Moral Man and Immoral Society

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Moral Man and Immoral Society

• Michael Cheng-tek Tai. Ph.D.
• Dean, College of Medical Humanities and Social
  Sciences
• Chungshan Medical University.Taiwan.

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IntroductionIn face of human predicaments

• 1.  The optimism of the early 20th century
• - with the rise of rationalism, human
  would solve all
• problems
• - through education, moral society
  could be anticipated
• 2.  The pessimism of the middle 20th century
• - human is not as reliable as he tends
  to be e.g.World Wars
• - you are a lost generation shadow of
  the shadow
• 3.  The confusion of the late 20th century
• -  the future shock
• -  the Brave New World
• ( in whose expense?)

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II. Are we living in a moral society ?

• 1.  a survey
• -  do you think we live in a moral society
  ?
• -  do you think you are basically a moral
  person ?
• -  shouldnt our world be moral if all is
  morally-
• desired and declined ?
• 2.  The commiseration of human heart
• Behold , the creation is good !
• Man, you are alienated St.Pauls
  experience
• The goodness of man Mencius
• The evil of man Hsun-tzu
• Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)

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III.   Moral man Vs Immoral Society

• 1. The irony of history we walk in circle
• A common God yet inflicting pain on each
  other.
• 2. R.Niebuhr identified two evils that will
  destroy
• human race
• i.   bureaucratization arrogance of power
• that kills personal morality
• ii.  ideology human prejudice
• that kills social morality
• 3. We are a family yet each works for
  his/her own good
• stepping on others to get ahead

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III.   Moral man Vs Immoral Society

• 3.   Personal morality and social morality
• i. Personal morality is enhanced
  through ethics which
• is an awareness, an attitude, a
  personality
• cultivation and an application
• ii. social morality is a collective
  wisdom striving for
• common good
• 4.   The perils of personal and social morality
• i.   personal level apathy and inaction
• ii.  social level justice rests on collective
  egoism

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IV.    Evolving toward a usable future

• 1.  Pierre Teilhard de Chardin the Phenomenon of
  Man-
• Faith as hope can ultimately triumph
  over entrenched
• and aggressive immorality. He failed
  to teach us how.
• 2.  Are men trustworthy ?
• Freud human nature is basically
  selfish, uncivilized,
• impulsive..
• Maslow Actualization of personal
  fulfillment
• Watson neither good nor bad.
  Learning makes a
• difference
• Existential to exist is to shape
  your destiny

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V.  Moral Man in Immoral Taiwan

• 1.  Medical educators seem to believe that
  education will lead
• us somewhere e.g. curriculum reformation
• 2.  Our society as a whole is utilitarianistic
• 3.  Naïve awareness and critical awareness
• i.  man-the-maker (teleological)reach the
  goal
• ii.  man-the-citizen (deontological)obey the
  law
• iii.  man-the-answerer (deputyship)be
  responsible.
• intellectual must bring message to his
  generation

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VI. Conclusion

• Dear God, give us strength to accept with
• serenity the thing that cannot be changed.
• Give us courage to change the thing that can
• and should be changed and give us wisdom to
• distinguish one from the other.
• ( Reinhold Niebuhr)