GEC 008-CE11S6-ETHICS - idea that God decides what is right and

Lesson 1: Conventional & Critical wrong

Morality - an action is right because God
Conventional morality - relative morality commands it
- Differs from society to society - God commands an action because it is
Critical Morality - absolute morality right
- Moral standards that are Moral Status - who we have moral
independent of conventional obligations to
morality 7 Steps in Deciding Morally
Branches of Moral Philosophy 1. Stop & Think
1. Value Theory - what is a good life? 2. Clarify your goals
- What is worth pursuing for its 3. Verify facts
own sake? 4. Develop options
- How do we improve our lot in 5. Consider consequences
life? 6. Make a decision
2. Normative Ethics - What are our 7. Monitor and Modify
fundamental moral duties? Module 2
- What makes right actions right? Lesson 1: Skepticism in Morality
3. Metaethics - What is the status of Ethical Egoism - each person ought to
moral claims and advice? pursue their own interests exclusively;
claim about morality, the way things
Moral Starting Points should be
1. Neither the law nor tradition is - Morality of selfishness
immune from moral criticism Ayn Rand’s Philosophy
2. Everyone is morally fallible - Altruism is evil
3. Friendship is valuable - Reality is objective
4. We are not obligated to do the - Reason is all we need to
impossible understand everything
5. Children bear less moral - Highest purpose must be the
responsibility than adults pursuit of own happiness
Psychological Egoism - makes a claim
about human nature, the way things are
- 2 arguments: We always do what
we want to do; We always do
what makes us feel good

Ethical/ Moral Relativism - moral

Other Normative Systems judgements are true/ false only relative
1. Law - some illegal are not to some particular standpoint
immoral and vice versa; written - No objective moral code
rules that has corresponding ● Cultural Relativism - different
punishments when violated cultures have diff. Moral codes;
2. Etiquette - good manners are not opinions about right and wrong
the same as morally good conduct varies from culture to culture
3. Self-interest - Ex. Suttee/ Sati
4. Tradition - practices of culture ● Personal/ Individual relativism
- Individual person is the
The Divine Command Theory basis of moral judgment
- Ex. Senicide/ Genocide
 Lesson 3: Kantian Ethics
Moral Reasoning - morality is supported Immanuel Kant - Categorical Imperative
by arguments & good reason - Act only acc. to that maxim by
Impartiality - each individual’s interest which you can at the same time
are equally important will that it should become a
universal law
Lesson 2: The Utilitarian Approach Theory of Punishment
- “Principle of Utility” - maximize 1. All punishment in itself is evil
happiness (Jeremy Bentham)
- Jeremy Bentham - argued that 2. Retributivism - ppl should be
morality is about making the punished proportionate to the
world as happy as possible seriousness of crime
- James Mill(Scottish Philosopher,
historian, and economist), John Lesson 4: Natural Law Theory
Stuart Mill 1. The world has a rational order;
Examples: everything has a purpose
1. Euthanasia - Sigmund Freud suffered 2. Laws of Nature: how things are
due to his smoking habits and made his but how things ought to be;
doctor kill him serving natural purposes
2. War on drugs 3. The right thing to do is whatever
3. Marijuana use the action has the best reasons

