Lecture 1 Flashcards
Define ethics
discipline that provides language and guidelines for studying morality
Analyzing and resolving a moral dilemma
Define Morality
what governs relationships between people - living in harmony
What is right/good or wrong/bad?
Define values
what an individual holds dear
an individual basis for morality and motivation
define duties
actions that are required of a person to play a part of civil society
Obligations
define “rules”
regular ways of doing things AGREED UPON IN SOCIETY
Define “socialization”.
how we learn common rules or norms
What is at the crux of morality?
Regarding others as worthy of consideration and respect.
Dogmatism
refusal to reflect on one’s beliefs or challenges to beliefs
Describe Divine Command
Doing what God intends and commands = Good
Involves faith, sacred texts, prayer intuition, ritual, guides, etc
What are common questions/problems with Divine Command?
Is something really wrong because God forbids it? Or does God forbid it because it is wrong? Are non-believers unethical? Which God of which religion? How do we know what is commanded? historically: science vs. faith
Describe Virtue Ethics.
Goodness consists of habitual tendency to do good things
This leads to happiness (fulfillment and wellbeing)
Values vs. Vices (ex. generosity vs. selfishness)
What are some major questions/problems with virtue ethics?
People can become obsessed with virtues –> idealized
Virtue is cultivated over time with growing discernment and is not just a given
A virtuous person can still make a poor, unethical choice
Describe Kantian Ethics.
The moral worth of an action lies in its motivation
We should act out of DUTY, not self-interest
As moral beings, we have OBLIGATIONS toward each other
Treat people as persons, not things
Take responsibility for your actions
Different kinds of duties: absolute, prima facie, conditional
What are some problems/questions associated with Kantian Ethics?
To whom do we have a duty?
What about conflicting duty? (think about diagnosis)
People can do wrong things with good intensions
enforced obligations, not undertaken freely, are not in the realm of ethical.
Describe utilitarianism/consequentialism.
J. Bentham and JS Mill
an act is right if it brings about the best overall balance of benefits
pain and pleasures are weighed equally
Act- and Rule-utilitarianism
Problems/Questions with utilitarianism/consequentialism.
how do you balance an individual’s happiness with justice for all?
are all forms of happiness really equal?
WE CANNOT PREDICT OUTCOMES
HAS BEEN USED TO JUSTIFY IMMORAL ACTS
Describe contract ethics.
Human nature: fight for limited resources
CONTRACT for mutual benefit and cohabitation = civil society
burdens and benefits shared equally
“We want equal liberty, justice, non-discrimination, basic rights”
Problems/questions with contract ethics.
Born into undeserved privileges or disadvantages.
We aren’t all equal.
Care Ethics
“feminine ethics”
Carol Gilligan
Everyone needs love and care, beyond impersonal or detached theories.
Context is always involved (particulars, relationships, emotional attachment, etc.)
Problems/questions with Care ethics.
some situations require impartiality
feminist criticism –> reinforcing injustice towards women and maintenance of social stereotypes
Describe Moral Relativism.
Moral judgements are personal choice or reflect culture
THERE ARE NO OBJECTIVELY CORRECT MORAL BELIEFS
Al moral beliefs are equally worthy
PERSUASION
people disagree, therefore, relativism must be nature of ethics
moral judgments are faulty bc they can’t be proven
Questions/problems with moral relativism.
is there genuine ethical disagreement or just interpretation differences?
does disagreement prove that there is no correct answer to a moral question?
Majority does not always rule (slavery, etc)
“Good reasons” for doing things in many fields…
