Transcript Ethics - Check Out Philosophy

Deontological Ethics
Is saving someone from
drowning a morally
praiseworthy act?
Do motives play any
role in whether an act is
morally praiseworthy?
Deontological Ethics
Ethical theory that judges
the moral rightness of an
act in terms of the intrinsic
moral value of the act itself
Deontological Ethics
Immanuel Kant is the most
notable proponent of
deontological ethics
“Nothing can be called
good without
qualification except the
good will”
Intentions matter
Kantian Ethics
-- Moral worth of an act is
not dependant upon its
consequences
-- An act has moral worth
if it is done for the sake
of the moral law
Kantian Ethics

Hypothetical Imperative – A
rule that tells us what means
to use to achieve a desires
end
Kantian Ethics

Categorical Imperative - A
rule that tells us without
qualifications what we
should do
What is the moral
law?
The Categorical
Imperative
Kantian Ethics
The Categorical Imperative
(Kant’s Unconditional
Moral Law)
Two Versions
First Version
“Act only on that
maxim through
which you can at the
same time will that it
should become
universal law.”
Kantian Ethics
First Version
* State the maxim (rule)
on the basis of which
you are planning to act
* Formulate the maxim in
terms of a universal law
* See if you can rationally
will that everyone
follow this universal
maxim
Kantian Ethics
Second Version
“Act so that you treat humanity, whether
in your own person or in that of another,
always as an end and never as a means
only”
Kantian Ethics
Kantian Ethics
Second Version
This rule states that we
must treat people
(including ourselves) as
ends in themselves,
rather than as things
with instrumental value
to be used for someone
else’s purpose.”
Kantian Ethics
What if
duties
conflict?
Natural Law Theory

Right actions are
those that accord
with the moral
principles that we
can discover in the
very structure of
nature itself.
Natural Law Theory

St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274)

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--preservation of human
life
--avoidance of harm
--reproduction and care
of offspring
--the search for truth
--the nurturing of social
ties
Natural Laws

Conflicts can be
resolved by applying the
doctrine of double
effect.

Doctrine of Double
Effect: Principle that
performing a good
action may be
permissible even if it
has bad effects, but
performing a bad action
for the purpose of
achieving good effects
is never permissible.
The Doctrine of Double Effect

More formally, an
action is permissible if
four requirements are
met:

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1. The action is inherently
either morally good or
morally neutral.
2. The bad effect is not used
to produce the good effect.
3. The intention must always
be to bring about the good
effect.
4. The good effect must be at
least as important as the bad
effect.