Slides on Ethical Concepts & Definitions(2)

Page 1: What is Ethics?

• Ethics: The systematic, organized study of concepts of right and wrong, good and bad, along with theories that explain these concepts.

Page 2: Basic Questions of Ethics

• Ethics addresses three primary questions:

  • How should one act?

    • Focus on determining if actions, decisions, or policies are morally good or bad, or better or worse.

    • Approaches include Utilitarianism and Kant's duty-based ethics, each offering tests for right and wrong actions.

Page 3: Goals and Character in Ethics

• How should one live?

  • Involves life goals and what one finds important.

• What sort of person should one become?

  • Focus on character traits, cultivating virtues, and avoiding vices.

  • Explored through Virtue Ethics and Ethics of Care.

Page 4: Socratic Inquiry

• Socrates asks, How ought we to live?

  • Emphasized the importance of living well over personal safety, wealth, or reputation.

  • Considered this question as paramount to one’s existence.

Page 5: Everyday Ethical Decisions

• Ethical decisions are common in daily life, including:

  • Helping others or not.

  • Managing leisure time.

  • Issues of honesty vs. deception (e.g., telling a lie for someone’s perceived benefit).

  • Gossip and exaggeration about oneself.

Page 6: Descriptive vs. Normative Ethics

• Purely Descriptive Ethics:

  • Describes people's moral behaviors without passing judgment on their correctness.

  • Few adhere to this practice; often social scientists.

• Normative Ethics:

  • Philosophical approach prescribing how people ought to think and act in moral contexts.

  • Sets norms and standards for behavior, similar to medical prescriptions.

Page 7: Normative Ethics Continued

• Normative ethics focuses on what people should believe regarding moral issues.

• Concerned with prescribing criteria for determining right from wrong behavior.

Page 8: Instrumental Value

• Instrumental Value:

  • Valuable as a means to achieve something else. Also known as extrinsic value.

  • Examples include technology: computers (tasks) and cars (transportation).

  • Items often valued for their utility, not intrinsic worth.

Page 9: Evaluating Instrumental Value

• To assess pure instrumental value:

  • Consider what you’d do with it if it breaks or wears out.

  • If the answer is disposal, it likely has only instrumental value.

Page 10: Intrinsic Value

• Intrinsic Value:

  • Value in its own right, independent of any external purpose.

  • Defined by the entity's nature itself.

Page 11: Human Intrinsic Value

• Human beings exemplify intrinsic value:

  • Recognized in laws and societal values – a life has worth regardless of utility.

  • Dignity and worth are inherent, not contingent upon productivity or capability.

Page 12: Principle of Impartiality

• Each person's interests should be treated equally when formulating ethical theories.

• Variations exist in different ethical frameworks (e.g., maximizing happiness or duty-based ethics).

Page 13: Critique of Impartiality

• Over-application of impartiality may disrupt normal human relationships.

• Critics suggest it could harm emotional bonds and social connections.

Page 14: Relationships and Impartiality

• Impartiality may demand equal emotional investment in family and strangers.

• Real-life relationships naturally involve preferential treatment of close ties.

Page 15: Balance in Impartiality

• While complete impartiality may be undesirable, most people lack sufficient impartiality in decisions.

• Striving toward impartiality in ethics can correct biases.

Page 16: Morality Beyond Personal Preference

• Moral judgments are not merely personal taste; individuals provide arguments to validate their positions.

• This implies an underlying sense of moral truth that transcends personal preference.

Page 17: Surveys and Moral Truth

• Surveys may reveal public opinion but do not answer whether actions are morally right or wrong.

  • The truth of moral claims exists independently of popular belief.

Page 18: Changing Moral Opinions

• Public opinion on moral issues can shift without altering the actual truth.

  • Example: Historical misconception of the Earth’s position in the cosmos does not change factual inaccuracies.