Conscience
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
A conscript who refuses to fight because he or she believes that war is wrong may be acting morally in his or her view and that of others, because he or she is following their conscience, which is telling them that the war is wrong, whereas others might say that he or she is acting immorally, because they are disobeying the orders of the state, and perhaps he or she is acting based on a misinformed conscience. Personally, I believe that the conscript should be punished for his or her actions, because the war, in most cases, is being fought for the good of the state, and the conscript is effectively harming their state by refusing to fight, even if they are doing so on what they believe to be moral grounds.
A regular soldier who refuses to fight because he or she believes that a particular war is wrong may be acting morally in his or view and that of others because he or she is following their conscience, which is telling them that the war is wrong, whereas others might say that he or she is acting immorally, because they are disobeying the orders of the state, and perhaps he or she is acting based on a misinformed conscience. Personally, I believe that the regular soldier should be punished for his or her actions, because in most cases, the war would be fought for the benefit of the state, so the regular soldier is effectively harming their state by refusing to fight, even if they are doing so on what they believe to be moral grounds. Since they have joined the army by choice, they should be prepared for cases like this, and therefore should be ready to cast aside their own moral doubts in order to serve the state.
A mother who sends her daughter to school in trousers despite school rules insisting on skirts may be acting morally in her view because she feels that she is rebelling against an unfair law, but others may feel she is acting immorally, because in enrolling her daughter at that school, she is undertaking to help her daughter obey the rules of that school as far as is possible, which she is clearly not doing with such blatant dissent. Personally, I believe the mother should be punished for her actions, because she has chosen to put her daughter into a school that insists on girls wearing skirts, and if she believes that the rule is wrong, rather than deliberately undermining the authority of the school, she should fight to get the rule changed, or simply send her daughter to another school.
Environmental activists who destroy a field of experimental genetically modified crops may be acting morally in their own view, because they feel they are helping to save the environment by destroying something potentially harmful to the environment, but others may feel they are acting immorally as they are damaging somebody else's property. Personally, I believe they should be punished for their actions, because, although they are entitled to their opinions, they should not be allowed to express them by causing criminal damage.
Teachers who go on strike demanding better pay may feel they are acting morally because they feel unfairly treated, but others may see them as acting immorally, out of greed and selfishness...