rl nanoethics 2
Post on 05-Feb-2018
215 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
1/38
Ethical Theories:IntroductionNanoethics Lecture II
Roderick T. Long
Auburn Dept. of Philosophy
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
2/38
What Are Ethical Theories?
Explainwhat makes an action right or wrong
Ethical theories vs. particular ethicaludgments
Analogy with scientific theories and
observations
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
3/38
Some Kinds of Ethical Theory
!onse"uentialism
Deontology
#irtue Ethics !ontractarianism
$atural Law
Relativism
Divine !ommand Ethics
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
4/38
Consequentialism
The rightness%wrongness of an action
is determined by its consequences
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
5/38
Consequentialism
E&le' utilitarianism
The right action is the one that
promotes the greatest happiness of
the greatest number (ma&imi)es
social utility*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
6/38
+eremy ,entham (-/01-023* +ohn 4tuart 5ill (-0671-02*
T8E4E 9:;4 A9A
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
7/38
Consequentialism
Another e&le' ethical egoism
The right action is the one that
promotes the greatest happiness of
the agent(ma&imi)es the agents
utility*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
8/38
Two Ethical Eoists
,enamin Tucker (-0>/1-?2?* Ayn Rand (-?6>1-?03*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
9/38
!eontoloy
The rightness%wrongness of an action is
determined by inherentfeatures of the action
itself@ or by an inherently valid rule
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
10/38
!eontoloy
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
11/38
!eontoloyE&le' Kantianism
Right actions must be
universalizableand must
treat rational agents as
ends, not mere means
(trade1offs forbidden*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
12/38
Kant"s !eontoloy :niversali)ability' must be
possible to will the principle
of your action for everybody
without inconsistency.
Lying violates
universali)ability because
lying presupposes ande&ploits a general practice
of telling the truth
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
13/38
Kant"s !eontoloy Ends@ not mere means' donBt
treat rational agents (others or
yourself* as mere obects to be
used or e&ploited.
Personhood is the basis of
ethical value and canBt be
subordinated to other values. 5ustnBt sacrifice the few even to
benefit the many.
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
14/38
#irtue EthicsThe rightness%wrongness of an action is
determined by the character traitsit
e&presses
Emphasi)e what kind ofpersonyou should be
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
15/38
#irtue EthicsE&les' Aristotelianism@ !onfucianism
Aristotle (20/1233
,!E*
!onfucius (>>-1/?
,!E*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
16/38
#irtue Ethics#irtue1ethicists tend to side with deontologists
against conse"uentialists though not always
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
17/38
ContractarianismThe rightness%wrongness of an
action is determined by
whether rational people do@ or
under appropriate conditionswould@ agree to it
E&le' +ohn RawlsB #eil of
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
18/38
Natural LawA body of legal or "uasi1
legal precepts that' are based in human
nature@ not convention can be ascertained by
human reason set the standard for@ and
take precedence over@manmade laws
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
19/38
Natural Law Fne may well ask' G8ow can you
advocate breaking some laws andobeying othersHB The answer liesin the fact that there are two types
of laws' ust and unust. < would bethe first to advocate obeying ustlaws. Fne has not only a legal buta moral responsibility to obey ustlaws. !onversely@ one has a moralresponsibility to disobey unustlaws. < would agree with 4t.
Augustine that Gan unust law is nolaw at all.B I
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
20/38
Natural Law I $ow@ what is the difference between the
twoH 8ow does one determine whether alaw is ust or unustH A ust law is amanmade code that s"uares with the morallaw or the law of 9od. An unust law is a
code that is out of harmony with the morallaw. To put it in the terms of 4t. Thomas
A"uinas' An unust law is a human law thatis not rooted in eternal law and natural law.
