ethical schools of thought

Introduction to Ethical Schools of Thought

How do we know the good?

Different Perspectives of Moralityby Donal Harrington

Morality as Law Morality as Inner

Conviction Morality as Love Morality as

Personal Growth Morality as Social

Transformation

Heinz’s Dilemma

A woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said: "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it." So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.

Nuances Between Ethics and Morality – James M. Gustafson

ETHICS

Theoretical Prescriptions/Critiques The nature of the Good The Nature of the

Human Person Criteria of Judgment

MORALITY

Based on the principles practiced by a particular community Fundamental

convictions of the moral agent

Character of the moral agent

Use of norms Situational Analysis

Hedonism

Etymologically comes from the Greek word for "delight“ ἡδονισμός hēdonismos from ἡδονή hēdonē "pleasure”.

It is the ethical

principle that promotes pleasure as the source of goodness and happiness of a person.

Masochism

Pain and sadness is the source of goodness.

“What does not kill me makes me stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Absolutism

There norms that are always good and true. These rules are unchanging and must always be followed since they are universally applicable.

Relativism

Truth, beauty and goodness are always dependent on the time, place and the people involved in a particular idea.

Moral Relativism presupposes that there are no universal truths.

Pragmatism

The goodness of a human act is based on the most effective and efficient results.

Pragmatism stresses The primacy of practice Anti-reification of

concepts and theories Naturalism and anti-

Cartesianism The reconciliation of

anti-skepticism and fallibilism

Utilitarianism

“The greatest good for the greatest number of people“

Morality is based on what is useful to everyone.

Virtue Ethics

Goodness is based on the internal disposition of the person harnessed through good habits.

Cardinal Virtues adopted from Plato and Aristotle Justice Prudence Fortitude Temperance

Virtues and Vices

Chastity Temperance Charity Diligence Patience Kindness Humility

luxuria (extravagance/lust)

gula (gluttony) avaritia

(avarice/greed) acedia

(acedia/discouragement)

ira (wrath) invidia (envy) superbia (pride)

Non-Consequentialism/Deontological Ethics

From the Greek δέον, deon, "obligation, duty”.

It is an approach to ethics that determines goodness or rightness from examining the means used by the person.

Consequentialism/ Teleological Ethics

From the Greek word “Telos” which means “end”

The goodness of an action depends on the intention and the results of a human act.

“The ends justify the means.”

Stages of Moral Developmentby Lawrence Kohlberg

Preconventional Stage Punishment Orientation Reward Orientation

Conventional Stage Social Conformity

Orientation Authority and social-order

maintaining orientation Post-conventional Stage

Social Contract Orientation

Universal Ethical Principle Orientation