English Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English Paper - Essay Example Acts of obligation must be able to pass the categorical imperative in which you might also will that your maxim becomes a universal law. Liberal Individualism holds that "a democratic society must carve out a certain space within which the individual may pursue personal projects." Like Kantianism, this is a rule-based theory looking at either legal rights or moral rights. Under this theory, individual rights are held to be all-important but these often come into conflict with the individual rights of others forcing rights to be trumped based on the greater good. Communitarianism presupposes that fundamental principles in ethics stem from the values of common good, traditional practices and social aims. Decisions regarding good or bad acts are made based on whether the decision supports or undermines the communal values, regardless of what the individual feels. Tradition and common practice both play a role in this theory and often function in opposition to liberal individualism. Moral decisions are not always as easy to decide as the fairy tales make them seem. There is often no clear-cut difference between good and evil, the bad guy is not always the one wearing black. Many times, moral decisions are made based on which of the four main theories one feels most comfortable with. Although any of these theories could be applied to a situation such as the one found in Susan Glaspels short story "Trifles," the one that seems most appropriate to me is liberal individualism. The women discover the motive and nature of the crime that has been committed, but they keep it to themselves through a sense of moral justice based on individualistic principles. At the beginning of the play, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale arrive at the vacant home of Mr. and Mrs. Wright. Mr. Wright has been found strangled in his bed and Mrs. Wright sits at the jailhouse pending