Transcript ch01_wcr - University of Delaware

Purtilo & Doherty (2011)
Chapter 1
Morality and Ethics:
What Are They And Why Do They Matter?
Slides by W. Rose, C. Polek, P. Butler, H. Brock.
College of Health Sciences
and
College of Arts and Sciences
University of Delaware
I. Morality and Moral Values
II. Subgroups of Morality
III. Dimensions of Ethics
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I. Morality and Moral Values
A. Dimensions of morality
1. A society’s morality is the set of “guidelines designed to
protect the very fabric of that society” (P&D)
2. “Morality is relational”
3. “The goal of morality is to protect a high quality of life
for an individual or a community”. The Code
4. Context dependent
B. Moral Judgment: involves particulars of a specific situation
C. Values: “intrinsic things a person, group, or community
holds dear” (P&D)
Joe Biden on values
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I. Morality and Moral Values (continued)
D. Moral duty: actions in response to claims placed on a
person or society (can be on individual level or a
community)
E. Moral character or virtue: traits and dispositions or
attitudes needed to be able to trust each other and to
provide for the flourishing of humankind such as
compassion, courage, honesty, faithfulness, respectfulness
and humility
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II. Subgroups of Morality
A. Personal morality: “collage of values, duties, actions, and
character trait each person adopts as relevant for his or her
life” (Purtilo)
1. Integrity: acting in accordance with personal morality
(integrity=oneness, wholeness, unity) (tells the truth
weather painful or not)
2. Ethical integrity: doing the morally right thing (issue is:
not everyone will agree what is the right thing to be
done)
**everyone has a personal morality and is a part of a
societal morality….no man is an island**
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II. Subgroups of Morality (cont.)
B. Societal Morality: Values and ideas of duty that derive
from deep religious, philosophical, and anthropological
beliefs about human beings and their relationships with
higher power(s), with each other, and with the natural
world.
C. Group Morality: Moral guidelines adopted by a group
1. Professional codes of ethics
2. Customs, policies, practices of an institution
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Group discussions
1. Do you agree with the statements about morality on
P&B p.6, and this talk slide 3?
2. P&B p.8 reflection1
3. P&B p.8 reflection2
4. P&B p.9 reflection
5. P&B p.16 reflection
6. Find and present to the class online codes of conduct
for two professional groups.
College or Department name here
III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
A. Traditional branches of philosophy (love of wisdom)
1. Axiology: The study of value
a. Aesthetics: The study of artistic value and beauty
b. Ethics : The study of moral values.
2. Metaphysics: The study of what is real
3. Epistemology: The study of what “knowing” is
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
A. 1. b. Ethics
1) The study of moral values.
2) “Systematic study of, and reflection on, morality.” (Purtilo)
3) “The study of the concepts involved in practical reasoning:
good, right, duty, obligation, virtue, freedom, rationality,
choice.” (Blackburn, Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. London: OUP,
1994, p.126.)
Morals versus ethics:
Sometimes different moral values conflict (moral . Ethical analysis
is the process of resolving such Lying is immoral, but sometimes
lying is the ethical thing to do.
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
Morals Versus Ethics
Morals (moral values) sometimes conflict: a moral dilemma.
Ethics gives us a method to analyze and resolve moral dilemmas.
Examples of moral dilemmas:
Trolley problem
Lifeboat dilemma
Les Miserables
Sophie’s Choice
Waterboarding
“Lying is immoral, but sometimes lying is the ethical thing to do.”
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
B. Ethicists and ethics committees
1. Hospital: At least one ethicist in the group CCHS E.C.
2. University: Human Subjects Protection UD IRB
3. Not just humans: Animal care & use committee UD IACUC
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
C. Traditional “branches” of ethics
1) Meta-ethics: Study of the origin and meaning of ethical
principles
2) Normative ethics: Development of moral standards (ethical
norms) to regulate behavior
3) Applied ethics: The application of ethical norms (morals) to
specific situations, such as abortion, euthanasia, etc.
Health care providers must be applied ethicists.
This course is designed to prepare you for that responsibility.
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
D. Ethics and Law
• Laws are designed to encourage and require moral and ethical
behavior.
• Laws tell us what our duties are.
• Lawful = Ethical: usually but not always.
• Legal system designed for stability, predictability, continuity,
with great respect for precedents.
• Thus laws are difficult to change.
• Laws often lag behind scientific & technological development.
• What are health care examples of discrepancies between what
is legal and what is ethical?
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
D. Ethics and Law, continued
Laws protect the professional (usually)
1. State interests: responsibility to intervene on behalf of
persons
a. To save a life
b. To prevent a suicide
c. To protect an innocent person from harm
d. To protect a professional as a bearer of the integrity of
his or her professions
2. Licensing laws
3. Moral repugnance: Professional not required to participate
in an act which is (to them) morally repugnant.
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III.Dimensions of Ethics: Study of and Reflection on Morality
D. Ethics and Law, continued
Limits of protection
• You may be in a situation where morality and legality (or
professional standards) conflict.
• Know your values
• Example: ACOG says ob-gyn can’t treat men
ACOG changes its stance
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