Classical utilitarianism Lesson 5: Virtue Ethics

a. Morality of an action depends Aristotle - Nicomachean Ethics - the good
solely on the consequences of the man is an activity of soul in conformity
action w/ virtue
b. An action’s consequences ● Ethical Egoism: Each person
matthew only if they involve the ought to do whatever will
greater or lesser happiness of best promote his or her own
individuals interests.
c. Each individual’s happiness gets ● The Social Contract Theory:
equal consideration The right thing to do is to
follow the rules that rational,
Is Pleasure all that matters? self-interested people would
Right actions are good, good is happiness, agree to follow for their
happiness is pleasure mutual benefit.
● Utilitarianism: One ought to
Con-utilitarianism do whatever will lead to the
1. Incompatible with ideal justice most happiness.
2. Rights may be abused ● Kant’s theory: Our duty is to
3. Makes the past irrelevant follow rules that we could
(Backward looking reasons) accept as universal
laws—that is, rules that we
would be willing for everyone
Pro-utilitarianism to follow in all circumstances.
1. All values have a utilitarian basis
Virtues - trait of character manifested in
2. Gut reactions cannot be trusted
habitual action
3. Focus on all the consequences
- benevolence
 - civility
with Jeremy y applied to
- compassion
Bentham John Stuart
- courage -
● Focuses on Mill
-dependability
the ● Consider
- honesty
consequences larger set of
- Patience
of individual actions rather
- prudence
actions than
- discipline
individual acts
Advantages:
1. Moral Motivation - provides a Jeremy Bentham - Father of
natural Utilitarianism
2. Doubts impartiality - Believed in the principle of utility:
requires human to maximize
MIDTERM happiness in all circumstances
Lesson 1: UTILITARIANISM (OBE) Hedonic/ Felicific Calculus - in order to
- ethical theory that determines right/ help an individual work out how much
wrong by focusing on outcomes pleasure would be created by differing
- form of consequentialism possible actions
- holds that the most ethical choice is the - Used to evaluate how much
one that will produce the greatest good pleasure or pain will an action
for the greatest number will cause
Core Principles 7 Hedonic Calculus
1. Greatest Happiness - pleasure or 1. Intensity
positive utility such as improving 2. Duration
well-being should be maximized 3. Certainty
2. Impartiality - evaluate each 4. Propinquity/ Remoteness
other’s action without bias/ 5. Fecundity
prejudice 6. Purity
3. Consequentialism - morality of 7. Extent
actions should be judged by their John Stuart Mill
outcomes - Actions are right in proportion as
Act vs. Rule Utilitarianism they tend to produce happiness
(pleasure and absence of pain),
wrong as they tend to produce
Act Utilitarianism Rule Utilitarianism
reverse of happiness
● Each moral ● Draws up a Peter Singer
situation is general rule - If we can prevent something bad
unique based on from happening w/o sacrificing
● Applies utility Utility anything of comparable moral
principle to principle importance, then we ought to do
each act ● Based on past so
● Act are right if experience Limitations of Utilitarianism
it produces ● Rule is right if 1. Tends to create a black and white
the greatest it produces construct of morality
happiness for the greatest 2. Cannot predict w/ certainty
all happiness for whether the consequences of our
● Most all actions will be good or bad
associated ● Retrospectivel 3. Has trouble accounting for values
like justice & individual rights
Lesson 2: KANTIAN ETHICS, - Unconditional, universal
DEONTOLOGY: DUTY AND AGENCY moral law that applies to
Immanuel Kant - synthesized modern all rational beings
rationalism and empiricism Maxim - rule/ principle of action,
- Autonomy is the fundamental universal law that must always be
idea of his critical philosophy done in similar situations
Deontology - Gk. Deon = being Formulations of Categorical Imperative
necessary/ duty/ which is binding a. Universal Law Formulation - when we
- States that an individual should act, our actions must follow from maxims
choose an act on what they w/c are universalizable
believe to be morally right - False promises, Suicide,
regardless of the consequences Cultivation of Talent, Helping
Kantian Ethics - developed by German others
philosopher, Immanuel Kant - Universalizability: Act only
- States that an action can only be according to that maxim whereby
moral if: (1) it is motivated by a you can at the same time will that
sense of duty, (2) its maxim may it should become a universal law
be rationally willed a universal, - Universalizability: Maxim,
objective law Universal Law, Universalizability
- Ex. Truth-telling, helping others, test
environmental ethics, Promise b. Formula of Humanity/ Formulation of
keeping Humanity - “act that you must use
- Falls on deontological ethics for it humanity in your own person as well as
is rule-based in the person of any other, always at the
- Morally right actions are same time as an end, never merely as a
determined by its conformity means”
with duty - Focuses on how we should treat
- An action’s moral worth is others
determined entirely by the - Autonomy: self-governing
motivation behind it - Kantian Autonomy: a person is
- Groundwork on the Metaphysics autonomous if their choices are
of Morals: he aims to establish untouched by factors that are
underpinnings of morality to inessential to himself
establish the indisputable c. Kingdom of Ends Formulation - “act
existence of a moral code according to maxims of a universally
● Good will - demonstrated when a legislating member of a merely possible
person is motivated by their duty kingdom of ends”
- Actions must conform w/
moral law Hypothetical Imperative - guides actions
- Agent must have right based on achieving particular ends
motive Rational Will - capacity of a person to be
● Duty the cause of their actions based on reason
Types of Duty Agency - ability of a person to act based
a. Perfect - duty that must be always on their intentions and mental states
followed
● Categorical Imperative - moral
obligations that are derived from
pure reason