Universal Mortality, or Not? Right and wrong is motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions. Something I might consider right, another person could consider wrong. There is no definite definition of right and wrong, ones feelings of right and wrong are ultimately their opinions; opinions are a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof. Technically speaking, there is no right or wrong, because right and wrong ultimately are an opinion and an opinion is not a fact but ones thoughts. With that being said, I believe, even though it is not factual; that rape, incest, and slavery are universally wrong. There are different types of rape and different motives behind the rapes. I agree with Goodman in Some Moral Minima on why rape is wrong, and I do not think it could have been said any better:
"So why is rap wrong? It is not just a violation of another's will. For statutory rape is as much a crime as violent rape. A minor, presumptively, lacks the judgment needed for valid consent. Nor is injury the only issue. Not every rape involves physical harm. Rape is wrong because it stands at the extreme limit of a continuum of sexual acts, from the most committed to the least so, and the most alienating. Rape is exploitative, objectifying, and, yes, again violative. But what it violates is not just another's body but that other's personhood, invested, deeply in one's sexuality". (Goodman, 2010).
When people think of rape they think of the physical harm, they usually do not think about how deep the emotional scarring goes. Rapist have different motives behind their acts, some do it as a power crime; they like to feel the power from controlling someone and breaking them down. Others do it for the sexual crime, roughly 55 percent of convicted sex offenders can be considered sex addicts. Sexual addiction is best described as a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. (Herkov, 2012). Incest can be argued "right and wrong", a lot of people feel that if both people are willing and except it then it is their business. Then the argument of reproducing gets brought up and they can argue that they cannot or will not reproduce. What gets over looked is the family as a whole, even if the people involved do not have children it will still affect their family. William Saletan states it best, referring to the David Epstein case:
"all sexual deviance- homosexuality, polyamory, adultery, bestiality, incest- violates the natural order. Families depend on moral structure: Mom, Dad, kids. When you confound that structure- when Dad sleeps with a man, Dad sleeps with another woman, or Mom sleeps with Grandpa- the rest of the family falls apart. Kids need clear roles and relationships. Without this, they get disoriented. Mess with the family, and you mess with the kids." (Saletan, 2010).
Now with this being said, even if these two people have no children; they do still have brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc. I think that these kind of actions not only mess with immediate family: Mom, Dad, and kids; but also the extended family. When most people think of slavery the first thing that comes to mind is African American's before the Civil War. Slavery goes deeper than that, there are many different types of slavery. "The U.S. State Department estimates that between 700,000 and four million persons are trafficked annually across international borders, including some 50,000 into the United States. Men are trafficked most often for agricultural or construction labor; women and children, for prostitution, domestic servitude, or sweat shops." (Goodman, 2010). These things can cause these people physical harm, diseases, and deep emotional scarring. Sometimes these people get tricked into doing these things, they get told great things that never happen. I have seen the documentaries of