Who Needs to be Institutionalized?

These discussion boards have been designed to explore
controversial philosophical topics. Some of the questions are designed
to solicit very personal responses and opinions, and these debates have
the potential to become heated. In the act of creating ideas, heat can
be a good thing, but not at the expense of hurt feelings or frustration.
Remember that the practical aspect pf philosophy asks us to examine and
perhaps even change something about ourselves. Hopefully, we will be
challenged by others with a different opinion, but we need to remember
that a challenge to our beliefs is not a threat. To the contrary, it
should be regarded as an opportunity to re-evaluate and understand why
we hold these beliefs.

Some important rules to follow:

1. There will be no Ad hominems (attacks against the person);
   not following this rule may result in failure of the assignment. You can
   disagree with a person’s opinions, but you may not attack other people.
   You may, however, disagree with the ideas of others, but do so in a
   constructive manner. For example, you can say, “I don’t agree with your
   post. I think instead that . . . ” But, you cannot say, “You’re an
   idiot” or even “That’s just plain stupid.” Academia requires a diversity
   of opinions but presented politely; after all, ethics is part of
   Philosophy.
2. Avoid making statements meant to be absolute (such as, “There
   is no other way to think about this”). Instead of asking closed-ended
   questions looking for a “yes” or “no” or the “right” answer, ask
   open-ended questions (such as, “Have you thought about . . . ?”)
3. Try to connect the current discussion to topics from other
   lessons. Remember that all of the Philosophers wrote about more than a
   single topic and the way they think about one area of Philosophy
   probably affects other areas as well. For example, it might be extremely
   useful to mention John Stuart Mill’s ethical theories from an earlier
   lesson during a later discussion of his support for women’s rights and
   equality.
4. Rather than simply reacting to the readings and the responses
   of your classmates, think about the arguments being made. Really
   consider the effectiveness of these arguments. “I agree” responses are
   not useful to the discussion and will not receive credit.

Give some serious consideration to the topic or scenario before
answering; and, then, using the questions below as a guide, write a
75-100 word initial response about the issue being discussed. Next,
please take the time to respond to at least two of your classmates.

Respond

After reviewing the chapter on Non-Western philosophies, answer the following questions:

1. Do you think that patriarchy (rule by men) and racism are
   institutionalized in Western philosophy and culture? Why do you think
   so, or not?
2. Do you believe that members of different races think
   differently? How do you know? If so, to what do you attribute this
   difference—nature, nurture, education, choice, or something else?
3. What was the most intriguing thing you discovered while reading this chapter? Why did you find it to be interesting?