Bell Ringer

1. Bell Ringer • Write a reaction response to the following quote: • Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to. --Mark Twain

2. Ethics Unit 4

3. Some Definitions… • Values: something (such as a principle or quality) intrinsically desirable • Morality: the standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong or good and evil

4. Introduction: What is Ethics? • Most of what makes us who we are and how we behave is determined by our moral values • Our values shape our thoughts, feelings, actions, and perceptions • Do you agree with this? Why or why not? • Can you name a moral value that you have?

5. Introduction: What is Ethics? • Where do values come from? • Back in the day it came from several places: • The dinner table (family) • Church • School • These institutions gave children the foundation they need to establish good values

6. Introduction: What is Ethics? • So what are some values that every person should have? • According to Parents Magazine these values should be taught to each child by age 5 • Honesty • Justice • Determination • Consideration • Love • Is the answer you put for #2 listed above? Can you name another value that children should be taught early on?

7. Introduction: What is Ethics? • Today, children do not receive their values from home in many cases • Due to both parents working or single-parent homes parents find it more challenging to take the time to teach these concepts • In other words, if your parent has taken the time to teach you this stuff—you should thank them because many are not as lucky as you are. Bet you never thought of it that way… • If they are not getting their values from the parents, schools, or church—where are they getting it from?

8. Introduction: What is Ethics? • Many kids adopt their values from what they see on T.V. • Selfishness, materialism, violence, sexualizing, acceptance of lying/cheating have become norms due to children developing values from T.V.

9. Introduction: What is Ethics? • While it is best for a child to be taught values by a parent, this does not mean they should blindly accept those values • If you adopt your parents values without thinking them through, then they are not your values • Do you own your values? Will you live someone else’s life, or will you live by the values you have chosen?

10. Introduction: What is Ethics? • I assume that each of you are choosing to have your own values • If this is true, than you will have to philosophize during your life about what is right and wrong • You will have to study ethics on at least a minor level • Ethics is the study of morality • Morality is the standards that an individual/group accept as right/wrong and good/evil

11. Introduction: What is Ethics? • An example of morality • You’re home and your friend keeps texting • You ignore them because you didn’t feel like dealing with anyone • Later she calls you, upset, that you didn’t respond • You have two options-tell the truth (which will likely make her further upset) or lie and say you couldn’t find your phone • If you believe that lying is wrong (meaning honesty is a value you hold) you will tell the truth

12. Introduction: What is Ethics? • Ethics comes into play when you start questioning the reasonableness of the moral standards • Do they make sense? • What are the reasons for/against the standard? • Should I continue following the standard? • Why is this standard important anyways? • Looking back at the phone call, you may ask • Was telling the truth more important than protecting her feelings? • What makes lying wrong? • If lying is wrong because it hurts people, then would it be right if it protects them?

13. Introduction: What is Ethics? • Our topic next class looks at ethical relativism • This is the idea that moral right and wrong depends on the culture the person belongs to • Come in ready to learn about how this is applied in many of our everyday situations

14. Assignment • Consider the list of overarching values and rank them in order of their importance to you • Consider the list of personal qualities and rank them in order of their importance to you • Look at your top 5 on both lists—are there any conflicts between the personal qualities you value and the overarching values you have? What conclusions can you draw about yourself? Overarching • Freedom • Security • Equality • Beauty • Peace • Love • Pleasure • Salvation • Excitement • Comfort • Self-respect • Friendship • Knowledge • Contentment • Inner harmony • Wisdom • Sense of accomplishment Personal Qualities • Logical • Forgiving • Clean • Loving • Obedient • Honest • Polite • Responsible • Ambitious • Self-disciplined • Open-minded • Cheerful • Competent

15. Assignment • Are there other values or personal qualities that are important to you but that are not mentioned in the lists? • Do you feel that you have chosen your own moral values, or have your moral values been imposed on you by your parents, school, peers, and society? To the extent that your moral values are imposed on you, can you do anything about changing them? What? • Explain the difference between ethics and morals.

16. Bell Ringer There is nothing either good or bad, But thinking makes it so. • William Shakespeare • Respond to this quote from Shakespeare. Do you agree or disagree with him? Explain your answer. • Keep your papers so that you may do the daily work on them. But make sure your turn them in at the end of the period.

17. Is Ethics Relative? • Remember that ethics is the study of morality (right v. wrong or good v. evil) • While psychology and the other social sciences ask how people DO behave philosophy asks how people SHOULD behave • The difference • Anthropology shows us that the Inuit used to abandon their elderly on a piece of ice and leave them to starve • Ethics asks whether it is right to the Inuit to abandon their elderly

18. Is Ethics Relative? • To understand whether everything is relative, we must first understand absolutism • Ethical absolutism: is the view that says there are universally applicable moral standards • There are rules that apply to everyone no matter the culture • What is a moral duty for me must also be a moral duty for you • If lying is wrong, it is wrong for everyone, everywhere, all the time • Whether people elsewhere disagree does not affect lying’s wrongness • Can you think of an ethical absolutism? Explain why it is an absolutism.

