Ethics Exam 2 - Moral Agent and All Ethical Theories (Virtue Ethics, Kantian Ethics, Utilitarianism, Hedonism, Egoism, Pragmatism, Intuitionism, and Emotivism)

UPM GE Ethics - Moral Agent and All Ethical Theories (Virtue Ethics, Kantian Ethics, Utilitarianism, Hedonism, Egoism, Pragmatism, Intuitionism, and Emotivism)

Two conditions for morality according to John Mothershead

Freedom and Obligation

Why are only humans moral agents?

Only Humans are free

to be ethical requires

• pause

• critical thinking

• courage

What is a dillema?

Experience where an agent is confused about making a decision because there are equally competing values

Experience where an agent is confused about making a decision because there are equally competing values

Dillema

what is the signal of a dillema

feeling bothered and having strong feelings

How do you handle a moral dilemma

• Reason and impartiality

• Reason and participatory democracy

Seven step model for decision making in dilemmas

1. Gather facts

2. Identify stakeholders

3. Articulate dilemma

4. List alternatives

5. Compare; alternatives-principles

6. Weigh consequences

7. Make Decision

What did max scheeler say

Our most original, immediate, and intimate contact with reality is through feelings

who said Our most original, immediate, and intimate contact with reality is through feelings

max scheeler

founder of virtue ethics

Aristotle 384-322 BCE

what is a virtue?

a stable disposition to act and feel according to some ideal or model of excellence

Types of virtues according to aristotle

• intellectual virtues

• moral virtues

Intellectual virtues

Virtues that can be taught like logic and math

Moral virtues

Virtues that can only be learned through practice

Golden mean

Aristotle’s belief that virtue is a balance between two behavioral extremes

meaning of Telos

end, purpose, goal

three kinds of telos according to aristotle

• instrumental

• final

• supreme

instrumental ends

ends used to reach the final ends

final ends

ends that occur as a result of the instrumental ends

Supreme ends

ends that are final or chosen for their sake

What is the true goal of humans

eudaimonia when reaching the full realization of the good life

meaning of eudaimonia

happiness or flourishing

how to achieve eudaimonia

live fully in accordance to reason/virtue, as virtues are rational modes of living

what is Deontological ethics

ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions; and rightness is based on conformity with norm

what is consequentialist belief

rightness/wrongness of action depends on effects of action

what is nonconsequentialist belief

rightness of an action cannot be measured by its effects

what is kantian ethics

nonconsequentialist theory; duties determine what is right or wrong

who made kantian ethics

Immanuel Kant

Kant’s belief on reason and morals

reason produces moral law, and from reasoning we can discover our moral duties

a priori knowledge meaning

knowledge that is independent of experience

a posteriori knowledge

knowledge that depends on experiences and empirical observations

what is good will

will to do duty for duty’s sake

what is right in kantian ethics

duty for duty’s sake motivated only by respect for the moral law

what is moral law according to kant

set of principles made only of categorical imperative

categorical imperative

what to do in all situations regardless of wants and needs

what is hypothetical imperative

what to do if we have certain desires or a certain outcome

what is a maxim

a general rule that is implied by your actions

first version of categorical imperative

action is right is the maxim of the action becomes a moral law - applying to all persons

what are perfect duties

duties that must be performed without fail and have no exemptions

what are imperfect duties

duties that arent always followed

second version of categorical imperative

treat people as people and not as a means to an end

what is teleological ethics

theories about the right action; and that values appeal to evaluative facts to explain right and wrong

what is consequentialism

“normative“ properties and rightness depend on consequences and things related to the act

Who were the ones who developed utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham → John Stuart Mill

utilitarianism belief

the value of an act depends on the utility it produces; and the utility it most values is happiness

Principle of utility

aka the greatest happiness principle; rightness/wrongness of the action depends on its effect to happiness of the party affected

What are the two belief systems that are associated with the principle of utility

consequentialist (consequences) and hedonistic (pursuit of pleasure)

what is happiness according to mill?

intended pleasure and the absence of pain

what is unhappiness according to mill?

pain and the privation of pleasure

act utilitarianism

examine each action to see how much good/evil it generates (short term happiness)

what is rule-utilitarianism

determine what rule an action falls under; then see if the rule would maximize utility (long term happiness)

bentham belief on happiness measurement

happiness varies in quantity only

mill belief on happiness measurement

happiness varies in quantity and quality (lower enjoyable pleasures and higher fulfilling pleasures)

Hedonism meaning

greek; pleasure

what is psychological or motivational hedonism

only pleasure or pain motivates us

ethical hedonism

only pleasure has worth or value, and pain is the opposite

egoism

the theory that one’s self is/should be the motivation or goal of one’s own action

altruism

the opposite of egoism

origin of the term egoism

“ego“ latin “I”

Two variants of egoism

descriptive and normative

Descriptive egoism

people are motivated by their own interests and desires and cant be described otherwise

normative egoism

people should be motivated regardless of what currently motivates their behavior

Psychological egoism

under descriptive egoism; human nature as wholly self-centered and self-motivated - the ultimate aim is own welfare

ethical egoism

i morally must do something only if it maximizes my self-interest

rational egoism

i ought to do something only if it maximizes my self interest

pragmatism

interpret notions by tracing its respective practical consequences;
what difference will something being true affect anyone’s life?

statement of W James on pragmatism

an idea is true if it works well or benefits you (practicality)

meta-ethics

goes beyond normative ethics; examines the meanings and justifications of ethical concepts and principles

what does meta ethics address

the issues on the nature of freedom and its significance (or not) for moral responsibility

Two types of meta-ethics

Intuitionism and emotivism

ethical intuitionism

truth conditions of moral statements are understood based on our intuition

claim of intuitionist

we have knowledge of moral truths derived from moral intuition; though it is subjective and intuitions may differ

moral truths according to GE moore

“self evident” that certain things are morally valuable - focus on goodness

moral truths according to Ross

we know immediately that it is our duty to do acts of a certain type

claim of emotivists

moral judgements express and arouse emotions not beliefs

what is emotivism

moral utterances are neither true/false, but are expressions of emotions and attitudes - not factual claims but expressing preferences

moral judgements according to emotivism

moral judgements cannot be true/false because they dont make any claims - but just express emotions/attitudes

AJ Ayer on emotivism

nothing said was true or false - in saying that a certain action is right or wrong there is no factual statement