Need To Especially Emphasis That I Know It Is Wrong To Cheat And I Pr ✓ Solved

Need to especially emphasis that I know it is wrong to cheat and I promise that I will never do that again. 1. Please read Book One of the Meditations of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Then write a concise statement of gratitude (400 words or less) identifying the ethical and intellectual debts you owe to family members, teachers, friends, and the broader society as a whole. Fictitious names are permitted, but the statement of gratitude should be genuine.

Book one: ​ 2. How is a good life defined, and what is your plan to achieve it? Please refer to themes from the assigned readings to support your answer. Important: Not making reference to the assigned themes or readings in your answer to this question may result in requiring revisions to your seminar answers. Assigned reading 1: Assigned reading 2: Assigned reading themes 3: [1] From Michael Tomasello ​(co-director of the ​Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology​ in Leipzig, Germany) in ​"For Human Eyes Only,"​ January 13, 2007 ​New York Times: [N]either chimpanzees nor any of the other 220 species of nonhuman primates have whites of the eyes, at least not that can be easily seen.

This means that if their eyes are looking in a direction other than the one in which their heads are pointing, we can easily be fooled about what they are looking at. Why should humans be so different? And yet we are. We can’t fool anyone. The whites of our eyes are several times larger than those of other primates, which makes it much easier to see where the eyes, as opposed to the head, are pointed . . . .

If I am, in effect, advertising the direction of my eyes, I must be in a social environment full of others who are not often inclined to take advantage of this to my detriment — by, say, beating me to the food or escaping aggression before me. ​Indeed, I must be in a ​cooperative social environment​ in which others following the direction of my eyes somehow benefits me. [2] From Charles Darwin’s​ ​The Descent of Man​ (Norton Critical Edition, 1979, pp. ): The development of moral qualities [in man] is a[n] . . . interesting problem. ​The foundation lies in the social instincts​, including under this term family ties. These instincts are highly complex, and in the case of the lower animals give special tendencies towards certain definite actions; but the most important elements are love, and the distinct emotion of sympathy . . . ​A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives--of approving some and disapproving of others​; and the fact that man is the one being who certainly deserves this designation, is the greatest of all distinctions between him and the lower animals [3] From E.O.

Wilson​ (Pellegrino University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University and winner the National Medal of Science​): [a] “We are learning the fundamental principle that ethics is everything. ​Human social existence . . . is based on the genetic propensity to form long-term contracts that evolve by culture and moral precepts and law.​ The rules of contract formation were not given to humanity from above, nor did they emerge randomly from the mechanics of the brain. They evolved over tens or hundreds of millennia because they conferred upon the genes prescribing them survival . . . We are not errant children who occasionally sin by disobeying instructions from outside our species. We are adults who have discovered which covenants are necessary for survival, and we have accepted the necessity of securing them by sacred oath (​Consilience​, Knopf, 1998, pp.

297-8).†[b] From ​Letters to a Young Scientist​: “You will make mistakes. Try not to make big ones . . . A simple error in reporting a conclusion will be forgiven if publicly corrected. But never, ever will fraud be forgiven. The penalty is professional death; exile, never again to be trusted. [4] Human nature, trust, and Adam Smith’s “Theory of Moral Sentiments.â€â€‹ From ​Put human nature back in business​ (​Washington Post​) by Ralph Gomory, a research professor at New York University’s ​Stern School of Business​;​ winner of the National Medal of Science​; and past director of research at IBM: [Adam] Smith devoted a book, “​The Theory of Moral Sentiments​,†to explaining why widespread altruism is the natural and unavoidable consequence of the human ability to empathize with others . . .

A century later, Charles Darwin laid out a theory of natural selection based on the struggle for individual survival. However, in “​The Descent of Man​,†Darwin also described what we would call group selection: “An advancement in the standard of morality will certainly give an immense advantage to one tribe over another. A tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage and sympathy, were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection.†More recently, research by the distinguished Harvard biologist ​E.O.

