CET PRELIMS WEEK 3

DESCRIPTIVE ETHICS

-            It refers to what individuals accept to be right or wrong and is about various moral standards utilized over a wide span of time.

-            It is also called comparative ethics because it compares the ethics of past and present; ethics of one society and other.

NORMATIVE ETHICS

-            It deals with “norms” or set of considerations how one should act.

-            It’s a study of “ethical action” and sets out the rightness or wrongness of the actions.

-            It is also called prescriptive ethics because it rests on the principles which determine whether an action is right or wrong.

-            The Golden rule of normative ethics is:

o   “Doing to other as we want them to do to us.”

VIRTUE ETHICS
DEONTOLOGY
CONSEQUENTIALISM

3 THEORIES OF NORMATIVE ETHICS

VIRTUE ETHICS

-            It focuses on one’s character and the virtues for determining or evaluating ethical behavior.

-            Major Advocates:

o   Plato

o   Aristotle

o   Thomas Aquinas

-            Plato’s Four Cardinal Virtues:

o   Prudence

o   Justice

o   Temperance

o   Fortitude

-            Aristotle categorized the virtues as moral and intellectual. He identified some of the moral virtues including “wisdom.”

PLATO
ARISTOTLE
THOMAS AQUINAS

MAJOR ADVOCATES OF NORMATIVE ETHICS

PRUDENCE
JUSTICE
TEMPERANCE
FORTITUDE

PLATO’S 4 CARDINAL VIRTUES

MORAL
INTELLECTUAL

ARISTOTLE’S CATEGORIES OF VIRTUES

DEONTOLOGY

-            Also called “duty ethics”.

-            It focuses on the rightness and wrongness of the actions rather than the consequences of those actions.

-            3 Deontological Theories:

THEORY	DESCRIPTION
Categorical Imperative (Kantianism)	-             Believes that human beings have a special place in creation and that all duties come from an ultimate moral commandment. -             Moral rules follow universality (actions must apply to all people) and principle of reciprocity (“do as you would be done by”). -             These moral ideas are found across major religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.
Moral Absolutism	-             Believes in absolute moral standards used to judge actions. -             Some actions are always right or always wrong, regardless of the situation. -             Example: theft is always wrong, no matter the context. It ignores circumstances where a wrong act may lead to a good outcome.
Divine Command Theory	-             States that an action is right because God commands it. -             Morality depends on duty and obedience, not on the good consequences of the action.

CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE
MORAL ABSOLUTISM
DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

3 DEONTOLOGICAL THEORIES

CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE OR KANTIANISM

-             Believes that human beings have a special place in creation and that all duties come from an ultimate moral commandment. -             Moral rules follow universality (actions must apply to all people) and principle of reciprocity (“do as you would be done by”). -             These moral ideas are found across major religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.

MORAL ABSOLUTISM

-             Believes in absolute moral standards used to judge actions. -             Some actions are always right or always wrong, regardless of the situation. -             Example: theft is always wrong, no matter the context. It ignores circumstances where a wrong act may lead to a good outcome.

DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

-             States that an action is right because God commands it. -             Morality depends on duty and obedience, not on the good consequences of the action.

CONSEQUENTIALISM

-            Also called “teleological ethics”.

-            It is an ethical theory that judges whether something is right by what its consequences are.

-            The core idea of consequentialism is that “the ends justify the means.” An action that might not be right in the light of moral absolutism may be a right action under teleology.

o   For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a person's life, consequentialism says it's the right thing to do.

-            Consequentialism Theories:

ETHICAL	DESCRIPTION
Utilitarianism	The right action produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
Hedonism	Any action that maximizes pleasure is considered right.
Egoism	Any action that maximizes personal benefit or self-interest is considered right.
Asceticism	Abstaining from egoistic pleasures to achieve spiritual goals is considered the right action.
Altruism	Living for others and placing others’ needs above self-interest is considered the right action.

UTILITARIANISM
HEDONISM
EGOISM
ASCETICISM
ALTRUISM

CONSEQUENTIALISM THEORIES

UTILITARIANISM

The right action produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

HEDONISM

Any action that maximizes pleasure is considered right.

EGOISM

Any action that maximizes personal benefit or self-interest is considered right.

ASCETICISM

Abstaining from egoistic pleasures to achieve spiritual goals is considered the right action.

ALTRUISM

Living for others and placing others’ needs above self-interest is considered the right action.

RESOECT FOR AUTONOMY

Every person has the right to make choices, hold personal views, and act based on values and beliefs.

BENEFICENCE

Focuses on doing as much good as possible, including kindness, compassion, and generosity.

JUSTICE

Involves avoiding unjustified and unnecessary harm and ensuring fairness in decision-making for all involved.

NON-MALEFICENCE

Refers to the obligation to not cause harm to others.

META ETHICS

-            It’s also known as “analytical ethics” deals with the origin of the ethical concepts themselves.

-            It does not consider whether an action is good or bad, right or wrong.

-            It questions what goodness or rightness or morality itself is? It is basically a highly abstract way of thinking about ethics.

APPLIED ETHICS

-            It deals with the rightness or wrongness of social, economic, cultural, & religious issues.

-            It is most important for professionals in different walks of life.

-            6 Key Domains of Applied Ethics:

ETHICS	DESCRIPTION
Decision Ethics	Focuses on ethical decision-making processes.
Professional Ethics	Guides good professionalism and proper conduct in a profession.
Clinical Ethics	Ensures good clinical practices in healthcare settings.
Business Ethics	Promotes ethical practices in business.
Organizational Ethics	Addresses ethics within and among organizations.
Social Ethics	Concerned with social structures, systems, issues, and communities.

DECISION ETHICS

Focuses on ethical decision-making processes.

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Guides good professionalism and proper conduct in a profession.

CLINICAL ETHICS

Ensures good clinical practices in healthcare settings.

BUSINESS ETHICS

Promotes ethical practices in business.

ORGANIZATIONAL ETHICS

Addresses ethics within and among organizations.

SOCIAL ETHICS

Concerned with social structures, systems, issues, and communities.