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Ch.12 Ethics

Ch.12 Ethics. The Foundations of Moral Actions. Law. Halakhah : Shari’a : Canon law: Dharma: Natural law:. Jewish law Muslim law Catholic law Hindu & Buddhist (duty) Western philosophical approach. written. unwritten. Authority. Scripture: Quran, Bible.

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Ch.12 Ethics

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  1. Ch.12 Ethics The Foundations of Moral Actions

  2. Law • Halakhah: • Shari’a: • Canon law: • Dharma: • Natural law: Jewish law Muslim law Catholic law Hindu & Buddhist (duty) Western philosophical approach written unwritten

  3. Authority • Scripture: Quran, Bible. • Cosmic principles: the Tao, dharma, Rta. • Leaders: bishop, prophet, guru, imam, sage, bodhisattva.

  4. Philosophical Ethics • Ontology: the study of the nature of being. • Deontological ethics: judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules.It is sometimes described as "duty" or "obligation" or "rule" -based ethics. Ex: Kant’s categorical imperative. • telos = goal, purpose • Teleological ethics: consequences determine what is ethical. Greatest good for the greatest number. Utilitarianism (English philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Benthan). • Virtue ethics (Aristotle): morality that makes an individual person good.

  5. Cardinal virtues • Greeks (4): wisdom, courage, justice, temperance. • Buddhism(5): love, compassion, joyful sympathy, equanimity, patience

  6. Christianity(7): Faith, hope and charity (the theological virtues) Prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice.

  7. Cosmic or Natural Law • Ex: We assume these truths to be self evident, natural rights, laws of nature, etc. • Assumes that right and wrong is not a matter of opinion. • Rather, right and wrong is built into our nature and part of reality itself. It cant be changed; it can only be discovered or revealed. • Truth and good are not relative.

  8. Natural Law • Roman: see Cicero, p.263 • Chinese Confucian: Mencius hsin: heart-mind is the basis of all morality. It must be cultivated in a good environment. p.244 child in well. • Chan Buddhism: enlightenment is discovering a new moral outlook once you discover your true nature through meditation Chan Zen • Lao Tsu; p. 265: the Tao

  9. Thomas Aquinas • Natural law isn’t just revealed through religion or scripture. • Its hard-wired into into the hearts and minds of all human beings by God • Reason helps us discover it. • See p.266 .

  10. Moral Exemplars & Ethical Prophets • charis = greek for “gift” • charisma: term coined by Max Weber. Someone with spiritual gifts that makes them stand out as a leader or an example that inspires others.

  11. Two types of charismatic leaders Moral Exemplars Ethical Prophet Amos* Muhammad Buddha bodhisattvas* saints Ghandi* * These 3 leaders are talked about in detail on pages 267-276. Pick one to elaborate on for our next test, telling how he or she is an ethical leader.

  12. The routinization of charisma • When the charismatic leader is gone, it leaves behind a vacuum which can be filled by…. This is what Max Weber calls “the routinization of charisma” ….the institutions the leader founded. ….the canon of writings of the leader.

  13. An Ethics of Divine Command • Ethics can be based on revealed truths on what is right and wrong. • Divine intermediator: Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, sacred stories/writings. • It is right or wrong because it is commanded by God (so there is no need for teleology or ontology to explain why).

  14. Examples in Judaism of Divine Command • Abraham commanded to sacrifice his son in the Qur’an and Torah. • Moses’ mitzvahs (commandments) • Rabbinic Judaism explains the laws and commandments in there everyday applications in the writings known as the Talmud. Your textbook on pages 276-278 applies Jewish ethical teaching to abortion as a moral issue. Essay question for next test: Explain how Jewish ethics approaches the issue of abortion.

  15. Islamic Law and Ethics • Legal, ethical and religious law are united in Shari’a. • The fullness of divine law is unknowable: humans can only have limited insight; fiqh • Fiqaha: legal scholars. Competing schools of jurisprudence, no one of which presumes to speak exclusively for Allah. Direct divine revelation ended with Muhammad; what remains is interpretation. • Ulama: learned clerics who are leaders of the community and give guidance and set guidelines

  16. 4 Sources of Shariah • the Qur’an • the Sunna Records of the words and deeds of Mohammad • Reason, especially analogical deduction. • Ijma: consensus

  17. 5 degrees of moral weight of legal actions • Actions mandatory on believers • Actions recommended or desirable • Actions neutral or indifferent • Actions objectionable or blame-worthy, but not forbidden. • Actions prohibited

  18. Shia Islam (Iran) • Much of what we have said so far applies to Sunni Islam (the majority of world Muslims). • Shia Islam adds the sayings of the 12 Imams who led the community up to 874 CE, and whose authority is infallible . • There is suspicion of “innovations” in jurisprudence.

  19. Jihad • Struggle • The exertion of one’s effort to spread belief in Allah. • Peaceful persuassion: “the jihad of the tongue” and “the jihad of the pen”. • “Jihad by the sword” during war against attacks by unbelievers. • 20th century middle-eastern politics have revived the military interpretation of jihad: 1981: Tanzim al-Jihad group assassinated Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. Wahabi: Saudi Arabia

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