Wednesday, September 14, 2011
You can be a good person without having a role model
Having a role model probably helps one become a good person, but I don't think it is necessary. You can become a good person through self-reflection and observation. For example, observing events going on around you and reflecting on their outcomes can teach you about morality. Some people in class said that examples like this one, as well as reading books can actually serve as role models, but I think this is expanding the definition of role model too much. I think a role model is a person (and you don't have to know them in real life) who you model your life after and aspire to be like. This isn't even always a positive thing. Deciding what role you want to fill through your own thoughts and reflections may be better than simply aspiring to mimic somebody else. I think we are all inspired by many different people, experiences, books, etc. Most of us probably take little pieces of each thing that inspired us to make ourselves the best we can be-sort of a collaboration of all the things that have inspired us. I do not think this is an example of having role models because it doesn't involve modeling your life after someone.
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Hi Emily, I enjoyed reading your reaction, and am considering the points you are making. I suppose that the reoccurring difficulty of any 'role model' argument is in how broadly the term can be defined. Aristotle asserts that humans are "political"(social) animals which could extend the definition of 'role model' to include the value system of a broader culture rather then a singular example of a public figure or individual of personal influence. For example goodness as defined as self-reflection and observation (on which I would also agree)is in itself a value that was presented to us at some point, although not necessarily by any one person or exact moment of exchange. More likely it was taught intuitively through immersion within a cultural system that supports that value. Thanks for your post and the ideas you presented!
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog, but I have a question for you. Think about this for a second, everything that human beings learn or know they learn from someone or something else. Human beings are one of the most complex animals in the known world. Their ability to think and evaluate things is what sets them apart from all other creatures. That complex ability to think is what allows humans to develop the ability to the determine right from wrong.
Now consider this, Human beings are not born with any abilities outside of normal body functions and life necessities that are pre-structured to function on their own. Everything else is learned somehow. Therefore the ability to determine right from wrong is learned somewhere along the way from either peers or through upbringing.
One could argue that a role model is someone who sets the standard for what others strive to accomplish or even mimic. If someone is introducing the concept of right and wrong to a small child, they are in a sense acting as a role model for that small child. They may not be aware of this act, but in essence that is what they are doing.
I agree that humans are social beings who learn about the world through other people. However I don't consider that to be an example of role modeling. I consider a role model to be someone that you model yourself after and strive to imitate. I think that most people have one or more people that inspire them, but this is different than having people they want to model themselves after.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI think you made a great point here. I feel that the role models that are most valuable are the ones who demonstrate how to conduct oneself in the time of adversity. To often people put influential people on a pedestal and then when life hits them with a brick, they are ostracized to the core. Yes, children are like cement and what they see is what they do. Young persons are easily influenced and they should have the proper surroundings and people in their life to demonstrate the 'better option'. However, part of life is goign through adversity and solving problems. To be successful in this part of life one needs to have some idea of how to conduct themselves and control their emotions. The role models who can do this in addition to the demonstrating the 'better option' are the ones who should be looked upon with high regard.
At first you said
ReplyDelete"Some people in class said that examples like this one, as well as reading books can actually serve as role models, but I think this is expanding the definition of role model too much."
Then you said
"I think a role model is a person (and you don't have to know them in real life)".
If one doesn't need to know a role model 'IRL' then how would learning respect for, say, Lincoln from a biography be stretching the definition of a role model?
Nuncupate- I do think that public figures can serve as role models. However, I don't think books are role models. I was referring more to fictional books but it applies to all books. If one learns about a public figure through a biography, and comes to think of that person as a role model, the person is the role model, not the book.
ReplyDelete