Download The Study of Ethics

The Study of Ethics
How do we know how to do the
Right Thing?
Three Approaches to Justice
• 1) Utilitarianism: Asks the question: “What is the Best for
the Most?” “What produces the most collective
happiness?”
( Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill)
• 2) Asks the Question “What maximizes Human Freedom?”
What is Just is what gives us the most Freedom”
( Kant)
• 3) Asks the Question: “ What gives people what they
deserve? “What rewards or promotes Virtue?”
(Aristotle)
Immanual Kant
• Kant was born 1724- 1806- what was happening to
the world then?
• His first major works:
• 1781- Critique of Pure Reason- against Empiricism of
Locke
• 1785- Ground work for the Metaphysics of Morals
• (Note that this is written just after the American
Revolution and before the French Revolution- what
were the main ideas of the times?)
Kant’s Approach to Justice
• His approach to Justice is one that maximizes
human freedom
• Morality does not come from God; it comes
from within ourselves
• Morality- what is Right and Wrong- can be
ascertained through the use of Human
REASON
Kant believes…..
• 1) Every person is worthy of respect because
we can reason
• 2) We are rational beings, capable reason
• 3 ) We are autonomous beings, capable of
acting freely
We do not always act rationally, but we have t
he capability to do so…
What is Freedom for Kant?
Acting NOT “as slaves to our desires”, but acting
AUTONOMOUSLY “The law I give myself, not
according to the laws of nature or social
convention”
not acting
HETERONOMOUSLY acting in response to other
influences, ”determinations outside of me”, slaves
or desires, acting in reaction to an outside force
What does it mean to “Act Freely?”
To Act Freely is to not to choose the best means to
a given end, but to choose to act for the END in
itself- for its own sake“We are no longer instruments of purposes given
outside us”
Acting with Autonomy gives human life dignity- and
Moral Responsibility for our actions
-Only human beings can make this choice-
What is the difference between acting
Heteronomously and acting Autonomously?
Heteronomy
•
Autonomy
Acting according to outside influences
myself”
•
We are instruments
•
We are subjects
•
We do something for the sake of ends
•
Reason for our actions are
determined by outside
influences
•
“We act as THINGS”
•“Acting according to
inner law I give
• We are authors
• We are creators
• We do something for
the END in itself
• We determine the
reasons for our actions
• “We act as PERSONS”
When does an Action have “Moral
Worth”?
“What matters is the Motive”
An action has moral worth if you are
doing it because it it the RIGHT thing
as an end in itself, not because you
have an ulterior motive
Only actions done out of moral duty
have moral worth
Moral Worth? Actions decided
Autonomously and End in Itself
• DOING THINGS OUT OF COMPASSION DOES
NOT GIVE AN ACTION MORAL WORTH
• DOING THINGS SO THAT YOU WILL FEEL
BETTER OR FOR PLEASURE DOES NOT GIVE
AN ACTION MORAL WORTH
What matters is the motive…..
What would Kant say about these
examples?
• Shopkeeper example (page 112)
• Signing honesty pledges and given a gift
card- (page 113)
• How does Kant feel about suicide? (page
114)
• Spelling Bee Hero (page 116)
WHAT GIVES AN ACTION MORAL
WORTH?
• If an action comes from moral duty- “doing
some thing that is right because it is right”
• If an action