Unit One Morality

Secular morality

reason and observation

Faith-based morality

divine revelation

Objective

to exist or be true independent of anyone's opinion

Subjective

to exist or be true dependent of anyone's opinion

Relativism

there are no moral principles or rules which are universal or apply to everyone, and it is inappropriate or wrong for anyone to judge based on their own moral rules (subjective)

Four Causes Aristotle

• Material - the materials that the thing is made of

• Formal - the plan for the thing

• Efficient - the creator of the thing

• Final - the purpose of the thing

Telos

an end, fulfillment, completion, goal or aim

Humanity’s Telos Aristotle

to be happy

Rational

reasoning, judging, logic, thinking

Non-rational

made of two parts; appetitive and vegetative

Appetitive

emotions, desires

Vegetative

involuntary functions

Vicious person

the inability to know right from wrong

Incontinent person

overwhelming weakness toward pleasure

Continent person

ability to overcome the desire for too much pleasure

Virtuous person

the ability to know what is right,

desire to do the right thanking, and the willingness to act on that knowledge

Habit

can change through repetition; lax behavior

Virtue

the habituated ability to judge rationally the appropriate way to behave or respond in a particular situation and to feel or desire appropriately

Acquiring of virtues

• The virtuous person

• Avoid the worse vice 

• Be self aware

• Seeking pleasure

• The bent stick analogy

Relationship between Aristotle and Christianity

• Agreements: teleology, emphasis on happiness

  • Disagreements: humility, universal concern for people

Basis of morality Kant

good will, good without qualification, Aristotle’s virtues are morally neutral

Role of happiness in morality

virtuous acts do not necessarily lead to happiness. Happiness in itself is not always a good thing

Categorical imperative

Moral rules are always absolute commands

Formula of universal law

could or should everyone believe and act this way

Formula of the end in itself

cannot use or objectify people

Good will Qualifiers

• Intention

  • Free from: desire for reward, fear of punishment, emotions, essentially impossible to tell if an act is positively morally good

right

• A right can either protect us to do something or provide us with something

• Something protected

  • Something provided

John Locke

• Intrinsic (naturally occurring) to us

  • Natural Law

John Rawls

• Social contract

• Veil of ignorance

• Rights principle

Veil of ignorance

removes all bias (ethnicity, race, sex, etc).

Rights principle

a person can do whatever they want as long as it doesn’t interfere with another person’s ability to do whatever they want

Relationship between Rights Ethics and Christianity

contractual (very steril, not relationship based) equity vs equality

Consequentialist morality

All actions have a certain consequence

Basis of morality Utilitarianism

• Make decisions based on how much it will effect people (the most)

  • consequentialist morality

  • morality=happiness=pleasure

Principle of utility

The greatest happiness principle: the greatest AMOUNT, KIND, and NUMBER of people

How to determine the utility of an act

how much good this act will produce, how much evil this act will produce

Relationship between Utilitarianism and Christianity

incompatible; consequences and human dignity