Wilson​ has shown the importance of group selection; he attributes the dominance of man and the success of certain social insects to their social capabilities. In “​The Social Conquest of Earth​,†Wilson writes of humans: “An unavoidable and perpetual war exists between honor, virtue, and duty, the products of group selection, on one side; and selfishness, cowardice, and hypocrisy, the products of individual selection, on the other.†Evolution has produced two sides of human nature: the more self-centered and the more altruistic. Different training and circumstances can bring out in us more of one or the other, but they are both in our DNA. [5] Human communities demand trust and impose serious penalties when trust is broken. ​Please see this​ ​visual representation​ of a remarkable form of “shaming†for athletes caught cheating at the ancient Olympics.

Leadership question:​ would you want to work for an employer who lacked the capacity for trust and treated all employees with suspicion? Assigned reading 4: Friendship, fidelity and academic integrity The occasion was the inauguration of Trinity's new academic honor code--the result of a five year effort by students, administrators, and faculty members. The theme of the speech reflects the view that students (especially students in the millennial generation) are strongly peer oriented. They should be encouraged to see a commitment to academic integrity as a commitment to truth--and to understand that a commitment to truth is precisely the quality that allows true friendship to endure. This is a beautiful auditorium, and I'm especially impressed with the ceiling.

Please take a moment and look up at it. Consider the fact that many tons of steel and concrete are perched precariously above your head--probably put up there by the lowest bidder. My point is that all of us, at this precise moment, depend upon the honesty and integrity of the people who designed and built the building. Multiply this example by countless others and you'll understand the imperative of social trust. We're not talking about an obscure or unimportant topic.

One of the reasons why colleges and universities pay so much attention to academic integrity is the critical need for social trust. Trinity is one of the best small universities in the country. It's preparing you for positions of leadership in the larger society. So the academic integrity standards set by the University (and your fellow students on the new Honor Council) will be demanding. Is 'business ethics" a contradiction in terms?

How many of you expect to work in business after you graduate? [about one-third of the audience raised their hand]. How many of you think the term "business ethics" is a contradiction in terms? [a scattering of hands were raised]. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan doesn't share that view. In a 1999 commencement speech at Harvard University he said that: Beyond [a] personal sense of satisfaction, having a reputation for fair dealing is a profoundly practical virtue. We call it "good will" in business and add it to our balance sheets.

Trust is at the root of any economic system based on mutually beneficial exchange. In virtually all transactions, we rely on the word of those with whom we do business. Were this not the case, exchange of goods and services could not take place on any reasonable scale. Our commercial codes and contract law presume that only a tiny fraction of contracts, at most, need be adjudicated. If a significant number of businesspeople violated the trust upon which our interactions are based, our court system and our economy would be swamped into immobility.

As social trust declines, information-based economies decline with it--and very quickly. Those of you who major in economics and study the collapse of Argentina's economy a few years ago will understand. Building the structure of the self But there's another reason why colleges and universities pay so much attention to academic integrity, beyond the practical imperative of preserving social trust. In addition to the physical structures around us, there's something else that requires integrity to build well: The structure of the self. In one of my previous jobs, a long time ago, I read arguments and counter-arguments made in federal criminal white collar crime cases--appeals of felony convictions.

It's striking how the personalities of the defendants in those cases converge with the personaliti community, a unit (a "band of brothers"), or a family. Please keep the word fidelity in mind. It has two compatible meanings: • Fidelity to a friend means being true to the friendship. • And fidelity also means conformity to truth itself. Let's explore this idea further. The role of truth and friendship in forming a self Please think of your best friend.

What key words describe the qualities of your friend's character? Let's pause a moment. Let those words come to your mind. • How many of you used the word "loyal," or something similar? [nearly everyone in the audience raised their hand]. • How many of you used the word "honest," or something similar? [nearly everyone in the audience raised their hand]. • How many used "crafty and deceitful," or something similar? [laughter, and one hand raised]. You see again the rich meaning of the word "fidelity." A friend is someone loyal to us, but also honest--loyal to truth. Let me ask another question.

How many of you have found yourself adopting the mannerism of a friend or family member? A certain expression? A way of laughing? [nearly everyone in the audience raised their hand]. What if our self--or a good part of it--is a blend of the key people in our lives? Maybe we know that's true, and seek and give friendship because doing so has something to do with creating a self.

The implications are obvious: Choose your friends carefully. At the physical level, we are what we eat. At the spiritual level--the level of the higher self--we are who we love. The "professional friend" exercise. Let's pursue this topic a bit further.

