Teleological Ethics

Who came up with Situation Ethics and in what book?

Joseph Fletcher in ‘Situation Ethics: The New Morality’

What kind of theory is SE?

Relativist, consequentialist, teleological

What does the ‘Middle way’ refer to?

SE meets legalism and antinomianism in the middle

Why did Fletcher feel a middle way was necessary?

Christians in the 1960s were frustrated that the Bible’s strict laws prevented them from exploring freedom and free love movement

What is legalism?

Accepts the absolute nature of established rules and principles

What is antinomianism?

Does not recognise authority, but promotes freedom from external rules

Why did Fletcher take issue with legalism?

• Too oppressive/restrictive

• People blindly followed it

• People obeyed rules even when it harmed them or others

Why did Fletcher take issue with antinomianism?

• It was arbitrary

• It was inconsistent/unprincipled

• It didn’t protect vulnerable in society

What does Fletcher say about the rules in the Bible?

They shouldn’t be abandoned completely but rather used as illuminators

What is the taxi driver anecdote?

Taxi driver says he has always been a Republican. The man he is driving assumes he will therefore vote for the Republican candidate, but the taxi driver says “There are times when a man has to push his principles aside and do the right thing.”

Give a quote by Fletcher about the damage of Christian legalism

“To this day Christians think an adulterer more wicked than a politician who takes bribes, although the latter probably does a thousand times more harm.”

What does Fletcher say about the conscience?

The conscience is not a noun or thing that exists, but rather the process by which we respond to ethical issues

How does SE apply in the case of Mary Magdalene?

Jesus prioritised showing her mercy and agape over following the legalist rule “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

What is agape?

God’s fatherly love, unconditional and selfless

What is the boss principle of SE?

So long as an action creates the most selflessly loving consequences, it is the right thing to do

What the four working principles?

• Pragmatism

• Positivism

• Personalise

• Relativism

What is pragmatism?

Breaking pre-conceived rules can only be justified if the loving consequences are realistically going to occur

What is positivism?

There should be voluntary acceptance of agape and this should be the basis of faith

What is personalism?

SE is a concern for people rather than things and it involves the subject rather than the object

What is relativism?

The loving thing in one situation is entirely independent and doesn’t apply to all other situations

What are the six fundamental principles?

• Love is the only good

• Love is the ruling norm of Christianity

• Love = justice

• Love for all

• Loving ends justify means

• Love decides situationally

What does mitzvot mean?

The 613 commandments in the Old Testament

Give 3 strengths of SE

• Supports human nature - love is the most important emotion

• Jesus said love was the greatest commandment

• Promotes social justice - selfless love

Give 3 weaknesses of SE

• Requires us to be able to predict the consequences of an action

• Based on a dangerous emotion - could justify evil with love

• Ignores Bible’s legalist nature and rules - strays too far

Give a quote from Harry Harlow about the importance of love

“The need for love is overwhelming.”

Give a quote by Pope Benedict about SE

“Dictatorship of relativism.”

Give a quote by Pope Pius XII about SE

“ Individualistic ethic designed to justify actions opposed by God.”

Apply Alan Turing to homosexuality and SE

• Created the machine that cracked the Enigma code in WW2 - saved thousands of lives and shortened the war by 4 years

• 1952: arrested and prosecuted for homosexuality

• Sentenced to medical treatment that would “cure” homosexuality

• Mental and physical effects led to his death two years later

• Ruled suicide, but may have been accidental poisoning

What would SE say about homosexuality?

It would promote the use of agape; homosexual love is still love and so these relationships should be treated indiscriminately

Why may SE disagree with polyamory?

It is arguably difficult to give love equally to more than one person at once, going against love = justice

Why might SE agree with polyamory?

Personalism - they all consent and desire that outcome therefore it is the most loving

Pragmatism - it doesn’t affect anyone outside the relationship and would ensure fulfilment for all

Who developed UT and in what book?

Jeremy Bentham in ‘An Introduction to the Principles of Morality and Legislation’

UT is what type of theory?

Teleological, consequentialist, relativist

Utilitarianism comes from what word?

Utility/Usefulness

UT can be traced back to what Ancient Greek ideology?

Hedonism by Epicurus

Give a quote from Bentham about pleasure and pain

“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for us alone to point out what the ought to do, as well as what we shall do.”

What are most moral acts in UT?

