Some Normative

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Some Normative Meta-EthicsSome Theories
Evaluation
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Some Ethical Theories
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Central Aim of an Ethical Theory

• Defend principles of right conduct and value,
  and
• Explain what makes actions right or wrong and
  what makes something intrinsically (morally) good
  or bad

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Three Main Categories

• Virtue Theory (VT) being moral primarily
  involves developing good character traits
  (virtues).
• Duty Theory (DT) being moral primarily involves
  abiding by your duties to people. (a.k.a.
  deontological theory)
• Consequentialism (CT) being moral primarily
  involves doing what has the best consequences.

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1st Ethical Theory

• Ethical Egoism (EE) the right thing for a
  person to do is whatever is in her own
  self-interest.
• Basically a form of CT.
• This is a normative claim, unlike the next
  thesis

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More on Egoism

• Psychological Egoism (PE) the thesis that
  everyone is ultimately motivated to promote what
  they consider to be in their own self-interest.
• (Later well see one of Platos characters,
  Glaucon, argue for EE partly on the basis of PE.)

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2nd Ethical Theory

• Ethical Relativism (ER)
• whats moral or immoral is always relative to
  some framework or standard (e.g. ones own, ones
  cultures), and
• all these standards are equal (no one is better
  or more accurate than the others).

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3rd Ethical Theory

• Divine Command Theory (DCT) whats moral is
  whatever God (or some divine being) commands us
  to do.
• Not just the claim that God always knows whats
  right
• Its the claim that God determines whats right

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4th Ethical Theory

• Utilitarianism (UT) the right thing to do is
  whatever creates the most happiness or welfare
  for the most people.
• Key proponents Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart
  Mill.
• A form of CT.

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5th Ethical Theory

• Kantianism (KT) the right thing to do is to
  treat free, rational beings as ends in
  themselves, never merely as a means.
• Basic idea Dont use free, rational beings
  like mere tools or objects.
• Key proponents Immanuel Kant.
• A specific DT theory.
• An oversimplified version of one of Kants
  formulations of his view (Humanity formula)

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Some Evaluation of Some Ethical Theories
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How to Evaluate Ethical Theories

• Two main ways
• Evaluate the arguments for them.
• But, even if an argument for a view is bad, that
  doesnt mean the theory is wrong
• Evaluate the theories themselves.
• Does it lead to untenable results?
• Can you find counter-examples?
• Does it say something is right or wrong that
  seems obviously not so?

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A Problem for ER

• Of course we should be modest and respect other
  peoples moral views.
• ER is much stronger than that.
• If relativized to individual, it says do
  whatever you think you should do.
• If relativized to culture, it says do whatever
  your culture thinks you should do.

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A Problem for ER (cont.)

• ER entails that slavery (e.g.) is morally
  permissible in a culture that thinks its
  acceptable.
• Thats a pretty bad result.

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A Problem for DCT

• DCT entails that drop-kicking babies for fun
  would be moral if God commanded us to do so...
• even if it gave the babies brain damage and
  didnt help anyone else or make anyone happy,
  etc.
• Thats a bad result.

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What about the others?

• Well discuss an argument for EE from the Plato
  reading
• CT, DT, and VT are the main views
• They have their issues too, but most moral
  philosophers hold one of them
• Take PHIL 4, PHIL 100A, and so on for more on the
  others.