ethic and morals
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Ethic and Morals. Deciding what is right?. Metaphysics. Rationalists: Objective Reality Knowledge is finding all properties of an object (Plato’s forms) One reality, we need to find it We are born with the ability to reason Empiricists: Subjective reality- senses tell us - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Ethic and MoralsDeciding what is right?
Rationalists: ◦ Objective Reality◦ Knowledge is finding all properties of an object
(Plato’s forms)◦ One reality, we need to find it◦ We are born with the ability to reason
Empiricists:◦ Subjective reality- senses tell us◦ Knowledge is sensing/experiences◦ Multiple reality, we need an impression it◦ We are born a “blank Slate”
Metaphysics
Making ethical decisions◦ Doing what is right for the right reasons
Competing forces◦ Individual– Moral Compass
Moral values: most important What you think is good and what cost to you More reaon: Evidence? Justification?
◦ Society- Social Contract Moral sentiment: Common views or opinions Rules to live in a given society More emotional: Acceptance? Comfort?
Moral Reasoning
What do you do when no one is watching? What would you do if there were NO consequences? Leaned moral values
◦ When do you stop and change ◦ Seek justification over approval
Means vs. Ends◦ We want to be “good” (own sake)◦ Good as an Ends (not to get something)
Foundation of Moral Compass◦ Makes our character
Moral Values
Emotional intelligence◦ Become aware of our values
Empathy◦ Know and respect other people’s options/values
Open minded to other morals Always question other options
◦ Best solution at the time?◦ Flexible to change?
Goal: Avoid moral tragedy◦ Let influences trump moral compass◦ Act against what we know is right◦ Regret our decisions
Morals and Critical ThinkingNothing New
Individual Ethic and Morals
Steps to our Moral Compass
Morality is based off of you, what you were taught or learned from others Disregard OTHER different morality than your own
Morals are based on means to individual goals Morality is based on feeling good (emotion) Morals driven to avoid punishment and personal gain Self centered
Usually moral compass has little or no outside justification◦ Based totally on moral values and not sentiment
Egotistical What I think is right is right
Moral Development- Preconventional
ME
You
Expect others moral code, but don’t defend your moral code. A need to fit in trumps maorallity.
Please others whom you deem important◦ Morality is based on fitting in and feeling comfort (emotion)◦ Maintain good relationships at all costs ◦ Peer Pressure, family and friends◦ Others’ needs are more important◦ Maintain social norms
May lead to moral tragedy ◦ My reputation drives my moral compass◦ Based totally on moral sentiment and not moral values
Moral Development- Conventional
ME
You
Moral reasoning and social conventions must be justified with moral compass. Not one size fits all. Use moral compass and question the
outcome of each ethical situation AND the process by which you find a solution
Moral sentiment and moral values are well balanced
Allow reason to balance emotion.
Moral Development-Postconventional
Me and You
See that everyone's basic rights need to be safeguarded (freedom)
◦ What are these basic right? Social contract must be fair to all (laws)
◦ Need to change and be flexible to suit most (majority) Recognize the need to balance individual
needs and societal needs◦ When do we sacrifice individual needs (freedoms) for
the good of society (laws)? Need to reason through ethical dilemmas
Four Resultsof a good moral compass
History of EthicBig Division
Socrates: ◦ Discovering objective truth. Properties of objects created by
gods. Rationalists:
◦ Knowledge come from absolute objective truth Empiricists:
◦ Knowledge comes from differing subjective experience. Rousseau:
◦ Knowledge comes from society agreement of beliefs Kant:
◦ Two worlds objective (we can’t know) and subjective (our perspective)
◦ Knowledge comes from understanding connection
Metaphysics- reality
Relativism: (subjective right)create morality in context of our surrounding; furthermore, different groups of people ought have different moral standards for evaluating acts of right and wrong.
