Transcript Methodology for Analyzing Ethics Case Studies

Moral and Ethical
Theories
A conception of justice cannot be
deduced from self-evident
premises or conditions on
principles; instead, its
justification is a matter of the
mutual support of many
considerations, of everything
fitting together into one coherent
view.
- John Rawls, A Theory of Justice
Review – Our Three-Step Pie
We begin by using this to dissect our
problem
But… How do we then define our moral
(ethical) problems / questions?
Factual
Questions
Conceptual
Questions
Moral Questions
Genesis of Ethical Thought
 Began in ancient Greece
Source:
 Influenced by religion
socialstudiesforkids.com
 Current theories derive from western
culture:
Europe
Middle East
Engineers are used to having just
ONE theory to solve problems.
Alas, ethics is not that simple.
There are many theories to consider
concurrently!
Do Not
Panic!
• Defines issues in
UNIFORM ways
• Links ideas and
problems together in
CONSISTENT ways
Four Evaluative Tools Pop Out of That
Box!
Duty
Ethics
Virtue
Ethics
Rights
Ethics
Utilitarianism
 Maximize well-being of society as
a whole, rather than the individual
Utilitarianism
(John Stuart Mill)
 Produce most utility
 Take consequences of everyone
involved into account
 Consider construction a dam
Benefit
Power, drinking
water
Flood control,
recreation
Cost
Destruction of
homes, livelihood
of people living in
flooded area
Wildlife, history
Balance between
good and bad
consequences of
action
Utilitarianism
(John Stuart Mill)
Two Types
Act: Focus on individual actions rather than
rules. Rules can be broken if doing so leads to
most good
Rule: Holds that moral rules are most
important. Adhering to ‘do not lie’ or ‘do not
harm others’ will lead to most good
Duty Ethics
(Immanuel
Kant)
 Moral duties are fundamental
 Ethics actions can be written
in a list of duties
 Be fair, be honest, do no harm
to others, etc.
Actions are our duties because
they express respect for
others
Moral self-knowledge, which requires one to
penetrate into the unfathomable depths and
abyss of one’s heart, is the beginning of all
human wisdom
- Immanuel Kant,
Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals
 We have moral rights, and any
action that violates these rights is
ethically unacceptable
Rights Ethics
(John Locke)
 Locke argued that to be a person
entails having human rights to life,
liberty, and the property generated
by one’s labor.
 Sound Familiar? Jefferson perhaps?
People have central rights that other people have a
duty to respect
Human rights - not good consequences – are
fundamental
The Two Frequently
Considered Together
Duty Ethics
Rights Ethics
(Immanuel
Kant)
(John Locke)
 What if rights conflict? How do we
decide whose have priority?
 These don’t always account for overall
good of society well. They focus on
the individual.
 Right actions manifest good
character traits (virtues)
 Wrong actions manifest bad
character traits (vices)
Virtue Ethics
(Aristotle)
 Closely tied to personal character
 Respect, honesty, competence, etc.
Focus is on the type of
person we should strive
to be
Pragmatism: Emphasize good consequences, BUT
embrace a wider range of values than simply
maximizing good by IMPARTIALLY considering
interests of everyone affected
What
constitutes
peaceful to
you?
How should
public land be
used?
Should
boundaries be
drawn?
Just what is
right?
The Front Range
Roadless Area
In 2007, Governor
Ritter presented a
petition to the Forest
Service requesting
protection for roadless
areas in Colorado as an
"insurance policy" in
case the regulation that
had been protecting
them is permanently
repealed.
Source:
http://www.roadless.net/sections/roadlessareas/areas_PSI_pp.htm
The Front Range
Roadless Area
Utilitarianism
Duty Ethics
Rights Ethics
The Front Range
Roadless Area
The Front Range
Roadless Area
Virtue Ethics