Unit 3 Questions

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UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES
ETHICS QUESTIONS

E T H I C S 3 . 1

1. Why are Christian ethics and theology inseparable? What did Francis Schaeffer mean when he said that not all things are the same to God?
2. What did Schaeffer conclude about a society without moral absolutes? Do we see this in society?
3. On what authority do Christians base their belief in moral absolutes? How specific is this authority?
4. Ethically speaking, what are Christians called to do?
5. What did Dietrich Bonhoeffer mean by the question, “Where are the responsible people?”


E T H I C S 3 . 2

6. Why do Muslims view Muhammad as morally exemplary even though the Hadith does not paint a flattering portrait of his life?
7. How do Christianity and Islam differ in relation to their beliefs about ethical absolutes?
8. In what two ways is the term jihad used?
9. What motivates Muslims to behave ethically?
10. Which motivation is the strongest?


E T H I C S 3 . 3

11. What is the ultimate ethical question for a Secular Humanist? What questions did Morris B. Storer outline in his book Humanist Ethics?
12. Why are there such diverse views and conflicts regarding humanistic ethics?
13. Who proposed the “no-truth thesis” and what does it state?
14. How do most humanists attempt to dodge the “no-truth thesis?” How does Corliss Lamont address this issue?
15. What did Arthur E. Gravatt, Joseph Fletcher, Herbert W. Schneider, and Paul Kurtz have to say about ethics?


E T H I C S 3 . 4

16. How did Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels view the issue of morality?
17. What is the Marxist-Leninist morality of the future? How will it be determined?
18. What is the Marxist-Leninist view of “old morality?”
19. What is the Marxist code of ethics according to the book Scientific Communism?
20. What means have Marxists historically believed would bring about a society without class distinctions? What have been the results of such an ethical system?


E T H I C S 3 . 5

21. What is the foundation for Cosmic Humanism’s ethical system?
22. According to Cosmic Humanist ethics, can anyone judge another’s actions?
23. How is the word “tolerance” used by Cosmic Humanists?
24. How is the line between good and evil blurred in Cosmic Humanist ethics?
25. In what system of justice do Cosmic Humanists believe?


E T H I C S 3 . 6

26. What is the foundation of Postmodern ethics?
27. According to Postmodernists, how does a community create its own ethical standards?
28. Why are Postmodernists hesitant to use the term relativism?
29. According to Richard Rorty, how do ethics develop within a Postmodern community? Do all postmodernists agree with his assessment?
30. Reflection Question: What are the possible consequences when a community is allowed to sever ethics from an absolute standard and negotiate its own ethical system?