and waiting to see what happens next.

Flannery O Connor s Writing Style - 1680 Words

Flannery O’connor is one of the most shinning stars in American literature. Her distinct writing style makes her work recognizable and outstanding from other literature works. Many critics have commented on Flannery O’connor’s narrative voice. Louise Blackwell discovers Miss O’Connor often wrote according to southern tradition by using symbols in people’s daily life to convey the theme in a more profound way. From the perspective of the O’connor’s writing technique, Shirley Foster speaks highly of Miss O’connor’s works: O’connor’s skilled technique establishes the complicity between the readers and narrators. These two evaluations reveal the most important characteristics of Flannery O’connor’s works, directing readers to understand O’connor’s works much easier. Readers can understand the two critics’ comments by exploring the special narrative voices in Flannery O’c onnor’s well- known stories: â€Å" Everything That Rises Must Converge† and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. Readers can find that â€Å" Everything That Rises Must Converge† and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† are Southern American literature. â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge† was written in the midst of the movement of American Civil rights. In the story, the settings such as † bulbous liver-colored monstrosities of a uniform ugliness† and the â€Å"dying violet sky† make people feel moody and uncomfortable. The main character Julian’s mother has an unchangeable opinion of racism and refuses to accept the racial integrationShow MoreRelatedThe Life You Save May Be Your Own1506 Words   |  7 Pagesunraveling their writing style and, in an artistic way, write out their feelings in the form of a poem or story. We see this in the case of almost every writer, but as of now we re only going to look at Mary Flannery O - Connor. A major theme that reoccurs in much of Flannery O Connors work is her strong dis- like for the worlds current state, as in the condition of our world s morality and values. Let s see some examples in her work that support this thesis. First, let s take a look at oneRead MoreFlannery O Connor Is Considered One Of The Most Successful Writer979 Words   |  4 PagesMary Flannery O’Connor is considered one of the most successful short story writers in history. She composed her works during a period of prosperity and economic boom following World War II. Although the economy was thriving, the 1950’s were a period of struggle for women’s rights, as well as other minorities. (Digital History) Based on her success, one could conclude O’Connor exceeded all barriers against women during the fifties. Flannery O’Connor’s life experiences based on her faith, her novelsRead MoreGothic Literature : The Southern Gothic Fiction1476 Words   |  6 PagesAuthors use morbidly dark and eccentric characters combined with southern charm and the ever-present gender divide to tell stories that represent a writing style known as southern gothic literature. â€Å"Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. Elements of a Gothic treatment of the South were apparent in the 19th century, ante- and post-bellum, in the grotesques of Henry Clay Lewis and the de-idealized visions ofRead MoreGothic Literature : Gothic Writing1929 Words   |  8 PagesSouthern style gothic literature, which is a smaller genre of Gothic writing as a whole, is particular to the South. This style of literature has similar aspects to Gothic lit. It concentrates on subject matter like afterlife, absurdity, and paranormal while having numerous cryptic, unusual, brutal, and distorted aspects. These aspects are used as tools to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia). Authors of Southern Gothic style literature useRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Southern Gothic 1566 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allen Poe poems in the 18th century. Most writings were formed around the Civil War era, which plays an enormous part in the tone and setting in Southern Gothic writing styles. (O’Connell 63) Southern Gothic writing elements consist of â€Å"horror, romance and psychological and domestic dramas† (63). The setting of Southern Gothic was always dingy and dark which explains the tone of most southern states at this time. Southern Gothic writing styles were known to be grotesque, violent and gloomy withRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1239 Words   |  5 Pagesshe could be talking about referring someone or telling someone that good men are hard to find. The author Flannery O’connor wrote this story in 1953, where there must different events occurring causing the relations of racism and different inventions throughout the history th at had been shaping America. Therefore, a lot of important events that must it been happening when she was writing this story could be similar to women behaving or acting like men who take responsibilities to different levelsRead MoreReview Of O Conner 1350 Words   |  6 Pagesread multiple stories by Flannery O’Conner, there are many similar qualities in the works. O’Conner pays special attention to the realistic detail and finds the truth that lies beneath the surface of language and self image. She often uses violence that shocks the reader to uncover this truth. Although different in each work, she is able to incorporate a moment of grace in A Good Man is Hard to Find, Good Country People, and Everything That Rises Must Converge. O Connor consistently produced fictionRead MoreThe Lame Shall Enter First 32248 Words   |  9 Pagessharpest eye for the grotesque, for the perverse, and for the unacceptable†¦. To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almo st-blind you draw large and startling figures. —Flannery O’Connor, â€Å"The Fiction Writer and His Country†1 Long before the likes of Raymond Carver, George Saunders and Lydia Davis, Flannery O’Connor was writing biting, grotesque gothic tales, scattered with strong religious and moral overtones. Her symbolic stories contrasted characters in existential extremes in simmering situationsRead MoreA good man is hard to find2745 Words   |  11 Pagesto turn pages it suddenly evolved into a theme that caught me off guard and I quickly became intrigued by elusive style of writing the author used to express this story in a unique form of literature. After reading Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, I will discuss the vivid historical and cultural context the author revealed to the story’s setting in relation to its style and how the main character is exposed to different parallels of what she considers to be a good man in time thatRead MoreFlannery O Connor s Morality And Ethics1489 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor was an Ameri can woman writer who wrote only two novels and 32 short stories and, yet she represented a significant voice in American literature. Flannery O Connor was once asked to name the primary influences on her life, and she replied, Probably ... being a Catholic, and a Southerner, and a writer. These three influences are prominent in O Connor’s writings as she shows her faith and Southern identity. She typically wrote in a Southern Gothic style and relied on local settings