Transcript Ethics—The Basics by John Mizzoni

Ethics—The Basics
by John Mizzoni
INTRODUCTION
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Do murderers
Deserve the
death penalty?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Is executing murderers morally justified
because it will likely have more good
consequences for society than a
sentence of life
in prison?
WHAT IS MORALITY?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
MORALITY refers to the ideas, beliefs,
and concepts of what people value,
of conduct that is right or wrong,
good or bad, and of any choices and
actions in the practice of that
conduct.
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
PHILOSOPHY refers to “love of
wisdom”, the systematic inquiry
into the nature of things based on
logical reasoning, or rationality.
WHAT IS MORAL PHILOSOPHY?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
MORAL PHILOSOPHY, or
PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICS, refers to the
systematic reasoned inquiry
into the nature of morality (values,
choices, principles, theories,
traditions, and conduct)
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
MORALITY AND MORAL PHILOSOPHY?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• Moral philosophy approaches morality
through the use of logical reasoning.
• It recommends moral action based on
reason.
• Moral philosophy is one subset of
morality.
WHAT ARE VALUES?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• Values are those people and things that
we find important to us.
• Values may be concrete—such as Francis
of Assisi, Gandhi, or a parent, (people) or
gold or land (things); or they may be
abstract—including beliefs, attitudes,
preferences, rules, codes, judgments, or
theories.
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• MORAL THEOLOGY approaches morality
through faith and scripture as well as
reason.
• Moral theology recommends moral
action based on faith.
• Moral theology is another subset of
morality.
DO SOCIAL SCIENCES RELATE TO MORALITY?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• SOCIAL SCIENCES (e.g. anthropology,
social psychology, and sociology) also
approach morality through a variety of
disciplinary perspectives.
• They describe the morality of different
people at various times and in various
places. This descriptive ethics is another
subset of morality.
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Moral
philosophy
Moral
theology
Social
sciences
MORALITY
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Is it morally permissible —is it
ethically right— for a woman to
drink alcohol while pregnant?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• How do we begin to answer
ethical questions like these?
• Are there ethical standards
that can help us?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Where do ethical standards come
from?
–My society?
–My God? My religion?
–My own rationality?
–My feelings?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Philosophers:
–Think (use reason/rationality/logic)
–Organize and group questions that are
similar
–Formulate answers
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• The #1 value (assumption, presupposition) of
moral philosophers, like other philosophers, is
RATIONALITY.
• Rationality implies at least three things:
– Free choice
– Impartiality
– Universalizability
Rationality is fundamental to philosophy.
REASON RULES!
REASONS RULE!
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS “JUSTIFICATION”?
In moral philosophy, justification is providing
rational arguments—reasons and evidence—to
support:
— ethical assumptions,
— ethical premises, and
— ethical conclusions
REASON RULES!
REASONS RULE!
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
What are the four basic
concerns of ethics?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• One basic ethical concern is the
philosophical problem of the origins
of ethics.
• There are answers to this question,
but it is hard to know which answers
are the correct answers.
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• A second basic ethical concern is
the philosophical problem of
relativism.
• Is ethics always a direct function
of society?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• A third basic ethical concern is
the philosophical problem of
human nature.
• What is essential
to being human?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
• A fourth basic ethical concern
is the philosophical problem
of right and wrong.
• What makes something
morally right or morally good,
morally wrong or morally bad?
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
What is the structure of ethics?
–Concepts, e.g., good, happiness
–Principles, e.g., “Utility”
–Theories, e.g., act-utilitarianism
–Traditions, e.g., utilitarian ethics
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
Traditions
Principles
Theories
Concepts
The Structure of Ethics
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
What is the organization of ethics?
–What is ethics and what is not ethics
(metaethics)
–Ethical theories and traditions
(normative ethics)
–Use of theories to solve real problems
(applied ethics)
Ethics—The Basics
INTRODUCTION
METAETHICS
Normative
ethics
Applied
ethics
The Organization of Ethics