Deontological Approach

1
Deontological Approach

• Passionate statements of our beliefs do not
  equal and rarely are an adequate substitute for
  an articulated defense of them

2
Chapter 5

• Virtue, Moral Responsibility, and Moral Reasoning

3
Virtue

• Joe and Dora story
• Teleological? Deontological?
• These both deal with actions
• Moral theory can focus on virtue and character,
  not on actions
• Some decisions are borderline
• They require careful judgments
• Rules of behavior obviate judgments
• Judgments cannot be automatic
• Aristotle virtue is required

4
Virtues

• Two types of virtue
• Intellectual wisdom (highest form)
• From reason
• Moral control of human appetites and
  inclinations
• Balance
• Virtue is a learnable skill, not an inherent
  human condition
• Taught by our family, peers, society
• Emphasis on rules weakens development of virtues,
  denies the importance of caring
• love is not guided by rules

5
Character

• Sum of our virtues and vices
• Virtuous people do not develop on their own
• Children must be taught virtue from virtuous
  people
• By example, stories, moral models, heroes,
  virtuous society (where virtue is looked up to
  and rewarded), etc.
• Focus on rules tends to undermine virtue and a
  virtuous society

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Golden Mean
7
What about business?

• How does virtue fit in?

8
Love Canal Case

• What are the facts?
• Whos responsible?
• Causal vs. legal vs. moral responsibility the
  same?
• Causal responsibility
• How many levels do we go?
• Legal responsibility
• Moral responsibility
• If Im legally responsible, am I morally
  responsible?
• If Im causally responsible, am I morally
  responsible?

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Moral Responsibility

• Requires
• Causal responsibility AND
• Awareness of action AND
• Willingness
• We are morally responsible for NOT doing things
  as well
• Must also be intentional
• Responsibility is diminished if
• Action is impossible
• Ignorance affects our actions
• Freedom affects our actions

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Impossible Actions

• Three excusing factors
• Action is not possible by anyone
• We are not capable of the action
• We dont have the opportunity to do the action

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Ignorance Excuse

• Is it possible to know?
• Could we, or should we have known?
• Would a reasonable person considered the
  possibility?
• If not excusable ignorance
• If impossible for us to know invincible ignorance

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Lack of Freedom Excuse

• Four conditions
• No alternatives not even lack of action
• Lack of control sleep, drugs, illness
• External coercion force
• Internal coercion
• Illness, passion, alcoholism etc.
• Diminished capacity as an excuse?
• Murder as a result of passion vs. premeditated?
• Mental illness?
• Drugs and alcohol?
• Gun salesman? Manufacturer? Metal supplier?

13
Other Duties

• Liability Payment for results of actions
• Strict liability No excuses
• Accountability Legal and moral obligation to
  explain our actions (moral or legal)
• Agent responsibility Our work as anothers agent
  doesnt relieve us of moral (or legal)
  responsibility
• Our lack of feeling about morally responsibility
  is not an excuse
• Role responsibility Position dictates some
  responsibility

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Solving Dilemmas

• See page 125
• Get the facts
• Determine the ethical issue
• If several prioritize
• Imagine all alternatives
• Determine all those affected
• Etc. etc.

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Chapter 6

• Justice and Economic Systems

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System Ethics

• Slaveholder story
• Difficult to answer because the system was unjust
• Moral analysis of an economic system?
• Structural analysis study the morality of, and
  the actions that result from practices,
  relationships, organization and transactions
• End-state analysis study what happens to the
  people involved from the system as a whole
• We can use either a utilitarian or a
  deontological approach
• Historical necessity excuse?

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Economic Systems

• Capitalism
• Pure capitalism does not exist
• Features
• Accumulation of capital (profit)
• Private ownership of means of production
• Free market system
• No government control of prices, wages, product
• Competition
• Free movement of resources (people too)

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Economic Systems

• Socialism
• Industrial base
• Means of production are socially owned
• Centralized planning
• See pg. 148
• Competition is removed
• Communism
• Not an economic system
• Socialist economic system with an authoritarian
  leadership