Download - 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