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Standards of Conduct DoD’s Standards of Conduct http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/ http://www.aitp.org/organization/about/conduct/conduct.jsp https://www.asce.org/pdf/ethics_manual.pdf http://www.iei.ie/ethics/conduct.pasp AITP’s Standards of Conduct ASCE’s Standards of Conduct Engineers Ireland Engineers teaching ethics (interesting article) http://www.onlineethics.org/CMS/edu/instructessays/davis.asp x Washington’s code of civility http://www.foundationsmag.com/civility.html Social Responsibility Maintains that businesses should not function amorally, but should contribute to the welfare of their communities. Recognizes economic, multiple objectives: social, and environmental dimensions from each and all activities Related to: sustainability, Citizenship If not “amoral,” then has ethical dimensions What does it mean? In what context? Why it is so important? Determinants of Moral Behavior Characteristics (Moral Intensity) of the Issue Social Characteristics Relationships with “others” Type of Relationships Steps towards moral behavior Recognize the moral Issue Structure of Relationships Make a Moral Judgment (establish Intent) Engage in Moral Behavior Individual Characteristics Cognitive Dissonance Situational Characteristics Level of Cognitive Moral Development Recognition Situational Framing Analysis & Evaluation Action Personal Characteristics Utility Individual Rights Justice Care Culture Social Networks Economic Environment Foreseeable Consequences Perceptions & Behavioral Intentions Ethical Philosophies vs. Reasoning Philosophy Perspective Teleology vs Deontology vs Virtues Utility vs Justice vs Rights vs Care Ethical Philosophies Utilitarianism (Bentham & Mills) Deontology Ethics Ethics of consequences (Kant) of Duty (Ethical laws) Principles willed into Universal laws Treat people as ends (not means) Virtues (Aristotle) Ethics of Character Utilitarianism Question 1: I do not care what motivates other people; I judge them solely on the basis of what they do. Strongly agree Agree Neutral/undecided Disagree Strongly disagree Question 2: When I am trying to decide what the right thing to do is, I look at the consequences of the various alternatives open to me. Strongly agree Agree Neutral/undecided Disagree Strongly disagree Utilitarianism Question 3: The right thing to do is whatever is best for everyone. Strongly agree Agree Neutral/undecided Disagree Strongly disagree Question 4: We should look at the overall consequences of our actions in each and every case. Strongly agree Agree Neutral/undecided Disagree Strongly disagree Utilitarianism Question 5: If someone tries to do the right thing but it works out badly, they still deserve moral credit for trying. Strongly agree Agree Neutral/undecided Disagree Strongly disagree Question 6: What is the most important thing in life? Pleasure Happiness Ideals such as truth and beauty Having your preferences satisfied Philosophical Ethics Teleological Deontological Results oriented Actions have no intrinsic ethical character (acquire moral status from their consequences) or Act oriented Actions are inherently right or wrong (e.g., lying, cheating, stealing) Philosophically Based Ethics (another perspective) Utilitarianism (Bentham & Mills) Deontology Ethics Ethics of consequences (Kant) of Duty (Ethical laws) Principles willed into Universal laws Treat people as ends (not means) Virtues (Aristotle) Ethics of Character Bentham’s Hedonistic Calculus Bentham (not originally called Utilitarianism) Moral science (vs. ascetic religious) Quantifying pleasure Pleasure good, pain bad Hedonistic calculus (7 aspects) 1. Intensity (Intrinsic strength of the pleasurable or painful feelings produced.) 2. Duration (how long they last) 3. Certainty / Uncertainty (likelihood of sensations being produced by given action. 4. Propinquity / Remoteness (how soon they will be felt) 5. Fecundity (whether actions lead to pleasure) 6. Purity (whether actions lead to pain) 7. Extent (number of people affected) Open, public, objective, fair Mill’s types of pleasure (quality vs. quantity) Basic Insights of Utilitarianism The purpose of morality is to make the world a better place. Morality is about producing good consequences, not having good intentions We should do whatever will bring the most benefit (i.e., intrinsic value) to all of humanity. The Purpose of Morality The utilitarian has a very simple answer to the question of why morality exists at all: The purpose of morality is to guide people’s actions in such a way as to produce a better world. Consequently, the emphasis in utilitarianism is on consequences, not intentions. Fundamental Imperative The fundamental imperative of utilitarianism is: Always act in the way that will produce the greatest overall amount of good in the world. The emphasis is clearly on consequences, not intentions. The Emphasis on the Overall Good We often speak of “utilitarian” solutions in a disparaging tone, but in fact utilitarianism is a demanding moral position that often asks us to put aside self-interest for the sake of the whole. Utilitarianism is a morally demanding position for two reasons: It always asks us to do the most, to maximize utility, not to do the minimum. It asks us to set aside personal interest. The Dream of Utilitarianism: Bringing Scientific Certainty to Ethics Utilitarianism offers us a powerful vision of the moral life, one that promises to reduce or eliminate moral disagreement. If we can agree that the purpose of morality is to make the world a better place; and If we can scientifically assess various possible courses of action to determine which will have the greatest positive effect on the world; then We can provide a scientific answer to the question of what we ought to do. Intrinsic Value Many things have instrumental value, that is, they have value as means to an end. However, there must be some things which are not merely instrumental, but have value in themselves. This is what we call intrinsic value. What has intrinsic value? Four principal candidates: Pleasure Jeremy Bentham John Stuart Mill G. E. Moore Kenneth Arrow Happiness Ideals Preferences Pleasure Definition: The enjoyable feeling we experience when a state of deprivation is replaced by fulfillment. Advantages Easy to quantify Short duration Bodily Criticisms Came to be known as “the pig’s philosophy” Ignores higher values Could justify living on a pleasure machine Happiness Advantages A higher standard, more specific to humans About realization of goals Disadvantages More difficult to measure Competing conceptions of happiness The Utilitarian Calculus Math and ethics finally merge: all consequences must be measured and weighed. Units of measurement: Hedons: positive Dolors: negative What do we calculate? Hedons/dolors may be defined in terms of Pleasure Happiness Ideals Preferences For any given action, we must calculate: How many people will be affected, negatively (dolors) as well as positively (hedons) How intensely they will be affected Similar calculations for all available alternatives Choose the action that produces the greatest overall amount of utility (hedons minus dolors)