Those that bring greatest good to greatest number

Give a quote to support this

“It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong.”

What is the principle of utility?

The rightness or wrongness of an action is judged by its utility in producing the most pleasure

What phrase does Bentham use to describe happiness?

The sovereign good

Does Bentham/Act prefer quantity or quality? Give a quote to support

Quantity - “The game of push-pin is of equal value to the arts and sciences of music and poetry.”

What did Bentham introduce to help moral agents make decisions?

The Hedonic Calculus

List the seven aspects of the Hedonic Calculus

Purity

Remoteness

Extent

Duration

Intensity

Certainty

To be followed by

Give a strength of the Hedonic Calculus

It is teleological so treats each situation individually

Give a weakness of the Hedonic Calculus

It requires us to predict the outcome of our actions

Give three strengths of Act Utilitarianism

• Supports human nature - inherent pursuit of pleasure

• Fits a secular society - not based in religion

• Hedonic Calculus offers clear guidance

Give three weaknesses of Act Utilitarianism

• Pleasure is a dangerous emotion - could be misinterpreted

• Could justify cruelty such as five sadistic guards

• Happiness isn’t the only important thing to humans- against Nozick experience machine

What are Mill’s three criticisms of Bentham?

• Quantitative nature

• Harm minorities

• Time-consuming

Give a quote from Mill about higher and lower pleasures

“Better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied, better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.”

What is a higher pleasure?

Something that is stimulating to the mind - eg. opera, literature, philosophy

What is a lower pleasure?

Something that is stimulating to the body - eg. food, alcohol, sex

Explain the message of the Covent Garden flower seller story

Higher pleasures > lower pleasures

She only enjoys gin because she has never experienced the opera

Give a quote from Mill about sovereignty

“Over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.”

Why was Mill criticised for his focus on quality over quantity?

It is an elitist attitude and excludes the working class who cannot access higher pleasures

What safeguard did Mill introduce to stop injustice to minorities?

The Harm Principle

Explain the Harm Principle

Everyone should aim to maximise happiness but majority shouldn’t intervene with minority unless it is to prevent harm

What is strong rule utilitarianism?

Rules established through the application of Rule Utilitarianism should never be broken, more deontological

What is weak rule utilitarianism?

Some rules can be broken if the goal is to achieve maximum happiness, more teleological

Give three weaknesses of Rule Utilitarianism

• Not acceptable in post-modern society - elitist attitude

• Not fluid enough (strong RU)

• No concrete way of measuring happiness - it is not quantifiable

Give a quote from Bentham about animal suffering

“The question is not can they reason nor can they talk? But, can in suffer?”

What does this quote suggest about Bentham’s attitude towards animals?

He believes the interests of humans and animals are worth the same because both can experience pleasure and pain.

What is Bentham’s view on animal experimentation?

He believed medical experimentation is an acceptable reason to kill animals because there is a clear purpose - so long as the animal is not made to suffer unnecessarily.

Did Mill value animal life the same way as human life?

No, despite the harm principle, animals cannot experience higher pleasures so according to Mill human life would be valued higher.

What does Peter Singer say about speciesism?

If we justify animal experimentation because human life is more important, we are using the same argument that supports white supremacy or subjugation of women.

What would Act Utilitarianism say about animal experimentation?

Requires we use Hedonic Calculus, and if the pleasure brought from experimenting on animals outweighs the animals’ suffering, it is the right thing to do.

What would Rule Utilitarianism say about animal experimentation?

It is acceptable to inflict suffering upon those less capable of higher pleasures for the sake of those who are capable of experiencing them.

What is the nuance of the debate surrounding nuclear weapons?

The debate is not whether it is ethical to use them, but whether it is ethical to possess them to use as a deterrent.

What does Bentham say about the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent?

Bentham lived before the invention of nuclear weapons but was concerned with the prevention of war. He believed the best war to avoid war was peace treaties and countries working together towards disarmament.

What does Mill say about the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent?

Mill lived before the invention of nuclear weapons, but wrote in the context of the American Civil War that despite much suffering, war could be justified by the greater happiness that could result.

What is the principle of discrimination and how does it link to Rule Utilitarianism?

• The principle that determines who are appropriate targets in war and who should be immune from attack.

• Rule Utilitarians may argue it is acceptable to have nuclear weapons so long as there is no realistic threat to human life.