Question

5. In class we read and discussed Louis Sarkozy's opinion piece in the Washington Examiner titled, "Don't judge works of the past by today's moral standards". In that piece, he wrote: If you regard morality as deontological and transcending, right is right, and wrong is wrong no matter when you are born. If, however, you view it as a product of one's own time, then it is challenging to morally condemn an individual born in 1750, when slavery was regarded as ethically okay, legally permissible, and widely practiced (even by African slave owners). 5. In class we read and discussed Louis Sarkozy's opinion piece in the Washington Examiner titled, "Don't judge works of the past by today's moral standards". In that piece, he wrote: If you regard morality as deontological and transcending, right is right, and wrong is wrong no matter when you are born. If, however, you view it as a product of one's own time, then it is challenging to morally condemn an individual born in 1750, when slavery was regarded as ethically okay, legally permissible, and widely practiced (even by African slave owners). Please express on your stance on the issue of whether or not we should apply today's morality when judging the value of figures from our past. Please note that I am not looking for a particular point of view, but rather a cogent argument to back up your opinion. Should you want to revisit the article, please see this link: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/dont-judge- works-of-the-past-by-todays-moral-standards

Answer 1

Utilitarian Morality	Deontological Morality
The greatest for the greatest number of people	The idea that people should be treated with diquity
Making a decision based on what will benefit the majority	Identifying ones duty and acting accordingly
Decision makers are forced to quess the outcome of their choice	There may be disagreement about the principles involved in the decision
It is not always possible to predict the outcome of a decision	There is possibility of a conflict in duties