Discussion Assignment -
Read the selection below and answer the questions at the end.
The dilemmas of loyalty and the Search for the Common Good
In the past 100 years and before, different groups of people have suffered atrocities at the hands of others in the name of greed and a distorted sense of nationalism. The Germans killed 6 millions Jews barely 60 years ago as a national disgrace. Some of the survivors of that holocaust are still alive. The Japanese killed hundreds of thousands of Koreans and Chinese and Filipinos and then bombed the USA at Pearl Harbor forcing the USA into World War II. In Australia, there was a government sponsored systematic "reeducation" program launched against the native Aborigines of Australia to destroy their way of life and force them to accept European ways even though it was the Europeans who invaded the Aborigines homeland. Many aborigines live in abject poverty today. In the USA, we have the horror of slavery and the lopsided financial gains from the slavery enterprise. One side did the labor the other benefitted from the free labor. The government of the day made laws to protect the status quo directly legitimizing a dehumanizing enterprise. We also have the fear driven Jim Crow intimidation and discrimination system set against African Americans and other minorities with the backdrop of the original political dogma, that all men are created equal with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And the list goes on and on. The reality is that the present generation has very little to do with the past and so may not be guilty of any of these crimes. Why then should they be held responsible for actions undertaken by others? So who owes who what for these historical crimes against humanity?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK.
Consider the following questions as you craft your final response. You can reflect back to some of the theories and concepts we have learned and apply them to these questions to demonstrate a deeper understanding of Ethics in practice.
Who owes who what? Who is to pay for these crimes? Who should apologize? Who should be compensated for crimes of the past? Should current governments apologize for the crimes of their fathers? Germany has had to pay the Jews for the Holocaust; Should nations pay compensation for depriving others of their freedom for private or public benefit?
Attachment:- Assignment File.rar