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Exploring Diverse Ethical Theories: Virtue, Feminist Ethics & More

Delve into Buddhist, Virtue, and Feminist ethics, exploring the craving for individuality, virtue ethics (Aristotle), challenges to ethical theorizing, and implications for moral decision-making.

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Exploring Diverse Ethical Theories: Virtue, Feminist Ethics & More

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  1. Buddhist Ethics • The craving for individuality (including life, pleasure, power) produces suffering—which is ended through virtue and meditation • Being virtuous requires us to respect ourselves and others, and to be patient, moderate, and to maintain a clear and balanced mind • Personal enlightenment consists not in merely following rules but in seeing one’s place in the universe

  2. Challenges to Ethical Theorizing: Anti-foundationalism • Morality is not a pursuit of abstract principles; it is an attempt to give our lives order. This requires that it assumes changeable values • Instead of discussing morality in terms of acts or judgments based on rules or principles, we should focus on developing a good character or maintaining personal relationships

  3. Virtue Ethics(Aristotle) • To be moral means being sensitive to the social and personal dimensions of life • “Rational” actions are not based on abstract principles but on moderation (golden mean) • Objection: this does not provide the specific moral guidance needed in difficult situations

  4. Feminist Ethics Carol Gilligan Nel Noddings • Morality is not about abstract principles, rights, or impartial (typically male) theories of justice,but about caring for persons and maintaining relationships (Gilligan) • The (feminine) virtue of caring for others in specific situations is the basis upon which all ethical thinking is grounded (Noddings)

  5. Implications • Different ethical theories highlight different features of moral situations. For example: • Abortion: what makes a being morally significant? whose interests need to be considered? what impact will the decision have on the development of one’s character? • Euthanasia: is life always better than death? should consequences or how we would like to be treated influence our judgments?

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