Transcript Common Good Approach (Feminist or Care

Common Good Approach
(Feminist or Care-Based
Approaches)
Presented By:
Angie, Sara T., Kelsey, and Jeremy
LP: Ethical Theories Presentation
Section: Monday 1:30
March 24, 2008
Communal Approach
“What is ethical is what
advances the common
good.”
A vision of society in which all
people join in the pursuit of
shared value and aims.
To understand and change
individual behavior
Try to change communities
to which we belong
Individuals viewed not isolation, but as
members of communities that are partially
responsible for the behavior of their
members.
Increase our understanding of the ethical
values at stake in moral issues and
increase the options available to us for
resolving these issues
Lawrence Kohlberg
Interested in how people would justify their
actions
Process of moral development was principally
concerned with justice
Formalism = the form and structure
of moral arguments is independent
of the content of the arguments
Lawrence Kohlberg’s
‘Stages of Moral Development’
Levels
Pre-Conventional
Conventional
Post-Conventional
Stages
1) Obedience and
punishment
2) Self-interest
3) Interpersonal accord
and conformity
4) Law and order
5) Social contract
6) Universal principles
Carol Gilligan
The “care view” of morality
Morality focuses on doing the right thing
Put others who are close to us above those
whom are not
Stages of moral development
STAGE
Pre-Conventional
Conventional
Post-Conventional
GOAL
Goal is individual survival
Self sacrifice is goodness
Principle of non-violence:
do not hurt others or self
Kohlberg and Gilligan
Gilligan worked with Kohlberg while he
researched his theory of moral development
Gilligan’s work on woman’s moral development
arose in response to Kohlberg’s male-based
results
Terminology!
Feminists- a person whose beliefs and
behavior are based on feminism
“Care View”- moral outlook that
emphasizes solidarity, community, and
caring about one’s special relationships
Common Good
Contemporary ethicist
John Rawls (author of
A Theory of Justice)
more recently defined
the common good as
“certain general
conditions that are…
equally to everyone’s
advantage.”
Humane Community Approach
It presents a vision of society
as a community whose
members are joined in the
shared pursuit of values and
goals they hold in common.
Strengths
Gives a Leveled playing field
Allows everyone to succeed
Lets everyone have a voice
Focuses on the Group
Focuses on Larger community problems
Long term happiness goals are picked instead
of short term goals
Reduces poverty while increasing
education
Raises the over all wellness of life
Weaknesses
Lack of National Relevance
Usually based on
Communal practicality
Abuse of the powerful
 Larger communities usually have
advantage against smaller ones
Common good can be interpreted
differently
-May allow Authoritarianism if thought to
be for the common good
Alcoholic
THEN:
People view them as individuals with
problems
Treatment helped them deal with their
problem
TODAY:
Alcoholic is often seen as part of a
dysfunctional family system that
reinforces alcoholic behavior
Behavior of the alcoholic requires that we
change the entire family situation.
Communal Approach
Having dry community-not to influence the
alcoholic
Gathering a community support system
Let individual know, they aren’t fighting the
battle alone
Review Questions
1) How is an individual viewed under the
common good approach?
2) What are the three stages of moral
development?
3) What is “care view”?
4) Do the strengths of the common good
approach out-weigh the weakness’ of
them?
Questions??