What is Patriotism
Gino DiGuilio
Global Ethics
Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez
September 26, 2014
Situationalism; a small word with a rather large definition. According to the Oxford Dictionary1, situationalism is defined as, “the theory that human behavior is determined by surrounding circumstances rather than by personal qualities.” Defining and comprehending this word is crucial when it comes to analyzing and creating thoughts about charity and giving to those in need in general. Judith Lichtenberg once stated, “Small and sometimes seemingly insignificant aspects of the situations in which people find themselves can greatly increase the likelihood that they will do A rather than B or A rather than not-A.”2 The theory of situationalism can be tied to Lichtenberg’s quote because in human nature, many people are followers, and are so, due to the fact that certain situations either force them or influence them to take part in an action. In this case, charitable work. So the question at hand; why do people do what others do, and is that okay? One of the best ways to dissect and generate an answer to this question is to compare it to something in real life. Recently, in the Summer of 2014, social media, and mass media for that matter, was bombarded without warning and preparation with a wave of creative call to actions. The infamous phrase, “I was nominated to do the Ice Bucket Challenge,” is something that citizens of not only America, but worldwide came to know, love, anticipate, and also coincidentally hate. The ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge became an overnight sensation and conversation topic throughout the nation and very rapidly spread to other countries as well. But why is it that some ideas take flight and spread like wildfire, while others, seemingly equally worthy, fall mostly on deaf ears? The Ice Bucket Challenge raised hundreds of millions of dollars in such a short amount of time for the ALS Association without spending one ounce of money on a
Global Ethics
Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez
September 26, 2014
Situationalism; a small word with a rather large definition. According to the Oxford Dictionary1, situationalism is defined as, “the theory that human behavior is determined by surrounding circumstances rather than by personal qualities.” Defining and comprehending this word is crucial when it comes to analyzing and creating thoughts about charity and giving to those in need in general. Judith Lichtenberg once stated, “Small and sometimes seemingly insignificant aspects of the situations in which people find themselves can greatly increase the likelihood that they will do A rather than B or A rather than not-A.”2 The theory of situationalism can be tied to Lichtenberg’s quote because in human nature, many people are followers, and are so, due to the fact that certain situations either force them or influence them to take part in an action. In this case, charitable work. So the question at hand; why do people do what others do, and is that okay? One of the best ways to dissect and generate an answer to this question is to compare it to something in real life. Recently, in the Summer of 2014, social media, and mass media for that matter, was bombarded without warning and preparation with a wave of creative call to actions. The infamous phrase, “I was nominated to do the Ice Bucket Challenge,” is something that citizens of not only America, but worldwide came to know, love, anticipate, and also coincidentally hate. The ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge became an overnight sensation and conversation topic throughout the nation and very rapidly spread to other countries as well. But why is it that some ideas take flight and spread like wildfire, while others, seemingly equally worthy, fall mostly on deaf ears? The Ice Bucket Challenge raised hundreds of millions of dollars in such a short amount of time for the ALS Association without spending one ounce of money on a