9/8 Moral Theory

ethics

the study of obligation, value, virtue

what is not part of ethics?

the study of law, etiquette, practice, tradition

ethical claims are ___ or ____ (SHOULD claims), not merely descriptive (is claims)

prescriptive, evaluative

what are the three levels of moral theory?

metaethics, normative ethics, practical ethics

metaethics

concerned with the meaning + nature of ethical claims (but not w their content)

what are typical metaethical questions?

are moral properties natural or non-natural? are moral claims truth apt? is morality objective or subjective? how can we come to know moral truths?

normative ethics

concerned w the discovery (or construction) of general moral principles

what are typical normative ethical questions?

what kinds of actions are right or wrong? what types of outcomes are good or bad? what makes a distribution just or unjust? which dispositions are virtuous or vicious?

practical ethics

concerned with ascribing moral properties to particular actions/ploicies/outcomes/dispositions, etc

typical practical ethical quesitons?

is capital punishment morally permissible? is donating to charity morally required? are healthcare resources distributed justly? did Smith act morally wrongly? is Jones virtuous?

how do we come to know moral truths?

intuitions are evidence, and the task of a moral theory is to vindicate and explain as many of the strongest of our intuitions as possible, while maintaining theoretical virtues (ex: consistency, parsimoney, elegance, etc)

what are the 3 primary objects of interest in normative ethics?

normative theory (deontology), evaluative theory (axiology), character and agency

normative theory (deontology)

obligation, permission, prohibition — actions over value

evaluative theory (axiology)

good, bad, better, worse — values

character and agency

virtue and vice and responsibility

consequentialism

an action is morally permissible if and only if it produces the best (or sufficiently good) results

focus on outomces, not means

what makes a result best?

the total amount of well-being (Hedonism)

consequentialism + hedonism =

utilitarianism

utilitarianism

an act is morally permissible if and only if it maximizes well-being

non-consequentialism

the deontic status of an action is not JUST a function of its consequences

what are some famous non-consequentialist approach?

kantianism, social contract theory, pluralism, virtue ethics

kantianism

an act is morally permissible if its maxim is universalizable (the motivating principle of the action could be universally adopted)

social contract theory

an act is morally permissible if its maxim is permitted by rules that free, equal, and rational people would agree to live by

pluralism

an act is morally permissible if its sufficiently supported by the balance of reasons

virtue ethics

an act is morally permissible if its one that a virtuous person (acting in character) would do

feminist ethics

an approach (rather than a competitor) emphasizing the importance of relationality and other (stereotypically) non-masculine values and perspectives for ethical theorizing

from ethical theory to practice, what matters?

consequences, constraints, special relations, prerogatives