Normative ethical theories

Natural Law

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Samuel von Pufendorf

* developed a theory of Natural Law
* suggested that by ourselves we are venerable but we live in communities and societies to survive

Aristotle

* says that natural law is a given
* thought that the purpose of human beings was to live a life of reason

Catholic Church

* Natural Law provides - ‘the solid foundation on which man can build the structure of moral rules to guide his choices’

Thomas Hobbes

* lived through the English Civil War
* suggests that human nature needs to limited
* if humans were allowed to do what comes a natural to them then it would be a chaotic and destructive society

Augustine

* corrupted human nature due to original sin

Hugo Grotius

* Natural Law can still apply even if there is no God
* however did believe in God - thought that because it was God’s creation, Natural Law and Biblical Law could not contradict each other

Naturalistic Fallacy

* observes what happens commonly in nature and then argues that this is what just happens
* assumes that if something is natural it must be good

Hume

* cannot derive an ought from an is

Satre

* there is no ultimate purpose to human life
* can link in Dawkins

SE

William James

* A pragmatist - ‘turns away from from bad a priori decision, from fixed principles, from closed systems’

Bultman

* Jesus has no ethics apart from love thy neighbour as they self
* argues against idea that Jesus sought establish some new legalistic approach
* Jesus distanced himself from the groups the strict law abiding groups

Bonhoeffer

* was also a situationist
* the will of God in any concrete situation is based on 2 things - the need of ones neighbour and the model of Jesus

Macquarie

* could never be used as basis of a social morality
* situationism is fundamentally individualist
* doesn’t consider the community or the society
* ethics need to be able to offer solutions for communities groups of people and societies

Barclay

* if we are to allow such a relative ethical theory then surely humans must be morally loving and fit to do so - which we are not

C.S. Lewis

* Identifies the four loves
* storge, phillia, eros, agape
* He thought that gape love is the greatest of loves
* it is not within humanity’s natural abilities to practise agape love but with God’s help it is possible to love God and our neighbours

Kantian Ethics

Constant

* argues that duty to always tell the truth would make any society impossible
* ‘no one has a right to a truth that has others’ - in response to the example of the murderer pursuing your friend

Pojman

* shows that even though Kant opposes suicide his CI does not
* there are examples where what the CI allows could be seen a s cruel, cold and immoral

Catholic Church

* like the emphasis that Kant places on intrinsic human value
* however do not like the over reliance on human reason instead of biblical law

John Rawls

* Vail of ignorance
* justice is whatever we would agree to from behind the veil of ignorance
* this is a hypothetical idea where we would have to agree the moral and political laws we would wish to live by before knowing what our position in life would be

Utilitarianism

Ross

* suggested that there could be ‘prima facie’ duties
* non-absolutist, conditional duties that can be overruled fro more compelling duties

Pojman

* gives a hypothetical case of a billionaire who is on his deathbed and makes you promise to give all his money to his favourite sports team so that they an win the league
* however you also see an ad that says a similar amount of money could save 100,000 people from starvation
* seems obvious that you should break the promise and help the charity

Hare

* two level utilitarian
* use both rule and act utilitarian - follow rules majority of the time however in extreme situations use act and intuition

Peter Singer

* preference utilitarianism
* maximise the satisfaction of preferences or desires
* no preference is more important than another

Bernard Williams

Suggests utilitarianism is attractive for 4 reasons

* doesn’t require religious belief
* it basis in goodness being happiness, well-being or satisfaction of preferences seems logical - no one doesn’t want these things
* offers a common currency of moral thought that seems relatively straightforward
* suggests moral problems can be solved through reasonable processes rather than religious theory - more universal

MacIntyre

* can justify horrible acts

Oscar Wilde

* do not do unto other as you would have them do unto you as they may have different tastes