News
Article
The
Ethical Connection
The news article above reads Italy Rescues Almost 1,000 Migrants but why would someone do such a
thing. Do they feel obligated to help other human beings that may be in
distress? Are they required to assist others? These are questions that we all
may be faced with from one time to another. According to Reuters (2015),
"Italian and merchant ships rescued around 1,000 migrants from three
overcrowded skiffs near the coast of Libya and found one dead body, Italy's
coast guard said." Those that heard the distress call felt that it was
their duty to answer the call and assist those who were in need. Rosenstand
(2013) states, “Hume believed that compassion is the one natural human feeling
that holds us together in a society” (p. 205). Having compassion for others is
a trait that most of us have. Just because someone may need help, doesn’t mean
you have to get involved. It is the feeling of it being our moral
responsibility to help others that encourages us to get involved. Rosenstand
(2013) explains, “Hume believes that humans are equipped not only with
self-love but also with love for others” (p. 205). Hume suggests that it
is natural to have love for others.
References
Reuters. (2015, April 11). Italy
Rescues Almost 1,000 Migrants Amid Spike In Deaths At Sea. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/11/italy-rescues-migrants_n_7045666.html
Rosenstand,
N. (2013). The moral
of the story: An introduction to ethics (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
I would agree with Rosenstand statement. I think it's a compassion as well. But would take it one step further and say not only humans possess this, it's found in the animal kingdom as well. I think much like the animals, humans have a compassion to protect and safe their own race, much like a sow bear would give up her life to safe her endangered cubs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement that people feel it is their duty to help others in need. But on the other hand if the same people are always rescuing those in need they could wonder why they continue to do so.
ReplyDelete