Universalism: (objective right)morality is give to us and we need to live up to those rights and responsibilities. Groups of people need to live up to the moral code decided on by an outside entity (natural science, God, judge)
Big Camps
Socrates, 400 BC, ethic becomes education, and teaching◦ Reason becomes virtue◦ Virtue becomes truth and morality◦ No person wants to be bad
just lack of knowledge on how to be good
Thus morality becomes an objective, universal truth and each person must discover by being taught ethics
-Socratic (Plato, Aristotle)
Christian Rule, 65 AD◦God rules are the 10 commandments◦Virtue becomes following these rules◦Bible gives you in guidance how to live in
the natural world Jesus is the Human God
◦We will be judged by how well we lived up to God’s laws on the “day of reckoning”
◦Be rewarded by entry into heaven
-Christianity
Descartes, 1500s◦ Man is not a servant of God, but should act in a
Godly way. Virtue becomes a decided action Even if the outcome is bad, the process by which you
get there is good and virtuous God is the ultimate virtue, not demanded by his law
but discovered by man Man has freewill, must decide to be good
Virtue becomes acting on our best judgment and the right use of free will.
-Descartes
People are born with compassion and naturally will continue to have it, but it is suppressed◦ People are taught injustice and tyranny from others
This forces people away from their true nature of freedom, justice and self contentment.
As we grow (smarter) we build our conscience and we learn by ourselves to respect social justice over all else.◦ Not by the teaching of others, but by self realization
General Will: When we learn to form morality on the rules that are “general in application and universal in scope.”
Rousseau, 1700
◦ We are born with moral instincts (the self), but this lacks moral reasoning (good of all).
◦ We deceive ourselves about how moral we are because we start to believe our morality is the overall good.
◦ As we grow and learn we build our, Amore Propre, or proper love, (balanced self-love vs. love of justice for all).
◦ Justice becomes equal to being moral. Justice when you compare yourself to the rest of society
◦ “the right of the strongest” is not justice need to try to balance between the individual and civil authorities.
Rousseau"man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains," – Social
Contract
“Always act in such a way that the maxim of your action can be willed as a universal law of humanity.”
--Immanuel Kant
Through reason we come up with maxims, or our rules
Kant’s Categorical Imperative
Universal Duty
You have a personal duty to be good. There is one right. You are commanded to do this.
Three Qualities◦ Universality:
Can I rationally will that everyone act as I propose to act?
◦ Overall good: Does my action respect the goals of all human
beings rather than merely using them for my own purposes?
◦ Treat morality as an ENDS: Do it for the good of itself and results don’t matter
- KantCategorical Imperative
Morality must be based on the categorical imperative because morality is such that you are commanded by it, and is such that you cannot opt out of it or claim that it does not apply to you.
You create the maxims (rules) They cannot be changed just to suite your
greed or needs as a means to an end. Cannot be used to be rewarded Cannot be used to manipulate results
Kant’s Virtue
Social Contract Ethics
Personal opinion or feeling dictates moral code
What feels right is right. Problems (Emotion is key)
◦ May exploits to suit own needs◦ Insanity conclusions
Hurt others if it FEELS right Rape people Kill babies
Subjectivism
Public opinion and societal norms develop own personal moral code.
Socially approved customs and rules Problems (acceptance is key)
◦ Peer pressure◦ Do what the group says
Slavery Hate crimes Nazism
Culturalism
The best consequences for all◦ Group happiness is the goal
Greatest amount of happiness and the least pain for the greatest number◦ Utilitarian calculus: determines course of action by
giving the factors to the action. Problems:
Only looks at consequences
Group Happiness is all that matters
Utilitarianism
Duty based Ethics◦ Obligated moral code
no matter what the consequences We have duties to do right “The Path” becomes important
Problems◦ Absolutes: lying is always wrong?◦ Two maxims oppose each other
Lying is always wrong and hurting someone's feelings is always wrong?
Deontology
Every individual possess inalienable (cannot be divorced) rights◦ Moral rights, not legal
For example a right to eat, may mean steal We respect all these rights in all people Limited government– manage conflict
◦ Free Speech vs. Inflict harm ◦ Stealing to feed children
Libertarianism- Rights Based
A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government…
- Thomas Jefferson
Libertarianism-foundation of our Constitution
Moral arguments have two premise:◦ Prescriptive (moral) premise: What ought to be the case◦ Descriptive (factual) premise: What is the case◦ A conclusion: Either prescriptive and descriptive are
same or different
To be moral, I ought to be kind to everyone
I am not kind to everyone-------------------------------------------------Therefore, I am not moral.
Moral Argument