"Embrace the necessity of learning as we meet diverse ethical positions contrary to our own with the assumption that learning does not necessarily suggest agreement" Arnett states (Arnett 1). The pragmatics of dialogue suggests that we are all different human beings with differing experiences that shape what we define as the "good". This is extremely important to understand. Growing up for me has been learning that no one is really ever going to completely agree with all of your morals and values in life, and that is completely fine. In addition, I don't necessarily have to agree with or believe what others believe to be good either. But it is important to at least understand where other viewpoints are rooted from and why certain individuals believe in what they do. Arnett suggests, "Communication ethics is the call to learn about differing views of the good assumed by different positions" (Arnett 5). By this, he is suggesting that we are all brought up by different backgrounds that shape who we are, and why we believe in the things we believe. He also acknowledges that a lot of what shapes an individual can be dedicated to narrative. As I discuss greatly throughout my research proposal, narrative can shape a lot of morals and "goods" especially when it comes to religious texts such as the Bible.
Growing up, my mom took my brothers and I to church. She grew up in a strict Catholic household where different morals and standards were held against her, and she was forced to believe that following those things was the only ethical way to live. According to the Bible, of course. My dad grew up very differently. Religion was never integrated into his childhood, so he grew up deciding what "the good" was on his own. Not at all influenced by narrative or his environment. My parents decided to sorta give us an in-between option. The church my mom took us to was religion based, but preached free thinking. So they never suggested that we follow directly what the Bible says to follow. It allowed me a more broad perspective on what religion can be, and how it doesn't always have to be forced upon you. You are able to have differing views from your peers. And in reality, that is the most healthy! Going to college with this background was different. I ended up in a friend group of girls who found strict religious practices to be a large part of their beings. A lot of what they believed to be "good" was based off of religious narrative. This confused me because I thought, how in the world can you believe in and agree with everything that book is saying?! But that was their own decision. And this proves Arnett's point even further. Religious practices and morals were their understanding of "the good" and that's alright. That is just their background and how they grew up. But it didn't need to be mine. It's ok if I did agree with abortion, or didn't necessarily believe in one God. That is just who I am!
Arnett, Ronald C., et al. Communication Ethics Literacy: Dialogue and Difference. Sage Publications, 2009.
Hi Caleigh! I really resonate with what you wrote about because I grew up in a stricter Catholic household where those values were also ingrained in me as a little kid like your friends. However, as I've gotten older, my parents have definitely "backed off" in a sense and given me less "talks" about what's right and what's wrong because they know I'm a mature adult who can make my own decisions and they also trust me to do so. So as a young adult I'm in this weird phase of trying to figure out what values I'm going to uphold in my life. Am I going to live "by the Bible" and trust that that is "the good" or should I live with more autonomy? It's challenging to navigate, and I think the people you surround yourself with are so influential in what values you choose to live by or not.
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