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The Philosopher's Way
A Text with Readings
FIFTH EDITION
CHAPTER
9
what are right actions?
Constructing an Ethical
Theory
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Are we all Sisyphus? This painting depicts the eternal punishment of Sisyphus, a figure from ancient Greek
mythology who was condemned to the absurd task of eternally moving a boulder to the top of a mountain only to
watch it roll down again. In this chapter, you will learn about the human quest to make morally enlightened
choices and create meaningful, purposeful lives.
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Learning Objectives
9.1 Discuss, analyze, and apply various
aspects of moral philosophy and
virtue ethics.
9.2 Describe and analyze the ethical view
that moral value is determined by
fulfilling one's duty.
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Learning Objectives
9.3 Define, analyze, and apply hedonism
and utilitarianism.
9.4 Explain and analyze existentialism
and the views of Kierkegaard,
Nietzsche, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and
Camus.
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Learning Objectives
9.5 Discuss and apply care ethics.
9.6 Answer the question "What is our
ethical responsibility to the natural
world" by exploring issues in
environmental ethics.
9.7 Explore the role of narratives in the
study of ethics.
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Chapter Overview
Click on the screenshot in presentation mode to view a video on constructing an
ethical theory.
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9.1 Expanding Your Knowledge of Moral
Philosophy: Character and Virtue Ethics
• Is it possible to find moral truths?
 We will consider various philosophical
attempts to construct an overarching
theory that can guide our moral
decisions.
• What are right actions?
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9.1 Expanding Your Knowledge of Moral
Philosophy: Character and Virtue Ethics
• What are right actions?
Aristotle
Immanuel Kant
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
Twentieth century existentialist
philosophers
 Proponents of ethics of care




• Virtue ethics
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Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.). This ancient Greek philosopher and student of Plato charted a different direction
from his teacher. Aristotle made major contributions to metaphysics, ethics, politics, logic, and aesthetics. He is
also responsible for conceptualizing the different branches of philosophy.
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9.1 Expanding Your Knowledge of Moral
Philosophy: Character and Virtue Ethics
• Cultivation of a virtuous character
• Aristotle's major work, The
Nicomachean Ethics
• Teleological view of the universe
 Entelechy
• The experience of acting morally
 The Golden Mean
• Analyzing Aristotle's virtue ethics
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What are the highest virtues? This sculpture depicts the Christian virtues of faith (the woman holding a
beacon), hope (the woman with an anchor), and charity (the woman with poor children). What three virtues do
you think are most important?
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How do we discover the Golden Mean? If Aristotle were to speak at your college, what advice do you think he
would give to students regarding how best to achieve happiness and “the good life”?
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9.2 Maxims: Duty to Moral Laws
• Deontologists
 Immanuel Kant
• Fundamental Principles of the
Metaphysics of Morals
• Hypothetical imperative
• Categorical imperative
• Analyzing Kant on duty and reason
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How can we apply the categorical imperative to environmental issues? If you were to apply Kant’s
categorical imperative, what conclusion would you come to regarding the moral justification of owning a “gasguzzling” car? Why?
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Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832). Bentham was a British philosopher who developed the moral theory of
utilitarianism in response to the ills of industrialization.
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9.3 Consequences: Utilitarianism
• Aristippus and Epicurus
 Hedonism
• The Greatest Happiness for the
Greatest Number: Bentham
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Utilitarianism
Psychological hedonism
Ethical hedonism
Principle of utility
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9.3 Consequences: Utilitarianism
• Jeremy Bentham, from An Introduction
to the Principles of Morals and
Legislation
 The Principle of Utility
 The Hedonistic Calculus
 Motives
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When is censorship ethically appropriate? The hedonist goal of pursuing pleasure sometimes conflicts with
social and political policy. What, if any, areas of personal pleasure do you think should be controlled or censored
by the government? Why?
Eric Drooker
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John Stuart Mill (1806–1873). A British philosopher and student of Jeremy Bentham who expanded on
Bentham’s concept of utilitarianism.
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9.3 Consequences: Utilitarianism
• Higher Pleasures Have Greater Worth:
Mill
 John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism
 Analyzing utilitarianism
• Consider the Interests of Animals:
Singer
 Peter Singer, from Animal Liberation
 Analyzing Singer on animal rights
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Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). This Danish philosopher challenged much of Christian philosophy while
remaining deeply religious. Kierkegaard argued that life has meaning only when people reject the pursuit of
pleasure and seek moral truth by looking within and recognizing their connection to the divine.
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9.4 Authenticity: Existentialist
Ethics
• Existentialist ethics
• "The Crowd Is Untruth": Kierkegaard
 Søren Kierkegaard, "On the Dedication
to 'That Single Individual'"
 Søren Kierkegaard, from The Present
Age
• Analyzing Kierkegaard on authenticity
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Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900). Nietzsche was a German philosopher who challenged the ideals of Western
philosophy, including science, morality, and the notion of God.
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9.4 Authenticity: Existentialist
Ethics
• Beyond Good and Evil: Nietzsche
• Friedrich Nietzsche, from The Gay
Science
• Friedrich Nietzsche, from Beyond Good
and Evil
• Analyzing Nietzsche on Morality
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9.4 Authenticity: Existentialist
Ethics
• Authenticity and Ethical Responsibility:
Sartre
 Existentialism is a Humanism
• Analyzing Satre on moral responsibility
• Our Interplay with Others Defines Us:
de Beauvoir
 Ethics of Ambiguity
• Analyzing de Beauvoir on moral choices
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Albert Camus (1913–1960). A French existentialist known for essays and novels, Camus dealt with what he
felt was the absurd situation of human beings in which the world is essentially irrational, yet we still need to find
meaning within it.
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9.4 Authenticity: Existentialist
Ethics
• Courage Is the Highest Value: Camus
• "The Myth of Sisyphus"
• Analyzing the Myth of Sisyphus
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9.5 Empathy: The Ethics of Care
• Care ethics
• Virginia Held
 Concept of the Self
•
•
•
•
Reason and emotion
Desirable forms of emotion
Critics of care ethics
Analyzing Held on the ethics of care
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9.6 Environmental Ethics
• Environmental philosophy
 What is our place in the natural world?
 What do we mean when we talk about
nature?
 How can we respond to environmental
challenges?
 How can we improve the relationship
between the natural world and human
technological advancement?
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9.6 Environmental Ethics
• Environmental philosophy includes:
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Environmental
Ecofeminism
Environmental
Environmental
Environmental
ethics
aesthetics
hermeneutics
theology
• Rachel Carson
• Lynn White
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9.7 Narrative Ethics
• Definition of narrative ethics
• Four different dimensions
• Narrative ethicists view of human
relationships
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Complex
Changing
Emergent
Always changing
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Making Connections: Your Moral
Compass Revisited
• The ultimate goal of moral philosophy
• How might the theories discussed in
this chapter inform your existing moral
compass?
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Virtue ethics
Deontology
Utilitarianism
Existentialism
Ethics of care
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