Download Philosophy and Ethics

Philosophy and Ethics
Is lying always wrong?
Is conscience a reliable guide?
Are all values relative?
The Ethical Continuum
Utilitarianism
Egoism
Situationism
Rational Choice
Objectivism
Cultural Relativism
Subjectivism
Relativism
Absolutism
QUESTIONS IN ETHICS
QUESTIONS OF FACT:
'IS'
TRUTH AND
FALSEHOOD
QUESTIONS OF VALUE:
'OUGHT'
WORTH, GOOD,
DESIRABILITY
DUTIES OR
OBLIGATIONS
ONE FIRST HURDLE IN OVERCOMING ETHICAL DILEMMAS IS TO
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FACT AND VALUE.
'I AM ALIVE' IS A FACT.
'I OUGHT TO LIVE' IS A VALUE.
Subjectivism
 All values are relative.
 Existentialist Perspective
 I make my own good; no one can judge.
 Language Theory
 Moral terms are personal, individual.
 My logic determines my truth, and it’s mine.
 My statements can be tested as true or false.
 Most value statements are nonsense, because
they are value-based.
 Therefore we cannot argue them.
 But how do we resolve differences?
Cultural Relativism
 Whatever a culture believes is good is
good.
 Social authority determines good.
 There are few or no values that are
universal.
 But what if a cultural belief is based upon a
falsehood?
 What if my value is not good for me?
 How do we then make laws?
 Are we to tolerate sadistic evil and genocide
because it is a cultural value somewhere?
Egoism
 Psychological Egoism (Epicurus)
 All acts are motivated by self-interest.
 It is human nature to seek self-interest.
 It is impossible to be unselfish.
 Ethical Egoism (Ayn Rand)
 Each person ought to act in his own selfinterest.
 Enlightened Egoism (Hobbes)
 Do both of the above, but without narcissism.
 Are there no selfless acts?
Objectivism
 Values exist outside of human reality.
 Absolute values are morally binding
to all humans.
 Divine Command Theory
 We ought to follow ‘self-evident truths’
 Natural Law
 It is our duty to act on rational, ‘categorical
imperatives.’
 The Forms of the Good (Plato)
 Beauty, Truth, Justice
Utilitarianism
 What is good is what produces the
greatest happiness for the greatest
number of people.
 The balance of pleasure and pain must
be weighed against alternatives to action
 All value claims must stand the test of
consequences.
 But what if the good of the mass obligates
us to harm the individual?
Situationism
 Love is the only absolute value
 All other values are based on the
situation each of us is in.
 Morality therefore is in a constant
process of change.
Possible Combinations
 Rational Choice
 A rational person can choose right living
if she is free, impartial and informed.
 People in this state will naturally have right
views and intentions.
 People in this state will choose right
speech, actions, and livelihoods.
 People in this state will conduct themselves
with right effort, mindfulness, and
concentration.
Virtue Ethics
 What are the traits of a good person?
 How are these traits cultivated?
 What are the moral categories that
define the good person?
 What virtues will allow me to function
as a good human being?
Feminist Ethics
 Do women operate uniquely from the
domain of “morality of responsibility?”
 Psychological logic of relationships?
 Caring
 Do men operate uniquely from the
domain of “morality of rights?”
 Formal logic of justice.
 Can there be an ethic for both?
Essential Questions
 Does the individual or the group
deserve greater weight? (Mill)
 Is the good of all persons to count
equally? (Singer)