WhoamIIdentityandethics

1、1Who am I? Identity and ethicsHektor YanDepartment of Public and Social AdministrationCity University of Hong KongDec 11, 20082only animals live entirely in the Here and Now. Only nature knows neither memory nor history. But manlet me offer you a definitionis the story-telling animal. Wherever he go

2、es he wants to leave behind not a chaotic wake, not an empty space, but the comforting marker-buoys and trail-signs of stories.Graham Swift (b. 1949), Waterland (1984), p. 53.3Treat a man as he is, and that is what he remains. Treat a man as he can be, and that is what he becomes.Johann Wolfgang von

3、 Goethe (1749-1832), Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjare (1795-6).4I. Introduction5Background:The notion of an identity seems to be relevant to ethics. For example:Moral philosophers (especially those sympathetic to virtue ethics) are becoming more and more interested in the notion of a moral identity and the

4、 narrative self.6Background:The notion of an identity seems to be relevant to ethics. For example:What kind of identity people have can also be relevant to ethics: identity seems to be able to give shape and meaning to a persons life. One experiences an identity crisis when one fails to see the dire

5、ction or meaning of ones life.7The aims of this session:To investigate the relationship between identity and ethics.To examine the ethical issues that arise from the notion of identity and questions about which sort of identity should be adopted.8II. Identity: What is it?9Background: Meaning and pur

6、posea distinctively human issueTo understand why different events occur in the nature world, it seems sufficient if we can discover what are the causes and effects. (Take a landslide as an example.)Human actions are radically different from natural events: they are meaningful in the sense that they

7、are performed for some purpose. 10Background: Meaning and purposea distinctively human issueWhat a persons actions can mean in the course of a human life is not a straightforward matter. The meaning of ones actions can undergo the process of negotiation, reinterpretation or critical reflection.This

8、means that meaning in the context of a human life cannot be discovered once and for all. It is also necessary for individual human beings to search for meaning and purpose within their particular lives. 11Identity, self-conception and the narrative sense of self:To find meaning in my life I need to

9、have a sense of identity: I should be able to answer the question Who am I?. I am an entity in the solar system. I am a featherless biped. We may understand identity in the ethical context as self-conceptionSelf-conception refers to how a person conceives of himself or herself.12Identity, self-conce

10、ption and the narrative sense of self:Unlike an inanimate object, human beings can see oneself as an entity that exists over time. In other words, a human being can perceive that he or she has a past, a present and a future.13Identity, self-conception and the narrative sense of self:This gives rise

11、to the narrative sense of the self, which consists of: what one has become,what one is,what one is going to be, andhow all these lead to one another.It is argued that only when one can tell ones own life story, one can have an opportunity to examine the meaning of ones life. 14Identity: its ethical

12、significanceAlthough the identity of a human being seems to be consist of a description of oneself, such a description can also have important normative implications.For example, if a person describes himself or herself to be a teacher, it is likely that certain ethical attitudes follow from the des

13、cription itself. (A teacher should not use foul language.)15Identity: its ethical significanceThis implies that how one sees oneself can have implications on ones actions and conduct in two ways:In the context of the search for meaning and purpose for ones life as a whole.In the context of particula

14、r moments of life where moral decisions are made.16Some threats to human beings sense of identity:Identity crisis: A common and very human condition, to put it simply, one experiences an identity crisis when one cannot see the direction of ones future or when one fails to find the shape of ones life

15、. 17Some threats to human beings sense of identity:The erosion of the sense of agency:Can human beings transcend the effect of social conditioning? Are we always the product of a particular upbringing or culture?Is the behaviour of human beings determined by their evolutionary make-up?18Bernard Walt

16、on and Miles Barton, Cousins猴親, (A BBC/Discovery Channel co-production), (London: BBC Worldwide Ltd., 2000), Disc 3, The Apes.19BBC Documentary: Cousins, The Apes 26.13-36.43 36.43-38.00 (Threats) 38.01-41.21 (Border patrol)20Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey, (UK, 1968).21Film, 2001: A Space O

17、dyssey 3.00-22.55 18.20-20.4522Film, A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)23Scenes from A Clockwork Orange: Alex and his gang24Scenes from A Clockwork OrangeThe Ludovico Technique25III. The multi-dimensional nature of identity26A person can have different identities at the same time:An example:

18、 Peter is a Hong Kong resident, someones brother, a post-graduate student, a heterosexual, a music lover, a person who was born in the same village as Lee Ka Shing, a stock-market speculator, etcOne can hold multiple identities at the same time. In particular circumstances some aspects of a persons

