Ethical Theory and Decision Making

Ethics/Morality

thinking carefully and giving reasons for how we act, taking serously how our actions affect others

Features of a Good Ethical Theory

completeness: tells us what is right and what is wrong, doesn’t leave us without guidance in important cases

consistency: treats like cases alike, doesn’t generate contradictions

power: applies across a wide variety of circumstances, not just easy or familiar cases

realism about human nature

humility: shouldn’t assume humans are the only things that matter morally

rational support

fit with considered judgments: should be reasonable in light of the moral judgments we’re most confident about

Virtue Ethics

what kind of person should i be?

a settled pattern of actions

Virtue

a trait of character, manifested in habitual action, that is good for a person to have

Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtue Ethics

advantages: captures something other theories miss (character), grounded in real human psychology, directly relevant to professional life

disadvantages: genuine virtues can conflict, the same action can look virtuous or vicious depending on the character of the person doing it, better at evaluating people than evaluating decisions

Utilitarianism

form of consequentialism, the right action is the one that produces the best consequences

choose the action that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of those affected, cost-benefit analysis

Advantages and Disagvantages of Utilitarianism

advantages: provides a clear, systematic decision-making method, impartial, takes consequences seriously, directly relevant to research ethics

disadvantages: can be extremely demanding, seems to permit harming individuals for the greater good, risks treating people as vessels for wellbeing rather than individuals

Deontological Ethics

there are moral constraints on what you can do, especially to people, even in pursuit of good outcomes

The Humanity Formulation

act so that you treat humanity always as an end and never as a means only

respect people’s capacity to make informed choices for themselves

Universalisability

a test for whether an action is morally permissible:

could you rationally will that everyone act on the same rule you’re acting on?

ex. a researcher fabricates data to enhance their career

universalize it: all researchers fabricate data

the result? no one trusts research and it is a logical contradiction

Advantages and Disadvantages to Deontological Ethics

advantages: explains why individuals can’t be sacrificed for the greater good, grounds informed consent and protections for research participants, provides a clear basis for moral rules against deception and manipulation

disadvantages: can be rigid, rules can conflict with each other, doesn’t give clear guidance on how to weigh competing duties

Principalism

a principle identifies something that is always morally important, something you must consider whenever it’s relevant

four principles:

autonomy: respect people’s right to make their own decisions

beneficence: act to benefit others

non-maleficence: do no harm

justice: distribute scarce resources, and benefits and burdens, fairly