ETHICS and MORALITY

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ETHICS and MORALITY

• Walter Swett
• Quinsigamond Community College

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Moral Philosophy

• Study of what is
• right and wrong
• virtuous and evil
• in human conduct and among groups

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Are there any absolutes?

• Ten Commandments
• Thou Shalt Not Kill
• exceptions?
• Incest
• exceptions?

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Moral Rules - Gert 1976

• must apply universally, without consideration of
  time, place, person or group
• must specify action to be taken or avoided
• must be obeyed without restriction on who should
  obey
• must be understandable by all rational persons
• must be capable of being followed or being broken
• EXAMPLES????????

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MORAL THEORIES

• NATURAL LAW
• UTILITARIAN
• DEONTOLOGICAL
• PRAGMATIC

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ETHICS

• Rules of conduct recognized in respect to a
  particular class of human action

• NORMATIVE ETHICS
• META-ETHICS

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Morals-Ethics-Values-Attitudes

• Morals - core of ones values
• Values- enduring beliefs on which a person acts
  by preference (worth and meaning)
• Ethics- rules which govern conduct towards
  specific persons and society

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• Attitudes- position indicating action, feeling or
  mood state of readiness to act in a certain way
• Etiquette- manners/polish in human interactions

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What are symbols of morality?
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NATURAL LAW

• There is a higher authority (determinant) than
  man
• These natural laws define what is morally
  appropriate
• Man must seek to understand natural law

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UTILITARIAN THEORY

• An action is right if it produces at least as
  great a balance of VALUE over DISVALUE as any
  alternative action

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DEONTOLOGICAL THEORY

• An action is right IF it is required by a DUTY
  which is as strong as any other duty under the
  circumstances
• Example - protecting ones family by
• killing an attacker

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PRAGMATIC THEORY

• Right and Wrong are products of human experience,
  man is key as he seeks to subdue nature
• Notions of Right/Wrong are products of human
  reasoning and what society agrees is right