Transcript The Need for Ethics - University of Florida College of

The Nature of Ethics
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Descriptive in its focus on moral situations
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Focus given to ‘choice’ of behavior
involving human values
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Grounded in interpretation, perspective,
and cultural beliefs
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Often enacted “without consideration to the
appropriateness or reasonableness of those
beliefs”
The Nature of Ethics
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Underlying ethics-based choices is that
varying degrees of responsibility are
associated with one’s actions
The Need for Ethics
Ethics (defined)
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The study of choices people make
regarding right and wrong
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The nature of the choices may be long
lasting…
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…but are not always choices involving
matters of great consequence
The Need for Ethics
Should I…
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Wait for the traffic light to change from red to
green at 2 o’ clock a.m. when there’s no traffic
around or go through the light?
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Spend the extra money I earned in this week’s
pay check on entertainment for me or pay a
friend who lent me the same amount in cash last
week?
The Need for Ethics
Should I…
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Put quotes around borrowed phrasing or
pretend the words are my own?
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Be straight-forward about my limited skills
or abilities or “embellish” the truth to get
the job I really want?
Who Should Judge ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’?
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Institutions?
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Social systems?
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The government?
The church?
Others?
Society/community
Family?
Others?
Individuals themselves?
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‘Moral relativism’ (p. 3)
Who Should Judge ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’?
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‘Moral relativism’ is the idea of “who can
say?”, so live and let live
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“Decisions about right and wrong are
purely personal and subjective”
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And, to judge other people’s conduct is
considered intolerant
Who Should Judge ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’?
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Pros, Cons to moral relativism?
Laws and Ethics
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Why should ethics be a point of discussion
if laws exist to protect individual rights?
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“Law is not possible without ethics”
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“The only way for a law to be enacted or
repealed is for one or more people to make a
decision about right and wrong”
Religion and Ethics
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Morality is the basis of both modes of
thought
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However, “to be productive, ethical
discourse must take place on common
ground, that is using understandings and
intellectual procedures and judgment
criteria that all participants affirm.”
Summarizing the Need for Ethics
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To refine and perfect our legal system
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To help us reach sound decisions based on
reasonable thought processes
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To facilitate discussions with others who may not
share our theological position
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To help us interpret everyday human actions and
determine which we want to emulate
The Role of The Majority
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Does majority imply the ‘wisest’, ‘most
informed’ view?
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Consider how laws are passed in a
democratic society?
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By representative majority
The Role of Majority
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There must be more to right and wrong
than a showing of hands
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Majority is no guarantee of correctness
The Role Feelings & Conscience in
Ethics
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Should each person make decisions on the
basis of her or his own feelings, desires,
and preferences?
For Discussion
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Rogers claimed that “one becomes a
person by self-affirmation, rather than
self-evaluation or self-criticism
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“If it feels worth doing, it is worth doing”
“Am I living in a way which is deeply satisfying
to me, and which truly expresses me?”
What are the implications of this approach
on self? On others?
For Discussion
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…” when we speak of the right to choice,
we mean that there are no necessary
consequences, that disapproval is only
prejudice and guilt only a neurosis…” (p.
27)
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To what extent do you believe this is true?
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What are the ‘it depends’ aspects of this quote,
if any?
For Discussion
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Where do feelings fit in ethical evaluation?
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Should ‘feelings’ be altogether dispensed
with as an ethics compass?
The Role of Conscience
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Conscience is defined as the faculty by
which we determine that we are guilty of a
moral offense.
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Shame is described as an appropriate
emotional response to lapses of conscious
The Role of Conscience
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The intensity of conscience differs from
person to person’
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And, quite possibly from circumstance to
circumstance…
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Without conscience, satisfaction of and for
oneself becomes a driving motivator in
existence
Ingredients for Conscience
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Natural endowment (internal)
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Temperament
Intelligence (practical vs. philosophic)
Social conditioning (external)
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People, places, institutions, ideas, and values
that we are exposed to as we mature
A Balanced View of Conscience
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“…when feelings are allowed to overrule
conscience, conscience loses its moral
bearings…” (p. 40)
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At the same time, “for all its
imperfections, conscience is the most
important single guide to right and wrong
and individual can have…”
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Follow your conscience, but not blindly…
Differences in Opinions Call for Rules
for Engagement
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Productive conversation on topics mean
approaching each topic with an understanding
that differences of opinion exist…
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…and that an individual’s opinions are not
necessarily right or wrong, merely different
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Therefore advance preparation makes one better
ready for what opinions that may be presented
Rules for Engagement
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Simplify your expectations
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Leave egotism and personal agendas at
the door
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About changing others’ opinions or about the
idea of ‘winning’ the debate
Modus operandi of mutual respect and civility
in a context of healthy engagement
Contribute, but don’t dominate the
discussion
Rules for Engagement
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Avoid distracting mannerisms
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Be an active listener
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Judge ideas based on their merits, not on
your personal feelings or impressions
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Resist the urge to shout or interrupt