Download Medical Ethics

UI 370
Media Ethics
H. Hamner Hill
CSTL-CLA.SEMO.EDU/HILL/UI370
UI 370 Introduction
H. Hamner Hill, Political Science,
Philosophy, and Religion
Carnahan 211BB MWF, 11-12
Office 651-2817 Home 339-0575
[email protected]
Nature and details of the course
This is a lecture/Discussion course. The
emphasis is on discussion. That means
that the students will bear most of the
responsibility for keeping the class
moving. Students MUST be prepared for
class.
Expectations of Students
Students will be expected to:
Be prepared to discuss assigned readings
Prepare 5 case studies
Prepare 2 short (5-7 pages each)
interdisciplinary research papers
Prepare and delivery an oral summary of one
of your papers
Complete a comprehensive final exam
Scoring
Individual Papers
50%
Individual Presentation 10%
Case Studies
25%
Final Exam
15%
Why Do We Need a Course in
Media Ethics?
Public Attitudes About the Media
Rapid Technological Change
Changing Business Pressures in the
Media
Media Consolidation and Conglomeration
Changing Demographics
Overview of Ethical Theory
Overview of Ethical Theory
What is a Theory? Scientific theories:
– Tool for describing our experience
– Tool for predicting future experience
– Tool for organizing our experiences
Good Theories Must:
Fit (generally) our experience
Be subject to test and refutation
Are Ethical Theories Really
Theories?
What are the data in ethics?
– Considered moral judgments
Can ethical theories be tested?
– Test cases and moral senses
Components of an Ethical
Theory
Theory of Value (Axiology)
– Monistic (there is only one thing of value)
– Pluralistic (several things have value)
Components of an Ethical
Theory
Theory of Value (Axiology)
Theory of Obligation (Deontology)
Two Major Types of Theories of
Obligation
Relativist
Non-relativist (absolutist)
Relativist Theories
There are no universal or objective
standards of right and wrong, there
are no universal duties. “Right” is a
concept that makes sense only in a
context; what is right is relative to a
context.
Non-Relativist Theories
There are objective, universal
standards of conduct that
apply to all people in all
settings.
Major Non-Relativist Theories of
Obligation
Consequentialist
Duty Based
Rights Based
Natural Law
Virtue Ethics
Consequentialist Theories
The rightness or wrongness of an act is
determined through reference to the
consequences of the act. Right actions
maximize value.
Duty Based Theories of
Obligation
Human reason allows us to discover
universal duties or obligations that ew
have to one another.
Rights Based Theories of
Obligation
People come equipped with a basic set of
rights, respect for which is a defining
feature of moral action. Right actions
respect basic rights.
Natural Law
The Divine law sets the standard for all
human laws. Humans are obligated to act
in accordance with the Divine law, and all
human laws should embody it.
Virtue Ethics
Act in ways that promote the development
of and display virtuous character traits
Major Ethical Principles
Nonmaleficence
Beneficence
Utility
Distributive Justice
Autonomy
Precautionary Principle
Nonmaleficence

Act in ways that do not cause harm or
needless suffering to others. This principle is
a formalization of the "above all else, do no
harm" edict.
Beneficence
Act in ways that promote the welfare of
other people. This principle requires
affirmative steps be taken to advance the
welfare of others.
Utility
Act in ways that maximize good and
minimize harm. Right actions maximize
some measurable thing of value.
Distributive Justice
Act in way that promote a just* distribution
of social goods. This theory needs an
independent theory of just distribution to
be workable.
Autonomy
Act in ways that allow rational individuals
to govern their own lives. Treat persons
with respect and dignity and allow them to
make decisions for themselves with regard
to their own lives.
The Precautionary Principle
Take precautionary measures to
anticipate, prevent or minimize climate
change and mitigate its adverse effects.
Rather than await certainty, regulators
should act in anticipation of any potential
environmental harm in order to prevent it.
Roles, Responsibilities, Values
and Conflicts
Social Roles and Institutions
Established and continuing parts in a
social enterprise
Characterized by distinctive activity
Special contexts of evaluation and
appropriateness
Contexts of Evaluation and
Appropriateness
Prescribed means (constraints on
reasons)
Constraints on actions
Prescribed ends
The Ecology of Social Roles
A roles is shaped by the demands of
complementary roles surrounding it, and
roles change in response to changes in
other interacting roles
Responsibilities and Values are
Defined by Roles
Role Responsibilities
Expectations that are placed on an agent
in virtue of that agent’s acting in a certain
role capacity
Role Responsibilities
Expectations that are placed on an agent
in virtue of that agent’s acting in a certain
role capacity
Included and excluded reasons--agents
acting in roles are expected to use, or
exclude certain types of reasons
People Fill Several Roles
Simultaneously
The fundamental values and
responsibilities of different roles may come
into open conflict
Inconsistent social messages about values
Three conflicting roles
Consumer
Citizen
Neighbor
Values Vary by Role
What is valued in one role may not be
valued in, or may be harmful to, another
Inconsistent Social Messages
About Values
Success: wealth and avarice
Work: virtue or punishment
Societal Values: liberty, justice, and
equality
Land values: stewardship or dominion
Confusion between morality and legality
M.L. King on Morality and
Legality
Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior
can be regulated. We cannot change the
heart, but we may restrain the heartless.
Law is External
Morality is Internal
Law is about what we MUST
Do
Morality is about what we
STRIVE to Do and Be
Ethics is about doing more
than you are required to do,
but less than you are allowed
to do
Michael Josephson