Blog Assignment #9

PART 1

In this section, we're going to return for a moment to Chapter 7, to the section that discusses errors that are common in the analysis of moral issues (p. 89). Briefly explain each of the following errors in your own words, as if you were explaining the concept to a friend who had never taken this class (consider who, what, when, where, why, how, when); and then give an example of each one, preferably from your own past experience.



Unwarranted Assumptions: An unwarranted assumption is an error when someone unconsciously does not acknowledge all details (cutting corners). When looking at information someone that makes this error will try to separate what it says, and what is not said.

Example: When I was coaching soccer last year at the high school level, I found myself assuming that the players would know the rules. When the games started the players would break a rule, and wouldn't know about it. I was embarrassed being the coach, but it was my fault they weren't informed. After the first game we went back to the basics, and I took a whole practice taking questions and explaining the rules.


Oversimplification: Simplification is an ordinary part of our daily lives. It is crucial that we can simplify what we need to say in order to communicate properly and efficiently. The error of oversimplification is when someone leaves out information that is necessary and changes the way the person will receive the case. This is all done in order to trim-up the information, but it ends up coming off differently than the way it was originally supposed to be stated.

Example: When I would tell my parents what my grades where the week before report cards would come out, I would tell them that I was doing "pretty good". I would always leave out that I had to pass that week's test to get a B. I made it look like I knew what I was going to get, and that it would reflect a "pretty good" grade.


Hasty Conclusions: The error of hasty conclusions occurs when someone does not take the time to fully examine something before making a judgement. The problem is that someone will usually make a judgement based on first impressions, and not give the decision the adequate amount of time and focus.

Example: My friends and I wanted to take a vacation right after graduation. I said that we should get a cabin in Tennessee, and most of them said that it looked boring and they didn't want to go. They said no without even looking into the trip, and they didn't look into all there was to do. After some convincing we went, and they still talk about that trip almost daily.


PART 2

Briefly answer the following "chapter opening" questions, in your own words, based on what you learned by studying chapter eight:

1. What do we do in situations where there is more than a single obligation?

When a situation arises where there is multiple obligations, the most important thing to do is to thoroughly look at the importance of each obligation. In most cases of multiple obligations when you weigh both one will have some kind of slight edge over the other. The way to go about deciding which obligation means more to you is to ask yourself questions like "how deeply am I commited to this obligations?" and "how will not fulfilling this obligation effect my future, and my goals".

2. How can we reconcile conflicting obligations?

The way to go about reconciling conflicting obligations is to look at the good, and the bad in each of the conflicting obligations. Giving each the positive edge, and then looking at the outcome will help you to invision what effect your decision might have. An important part of reconciling is to find out which obligation can by itself fulfill something that the other simply cannot fulfill. The outcome of choosing an obligation will vary from person to person, but that is because when choosing you have to decide on the obligation that is best suited for you personally. I think it is helpful to make a list of values that are important to you, and then looking at each obligation, making sure that your choice fulfills what you believe in.

PART 3

1. In a nutshell, what is the most important thing, for you, that you learned from this assignment?
I think the most important thing that I learned from this assignment is the terms listed in part one. I knew that oversimplification, hasty conclusions, and unwarranted assumptions happen in our daily lives but I have never really looked into the technical descriptions of the terms. To realize that doing so is an error, and can lead to troublesome outcomes. I think that most of the time the errors are done unconsciously, because the negative outcome is not always right in front of you. I would like to try to avoid making these errors in the future.

2. How will you apply what you learned through this assignment to your everyday life?
I think it will be easier to realize that I need to take more time making decisions when I decide something on first impression. My goal will be to stop myself when I quickly decide something, and weigh my options to make sure that I have come up with the right conclusion. I never try to assume anything because when you do you are normally wrong, but I will try to realize and be more patient when I am dealing with someone that assumes everything.

3. What grade do you believe your efforts regarding this assignment deserve? Justify your answer.
I believe that my efforts deserve a grade in the 23-25 range. I answered all the questions fully, and I put all my answers into my own words trying to explain as clearly as I could. I read the chapter, and put forth my answers on how I perceived the information in the chapter.