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PHILOSOPHY
A Text with Readings
TENTH EDITION
MAN U E L V E LAS Q U E Z
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Ethics is the study of those values that
relate to our moral conduct, including
questions of good and evil, right and
wrong, and moral responsibility.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• The descriptive study of ethics, which
raises the issue of ethical relativism,
studies ethics from a factual point of view.
Normative ethics is the search for
principles of moral behavior that are
reasonable.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Consequentialist theories claim that the
morality of an action depends only on its
consequences.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Egoism is the consequentialist position
that states the following: always act in
such a way that your actions promote your
best long-term interests.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Act utilitarianism is the consequentialist
position that states this: always act so that
your actions produce the greatest
happiness for everyone.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Rule utilitarianism is the consequentialist
position that states the following: always
follow those rules that tend to produce the
greatest happiness for everyone.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Nonconsequentialist theories claim that
the morality of an action depends on
factors other than consequences.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Divine command theory is a
nonconsequentialist theory that enjoins us
to follow the law of God. There are
scriptural and natural law versions of
divine command theory.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Kant's categorical imperative is a
nonconsequentialist position that states
this: always act in such a way that your
reasons for acting are reasons you could
will to have everyone act on in similar
circumstances, and always treat persons
as ends and not merely as means.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Buddhism emphasizes volition and ties
morality to wisdom. Its moral code is
expressed in precepts that invite followers
to refrain from certain actions and to
develop certain virtues.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Virtue ethics identifies the character traits
of the morally good person; it emphasizes
the kind of person we should become
instead of principles of action. Some virtue
theories argue that male and female
virtues differ.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• Application of the normative theories to
issues such as abortion and euthanasia
suggests that each theory provides
important and distinctive insights into
factors that should be taken into account
when making moral decisions.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• The concept of moral responsibility is
associated with the concept of
excusability, which holds that there are
circumstances under which we should
excuse people for their decisions and
conduct.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS
PHILOSOPHY
• In response to the claim that moral
responsibility is not possible in a strictly
deterministic universe, three main
positions can be identified: determinism,
libertarianism, and compatibilism.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ETHICS