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Moral Reasoning and Ethical
Theories
“Good engineering, good business, and
good ethics work together in the long run.
What is Morality?
• It concerns conduct: right and wrong, good and
bad, the rules that ought to be followed
• It is associated with consequences to ourselves,
others, and the environment
• The “right” or “good” is linked to value
judgements generally thought to promote fairness,
health, and safety while minimizing injustice
Ethical Theories
Utiliarianism
• Utilitarianism - the view that we ought to produce
the most good for the most people, giving equal
consideration to everyone affected
– Rule-Utilitarianism is applying those rules that if
generally adopted would produce the most good for the
most people
– Act-Utilitarianism is applying rules in order to produce
the most good for the most people involved in the
particular situation (rules become at most rules of
thumb)
Ethical Theories
Utilitarianism & Theories of Good
• Deeply satisfying pleasures mixed with some
inevitable pains & a pattern of activities and
relationships that one can affirm as valuable
overall (Mill)
• Things that satisfy rational desires, e.g., love and
creativity. Rational desires are those we would
approve of if we scrutinized our desires in light of
all relevant information about the world and our
own psychology (Brandt)
Ethical Theories
Rights Ethics
• Rights Ethics - the view that human rights - not
good consequences - are fundamental.
– Acts of respect for human rights are obligatory,
regardless of whether they always maximize good
– Truthfulness important in terms of its contribution to
liberty, especially within relationships based on trust
– Complex in that there are many types of rights that may
conflict and must be balanced
Ethical Theories
Rights Ethics & Liberty Rights
• Liberty Rights (Locke) - places duties on other
people not to interfere with one’s life.
– To be a person entails having human rights to life,
liberty, and the property generated by one’s labor
– property thought of as whatever we gain by “mixing
our labor” with things
– Views reflected by today’s Libertarians
Ethical Theories
Rights Ethics - Liberty & Welfare Rights
• Liberty & Welfare Rights (Melden) - having moral
rights presupposes the capacity to show concern
for others and to be accountable within a moral
community
– extent of rights determined in terms of
interrelationships among persons
– recognizes right to community benefits for living
minimally decent human life
Ethical Theories
Duty Ethics
• Duty Ethics - the focus on duties which
correspondence to and sustain fundamental rights
• List of duties based on respect for persons and
belief in human capacity for moral autonomy
• For example, if you have a right not to be
deceived, then I have a duty not to deceive you. To
deceive you is to undermine your ability to carry
out your plans based on available truths and within
relationships based on trust
Ethical Theories
Duty Ethics - List of Duties
• Kant
– Be truthful
– Be fair
– Make reparation for
harm done
– Show gratitude for
kindness extended
– Seek to improve one’s
own character and
talents
• Gert
– Don’t
•
•
•
•
•
•
cause pain
disable
deprive of freedom
deprive of pleasure
deceive
cheat
– Do
• keep you promise
• obey the law
• do your duty
Ethical Theories
Duty Ethics - A Closer Look at Duties
• Are duties universally applicable and
exceptionless? Is duty absolute?
• What about when duties conflict with each other,
e.g., “do not deceive” versus “protect innocent
life”
• Prima facie duties - those that have justified
exceptions or limits
Summary
• Morality - “good” is linked to value judgements
• Ethical Theories - attempt to provide perspective
on moral responsibilities
– Utilitarianism
• Rule-Utilitarianism
• Act-Utilitarianism
– Rights Ethics
– Duty Ethics