Ethics & MoralityBy what code or rules or principles should we live our lives?

How should such a code be formulated or articulated?

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Ontology and Epistemology are Descriptive

Ethics is Prescriptive

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Levels of Ethical Operations(L. Kohlberg Theory substantially modified)

III. Ethical Principles Operations

II. Conventional Social Operations

I. Pre-Ethical Operations

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I. Pre-Ethical Operations

What drives an infant’s behavior?

Seek Pleasure / Avoid Pain

I. Pre-Ethical Operations

Good• Pleasurable

• Easy

• Relaxing

• Immediate

• Fun

Bad• Painful

• Difficult

• Stressful

• Delayed

• Boring

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I. Pre-Ethical Operations

Philosophy of

Hedonism

"Pleasure is the only thing to live for. Nothing ages like happiness.”

Oscar Wilde

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Hedonism

Hedonism Resorts Sales Pitch

Sleep in. Stay up late. Give up counting calories. Have a drink before noon. Give up mineral water. Dine in shorts. Talk to strangers. Don’t make your bed. Go skinny dipping. Don’t call your mother. Let your hair down. Don’t pay for anything. Don’t leave a tip. Be your beautiful self in spectacular Negril, Jamaica.

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Hedonism

Hugh Hefner’s “Playboy Philosophy,” which he began formulating in the 1950s, consists of two main threads: sexual liberation, as Hefner calls it, and avid consumerism. From the start, his goal has been to challenge “the two greatest guilts our society has: materialism and sex.

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Thoughts on Hedonism?

Why are these BAD?

• Self-interest

• Personal Pleasure

• Personal Happiness

• Personal Security

• Self-indulgence

• Look out for #1

• Frued’s Id

Why are these GOOD?

• Altruism

• Empathy

• Compassion

• Common Good

• Self-sacrifice

• Love or Kindness

• Frued’s Superego

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II. Conventional Social OperationsThe Non-Thinking Person’s Guide to Ethics

Socialized Norms

(follow feelings, intuition, common sense)

Social Conformity

(act as others behave, see-do)

Blind Religious Faith

(do what the rabbi says, the Bible says, the Quran demands…, without knowing why)

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SocializationHow does society teach you values?

Family

Peers

Media

School

You

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Ethical Norms for Behavior We have Internalized

Can you list

10 ethical norms

that most of us

have internalized

thru socialization?

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

4. _______________

5. _______________

10. _______________

Social Conformity

Why do people often conform in a social situation to the ideas and behaviors of others in the group?

• To be liked and accepted.

• Continued membership is important to one’s identity.

• For security.• For success.

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Social Conformity

Can you think of a situation in which you felt pressure or temptation to conform with ethical standards that you thought were wrong?

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III. Ethical Principles Operations

Thoughtfully developed and/or adopted rules or principles that guide our daily decisions and actions.

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III. Ethical Principles Operations

Types of Theories

A. Consequentialism

B. Duty Ethics

C. Virtue Ethics

.

Let’s review your homework assignment.

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A. ConsequentialismIf the consequences are good, then the action is good.

The ends justify the means.

Requires

an Analysis of

the Good and Bad

Outcomes

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A. Consequentialism Consequences for whom?

1. Utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Peter Singer)• ‘Act in such a way as to achieve the greatest good for the greatest

number’• The Gummy Bear Dilemma!

2. Egoism (Ayn Rand’s Philosophy of Objectivism or Selfishness)• ‘Act in such a way as to achieve the greatest good for yourself’

• Ayn Rand’s “Virtue of Selfishness”

• Egoism Explained

B. Duty EthicsFocuses on duty to prescribed behaviors.

is the ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules.

following the prescribed behaviors, duties or obligations is what is important, whatever the consequences might be.

the morally “good” life is defined by rules, and it is one’s ethical dulty to live by those rules.

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B. Duty Ethics

• “When your parents are alive, comply with serving them; when they die, comply burying them” (Confucius)

• “Be intent on action, not the fruits of action; avoid attraction to the fruits and attachment to inaction” (Bhagavad-Gita)

• “Act only according to that maxim by which you would want all people to act in the same situation”(Immanuel Kant)

• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (ManyReligions or Ethical Traditions)

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Divine Command Theories:

theories that state that an action is right if God has decreed that it is right, and wrong if God has forbade it.

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B. Duty Ethics

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Joe’s “Moral Duties”growing up…

• Go to church every Sunday.

• Attend the Stations of the Cross every Good Friday.

• Avoid impure thoughts and deeds.

• Abstain from meat every Friday.

• Do not swear.

• Visit the sick.

• Contribute to the poor.

• Serve mass as often as possible.

• Do not make fun of another person.

• Abstain from all sweets for 40 days every lent.

• Memorize catechism answers and Latin prayers.

C. Virtue Ethics TheoriesTheories that prescribe “character qualities or traits”, not obligatory duties.

Instead of asking

‘What should I do and not do?’

We should ask

‘What kind of person should I be?’

Then, in any situation we need to decide the best way to be that kind of person.

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C. Virtue Ethics TheoriesTheories that prescribe “character qualities or traits”, not obligatory duties.

Plato/Aristotle/St ThomasTemperancePrudenceFortitudeJusticeFaithHopeCharity

Buddhist Divine StatesLoving kindnessCompassionAltruismEquanimity

Egyptian Ma’atTruthfulnessHarmonyJusticeDignityReciprocityIntegrityCompassion

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Newer Forms of Virtue Ethics

Boy ScoutsTrustworthyLoyalHelpfulCourteousObedientCheerfulThriftyBraveCleanReverent

YWCAEmpowermentBalanceDiversityJoyOpennessHonestyLeadershipAccountabilitySelf-careRespectKindnessCompassion

4-H ClubHead (thoughtful)Heart (loyal)Hand (service)Health (better living)

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Ethical Dilemma A

An elementary school principal has been asked by one of her teachers to write a letter of recommendation in support of her application for a teaching position in another school. The principal believes that this teacher is lazy, incompetent, and completely disrespectful toward her children and their parents. If the principal responds honestly, the school and the children will continue to be harmed by this bad teacher. If the principal lies and writes a good letter, it is likely that this bad teacher will be gone from the school in the near future. What kind of letter should the principal write?

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Ethical Dilemma B

Juan is a music lover who spends most of his free time listening to, downloading, and sharing with his friends music on the internet. Because he knows the law concerning music copyrights, and because he genuinely respects the work and the rights of all the different people involved in making the music he listens to, Juan has always paid to do his downloading and sharing on legally sanctioned web sites. However, as his hours at work have been cut back and his level of music activity has increased, he can no longer afford to pay for the music he wants to download. He has software that will allow him to take as much music as he wants from the internet free of charge, but he also understands that doing so would be illegal, and perhaps unethical. What should Juan do?

If we know the difference between right and wrong, why do many of us often choose to do what we think or feel is wrong?

Why don’t we just do what we think is right?

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Because, while most of us do place a value on doing the morally right thing, we often place an even higher value on something else that can be obtained by doing the morally wrong thing.

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Values

Values refer to all the different things that we think are desirable, worthy, or important in our lives.

Axiology is the branch of Philosophy that studies how things are assigned worth or value, and how people develop values.

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Examples of Possible Values

• Education• Fun• Friendship• Adventure• Appearance• Security• Competition

• Intimacy• Money• Predictability• Being Liked• Success• Justice• Ethical Integrity

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Ethical Integrity

As a value,

Ethical Integrity

has a great deal of

competition!

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Formal Deliverable

due Wednesday

Ethical Analysis

Instructions in the Assessment Folder33