19. Is Ethics Relative? • Ethical Relativism says that no single, universally applicable moral standard exists • Correct moral behavior is dependent upon one’s culture • Each society has its own morality • Right and wrong changes based on your location • In parts of New Guinea anyone over 80 can be put to death • The absolutists might say that murder is wrong and therefore New Guinea is acting immoral • The relativists would say that because New Guinea thinks it is right for them to do it, it is in fact moral for them to put 80 year olds to death

20. Is Ethics Relative? • Ethics in an ethical relativist ideology is hard to define? • If actions are moral only because a nation says its moral—how does the nation determine its feelings on the issue? • In other words—is abortion considered moral or immoral in the United States? • When speaking on behalf of the whole nation, we cannot answer this question because the nation is so deeply divided • Are there ideas/beliefs that you can identify that we could identify as American morals?

21. Is Ethics Relative? • A second issue with ethical relativism • If some or most Americans believe that something is right, then it must be morally right for me since my society said that “x” was morally correct • An example: • Until the mid-1800s slavery was considered to be morally right in the United States • Therefore, under ethical relativism, slavery was moral • Abolitionists (those who opposed slavery) were acting against the accepted moral • Was slavery right in 1830? If yes, why is it no longer right? If no, why does ethical relativism not work here?

22. Is Ethics Relative? • For the ethical relativist, morality is conformity • You must go along with what the majority of your nation accepts as “right” or “wrong” • Opponents of ethical relativism argue that societies having different moral codes does not prove anything • Some cultures believe that evil spirits cause diseases instead of germs • Does this mean that in those cultures germs do not actually cause diseases? No. • The fact is, some cultures are more enlightened than others and therefore they know the truth while the others are still left with false knowledge • Do you believe that some nations have false morals based on flawed ideas?

23. Is Ethics Relative? • A final concern with ethical relativism is the idea that the world’s societies have no common morals • Nearly all nations have some moral code against murder, breaking promises, and lying • Even nations that seemingly have opposite morals may be more alike than thought • Some nations allow infanticide (killing babies) • Many nations say no to infanticide because the value human life • Nations who allow it say they too value life and therefore kill off babies because the life that already exists cannot survive if more humans are added to the population

24. Is Ethics Relative? • Proponents of ethical relativism say that we cannot impose our morals on other cultures • Nations who face serious hardships may have to take different moral stances just to survive • Cannibalism would be considered moral in this circumstance, for example • We should be tolerant and respectful to those with different moral outlooks • Does being tolerant and respectful mean you cannot criticize or disagree with the other belief?

25. Is Ethics Relative? • In the end, it doesn’t matter if you are an absolutist or a relativist • You are still stuck with answering the questions: • Is it reasonable to support “x” as moral? • How should I and my society behave regarding “x”?

26. Assignment • During World War II, the Nazis in Germany believed that exterminating Jews and homosexuals was morally justifiable. • In an essay, explain whether the actions of the Nazis were right or wrong based on ethical relativism. In your answer include whether you agree or disagree with the Nazis actions by using ethical absolutism. • Use your rubric to make sure that you are adhering to the writing standards. • Due Friday!!! • Turn in your bell ringer/daily questions paper.

27. Bell Ringer A good man does nothing for the sake of appearance, but for the sake of doing right. • Epictetus • Respond to this quote using your own life as an example of whether the quote is accurate or not.

28. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Someone is suffering and is going to die from cancer • Do you help them with assisted suicide? • The consequentialist theory says that morality is based on the consequences • If the outcome was good, then it was moral • If the outcome was bad, it was immoral • So, then it comes down to deciding if outcomes are good or bad

29. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • The parked car example—do you leave the note and suffer the guaranteed consequences or do you attempt to get away with hitting the Porche and let them deal with the consequences? • The Egoist says that it would be moral for you to act in your own best interest (long-term) • Why do they specify long-term? • Are your best interests always the same between short-term and long-term?

30. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • What is in your best interest does not always imply what is most pleasurable • Can you name something that is NOT pleasurable, but is in your best interest to do? • Those who are only concerned pleasure are considered to be Hedonists • What do you think the life of a hedonist looks like? • Is this what Epicurus thought of hedonism?

31. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Epicurus called for us to seek pleasure defined as freedom from bodily pain and mental agitation • Partying was not his idea of pleasure • Rather, it was necessary to purge the mind of mental disturbances • He actually discouraged drunkeness and excess

32. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Many say that “good” comes with knowledge, power, and rational self-interest instead of pleasure • This is where self-realization comes into play • Self-realization is something we all seek to achieve (the “who am I” question) • You achieve the answer to this question through the things listed above

33. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • The major issue with egoism is when two people would get the same long-term effect from something that only one of them can have • Example: Two boys want to date the same girl—which ever boy gets to date her will have a long happy life with her and their marriage will be blessed with great joy • Which boy should ethically get to date her? Egoism cannot answer this question because it would say both, which is not an option

34. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Egoism also ignores the “moral point of view” • Moral POV argues that we should all try to be impartial when making a judgment, which is impossible if you are expected to simply choose what is best for you • Notices everything we’ve talked about today has focused on the individual

35. Assignment • In two paragraphs answer the following questions • Do you agree or disagree with egoism? • Using egoism to explain your point, do you believe it is okay to download music that you did not pay for?

36. Bell Ringer • Bentham and Mill assume that pleasure and happiness are necessarily good. • Is this assumption correct? • Are pleasure of happiness good for a person when acquired through evil means?

37. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Utilitarianism says that we act morally when our actions production the greatest possible ration of good to evil for all concerned • Meaning-you should always do what will cause the greatest good for all • This is different from egoism which says you should do the greatest good for yourself • Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill proposed that only pleasure or happiness has intrinsic value • Intrinsic: belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a thing • In other words, happiness/pleasure is the only thing that has natural value

38. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Other philosophers argue that humans have other intrinsic values • Power, knowledge, beauty, and moral qualities • Do you believe most people intrinsically value knowledge? • If so, why is it the case that kids “hate” school?

39. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Bentham created a “formula” to calculate how much pleasure/pain was produced by a person’s action • It is called hedonistic calculus • To use the formula, you have to look at two types of utilitarianism • Act utilitarianism: with consequence in mind, choose actions that will provide the greatest good • Rule utilitarianism: following rules that have the best consequences for the most people

40. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • With act utilitarianism you are supposed to look at the consequences and choose what would be the best for the largest number • Scenario: Bacon’s Rebellion • Nathaniel Bacon and his guys were running raids into Native territory (killing, raping, plundering). The governor had two options: allow this to happen, or tell Bacon not to causing a rebellion which would hurt colonists and the governor • Act utilitarianism would say that the governor should tell Bacon no (which he did) because it would cause harm to the least number of people • Act utilitarianism sometimes causes us to do things we dislike/think is unfair (see example in the book)

41. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • Many people point out that applying “greatest happiness” to specific acts causes problems • Look at protestors—you have large groups that often cause damages, etc. but based on shear numbers, their desires are the ones that should be met • What if the protestors are saying we should steal money from Bill Gates? There are more of them than him and his family. • Act utilitarianism would say take Bill Gate’s money • This is why some philosophers have proposed rule utilitarianism • Lets make general rules that we should follow

42. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • General rules that we have created: • We should never punish people for something they didn’t do • We should not murder • We should not steal • Under rule utilitarianism we would be stuck with these rules because to make exceptions would violate the rule • This becomes quite difficult when you look at the textbook—if we don’t punish the innocent person the mob will kill a village of people • Another issue-what if we murder someone by accident or out of self defense?

43. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • If we accept utilitarianism as it is defined it would be easy to justify many bad behaviors • Adultery—two people receive pleasure while one receives pain • Child pornography—only a couple of children are hurt by a given film but millions of people find pleasure in them • These are obviously some disturbing thoughts that most people do not consider acceptable which means we are not willing to stick strictly to utilitarianism

44. Do Consequences Make an Action Right? • In the end, if we look at utilitarianism or egoism strictly, we end up with unacceptable scenarios • These ideas cannot work as universal laws because every situation is different

45. Video • Answer both questions at the end of the clip! 

46. Heroes • What makes a person heroic? • List your top 5 characteristics in order of importance • Name the top five most heroic people (no fictional characters) you can think of • Listen to song • The Purple Hulls • Did the song change your mind on any characteristics or people you’d rather put on your list? • Mark through any changes and add the new people/characters

47. Heroes • Now that you have a list of the top heroes, if I ask you to name YOUR top five heroes, does that change your list? • Mark through the changes and add the new people • Now, pick the top hero on the list and explain how that person is YOUR hero • What characteristics make them standout more than anyone else? • How have they impacted your life personally?

48. Heroes • You are going to produce four items for today’s assignment • The questions you answered on the previous page (turn in like you do your class participation questions) • A letter—you are going to write a letter to your hero explaining what impact they have had on you and why you feel that they are heroic (it will be your option to actually give it to them) • A profile for a new superhero based on the characteristics you listed as the most significant • A poster featuring your new superhero character (this should be bright and colorful unless the black/white thing matches the motif of your character) • It MUST be hand drawn—super awesome stick figures are cool in my book! • Best poster gets extra credit!