Please pretend your parents decided you needed a "professional friend," so they paid someone (secretly) 0 a month to be your "friend." You don't know about this, of course. The instructions your parents gave to your professional friend were to build your self-esteem. By that they mean: • Always to flatter you • Always to praise you. • Never to criticize you; • And never, ever, be a burden on you by asking you for help. My hunch is that most of you would eventually find such a "friend" boring. What's missing?

Fidelity. Your professional friend has no true loyalty, because the friendship is likely to end when the money stops. And there is no fidelity to truth, since the friendship is based on a deception. Maybe your self-esteem would go up for a time in such a phony friendship, but it would plummet fast if you found out it was a deception. Your self would not grow richer and deeper, and the self you might be incorporating would be the self of a flatterer and a charlatan.

Of course, your parents would never come up with such a dumb idea. They know the self you want to form is a self oriented toward truth, and fidelity to the truth. And, as you indicated by show of hands a few minutes ago, you want honest friends who will tell you the truth. Teaching, friendship, and honor codes. Do you think you could have such a friendship (a friendship oriented toward truth) with your college teachers, at least some of them? [Most members of the audience raised their hand].

I'm glad your answer is yes, both for your benefit, and theirs. The University of Virginia has a newspaper called the Cavalier Daily. Two years ago I read a letter to the editor by a graduating senior, Katie Dalton. She wrote about her best teacher, William Fishback: My friendship with you has been the most rewarding relationship to come out of my academic experience. You know just how and when to push me out of procrastination, and you consistently offer support as a father would.

More than anyone else, you embody the Jeffersonian ideal of a professor who instructs but also encourages his students, and who values friendships with his pupils as much as their final exams. Virginia is an honor code school--one of the original honor code schools. I think honor codes foster friendships between students and teachers. In a moment I'll try to explain why. First, I want to stress that not only can you be friends with your teachers, but forming genuine friendships with them (at least some of them) is something you should do, as an important part of your education.

Seek them out. Show up at office hours and ask good questions. Tell them something about yourself, including any of your doubts and fears about the academic world. The idea that teachers and students can be friends in the pursuit of truth goes back to the time of Plato's academy. Socrates was the teacher of Plato and Plato was the teacher of Aristotle.

Friendship was at the core of their relationships, even when Plato and Aristotle disagreed about philosophical issues. Between them was no conflict between fidelity to truth and fidelity to each other, because the mutual pursuit of truth was the core of the friendship. What does all this have to do with your new honor code? Properly designed and administered, an honor code reflects a partnership between faculty members and students. The partnership is explicitly designed to foster an orientation toward truth.

In this sense it's a larger manifestation of the kind of friendship seen between UVA student Katie Dalton and her teacher, William Fishback. The immediate beneficiary of the faculty-student honor code partnership is the university itself. The student voice is heard in ways that might have been overlooked before. New ideas are generated, and new insights gained. A climate of trust and cooperation is more likely to evolve.

The larger society also benefits, because honor code schools seem particularly effective in emphasizing the importance of social trust. Remember the example of the ceiling above our heads. But probably the biggest beneficiary of a faculty-student partnership in pursuit of truth (if you take your new honor code seriously) is you. You'll be building a self oriented toward truth. Doing so will enrich your lives in many ways. Perhaps the most important is that you will discover the highest kind of friendship--friendship grounded in fidelity, in the full sense of that word.