Any law that uplifts human personality isust. Any law that degrades human
personality is unust.C
5artin Luther ing@ +r.@
Letter from Birmingham ail
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
21/38
Natural Law$atural law theories
-. often combine deontology J
virtue ethics3. are sometimes theologically
based (Thomas A"uinas@
+ohn Locke@ 5artin Luther
ing* I
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
22/38
Natural LawI but not necessarily so
(8ugo 9rotius@
Lysander 4pooner*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
23/38
Natural LawI but not necessarily so
(8ugo 9rotius@
Lysander 4pooner*
http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/ -
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
24/38
E$am%le of aNatural Law Theory
The doctrine of double effect (A"uinas*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
25/38
E$am%le of aNatural Law Theory
4o collateral damage F
(civilian deaths foreseen but not
part of plan*
Dresden%8iroshima not F
(civilian deaths part of plan*
Too strict for many
conse"uentialists Too permissive for many
deontologists
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
26/38
&elati'ismThe rightness of an action depends on the
approval of some person%group%culture.
Allows conflicting moralities' such1and1such
is right for group A (because group A
approves of it* but wrong for group ,(because group , disapproves of it*.
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
27/38
&elati'ism(Mhat most philosophers regard as* bad
arguments for relativism'
relativism will make us tolerant (but the$a)is were relativists* cultures disagreeabout moral values (but
they disagree about scientific facts too* ethical disagreements canBt be settled (but
whatBs wrong with reflective e"uilibrationH*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
28/38
!i'ine Command EthicsMhat makes an action right is
the fact that !od commandsit.
(As opposed to the view that9od commands thingsbecause they are rightalready.*
A form of relativismH
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
29/38
!i'ine Command EthicsProblems for divine command theory'
1 A perfect being would have good reasons
for whatever she commands but D!Eseems to make that impossible
"
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
30/38
!i'ine Command EthicsDefense of divine command
theory'
8ow could 9od be subect to
moral standards he didnBtcreateH
Reply' the standard of moralitymight be 9odBs nature rather
than 9odBs will(Thomas A"uinas@ c. -33>1-3/*
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
31/38
Ethical Theoriesand Ethical Standin
Mhat has ethical standingH
1 individualsH1 communitiesH
1 non1human animalsH
1 plantsH
1 the non1living environmentH
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
32/38
Ethical Theoriesand Ethical Standin
antianism' rational agentsonly
(cruelty to animals bad only because it
tends to make you the sort of personwhoBll be cruel to people*
!ontractarianism' only those beings that
can enter agreements
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
33/38
Ethical Theoriesand Ethical Standin
:tilitarianism' those beings who can feel
pleasureorpain(The "uestion is not@ !an they reasonHnor@ !an they talkH but@ !an they sufferHC +eremy ,entham*
#irtue ethics' whatever beings a virtuous
person would care about=
Divine !ommand' whatever beings 9od
cares about=
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
34/38
A%%lyin &eflecti'e Equili(rationto Ethical Theories
!ase study' :tilitarianism
Advantage' simplicity (analogy withsuperiority of $ewtonian over Aristotelianmechanics*
Disadvantage' potential conflict with
e&isting norms
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
35/38
Sim%licity in Science:Aristotle 's) Newton
Apple falls@ moondoesnBt' whyH
Aristotle' two kinds of
matter with differentprinciples of motion.
Terrestrial matter has anaturally vertical
motionN celestialmatter has a naturallycircularmotion
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
36/38
Sim%licity in Science:Aristotle 's) Newton
$ewton' same laws of
motion apply to both.
#implicity' if two
theories e&plain the
same phenomena
e"ually well@ the one
that posits fewer
e&planatory principles
is better.
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
37/38
Sim%licity in Ethics:*tilitarianism
Me ordinarily think beneficial results are oneethical consideration among others.
:tilitarianism offers to e&plain the samerange of ethical phenomena e"ually wellby appealing solelyto conse"uences.
This would make it a superior theory ifin
fact it e&plains them equally well.Does itH
-
7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2
38/38
A +uestion for Ne$t Time,
top related