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Consequentialism
Is it OK to inflict
pain on someone
else?
What if it is a small
amount of pain to
prevent a great
deal of suffering?
Consequentialism
Ethical theory that
judges the moral
rightness or wrongness
of an act according to
the desirability of its
consequences
Consequentialism
Two questions
must be asked
What has intrinsic
value?
Who should receive
this value?
Intrinsic Value:
Value that is good
or desirable in
itself
Instrumental
Value: Value is
judged in terms of
achievement of
other ends
Utilitarianism
What has intrinsic
value?
Pleasure
(Happiness)
Who should receive
this value?
The greatest
number of people

Hedonism: Moral
rightness of an
actions depends
upon how much
pleasure or pain it
produces.
Utilitarianism
Ethical theory that
maintains that the morally
right act is the one that
promotes the greatest
good for the greatest
number of people
Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham
(1748-1842)

John Stuart Mill
(1806-1873)
Utilitarianism
A traffic light should be installed at the
intersection to prevent accidents
The person who stole your money must be
punished to deter future crime
All citizens will be required to pay income
tax
The speed limit on highways should be 65
mph
Utilitarianism
What has intrinsic value?
Is pleasure or happiness the
ultimate goal in life?
Who should receive this value?
Can we justify seemingly immoral
acts on utilitarian grounds?
Deontological Ethics
Ethical theory that
judges the moral
rightness of an act in
terms of the intrinsic
moral value of the act
itself
Deontological Ethics
Immanuel Kant is the
most notable
proponent of
deontological ethics
Deontological
Ethics
=
Kantian
Ethics
Kantian Ethics
Is saving someone
from drowning a
morally praiseworthy
act?
Do motives play
any role in whether
an act is morally
praiseworthy?
Kantian Ethics
“Nothing can be
called good without
qualification except
the good will”
-- Moral worth of an
act is not dependant
upon its
consequences
Intentions matter
-- An act has moral
worth if it is done
for the sake of the
moral law
Kantian Ethics


Hypothetical
Imperative – A rule
that tells us what
means to use to
achieve a desires end
Categorical Imperative
- A rule that tells us
without qualifications
what we should do
What is the
moral law?
The
Categorical
Imperative
Kantian Ethics
The Categorical
Imperative (Kant’s
Unconditional Moral
Law)
Two Versions
First Version
* State the maxim
(rule) on the basis of
which you are
planning to act
* Formulate the maxim
in terms of a universal
law
* See if you can
rationally will that
everyone follow this
universal maxim
Kantian Ethics
Second Version
“Act so that you treat humanity,
whether in your own person or in
that of another, always as an end
and never as a means only”
Kantian Ethics
What if
duties
conflict?
Why Be Moral?
 Why
does
society need
morality?
 Human
existence
would be ….
 “War
all”
of all against
 “Solitary,
poor
nasty, brutish, and
short”
Why Be Moral?
 Why
should I
be moral?
Consequences?
Why Should I Be Moral?
What if there
were no
consequences?
Why Should I Be Moral?
Why Should I Be Moral?
Because of
who we
become
Virtue Ethics
Ethical theory that see the
primary focus of ethics to
be the character of the
person rather than the
person’s actions
Virtue Ethics
Is this hammer a
good hammer?
Is this lawnmower
a good
lawnmower?
Virtue Ethics
What attributes
or virtues make
this a good
hammer and
good
lawnmower?
Virtue – A trait
of character that
is to be admired
because it is a
component of
[human]
excellence
Virtue Ethics
What is the
purpose or goal
of our lives?
Happiness
Human Flourishing
Living Well
Living the good life
Human excellence
Virtue Ethics
Which flower is a better flower?
The one that is healthy
The one that flourishes
Virtue Ethics
What makes a person a good
person?