The Ethics of Duty

1
The Ethics of Duty

• Chapter 3

2
The Ethics of Duty

• Duty and Religion Ultimately, saved by faith
  and not by good deeds.
• We are put on this earth to obey Gods commands.
• Rewards are not on earth reward is eternal life
  in heaven. Though, pleasure may be found in the
  sheer joy of pleasing God.
• First Commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
  God, with all thy heart, all thy mind, and all
  thy strength.

3
Religious Ethics

• There are arguments for against religious
  ethics
• Advantage of Religion Provides sanctions.
• Criticism Sanctions are too remote.
• Advantage Faith in God is the center of a
  Christians life.
• Criticism Social utility should be number 1 for
  a moral person, not incidental to following Gods
  word. Time spent in church could be time spent
  feeding the poor, for example.

4
Religious Ethics

• Criticism Religious dogma can lead to tragedy,
  such as the Spanish Inquisition.
• Also, religious dogma can stifle inquiring minds.
• Reply to criticism Fallible human beings are to
  blame for these tragedies, not religion properly
  understood.

5
Religious Ethics

• Criticism Consistent Christians should believe
  their God is the answer. Thus they should try to
  convert others in order to save them from eternal
  damnation.
• Answer Christianity has mellowed since then.
  Christians now work effectively with Muslims and
  Jews.

6
Religious Ethics

• Advantage Religion has good uses.
• Criticism Do we teach people to believe in a
  certain religion because it is useful or because
  it is true?
• Pascals wager. Is this anything more than an
  appeal to force?
• Russell How do you know that there isnt a God
  who respects intellectual honesty, and basing
  ones beliefs on evidence rather than faith, so
  much that he will throw into hell anyone who
  adheres to a religion just to be on the winning
  side?

7
Religious Ethics

• Euthyphro (page 83)
• Is an act right independently of Gods command?

8
Natural Law

• The theory of natural law has three main parts
• 1. The Theory of Natural Law rests upon a certain
  view of what the world is like. This view holds
  that the world has a rational purpose built into
  nature. Everything in nature has a purpose.
• 2. The Laws of Nature not only describe how
  things are but how they ought to be as well.
• 3. We can grasp the Laws of Nature because God
  has made us rational creatures.

9
Natural Law

• Criticisms of natural law
• What makes something unnatural? Hearing aids
  are not found in nature. Diseases are found in
  nature cures are unnatural because they are
  discovered by humans?
• Is being natural always good? See pages 86-87.

10
Kantian Ethics

• 2nd Commandment Love thy neighbor as thyself.
• What does this mean? Should you love the entire
  human race equally? Even child molesters and
  serial killers?
• Should you love everyone as much as you love your
  own family?
• What if you are working on a project and some
  remote acquaintance is hungry and needs food?
  Should you drive a half day to feed him/her?
  Should you do this for everyone? Do you rally
  have to sell all thou hast and give to the
  poor? Then you will be poor and forced to rely
  on the possible charity of others.
• Golden rule can be problematic because of
  different strokes for different folks.

11
Kantian Ethics

• 2nd Commandment Love thy neighbor as thyself.
• What does this mean? Should you love the entire
  human race equally? Even child molesters and
  serial killers?
• Should you love everyone as much as you love your
  own family?
• What if you are working on a project and some
  remote acquaintance is hungry and needs food?
  Should you drive a half day to feed him/her?
  Should you do this for everyone? Do you rally
  have to sell all thou hast and give to the
  poor? Then you will be poor and forced to rely
  on the possible charity of others.
• Kant said we should follow universal moral laws.

12
Kantian Ethics

• Kants Theory of Duty
• Animals act from inclination.
• Only human beings are capable of acting on
  principle.
• Feelings and attitudes differ from person to
  person. However, reason is universal. If A is
  larger than B, and B is larger that C than A is
  larger than C universally. Every rational person
  would have to agree with this conclusion.

13
Kantian Ethics

• A hypothetical imperative is different than a
  categorical imperative.
• The Categorical Imperative Act only according to
  that maxim by which you can at the same time will
  that it should become a universal law.
• Charity and Payment of debts are Kants examples.
  
• Deontological ethics holds that the rightness of
  an act is derived from its logical consistence
  and universalizability.
• the character of the act itself rather than the
  consequences is what matters
• the character of the act itself is determined by
  its maxim.
• Case of murderer looking for friend and Kants
  response.
• Critics ask why there cant be exceptions and
  qualifications.

14
Kantian Ethics

• Example Truman vs. Anscombe
• Treating persons as ends
• Act in such a way that you treat humanity whether
  in your own person or in the person of another,
  always at the same time as an end and never
  simply as a means. See pages 98-99.
• Kants Theory of Moral goodness
• A good will is good not because of what it
  performs or effects, not by its aptness for the
  attainment of some proposed end, but simply by
  virtue of the volition that it, it is good in
  itself, and considered by itself is to be
  esteemed much higher than all that can be brought
  about by it
• We arent good because of society, religion and
  so forth. We are good because of reason.
• The only absolutely good thing is a good will.
• A persons act is morally good when it is done
  entirely from movies of duty done simply
  because the person believes that duty requires
  this of him, and for no other reason.
• Did Kant confuse inclination with
  self-regarding inclination?
• Friend in the hospital example.
• Kid drowning example.