PHIL 2 Philosophy: Ethics in Contemporary Society

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PHIL 2Philosophy Ethics in Contemporary Society

• Week 1
• Topic Outlines

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Course Overview

• This course examines the nature of philosophy and
  ethics relationship to it, including the issue
  of morality. Several ethical theories are applied
  to individual ethical problems and contemporary
  social issues, such as health care applications.
  Other moral issues, such as abortion, euthanasia,
  discrimination and animal rights, are addressed.

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Course Objectives

• At the completion of this course, you will be
  able to
• Explain the relationship between philosophy,
  ethics, and morality.
• Classify the characteristics, history,
  application, and importance of morality.

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Course Objectives (continued)

• Describe several theories of morality and ethics
  (for example, ethical egoism, utilitarianism,
  divine command theory, Kants duty ethics, Rosss
  prima facie duties, and virtue ethics). Explain
  consequential theories of morality.

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Course Objectives (continued)

• Differentiate between absolutism versus
  relativism, as well as freedom versus
  determinism.
• Explain reward and punishment in relationship to
  justice.
• Define (or outline) the system of humanitarian
  ethics.

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Course Objectives (continued)

• Analyze case studies to determine moral or
  immoral implications of actions and behaviors.
• Synthesize the major ethical theories and the
  process by which they apply to current moral
  problems within our society.

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Course Text

• Thiroux, Jacques P.
• Ethics Theory and Practice, 8th ed.
• Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2004.
• ISBN 0-13-183002-3

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Course Topics by Week

• Week 1
• Course Expectations
• Components and History of Morality Chap. 1
• Consequential Theories of Morality Chap. 2
• Theories of Morality and Virtue Ethics Chap. 3

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Course Topics by Week

• Week 2
• Absolutism versus Relativism Chap. 4
• An Analysis of Freedom versus Determinism Chap.
  5
• Reward and Punishment Chap. 6
• Act of Setting Up a Moral System Chap. 7

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Course Topics by Week

• Week 3
• Moral Implications of Taking Human Life Chap. 8
• Moral Implications of Allowing Someone to Die
  Chap. 9
• Moral Implications of Abortion Chap. 10
• Applying Humanitarian Ethics

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Course Topics by Week

• Week 4
• Moral Implications of Lying, Cheating, Breaking
  Promises, and Stealing Chap. 11
• Morality, Marriage, and Human Sexuality Chap.
  12

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Course Topics by Week

• Week 5
• Bioethics and the Ethical Issues in Medicine
  Chap. 13
• Business and Media Ethics Business and Media
  Ethics Chap. 14

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Course Topics by Week

• Week 6
• Environmental Ethics Chap. 15
• Key Concepts and Major Ethical Theories
  Appendixes

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Topic 1 Course Expectations

• Philosophy, ethics, and morality
• Relationships among philosophy, ethics, and
  morality

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Philosophy, Ethics, and Morality

• Philosophy is concerned with
• Epistemology (study of knowledge)
• Metaphysics (study of nature of reality)
• Ethics (study of morality)
• Ethics What is right or wrong in human behavior
  and conduct
• Morality Human conduct and values

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Relationships among Philosophy, Ethics, and
Morality

• Ethics is a sub-area of philosophy.
• Ethical and moral are often used
  interchangeably.
• Ethics pertains to the individual character of a
  person.
• Morality deals with relationships among people.

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Topic 2 Components and History of Morality

• Approaches to the study of morality
• Why human beings should be moral
• Morality and the law morality and religion

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Approaches to the Studyof Morality

• Values as totally objective from external
  source
• Supernatural theory
• Natural law theory
• World and objects in it have value without the
  presence of valuing humans
• Values as totally subjective from within human
  beings

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Approaches to the Studyof Morality (continued)

• Values as both subjective and objective
• Includes three variables
• Thing of value, or thing valued
• Conscious being who values
• Context or situation in which valuing takes place

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Why Human Beings Should Be Moral

• Religion or the supernatural
• Enlightened self-interest
• Tradition and law
• Common human needs

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Morality and the Law Morality and Religion

• Law provides guides to human behavior and
  protection from harm.
• What is moral is not necessarily legal.
• What is legal is not necessarily moral.
• Law is the public codification of morality.

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Morality and the Law Morality and Religion
(continued)

• Religion has served as a most powerful sanction
  for getting people to behave morally.
• Morality is not based solely on religion.
• Difficulty of proving supernatural existence
• Nonreligious people can be moral
• Difficulty of providing a rational foundation
• Which religion?

