Ethics Midterm

What is our default setting?

an Automatic self-centered perspective revolving around the idea that we are the center of the universe.

Power of Choice

Our ability to control how we perceive and interpret the world

Real Freedom

Ability to choose how we think and interpret our experience. (Mindfulness)

Why do good people do bad things? (2 main reasons)

• Empathy, wanting to help other people out even if its not the right thing to do

• Bounded Ethically, more focused on business goals blurring ethical goals.

Why are we more likely to lie when making a business decision?

It can put people in situations where they are tempted to compromise their values due to the pressure or culture.

How can business affect our character?

It puts us in situations that blurs our ethical boundaries as we prioritize results over values.

1st fact of life

We all want to be happy

1st corresponding question

How do we get happy?

2nd fact of life

We are all going to die

2nd Corresponding Question

How do we prepare for the fact that one day we are going to die?

What is Stoic Philosophy?

Virtue is the highest good, Focus on what you can control and accept fate with composure

Stoic Perspective on death

It is natural and inevitable part of our life we should not fear

Stoic Perspective Living well

Live in accordance w/ Virtue not from external pleasures and material wealth

How could Stoicism help us in business?

Build Resilience, Fostering ethical behavior, and encourages productivity and focus

What is Aristotles opening argument?

All things tend toward some good (or end) but not all goods can be instrumental… therefore there must be some intrinsic absolute good toward which all other ends aim.

Absolute good

aboslute goods are valued for their own sake, not for what they lead to. They are considered ends in themselves

According to Aristotle, the highest absolute good is

Eudaimonia (Happiness)

Instrumental Goods

goods valued not for their own sake, but for what they can bring about. They are means to an end. Instrumental goods are useful because they help us achieve something else that is ultimately desired.

What are the four different kinds of lives that people live?

• Life of pleasure (The good = Pleasure)

• Life of Money-Making (The good = Wealth)

• Political Life (The good = Honor/Recognition)

• Life of contemplation (The good = Wisdom)

The function argument and how it relates to happiness?

Everything has a function, and every function has a corresponding virtue (Good) and vice (bad)

What is happiness?

Living virtuously, which is most fully performing our function (being rational) by reasoning excellently in a complete life with sufficient external goods.

What are virtues?

Excellent reasoning

Why does courage matter?

It allows individuals to move from moral weakness (knowing the good but failing to act due to fear) to moral strength (acting despite discomfort) and, ultimately, to virtue (acting rightly with joy). Without courage, we may remain stuck in moral weakness, unable to do what is right

How is living virtuously distinct from moral strength and moral weakness? What enables the character shift?

Living virtuously means knowing, doing, and taking pleasure in the good, unlike moral strength where one acts rightly but is pained, or moral weakness where one fails to act due to discomfort. The character shift happens through habit and practice of making virtuous choices until doing the right thing becomes natural and fulfilling.

What are the three types of pleasure?

Sensory Pleasure, Remedial Pleasure, Attentive Pleasure

Sensory Pleasure

Instant gratification, being totally present but its a quick sensorial fix

Remedial Pleasure

Not being in pain anymore, delayed gratification

Attentive Pleasure

Utter absorption in what you are doing, being wholly present, the richest form of rational activity.

What is contemplative Activity?

Structure your life so that you have plenty of space to practice time affluence (not producing and consuming but being present)

How does contemplative activity relate to pleasure

It constitutes happiness in the fullest sense possible, a life full of the richest form of attentive pleasure

According to Solomon, do we perceive business and ethics to be at odds?

business and ethics are seen as conflicting due to the belief that business is solely profit-driven (Laissez Faire), while ethics is about doing what's right.

How does Solomon debunk the tension of business and ethics?

by showing that long-term business success relies on ethical behavior, trust, and integrity (Act Virtuously)

How does Solomon understand virtue? and how does it relate to business?

Solomon sees virtue as moral excellence (walking the talk), developed through habitual practice. In business, virtues like honesty and fairness build trust and long-term success and is made up of the people.

Why does character matter?

Character matters because it shapes decision-making and behavior. (we are what we do)

How do corporations influence our character? (for better or worse)

through cultures, policies, and leadership, which can either promote ethical practices or misconduct.

What are the biggest lessons from Aristotle that solomon Echoes?

