Math and English

          I saw this sign in a math class at school yesterday. 

It made me laugh.  I have observed many students now and find that people in general are either math people or English people.  There are some who excel in both.  And there are those who don’t get either.

          Jenna prefers math.  Although there may be different ways of getting the same answer – the answer is consistent.  It won’t ever change.  There is only correct answer.  No exceptions.  English, on the other hand, is full of exceptions.  It’s a wonder that anyone is able to learn it at all!  I would think learning it as a second language would be even more challenging than it is as a first language – but I can’t say for certain as it is my native language – but still confusing at that.

         Math NEVER ends.  Some of us are taught to count before kindergarten.  We are taught that numbers start with 1.  Somewhere along the way we are taught that "1" is really not the starting number, nor is 0 as there are all the negative numbers that take place before 0 comes along.  And then there are a whole slew of fractions and decimals that take place between each number causing numbers to have no beginning and no end.  Nothing about numbers is final - except for the answer to every problem - well, except for complicated algebra that may have no definite answer except for C-2x=xyb.  What kind of answer is that?  Why are we using letters in math anyway?

          I don’t think there are any “solid” rules in English.  There are ALWAYS exceptions. “i” before “e” except after C.  And yet we have words like forfeit, weird, and science that destroy that theory.  Or how about G takes on a different sound when followed by a, o, and u as opposed to e, and i which would make the “g” take on the “j” sound such as “giraffe” and “gem” but uh-oh.  What about  “girl” and “geyser’?  And what is up with Y sometimes passing itself off as a vowel and a consonant? 

          I don’t have a problem with the basics of math.  It gives me a headache when we have to start finding the value of X and Y and the chart that points up and down and to either side and how y dominates these two areas while x I part of something else.  Huh?  And triangles will always add up to 180 – a term that perhaps I had learned in my youth but did not store it in my memory and so had never even thought much about it until yesterday when the instructor explained it to the class and I re-explained to a couple of students who weren’t either paying attention or just didn’t care – sort of like me.  I mean, really, what relevance does that triangle value have in my life?

Oh, and let’s not forget all the vocabulary words that are needed for math.  Words like integers, diameter, circumference . . . why is it that English is needed for math, but one doesn’t have to be familiar with shapes or numbers in order to  learn English?  Even with all the silly rules and exceptions, I prefer English to math. 

Third Assignment for Philosophy 310

        I have been an online student for almost two years now.  During that time I have had only four instructors make comments on each page of the assignment.  Most will make a comment by the grade but not explain specific details within the paper.  I still don't know the difference between relativism and contextualism but did get 100% on my assignment.

        The online school that I attend requires APA (American Psychological Association) for written assignments. My blog does not.  Rather than include the list of APA cited references, I will just include the link in my parentheses references should you be interested in more research on the topic.

"The moral values, ethical codes, and laws that guide our choices in normal times are, if anything, even more, important to help us navigate the confusing and disorienting time of a disaster" (Fink, 2018).

          Values are the things that are most important to us.  We may achieve these values through our moral outlook.  For some, there is a distinction between ethics and morals, but others may use these words interchangeably (Values, 2013).

Part I - Contextualist

            It appears that a relativist and a contextualist may be closely related - that is they understand right and wrong but are aware of the exceptions to absolutism.   For example, those who lead or follow dictatorship are using a form of what I believe to be absolute.  It is "their way or no way" where everything is black and white and there are no shades of grey. 

            A relativist and a contextualist both look at the exceptions to things like capital punishment, abortion, and things of that nature.  I think the relativist will consider whether the capital punishment is relevant to a certain individual and the contextualist may look at abortion to mean different things to each individual.  Is the abortion the only option for saving the mother?  Is the abortion to prevent a bad seed from spreading (for example, what grief may have been saved if Adolph Hitler's mother had had the option of abortion when she was pregnant with him).

            I think I'm more of a contextualist than a relativist as I tend to overanalyze everything.  I do not mean to, but the older I become, the more exceptions I can find to each rule - except math.  Math is absolute.

Part II – Virtue Ethics

            Regardless of each students' major, we are all given certain core classes, among which are History and Philosophy.  Many have questioned why. I believe the answer is to examine our own personalities and the way we interact with others.  Why do we trust certain individuals and not others? How do we present ourselves to others? What do we expect in return? (Ethics, 2017)  These guidelines are necessary for us to develop a new way of thinking (CrashCourse, 2016).

            My husband and I were watching 60 Minutes earlier this week. One story focused on a company in China selling inferior plastics to companies like Boston Scientific (Pelly, 2018). They in turn use to work with the human body after surgery.  The problem is the plastics have caused more damage.  I see this as a story of dishonesty and greed.  Some corporations have gotten so large and have so many employees in upper management; often it is hard to know who is responsible for allowing such a devastating thing to happen.  This is one of many corporations that have purchased inferior products for whatever reason. I think the value was placed on financial gain rather than the safety of mankind.

            There are many business majors in each of the classes I take.  Many have the dream of starting their own business and perhaps even creating a recognized empire.  This class is to teach them to focus on what is important to each of them and how to obtain their desires.  We need to be aware of moral values in others as we climb the ladder of success.  We want those we hire or work with to share our ethical values so that there we are all on the same page as far as accomplishing the goals or what it is the company is trying to accomplish.

Part III – My Outlook (Similarities)

            I think that both relativism and virtue ethics look out for the greater good or the interest in persons either individually or as a group (Mugerditchian, 2014). I want to work for a company that values humanity and kindness; I do not wish to work for a business in which the sole purpose is to get rich.  I would not continue working for a corporation if I thought there was dishonesty with inaccurate accounting or having knowledge of the purchasing inferior or illegal products.

           

Part IV – My Outlook Differences

          For the above, I would consider this kind of exception: a business for covering up a well-intended scandal.  For example, working in a bakery during Hitler's reign.  It might appear as a wholesome bakery, but in reality, there is the act of smuggling people out of Germany in the bakery delivery truck. Things like that really happened, and it was unfortunate for so many not knowing who they could trust.  Although it does not appear to be either vitreous or ethical, I believe the context for which I am "committing a grievous sin" (Fairweather, 1932).  I believe it is for the greater good.  I will always put people's lives and welfare over that of a business. 

Conclusion: What was Learned?

            I learned the names of moral values.  We each have our differences from culture to culture and person to person. We all form opinions.  There is no right or wrong to one's opinion, but perhaps the reasons are valid or invalid.  Who is to say?  Even philosophers do not agree on meanings or definitions (CrashCourse, 2018). It is what it is.

            I noticed some grammatical errors as I was reading over this before posting to my blog.  There weren't a lot, but enough that I know many instructors would have docked me for leaving out the punctuation or keeping "Who" when it should have been changed to "Why".  I am happy to know that this assignment was graded more on content.  That actually seems to be rare at this school. At least that is how it feels.