Core Values
everyone desires life, happiness, ability to accomplish goals
Society
association of people organized under a system of rules, rules advance the good members over time
Morality
a society's rules of conduct, what people ought/ought not to do in various situations
Ethics
rational examination of morality, evaluation of people's behavior, voluntary
Explanations
facts, shared values, logic
Workable Ethical Theory
produces explanations that might be persuasive to a skeptical, yet open-minded audience
Relativism
no universal norms of right and wrong, one person can say x is right and another can say x is wrong and both can be right
Subjective Relativism
each person decides right and wrong for him/herself, "whats right for you may not be right for me
Case For Subjective Relativism
well meaning and intelligent people disagree on moral issues, ethical debates are disagreeable and pointless (ex. abortion)
Case Against Subjective Relativism
blurs distinction between doing what you think is right and doing what you wanna do, makes no moral distinction between the actions of different people, not the same thing as tolerance, decisions may not be based on reason, not a workable ethical theory
Cultural Relativism
what is right and wrong depends upon society's actual moral guidelines, these guidelines vary from place to place and from time to time, an action might be right in one society at one time and wrong in other society or at another time
Case For Cultural Relativism
different social contexts demand different moral guidelines, it is arrogant for one society to judge another
Case Against Cultural Relaticism
because two societies have different moral views doesn't meant the have to have different views, doesn't explain how moral guidelines are determined, doesn't account for evolution of moral guidelines, provides no way out for cultures in conflict, existenc
Divine Command Theory
good actions, bad actions, holy books reveal God's will, we should use holy books as moral decision making guides, good action for those aligned with God's will, bad actions for those contrary to God's Will
Case For Divine Command Theory
We owe obedience to our creator, god is all good and all knowing, god is the ultimate authority
Case Against Divine Command Theory
different holy books disagree, society is multicultural, some modern moral problems not addressed in scripture, the good does not equal god, based on obedience not reason, not a workable ethical theory
Equivalence Fallacy
the good does not equal god
Ethical Egoism
each person should focus exclusively on his or her self interest
Morally Right Action
that action that provides self with maximum long term benefit
Ayn Rand
author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged espoused ethical egoism
Case For Ethical Egoism
it is practical to do whats best for ourselves, better to let others take care of themselves, the community can benefit when individuals put their well being first, other moral principles are rooted in the principle of self interest
Case Against Ethical Egoism
easy moral philosophy may not be best philosophy, we know a lot about what is good for others, self interest can lead to immoral behavior, other moral principles are superior to self interest, people who take the good of others live happier lives, does no
Good Will
the desire to do the right thing
Immanuel Kant
this person said that the only thing in the world that is good without qualification is a good will
1st Formulation
person does something to escape difficult situation
2nd Formulation
using other people to a means to an end
Case For Kantianism
rational, produces universal moral guidelines, treats all persons as moral equals, workable ethical theory
Perfect Duty
duty obliged to fulfill without exception (ex. telling the truth)
Imperfect Duty
duty obliged to fulfill in general but not in every instance (ex. helping others)
Case Against Kantianism
sometimes no rule adequately characterizes an action, sometimes there is no way to resolve conflict between rules, allows no exceptions to perfect duties
Principle of Utility
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill proposed this theory contrasted from Kantianism
Principle of Unity
this theory states that an action is good if it benefits someone, and an action is bad if it harms someone
Utility
tendency of an object to produce happiness or prevent unhappiness for an individual or a community
Greatest Happiness Principle
an action is right (or wrong) to the extent that it increases (or decreases) the total happiness of the affected parties
Utilitarianism
morality of an action has nothing to do with intent, focuses on the consequences, a consequential theory
Attributes that Change Weight Pleasure/Pain
intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, extent
Case For Act Utilitarianism
focuses on happiness, practical, comprehensive, workable ethical theory
Case Against Act Utilitarianism
unclear whom to include in calculations, too much work, ignores our innate sense of duty, susceptible to the problem of moral luck
Rule Utilitarianism
ethical theory that holds that we ought to adopt those moral rules which, if followed by everyone, will lead to the greatest increase in total happiness
Case For Rule Utilitarianism
is easier to perform utilitarian calculus than act utilitarianism, not every moral decision requires performing utilitarian calculus, moral rules survive exceptional situations, avoids the problem of moral luck, workable ethical theory
Case Against Utilitarianism
all consequences must be measured on a single scale, utilitarianism ignores the problem of an unjust distribution of good consequences
Thomas Hobbes
he says "state of nature", and believes we implicitly accept a social contract
Social Contract
establishment of moral rules to govern relations among citizens, government capable of enforcing these rules
Jean Jacques Rousseau
he believes in ideal society, no one above rules, that prevents society from enacting bad rules
James Rachels
he says "Morality consists in the set of rules,
governing how people are to
treat one another, that rational
people will agree to accept, for their
mutual benefit, on the condition that
others follow those rules as well.
Negative Right
a right that another can guarantee by leaving you alone, tends to be more absolute
Positive Right
a right obligating others to do something on your behalf, tends to be more limited
Absolute Right
a right guaranteed without exception
Limited Right
a right that may be restricted based on the circumstances
Rawls's Principle of Justice
each may claim a "fully adequate" number of basic rights and liberties so long as they are consistent with everyone else
Rawls's Difference Principle
people are to be "the greatest benefit of the least advantaged members of society
Case For Social Contract Theory
framed in language of rights, explains why people act in self interest without common agreement, provides clear analysis of certain citizen/government problems, workable ethical theory
Case Against Social Contract Theory
no one signed contract, some actions have multiple characterizations, conflicting rights problem, may unjustly treat people who cannot uphold contract
Objectivism
morality has en existence outside the human mind (kantianism, utilitarianism, and social contract theory)
Relativism
morality is a human invention