Virtue is developed through practice, that business should serve the common good, and ethical behavior leads to both personal fulfillment and professional success.

What is time affluence? Why is it important?

Having enough free time for leisure and rest. It's important because it improves well-being, reducing stress and increasing life satisfaction.

How and why is consumer culture antithetical to happiness?

Consumer culture focuses on materialism and constant acquisition, which leads to dissatisfaction and stress, rather than fostering meaningful experiences

What does the day of rest provide for us? How does it relate toe Aristotle’s understanding of contemplative activity?

A day of rest offers time for reflection, and mental restoration. It relates to Aristotle’s idea of contemplative activity, allowing for thoughtful self-reflection and inner growth.

Kants moral Project/motivation

It’s always self-interested to lie. Lying is universally morally wrong

What is good Will? Why does it matter to kant?

Good will is the only thing not manipulated by things around it, acting from a sense of moral duty. It matters because the intention behind an action is what makes it moral

What is the role of duty?

By obeying the categorical imperative (moral law) not hypothetical imperatives

What is the problem with inclinations?

they are personal desires or emotions, which shouldn't determine moral actions.

What is the categorical imperative?

1. Follow the golden rule

2. Dont exploit/use people as a means only

What are the 4 duties that follow from the categorical imperative?

1. To preserve life (including our own)

2. To be honest

3. To foster talents

4. To help others

What is the principle of utility/Greatest happiness principle?

Actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness and wrong if they produce the opposite. (maximize Quality pleasure!)

What does mill mean by happiness?

Intended Pleasure/absence of pain

What are some ways in which Mill’s theory is distinct from Kant (How does he criticize Kant?)

Mill's utilitarianism focuses on maximizing happiness, while Kant focuses on duties and intentions. Mill criticizes Kant for ignoring the outcomes of actions in moral judgment.

The case that singer makes

America’s consumer behavior is a huge moral issue. If we can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought to!

How does singer makes his case and justifies it

We can prevent people from dying of starvation by sacrificing our luxuries. He compares this to letting a child die to preserve material wealth.

What might Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” reveal about capitalism and its implications?

The story critiques capitalism by illustrating a system where the happiness of many is built on the suffering of a few (Someone has to pay). It raises questions about the moral cost and how society ignores the exploitation behind wealth.

What do you think the story reveals about utilitarianism?

It reveals utilitarianism that the people staying stay for the common good.

What do you think the story reveals about deontology?

Kant would advise us to not use someone as a mean to an ends as we have to protect life and others and save the child. (There is an invaluable worth that gets placed on human life. There is no end more worth sacrificing the life of an innocent person)

What is Biocentrism?

All living things have inherent value.

4 components of biocentrism

1. Humans are non-privileged members of the earths community of life (we need oxygen)

2. The natural world is an interdependent system (relates to eachother)

3. All organisms are teological centers of life that have goods of their own that we can consider morally.

4. The belief in human superiority is an unjustified bias-prejudice

Is Biocentrism a viable ethical position?

Yes, it promotes sustainability and respect for nature, but it may conflict with practical business and human needs,

What is Carrs main thesis?

business is like poker, bluffing (deception) is acceptable as long as it follows the rules of the game.

religious ethics emphasizes?

moral principles (like honesty and integrity) that apply universally and is a personal code of ethics.

Game ethics

focuses on winning within the rules of the game (like business),

What is the point Carr makes about the golden rule and business?

the golden rule is unrealistic in business, as competitive environments prioritize self-interest and survival over moral reciprocity.

How does Mill criticize Kant?

He thinks we choose to be honest because of good consequences that come, not because its good. It is not practical as utilitarianism.

Aristotle

Each way of life is correct to an extent and the best life is the balance of what we take happiness to be.

Happiness for Aristotle

Reasoning, because it is virtuous. Choose the middle path, Live a balanced life

Why does Kant talk about duty

Establish a moral law on reason and not on experience as its different for everyone, but reason is common to us all (Call of duty)

How could/should/would Kantian ethics help us in the business world? Why should we consider Kant?

To protect intrinsic goods of people, take care the dignity of your workers (AMAZON)

What is the point he makes about worship?

We all worship something, however he wants what we choose to worship can destroy us if it is superficial or material. We can become consumed by what we worship

3 paragraph

Intro and what it is

2 reasonings