19、identity may become more significant. 27A person can have different identities at the same time:There is an inevitable element of selectivity in the construction of ones overall identity. In the context of telling a life story, a similar sort of selectivity can be detected: one chooses to include ce

20、rtain events, experiences or achievements while disregarding others.28The implications of selectivity:There is the danger of self-deception and dishonesty when one chooses to hide certain facts about oneself.The construction of identity can also be abused or misused. This is especially a problem whe

21、n the construction of ones identity is manipulated to serve some ulterior motive.29IV. A case study: National identity and being a patriot30Background:Recently we can notice that identifying oneself as Chinese 中國人 in Hong Kong has become a concern. Surveys have been done to see how many young people

22、 in Hong Kong have identified themselves as Chinese.Once the question of national identity is recognised as important, the related issue of whether one is a patriot is often raised.31Background:The issue: Should one identity oneself as Chinese? Is it necessary to be a patriot?32Two relevant document

23、aries 愛國者 (A documentary from the 新聞透視series), (香港 : 電視廣播有限公司, 2004). 愛國新一代 (A documentary from the 時事追擊series), (香港 : 亞洲電視, 2005).33Criticisms on the national identity or the Chinese identity from an ethical perspective:In order to see the ethical status of the Chinese identity (or national identit

24、y) it seems necessary to examine what kind of behaviour results from such an identity.34Criticisms on the national identity or the Chinese identity from an ethical perspective:What kinds of behaviour or obligation does the nation identity create? Two possibilities:A weaker sense of national identity

25、 creates only a kind of love (cf. 愛國) or affection towards things related to the nation.A stronger sense of national identity creates some specific and concrete obligations (責任) such as the obligation to make sacrifice for the country.35Criticisms on the national identity or the Chinese identity fro

26、m an ethical perspective:A dilemma:The weaker sense of national identity does not seem to be morally required.The stronger sense of national identity may invite serious ethical accusations: it seems arbitrary to require that one must do something for ones country when one has no choice in where one

27、was born (or where one lives). To believe that there are certain things that one must perform for ones country is morally dangerous: atrocities can be done in the name of the nations good.36Some possible repliesA national identity can build up solidarity and maintain harmony. Such an identity is ins

28、trumental in preserving ones culture and a decent way of life. 37Some possible repliesPeople living in modern nation-states have the duty of self-governance through political participation, a national identity may help to develop some sort of fellow-feeling between such people and this can make it e

29、asier for them to listen to and cooperate with each other.38Film, Persepolis (2007)Directed by Vincent Paronnaud &Marjane Satrapi(Based on a comic by Marjane Satrapi)39Marjane Satrapis self portrait40From the comic book41Film, Persepolis 37.00-51.38 51.38-53.05 (optional)42Discussion questions for t

30、he film Persepolis in relation to identity: Some suggestions1.What does it mean when one claims that one is Iranian (or Chinese)?2.What are the ethical implications to be an Iranian?3.What do you think is the meaning of being Iranian to Marjane Satrapi?4.What do you think is the relationship between

31、 Marjane Satrapis ethical character (or moral conduct) and the fact that she comes from Iran?43Discussion questions for the film Persepolis in relation to identity: Some suggestions5.Marjane Satrapis grandmother told her: Always keep your dignity and be true to yourself. And her mother told her: Don

32、t forget who you are and where you come from. What, in your opinion, does it mean to say that one needs to be true to oneself? In what sense is it important not to forget where one comes from? 44Discussion questions for the film Persepolis in relation to identity: Some suggestions6.What difference d

33、oes it make to the ethical character (or moral identity) of Majane Satrapi when she refused to acknowledge her Iranian origin? Or is it the case that it makes little or no difference?7.If you have watched the whole film, would you say that Marjane Satrapi has finally found herself or her true identi

34、ty? Do you think that an identity matters to human beings? Why or why not? 45The complicated identity of Marjane Satrapi She is from a westernized family in Iran with relatives involved in socialism and communism. Studies high school in Vienna. Married and divorced a Iranian man called Reza in Iran.

35、 Currently a French citizen living in Paris. She now works as an illustrator and she is an author of childrens books.46Films/documentaries introduced Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, 我在伊朗長大Persepolis, (France, 2007). Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey, (UK, 1968). Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange, (UK, 1971). Bernard Walton and Miles Barton, Cousins猴親, (