Lesson 2 - Non-Christian Ethics

Question 1

Summarize the central ideas of “Deontological”, “Teleological”, and “Existential” traditions in the history of ethics. Give one historical example of each tradition

Answer 1

1. ) Deontological - objective duties, normative perspective, universal & objective
   - - Historical Example: Plato (abstract universals like justice, the good); Immanuel Kant (categorical imperative)
2. ) Teleolgoical - objective ends/goals (consequences, virtues), situational perspective, particular and objective
   - - Utilitarianism
   - - Aristotle - highest good is determined by telos, virtue ethics
3. ) Existential - subjective factors (character/emotions), existential perspective, subjective
   - - Karl Marx - cultural relativism
   - - Existentialism - create subjective meaning is meaningless world

Question 2

Define “utilitarianism.” Summarize the problems with secular utilitarian ethics.

Answer 2

Utilitarianism - our highest good is the greatest pleasure for the greatest amount of people

Problems:

1. ) not true that everyone pursues pleasure
2. ) Why is the pursuit of pleasure a good thing?
3. ) Why does corporate pleasure trump individual pleasure?
4. ) why does human pleasure trump non-human pleasure?
5. ) We intuitively reject that the ends justify the means
6. ) How is it possible for humans to measure overall utiltiy

Question 3

According to Murray, why can we not simply survey the sum total of the behavior of believers as portrayed in the Bible?

Answer 3

• • The study of biblical ethics is not that of surverying empirically the sum-total of the behaviors of Christians because of their sin and inconsistency, we could not by any such empirical method delineate the biblical ethic.
• • The biblical ethic is that manner of life which is consonant with, and demanded by, biblical revelation.
• • Our attention must be focused upon divine demand, not upon human achievement, upon the revelation of God’s will for man, not upon human behavior.
• • In the biblical ethic we are concerned with the norms, or standards of behavior, which are in the Bible for the creation, direction, and regulation of though, life, and behavior.