Tok Essay - Ethics and Math
10. 'Through different methods of justification, we can reach conclusions in ethics that are as well-supported as those provided in mathematics.' To what extent would you agree?
One could argue that mathematics and ethics are the underlying essentials above which our society has based itself. Scores of cities have built their infrastructures using measurements and methods founded in mathematics. Our inherent ethical natures have catalyzed the great minds from ancient civilizations to create democracies, and have enabled our generations to uphold these same moral principles. While both these studies are so readily used today, when comparing them it is essential in understanding at the same time the disparity between the two subjects. The principles of mathematics are built from a mélange of axioms, theorems and conjectures, where there is always a systematic method of arriving at any answer. Ethical problems are subject more to the individualistic way in which one proceeds to analyze the problem. In both however, there is the underlying similarity of how conclusions are arrived at, where in mathematics the logical postulations that we use to prove conclusions are really themselves yet unproven, and in ethics there are a wide spectrum of analyses that could be applied to one issue alone. Objectively, my understanding is that as a society we can reach conclusions in ethics that are as well-supported in mathematics to a certain magnitude, after which the ambiguity of each concept takes over any other rational conclusions. In essence, we reach these conclusions through what proofs we use in ethical analyses, the proofs we have found in the field of mathematics and the degree of complexity of both subjects.
With the intention of analyzing the knowledge issues that pertain to this question more effectively, we can separate it into sections, address different areas singularly and then ultimately combine what we discover into one final "conclusion". Foremost, it is
One could argue that mathematics and ethics are the underlying essentials above which our society has based itself. Scores of cities have built their infrastructures using measurements and methods founded in mathematics. Our inherent ethical natures have catalyzed the great minds from ancient civilizations to create democracies, and have enabled our generations to uphold these same moral principles. While both these studies are so readily used today, when comparing them it is essential in understanding at the same time the disparity between the two subjects. The principles of mathematics are built from a mélange of axioms, theorems and conjectures, where there is always a systematic method of arriving at any answer. Ethical problems are subject more to the individualistic way in which one proceeds to analyze the problem. In both however, there is the underlying similarity of how conclusions are arrived at, where in mathematics the logical postulations that we use to prove conclusions are really themselves yet unproven, and in ethics there are a wide spectrum of analyses that could be applied to one issue alone. Objectively, my understanding is that as a society we can reach conclusions in ethics that are as well-supported in mathematics to a certain magnitude, after which the ambiguity of each concept takes over any other rational conclusions. In essence, we reach these conclusions through what proofs we use in ethical analyses, the proofs we have found in the field of mathematics and the degree of complexity of both subjects.
With the intention of analyzing the knowledge issues that pertain to this question more effectively, we can separate it into sections, address different areas singularly and then ultimately combine what we discover into one final "conclusion". Foremost, it is