ETHICS AND MORALITY

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ETHICS AND MORALITY

• MORAL JUDGMENTS
• Moral development has three levels
• 1. Pre-conventional level - revolves around self
• 2. Conventional level - reflects surrounding
  society
• 3. Post-conventional level - based on
  internalized
• principles of right and wrong

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
THE MORAL SITUATION

• 1. Rights and duties
• 2. Virtues and vices
• 3. Agreements and laws

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
THE MORAL SITUATION

• 4. Changes in morals
• 5. Assessing morality
• A. motives
• B. means
• C. consequences

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
ETHICS THE STUDY OF MORALITY

• 1. Descriptive ethics - what people do
• 2. Normative ethics - what people ought to do
• 3. Metaethics - language and reasoning used

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 1. Pleasure or happiness as the ethical standard
  - right or wrong based on whether something good
  happens.
• Quantitative - more pleasure, less pain.
• Qualitative - Not just physical pleasure, but
  pleasure of the mind as well.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 2. The moral law as the absolute (formalism) -
  certain principles right or wrong no matter what.
  Ought is the moral law within us.
• A. the principle of universality - not my wants
• B. the principle of humanity as an end, never
  just a means
• C. the principle of autonomy - duty is inside

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 3. Self-realization as the ideal (humanism) -
  what is right is what develops us.
• A. Platonic humanism - we have the rational part,
  spirited part, and desiring part, with the
  rational in control.
• B. Aristotle and self-realization - we are at our
  best when living by reason.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 4. Natural law ethics - arose in the Middle Ages
  - if we live by conscience and reason within us,
  we will follow God and the Bible.
• Natural law is the divine law as discovered by
  reason. The teachings of the Church and the
  Bible judge moral conduct.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 5. Religious ethical ideas - two views
• A. if it is Gods will that is all the
  justification we need
• B. our understanding of people and God leads us
  to desire the good, seek it, and live it.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 5. Religious ethical ideals Judaism - based on
  the Hebrew Bible and ethical monotheism. We do
  not live for God in isolation - our life with God
  is expressed toward others as well.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
NORMATIVE ETHICS

• 5. Religious ethical ideals Christianity -
  links ethics and religion. Living the good life
  is obeying God. Based on teachings of Jesus in
  the New Testament. Emphasis on the importance of
  relationship. Great worth and importance of the
  individual. Morality was an expression of the
  heart, to God and to others.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
APPROACHES TO ETHICAL STANDARDS

• 1. Absolutism - to live right is to obey.
  Authority can be helpful when examined
  critically, but blindly following authority can
  be dangerous. Divine law is seen as an absolute
  standard, but there is disagreement over Gods
  will. Emphasis on authority not as strong in
  modern society.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
APPROACHES TO ETHICAL STANDARDS

• 2. Relativism - there are no fixed moral values
  - morals change from society to society, culture
  to culture, generation to generation. All
  ethical norms are subjective.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
APPROACHES TO ETHICAL STANDARDS

• 3. Situation ethics - a compromise between
  absolutism and relativism. There are moral
  standards, but they must be applied flexibly,
  according to the situation at hand. Some apply
  this to Jesus and say love is absolute. But who
  says what is loving? This emphasizes self too
  much, not enough of my responsibility to others.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
PRINCIPLES IN USE TODAY

• 1. Respect for persons - human life is valuable.
• 2. Autonomy - we are free to make decisions.
• 3. Beneficence - do good and do not do evil.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
PRINCIPLES IN USE TODAY

• 4. Nonmaleficence - do no harm.
• 5. Justice - treat all fairly.
• 6. Honesty - tell the truth, although many see
  exceptions here.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
PRINCIPLES IN USE TODAY

• 7. Other principles -
• informed consent
• confidentiality
• double effect
• paternalism

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
PRINCIPLES IN USE TODAY

• When principles collide - many times, two or more
  principles might come into conflict. The author
  says go with the principles we value the most
  highly. I would rather go with the principle that
  is of the highest value, whether I value it the
  highest or not! Sometimes doing what is good is
  easy, while doing what is best is costly.

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ETHICS AND MORALITY
CONCLUSIONS

• Most of us want to do the right things in life,
  its what and how that cause us problems.
  Absolutism is attractive it gives us rules.
  Relativism says the rules dont work and
  everything depends. Moral pluralism says people
  will agree on certain moral principles and
  disagree on other moral principles.