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Jewish Ethics

Jewish Ethics. Do Now: Please write an answer to these questions:. 1. How do you decide what is ethical? 2. Why be ethical? 3. Are there Jewish and non-Jewish ethics?. Prisoner’s Dilemma. Student’s Dilemma. Whoever cooperates gets 2 point on the midterm.

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Jewish Ethics

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  1. Jewish Ethics

  2. Do Now: Please write an answer to these questions: 1. How do you decide what is ethical? 2. Why be ethical? 3. Are there Jewish and non-Jewish ethics?

  3. Prisoner’s Dilemma

  4. Student’s Dilemma Whoever cooperates gets 2 point on the midterm. Whoever defects (by raising hand) gets 10 points on the midterm. If 5 students defect then nobody gets any more points and the game is over.

  5. Jeremy Bentham - Utilitarianism “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do.” - An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, p. 1. England 1748 – 1832

  6. John Stuart Mill – Utilitarianism cont. Utilitarianism is “the creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, [and] wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.” - “Utilitarianism” England 1806 – 1873

  7. Problems with Utilitarianism Not intuitively satisfying – no absolute good Happiness is an elusive term Not possible to calculate future outcomes Can justify euthanasia, genocide

  8. Genesis 8:21 וַיָּרַח יְדֹוָד אֶת רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ וַיֹּאמֶר יְדֹוָד אֶל לִבּוֹ לֹא אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו וְלֹא אֹסִף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת אֶת כָּל חַי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי:

  9. SifriDeuternomy, parasha 45 The words of torah are like life-giving medicine. A parable of a king who got angry at his son and wounded him badly and placed a medical bandage on the wound. He told his son, as long as this bandage is on your wound you many eat what you wish, drink what you wish, wash in hot or cold and you will not be harmed at all. But, if you remove it then it will immediately become infected. So too God told Israel, my son, I created for you an evil inclination of the worst kind…if you delve into the words of the Torah it will not control you but if you leave the words of the Torah then it will control you…

  10. cont… ושמתם את דברי אלה על לבבכם, מגיד שנמשלו דברי תורה כסם חיים משל למלך שכעס על בנו והכהו מכה רעה ונתן רטיה על גבי מכתו ואמר לו בני כל זמן שרטיה זו על גבי מכתך אכול מה שהנאך ושתה מה שהנאך ורחוץ בין בחמין בין בצונן ואין אתה נזוק כלום אבל אם הגבהת אותה מיד הוא מעלה נומי כך אמר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל בני בראתי לכם יצר הרע שאין רע הימנו (בראשית ד:ז) הלא אם תטיב שאת היו עסוקים בדברי תורה ואינו שולט בכם ואם פורשים אתם מדברי תורה הרי הוא שולט בכם שנאמר (בראשית ד:ז) לפתח חטאת רובץ, ואליך תשוקתו אין משאו ומתנו אלא בך אבל אם רצה אתה תשלט בו שנאמר ואתה תמשל בו ואומר (משלי כה:כא - כב) אם רעב שונאך האכילהו לחם כי גחלים אתה חותה על ראשו, רע הוא יצר הרע שמי שברא אותו מעיד עליו שהוא רע שנאמר (בראשית ח:כא) כי יצר לב האדם רע

  11. Ben Patura vs. R. Akiva Babylonian Talmud Baba Metzia 62a שנים שהיו מהלכין בדרך, וביד אחד מהן קיתון של מים, אם שותין שניהם - מתים, ואם שותה אחד מהן - מגיע לישוב. דרש בן פטורא: מוטב שישתו שניהם וימותו, ואל יראה אחד מהם במיתתו של חבירו. עד שבא רבי עקיבא ולימד: וחי אחיך עמך - חייך קודמים לחיי חבירך. If two men are traveling on a journey and one has a pitcher of water, if both drink they will both die, but if one only drinks, he can reach civilization. Ben Patura taught: “It is better that both should drink and die rather than that one should behold his companion’s death.” But Rabbi Akiba taught: “That your brother may live with you (Lev 25:36). Your life takes precedence over his life.”

  12. Systems of Normative Ethics Consequentialism - A morally right action is one that produces a good outcome. “The ends justify the means.” Utilitarianism – producing the most pleasure for the most people is one type. Duty-based ethics (deontology) – Judges actions based on rules and duties. “Do unto others…” Virtue ethics – Judges actions based on how it develops good character traits.

  13. Immanuel Kant Kant's three significant formulations of the categorical imperative are: • Act only according to that maxim by which you can also will that it would become a universal law. • Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end. • Act as though you were, through your maxims, a law-making member of a kingdom of ends. - The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Germany 1724 – 1804

  14. Texts and Time Periods 1000BCE King David 586 BCE Destruction of Temple I 539 BCE Cyrus the Great – Persian rule 516 BCE Second Temple Built 332 BCE Alexander the Great – Greek rule 164 BCE Maccabean Revolt 150BCE-70CE Pharisees 70 CE Second Temple Destroyed 132 CE Bar Kokhba Revolt 50-200 CE Tannaitic Period 220 CE Mishnah & Tannaitic Midrash Compiled 200-500 CE Amoraic Period 400 CE Yerushalmi & Amoraic Midrash Compiled 500-700 CE Savoraim in Babylonia 600 CE Bavli Completed

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