2 Ethical Principles in Business, Part 2

Question 1

Justice and fairness are concerned with the comparative treatment given to the members of a group when…

Answer 1

benefits and burdens are distributed.

Question 2

What are standars of justice?

1.
2.

Answer 2

• generally taken to have more weight than utilitarian considerations
• Do not generally override the moral rights of individuals

Question 3

What are the three types of justice?

1.
2.
3.

Answer 3

1. Distributive Justice: Requires the just distribution of benefits and burdens. -> arise when there is scarcity
2. Retributive Justice: Requires the right imposition of punishments and penalties.
3. Compensatory Justice: Requires compensation for wrongs or injuries.

Question 4

What is the main idea of egalitarianism?

1.
2.
3.

What what is some criticism against this theory?

Answer 4

• no relevant differences among people can justify unequal treatment -> all humans are equal
• distribute equally (as in political and economic) to everyone
• can be applied to societies, companies, families
  ___________
• Need, ability, desire and effort are all relevant differences among people, and it would be unjust to ignore these differences

Question 4

Retributive justice | Fairness when blaming or punishing persons for doing wrong

What are Three conditions for this?

1.
2.
3.

Answer 4

1. Don’t be ignorant and inable
2. Need to be sure that the one being punished actually did wrong
3. punishment must be consistent and proportioned to the wrong

Question 5

Whats the main idea of socialism?

And what is some criticism against this theory?

1.
2.

Answer 5

• benefits (of a society) to be distributed according to need, and people should contribute according to their abilities

______
- workers in this system would have no incentive to work knowing they will receive the same regardless of whether or not they work hard
- the principle destroys individual freedom (i.e. someone gets a job based on their abiliies and not because they want it)

Question 6

What is the main idea of Libertarian?

And what is some criticism against it?

Answer 6

• distribute by free choices: it is wrong to tax someone to provide benefits to someone else.
• No way of distributing can be said to be just or unjust apart from the free choices individuals make

___________
- freedom from coercion is a value, but not necessarily the most important value: If each person’s life is valuable, it seems as if everyone should be cared for to some extent.
- principle of distributive justice will result in unjust treatment of the disadvantaged: freedom from hunger should be more valued than freedom from being coerced to share

Question 6

What is the main idea of Capitalism?

And what is some criticism against it?

Answer 6

• distribute according to contribution: when people engage in economic exchanges with each other, what a person gets out of the exchange should be equal in value to what he or she contributed
• how can we value of the contribution be measured?

Question 7

Definition | Ethics of Care

Answer 7

• An ethics that requires caring for the well being of those people with whom we have valuable close relationships, especially those dependent on us

-> The moral task is not to follow universal impartial moral principles, but to attend and to respond to the good of particular specific persons

Question 8

Whats an argument in favor of an Ethic of Care?

In a Ethic of Care….

1.
2.
3.

Answer 8

• Your own identity is based on the relationship you have with others: The individual cannot exist in isolation from caring relationships with others
  _________
• Caring is not detached but an deep “caring for” a person
• Not all relationships have a value (eg when characterized by domination, oppression, harm, violence, disrespect)
• caring and justice can conflict (these conflicts should be resolved in ways that do not let down our commitments to others)

Question 9

What are possible objections to the Ethics of Care? And what are objections to that?

1.
2.

Answer 9

• favoritism, being an unjust form of partiality
  –> Response: conflicting moral demands are a characteristic of moral choices
• “burnout”: People sacrifice their own needs and desires to care for the well being of others
  –> Response: if ethic of care is understood correctly, a caregiver will know to properly care for himself

Question 10

Morality contains four kinds of moral considerations

1.
2.
3.
4.

Answer 10

(1) Utilitarian standards: about the aggregate social welfare;
(2) Moral rights: about the individual;
(3) Standards of justice consider distributive issues; and
(3) Standards of care consider partiality to those close to us.

UMSE

Question 11

Moral judgments should be based on…

1.
2.
3.
4.

Answer 11

(1) Maximizing the net utility of our action;
(2) Respecting the moral rights of individuals
(3) Ensuring a just distribution; and
(3) Caring for those in concrete relationships.