PHIL 2525 Contemporary Moral Issues Lec 2

PHIL 2525 Contemporary Moral IssuesLec 2 Arguments are among us…

Doing philosophy… Articulating: expressing yourself clearly Analyzing: taking apart in order to understand Synthesizing: gathering together in a meaningful way Arguing: supporting your ideas with reasons

Aristotle’s Organon • Earliest texts on the tools and structure of logical argument

Deduction and Induction… Two different ways of thinking and arguing… • Deduction begins with general truths and draws conclusions about particulars • Induction begins with particulars and draws general truths

An argument is... An argument is a series of statements: • One is a conclusion • The others are evidence

The most basic form of deduction: the syllogism Major Premise Minor Premise ------------------- Conclusion All men are mortal Socrates is a man ------------------------- Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Categorical syllogism All A are B C is an A Therefore, C is a B • All men are mortal • Socrates is a man • Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Not all arguments are so sweet and simple… All A are B C is an A -------------------- Therefore, C is a B Validity? Truth? Soundness? All Catholics are famous The Pope is Catholic ------------------------- Therefore, the Pope is famous

Not all arguments are so sweet and simple… All A are B C is an A -------------------- Therefore, C is a B • A syllogism can be valid, even when nottrue • The form can be valid, even when the content is false All Catholics are famous The Pope is Catholic ------------------------- Therefore, the Pope is famous

What about this? The Earth goes around the sun The moon goes around the Earth ---------------------------------------- The Earth is part of the solar system Validity? Truth? Soundness?

What about this? The Earth goes around the sun The moon goes around the Earth ---------------------------------------- The Earth is part of the solar system • A syllogism can have all truestatements and a true conclusion but still not be sound. • Soundness requires bothtruth and validity

Sometimes one of the premises is assumed… • Men can’t give birth • Therefore, Terry can’t give birth (the assumed premise is…….) • Truth? • Validity? • Soundness?

What is the assumed premise here? Abortion is killing people Therefore, abortion is wrong • Truth? • Validity? • Soundness?

Validity and Truth = Soundness • Validity has to do with the form of the argument -- the shape -- the evidentiary relationship -- the way the parts fit together • Truth (or falsity) has to do with the content • Soundnessrequires both validity and truth

You might wonder… • What is the point of a deductive argument if the form can be valid, but the conclusion false?

You might wonder… • What is the point of a deductive argument if the form can be valid, but the conclusion false? • The deductive argument is important because ifthe premises can be shown to be true, and the form is valid,thenthe conclusion must be accepted…

Induction is less certain than deduction, but… Knowledge grows from induction in a way that it can’t from deduction. • Science is organized, methodical induction • Advances in medicine or physics proceed induction by induction

Induction • The conclusion of an inductive argument always goes beyond the premises…

Inductive uncertainty… • The 3,000 people who were tested reacted adversely to the new drug • Therefore, the new drug should not be approved for general use • What is the unstated premise here?

Inductive uncertainty

Moral Skepticism the idea that there is no right or wrong about moral issues not merely that we don’t or can’t know, but that there is no right or wrong … no objective truth…

Protagoras • “Man is the measure of all things.” • ...one opinion can be better than another, but it cannot be truer...

Moral Skepticism • The Cultural Differences Argument: People in different cultures disagree about moral right and wrong So, therefore there is no knowing

Moral Skepticism • The Cultural Differences Argument: Example: • In some societies, such as among the Eskimos, infanticide is thought to be morally acceptable. • In other societies, such as our own, infanticide is thought to be morally odious. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Therefore, objectively speaking, infanticide is neither right nor wrong. It is merely a matter of opinion that varies from culture to culture.

Moral Skepticism • The Cultural Differences Argument: Rachels offers an analogous argument…. • In some societies, the world is thought to be flat • In some societies, the world is thought to be round ------------------------------------------------------------------- • Therefore, objectively speaking, the world is neither flat nor round. It is merely a matter of opinion that varies from culture to culture.

Moral Skepticism • The Provability argument: If there were any such thing as objective truth in ethics, then we should be able to prove that some moral opinions are true and others false. But in fact, we cannot prove which moral opinions are true and which are false. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Therefore, there is no such thing as objective truth in ethics.

Acting for reasons... • Practical reasons • Moral reasons

Individual morality... • Making your own choice • Making the right choice

Social morality... • Health, education, same-sex marriage ...

The Ring of Gyges

Dear Prudence, I have done something so vile that I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I have a younger sister who is stunningly beautiful, while I'm rather plain by comparison. Growing up, my boyfriends all lost interest in me once they set eyes on her. When I was dating the man who is now my husband, I was afraid that the same thing would happen. As a preventative measure, before he even met her, I told him that she slept around a lot and as a consequence had contracted HIV. Needless to say, he never showed any interest in her. Several years and two kids later, my husband is always asking about her health. She's even asked me why my husband always seems so concerned about how she's doing. He's the sensitive type, and I know that he worries about her. I want to come clean, but how can I explain such a horrible lie? —Sister Is Healthy As a Horse

Dear Sister, Shades of Rachel and Leah crossed with the daughters of King Lear. I understand your self-loathing because not only is your original lie chilling, but you have let this tale fester for so long. It's a miracle you weren't found out by your husband expressing his concern to other family members. However, the good news is that you recognize how sad and ugly your actions were, and you want to make amends. Although your sister was the subject of your lie, your husband is the object of your deceit. Go someplace private and tell your husband there is a part of your life that you never fully discussed with him. Say that when you were growing up, your sister's beauty was a kind of torture for you.

Whenever a boy showed any interest in you, as soon as he gazed upon her, he couldn't even remember your name. Explain that you know jealousy is a terrible, destructive emotion and you hate how you let it scar your youth. Then say that when you met him, you were so immediately happy with him that you were tormented by the thought that he might be attracted to your sister. (By this point, he should be starting to get your drift.) Confess that you told the terrible lie about her being HIV-positive just so it wouldn't happen. Add that what you did is not a comment on his character but on your insecurity. Say your sister is in perfect health, but your lie has made you sick at heart, and all you can do is beg his forgiveness. —Prudie http://www.slate.com/id/2224925?obref=obinsite

Good Sport, Bad Sport • Ben Johnson • 1988 Olympic Games • Plato’s moral of the story, the Ring of Gyges: that we would all be corrupted...

Cyberbullying • Megan Meier killed herself in October 2006. She was thirteen years old.

PHIL 2525 Contemporary Moral Issues Lec 2