ETHICS

1. What is philosophy and its importance? What is ethics and its relevance?
Many ancient philosophers have said in the past that wisdom begins by simply saying, “I
don’t know.” In short, wisdom is the ability to have qualities sharpened by experience,
knowledge, and good judgment and Philosophy, essentially, is the study that focuses on
wisdom. Philosophers are known to be the people who chase those wisdom. As a result, over
the centuries, they had developed the knowledge on specific things that make people unwise.
Being wise is attempting to live and die well. Being wise is the freedom to ask if an idea is
logical rather than simply agreeing with popular opinion. Being wise is the ability to adapt,
persevere, and bloom in toxic situations rather than withering. Considering all our scientific
breakthroughs, there is still so much of life that remains unanswered. We live everyday
knowing very little about our existence and this is where philosophy comes in. Philosophy
seeks to find the fundamental truth about life, the world we live in, and the reality we are part
of. It attempts to answer the big question we all want to know but too overwhelming to
explore such as: Where do we come from? What is the reason of our existence? Do we have
a reason? Do we have free will? What does it mean to be moral? By studying philosophy, we
can take a look at our life in a new perspective. We can analyze, assess, and argue every
detail of our reality in order to reach the truth, perhaps our own version of truth. This field
teaches us how to think. Our mind becomes sharp and finely tuned in exploring and
analyzing all arguments to reach the best conclusions and by doing so, we start to see this
complex and confusing world a little clearer.
Ethics, on the other hand, is a branch of philosophy that discusses how people should act
in a general sense or in a specific circumstance. In philosophy, ethics is very important
because most philosophers, regardless of their particular focus, have at least something to say
about ethics. This “something” is often a big clue as to what that philosopher is al about.
Ethical philosophy is often among the most practical of philosophical investigations. Ethics
is where terms such as right and wrong, or good or evil, get their meaning. Furthermore,
ethics can be applied to traditions when it looks right and wrong in context of a society, just
like on the next page.
2. Reaction and insights on videos

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Female genital mutilation (FGM) is
nonmedical procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia,
or other injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons. IT was mostly practiced
by traditional circumcisers, who often play other roles in communities. It was sickening to
watch the video that comprises the sufferings of Nedla, the ten-year-old girl who underwent
the procedure. I was not prepared to see the reality outside my borders, especially when I
hadn’t heard what FGM was in the first place. Throughout the video, I was angry. There are
many points that need to be emphasized and should be taken care of.
I was, and still, angry with the fact that these procedures add no health benefit, only
harm. As an aspiring medical practitioner who wants to focus on women’s reproductive
system, it was torturing to see Nedla suffer from pointless procedure. What bothers me the
most concerning this point was the fact the this is not the first time this procedure was
conducted. There were millions of Nedla out there, and possibly, billions of Nedla in the
future will soon appear if this will not be taken seriously. Secondly, when I learned that
woman have countless procedures that they can choose from in order to stop themselves from
conception and men only have two (vasectomy and utilization of condoms), I was frustrated.
Recently, I just learned that the main purposes of this social norm (FGM) were to ensure
premarital virginity and marital fidelity, and to prepare girls for their adulthood, and marriage
and with that, I was at my utmost disgust. What I’m feeling right now, as I’m typing this, is
beyond anger. It clearly shows a lot of red flags concerning gender inequality, racism, and
violation on women’s and children’s rights. Lastly, the health of an individual is
compromised just to put up with their tradition. Generally, there are still a long list of
practices and activities that violate human rights and its incomprehensible to know that in a
century such as this, these tortures are still being practiced and masked by praises.
I feel helpless knowing that the only thing I can contribute right now, considering what I
am and my resources, is to raise awareness. Sharing the story of the survivors, like Fauziya
Kassindja’s testament, I think would do a big help. At the end of the day, it is disheartening
to somehow know that this is viewed as a tradition, in which to us, an exceptionally harmful
one. It is sad to see people who would just conform to what the society does without fully
understanding how much it will cost them. This is not wisdom looks like.

ETHICS

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ETHICS

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1. What is philosophy and its importance? What is ethics and its relevance?

2. Reaction and insights on videos

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