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Topic 3 Consequential Theories of Morality

• Consequentialist and nonconsequentialist views of
  morality
• Three types of ethical egoism
• Two types of utilitarianism

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Consequentialist and Nonconsequentialist Views of
Morality

• Consequentialist ethical theories based on or
  concerned with consequences also called
  teleological theories
• Nonconsequentialist ethical theories not based
  on or concerned with consequences also called
  deontological theories

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Three Types of Ethical Egoism

• Ethical egoism people should act in their own
  self-interest
• Three types
• Individual everyone should act in my
  self-interest
• Personal I ought to act in my self interest
• Universal everyone should act in his or her
  self-interest

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Two Types of Utilitarianism

• Utilitarianism people should act in the best
  interest of all concerned
• Two types
• Act one should perform that act that brings
  about the greatest good for everyone affected
• Rule one should follow the rule that will bring
  about the greatest number of good consequences
  for all involved

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Topic 4 Theories of Morality and Virtue Ethics

• Nonconsequentialist and Virtue Ethics theories of
  morality and consequentialist theories
• Nonconsequentialism and the divine command
  theory, Kants duty ethics, Rosss prima facie
  duties, and virtue ethics
• Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics and John Rawls
  theory of justice

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Nonconsequentialist Virtue Ethics theories of
morality vs. Consequentialist theories

• Nonconsequentialist theories consequences do
  not and should not enter into judgment of
  morality
• Two types
• Act there are no rules
• Rule following the rules is what is moral

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Nonconsequentialist Virtue Ethics theories of
morality vs. Consequentialist theories

• Virtue Ethics development of a moral or
  virtuous character by doing what a good person
  would do
• Virtue Ethics are not concerned with consequences
  or rules.

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Divine Command theory, Kants Duty Ethics, Rosss
Prima Facie duties, Virtue Ethics

• Divine Command theory morality is based on
  commands and prohibitions communicated by a
  supernatural being or beings.
• To be moral, humans must follow these commands
  without concern for consequences, self-interest,
  or anything else.

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Divine Command theory, Kants Duty Ethics, Rosss
Prima Facie duties, Virtue Ethics (continued)

• Kants Duty Ethics
• Good will human ability to act in accordance
  with rules, laws, or principles regardless of
  interests or consequences
• Establishing morality by reasoning alone
  absolute moral truths exist that are consistent
  and universal
• Categorical Imperative a rule is immoral if it
  cannot apply to all humans

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Divine Command theory, Kants Duty Ethics, Rosss
Prima Facie duties, Virtue Ethics (continued)

• Kants Duty Ethics (continued)
• Practical Imperative no human being should be
  used merely as a means to someones end
• Duty rather than inclination people must act
  out of a sense of duty

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Divine Command theory, Kants Duty Ethics, Rosss
Prima Facie duties, Virtue Ethics (continued)

• Rosss Prima Facie duties all humans must obey
  in a general way before any other considerations
• Fidelity telling the truth, keeping promises
• Reparation making amends
• Gratitude recognizing what others have done for
  us

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Divine Command theory, Kants Duty Ethics, Rosss
Prima Facie duties, Virtue Ethics (continued)

• Rosss Prima Facie duties (continued)
• Justice seeing that people get what they
  deserve
• Beneficence helping to improve the condition of
  others
• Self-improvement improving our own virtue,
  intelligence and happiness
• Nonmaleficence not injuring others, preventing
  injury to others

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Divine Command theory, Kants Duty Ethics, Rosss
Prima Facie duties, Virtue Ethics (continued)

• Virtue Ethics based on Aristotles Nichomachean
  Ethics
• Goal is the development of a good or virtuous
  human being an action is not right or good in
  itself.

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Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics and John Rawls
Theory of Justice

• Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics human beings
  have natural ethical tendencies in human beings
  to follow them with a general attitude of
  consistent harmony and proportion constitutes an
  ethical life.
• Virtue is the mean between two extremes (vices).

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Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics and John Rawls
Theory of Justice

• John Rawls Theory of Justice rights are given
  to humans by a just society in which no one has
  an unfair advantage over others.
• Principles that shape society are agreed upon
  without regard to our place in that society.

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Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics and John Rawls
Theory of Justice

• Rawls two basic principles
• Equality principle each person has equal rights
  to maximum liberty compatible with the same
  amount of liberty for everyone else.
• Difference principle inequality is permissible
  to the extent that it is to everyones advantage.

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Week 1

• Thiroux, Jacques P.
• Ethics Theory and Practice, 8th ed.
• Chapters 1-3