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Can someone help me with this philosophy topic?

In 150 words or more, discuss the contemporary (of our times) social and moral relevance of the Confucius saying: "A gentleman takes as much trouble to discover what is right as lesser men take to discover what will pay." How many of our acquaintances and perhaps even ourselves are those "lesser men" do you suppose? Since this saying applies to the "goodness" of society and its morality, what do you think it has to say about our society?

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Socially and morally these days this means that a gentleman will try and ascertain what is right, ethically, and how he should treat people, women etc. It means lesser men (not as good) would go to the same amount of trouble to find out the same, but they are not the same as they are not wanting to know this to know how they should treat women, or what is morally right, or what they SHOULD do, but more manipulating people and occasions, because they will be punished/ not be rewarded if they do the wrong thing. They (the lesser men) do not care about that which is socially and morally right, and they would probably do this if there would not be consequences. The gentlemen would still think it is morally and ethically wrong and would not do it.

    It is difficult to tell the difference between these two types of people, as they often do the same things, and often cover up their less ethical side. It is a matter of what is in their head that determines this, and since we cannot see into their heads, we have no idea how many people are like this. Also, sometimes these people are delusioned, thinking this is the norm or that they are good. One could philosophically suppose that although that most of our population is stained partially with this, it is to different degrees. Nobody is perfect, but some have more imperfections than others.

    In terms of the 'goodness' of society and its morality, this is not saying it is black and white. Nothing is. Nobody is white, nobody is black. We are all grey, but some of us are darker or lighter than the rest. Everyone in society is partly lesser, but as one philosopher's theory goes, we start learning wrong and write, punishment and morality as we grow up, although some of us never do learn.

    Source(s): Ethics and Philosophy classes and my own head.
  • 1 decade ago

    Is this your homework?

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