Paper for above instructions

Statement of Gratitude

Reflecting on the profound teachings of Marcus Aurelius in "Meditations," I realize how indebted I am to numerous individuals and the collective society that has shaped my understanding of ethics and personal development. Beginning with my family, I express gratitude to my parents—Mary and John—who instilled within me a sense of integrity, work ethic, and moral compass. Their unwavering commitment to honesty has been vital; they would often remind me that “the true measure of a person is how they handle situations when no one is watching.” Their lessons are not just platitudes but guiding principles that have formed the bedrock of my character.
My gratitude extends to my teachers, who have illuminated my path to intellectual understanding. Mr. Thompson, my high school history teacher, encouraged me to think critically about ethical dilemmas presented in historical narratives. He taught me to appreciate the significance of understanding different perspectives, a lesson drawn from Aurelius’ contemplative reflections on empathy and understanding of others' viewpoints (Aurelius, 2002). Through his guidance, I learned that moral integrity is intricately linked with the pursuit of knowledge.
Equally significant are my peers and friends, such as Sarah and Mike, who foster an environment of mutual growth and honesty. They challenge me to maintain my standards of integrity, and remind me to embrace vulnerability as part of our shared human experience. As Charles Darwin notes, the development of moral qualities in humans is rooted in social instincts and the ability to reflect on our actions (Darwin, 1979). My friends embody these qualities, pushing me toward self-reflection and growth.
Moreover, the broader society—from community leaders to global thinkers—has created a framework within which ethical principles can thrive. Figures such as E.O. Wilson highlight our genetic propensity to create ethical contracts that govern social existence (Wilson, 1998). Their contributions remind me that ethics are not merely individual choices; they arise from a collective commitment to coexistence, requiring honesty and empathy as critical components. Formal institutions and initiatives that highlight integrity, like academic honor codes, symbolize society’s recognition of the importance of trust (Gomory, 2015).
In expressing gratitude to these influences, I am reminded of the wisdom imparted through the lens of Stoicism, where understanding the interconnectedness of our actions with those of others serves as an ethical guideline. I stand committed to fostering these values within myself and encourage their proliferation in others, ensuring that I embrace the lessons of integrity and friendship as I navigate my path forward.

Defining a Good Life and Achieving It

The definition of a "good life" is inherently subjective; however, central to many philosophical perspectives—including those articulated by Marcus Aurelius—is that a good life involves living in accordance with virtue, truth, and respect for oneself and others. Aurelius posits that a life characterized by ethical reflection and the acceptance of circumstances allows for genuine happiness (Aurelius, 2002). Other perspectives, such as those presented by E.O. Wilson, emphasize the evolution of ethical principles which promote collective well-being (Wilson, 1998).
To achieve a good life, I propose a multifaceted approach that intertwines personal integrity with social responsibility. My plan includes setting clear value-based goals, engaging in self-reflection, and continually seeking knowledge and personal growth. Specifically, I intend to adhere to the principles of honesty and altruism, forming the foundation upon which my actions will be built. Inspired by the teachings of Darwin, I will nurture my moral instincts by engaging positively with my community, fostering connections that encourage cooperation and empathy (Darwin, 1979).
Academically, I aim to pursue knowledge in a way that highlights and respects the contributions of others. Drawing from the idea that “we are what we love” (Gomory, 2015), I will surround myself with individuals who challenge and inspire my growth, fostering enriching dialogues that enhance my understanding of diverse perspectives. I will also remain vigilant against the temptations of dishonesty and shortcuts, reinforcing my commitment to academic integrity and fortifying my character through truthful engagement (Tomasello, 2007).
Employing these principles, my commitment to personal ethics will resonate in the professional realm, facilitating a transparent and trustworthy career. As Alan Greenspan noted, the virtues of honesty and fair dealing are essential to the success of any economic system (Gomory, 2015). By embodying these values, I contribute to a broader culture of integrity which is paramount for societal progress and trust.
In conclusion, defining and pursuing a good life is a continuous journey enriched by the ethical frameworks provided by philosophical thought. Drawing from the insights of Aurelius, Darwin, Wilson, and others, my commitment to truth, empathy, and growth remains steadfast as I strive to build a life that embodies these ideals and inspires others.

References

1. Aurelius, M. (2002). Meditations. Translated by Gregory Hays. Modern Library.
2. Darwin, C. (1979). The Descent of Man. Norton Critical Edition.
3. Gomory, R. (2015). "Put human nature back in business." The Washington Post.
4. Tomasello, M. (2007). "For Human Eyes Only." The New York Times.
5. Wilson, E. O. (1998). Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge. Knopf.
6. MacIntyre, A. (1981). After Virtue. University of Notre Dame Press.
7. Kierkegaard, S. (1980). Fear and Trembling. Princeton University Press.
8. Nussbaum, M. C. (1990). Love's Knowledge: Essays on Philosophy and Literature. Oxford University Press.
9. Schopenhauer, A. (1969). On the Wisdom of Life. Everyman’s Library.
10. Rorty, R. (1999). Philosophy and Social Hope. Penguin Books.