Morality and Ethics

1. Morality and Ethics

2. Where does morality come from?

3. Is it wrong to kill an innocent person for no good reason? If so, why?

4. Morality comes from God? Plato’s Euthyphro Is something wrong because God says it’s wrong or does God say its wrong because it is wrong. We have to use our own judgment to decide right and wrong.

5. Metaethics • How do we determine what is right and wrong? • System of ethics • Justification for ethics Three popular ethical schemes: • Virtue ethics • Deontological ethics • Utilitarianism

6. Virtue Ethics Aristotle (384 B.C. – 322 B.C.) Ancient Greek philosopher and student of Plato Virtue consists of realizing our natural human potential as rational animals (our telos) Eudemonia (happiness, the good life) is achieved through the cultivation of human virtues, such as wisdom, justice, courage, generosity, kindness and moderation.

7. The good life People are virtuous in order to cultivate their own soul and achieve a higher happiness Focus on motivations for actions, rather than consequences The goal is self-realization: to be noble, honorable, decent Cf. Confucious’sjunzi君子 What kind of people do we want to be? Do we want to be the kind of people who would do that?

8. Problems with virtue ethics Do people really have a telos? If not, how can the virtues be justified? Is cultivating the virtues really the best way for an individual to maximize his human potential? People can do the wrong thing for the right reasons • Surely the action is wrong even if the motivation is right

9. Deontological Ethics Kant (1724-1804), German philosopher Rightness of actions is independent of consequences. The Categorical Imperative defines our moral duties. Moral duties, e.g. not to kill or harm innocent people not to lie to keep promises to respect the rights of others The Categorical Imperative can be understood through reason.

10. Deontological Ethics (cont.) The Categorical Imperative can be worked out through the principle of universalizability: "Always act according to that maxim whose universality as a law you can at the same time will", and is the "only condition under which a will can never come into conflict with itself…" (Kant, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals) Rational beings have an intrinsic worth and dignity. The end (purpose) of morality is in preserving the well-being and dignity of all rational agents: “Act with reference to every rational being (whether yourself or another) so that it is an end in itself in your maxim…“ (Kant, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals) You must never treat a person as a means, but always as an end.

11. Problems with deontological ethics Problem of justification for Categorical Imperative – where does it come from Not all good actions can be universalized Rigid e.g. if we have a categorical imperative not to lie, it is wrong to lie even if by lying to a mad gunman, we can save an innocent person’s life It is not always possible never to treat a rational agent as an end, e.g. war

12. Suggested readings Required reading Traditional Ethical Theories (excerpt from Online Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy at: caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80130/part2/sect9.html), available on Moodle Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, at: http://plato.stanford.edu/ Entries on: Consequentialism and Deontological Ethics and Virtue Ethics Mill, John Stuart, Utilitarianism (1863), available at: www.utilitarianism.com/mill1.htm Stephen Law, The Philosophy Gym, Chapter 17, “Killing Mary to Save Jodie”. available on Moodle