The Basic Criteria

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The Basic Criteria
2
Questions Before Us

• What is really good for us?
• What criteria and approaches are most effective
  in examining moral issues?
• What pitfalls other than relativism and
  absolutism should we be aware of and strive to
  avoid?

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Review

• The Principle of Right Desire provides the
  necessary foundation for logic, and
• Together with the Principle of Contradiction,
  enables us to approach ethical analysis with
  confidence.
• We now build upon that foundation

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A Fundamental Good Respect for Persons

• What is really good for us?
• Respect for persons

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Categorical Imperative Respect for Persons

• First, that each and every person should be
  regarded as worthy of sympathetic considerations,
  and should be so treated
• Secondly, that no person should be regarded by
  another as a mere possession, or used as a mere
  instrument, or treated as a mere obstacle, to
  anothers satisfaction
• And thirdly, that persons are not and ought never
  to be treated in any undertaking as mere
  expendables.
• Errol E. Harris, Respect for Persons, Daedalus,
  Spring 1969, p. 113

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Three Basic Criteria

• Along with Respect for Persons, there are three
  basic criteria
• Obligations
• Ideals
• Consequences

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Obligations

• Many kinds of obligations
• Friendship
• Citizenship
• Family
• Business
• Professional
• Obligations bind morally they exist to be
  honored.
• To honor them is right to dishonor them is wrong

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Ideals

• Are notions of excellence, goals that bring
  greater harmony in ones self and between self
  and others
• Assists us in achieving respect for persons in
  moral judgments
• E.g. of Ideals (contained in Scriptures Church
  Teachings)
• Fairness - Tolerance - Compassion
• Loyalty - Forgiveness - Amity
• Peace - Courage - Honesty

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Consequences

• Are the beneficial or harmful effects that result
  from an action and affect the people involved,
  including the person performing the action.
• Some consequences are
• Physical
• Emotional
• Immediate
• Passing of time
• Intended by the person performing the act
• Unintended
• Obvious
• Subtle and hidden by appearances

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Analyzing Ethical Issues

• Study the Details of the Case
• Act
• Intention
• Circumstances
• Identify the Relevant Criteria
• Obligations?
• Ideals?
• Consequences?

• Determine Possible Courses of Action
• Possible choices of action
• Greater good?
• Lesser evil?
• Decide Which Action Is Most Ethical
• Act on ones deliberation

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Case 1 Agathas Relationship
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1. Details of the Case

• How old are the children?
• How satisfying and mutually nourishing is her
  relationship with her husband before she began
  the relationship with the minister?
• If there are problems in her relationship with
  her husband, have they been discussed or
  attempted to be solved?
• Has she discussed this with the minister?
• Are there other possibilities for her to have a
  social life and intellectual fulfillment?

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Analysis 2 Apply Basic Criteria

• Consequences
• Of continuing the relationship?
• Her own marriage?
• Her sexual thoughts can lead to actions?
• Affect the ministers vocation?
• Lead to tension between her husband, children,
  congregation?

• Obligations
• To herself
• To her husband
• To her children
• To the minister
• Ideals
• Marital fidelity honesty with self and friends

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Analysis 3 Determine Possible Courses of Action

• Consider possible actions open to Agatha
• End the platonic relationship with minister,
  explaining she wants to save her marriage
• See him less frequently and never alone or in his
  or her home
• Renew her relationship with her husband and find
  other social and intellectual outlets
• Obtain a legal separation from her husband

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Analysis 4 The Most Ethical Action

• Continue the relationship as it is
• Ask for separation and divorce from her husband
• Break up the relationship with the minister
• Given obligations, ideals, and consequences,
  which action is the most ethical? Why?

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The Case of Horaces House
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Analysis 1 The Details of the Case

• Details are straightforward
• No significant questions remain unanswered.

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Analysis 2 Relevant Criteria

• Obligations
• Legal between broker and the owner of the house
• Did broker give info so he could use it against
  her?
• Did she trust him with the info?
• Ideals
• Fairness
• Consequences
• Broker lost his commission
• Horace lost his house they almost bought

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Analysis 3 Possible Courses of Action

• He can continue as he has planned
• Barker did have an alternative to outbidding
  Horace he could have asked the broker who
  mentioned the house, to show him and his wife,
  other houses

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Analysis 4 The Most Ethical Action

• Consequences, though unfortunate, are not
  sufficiently harmful to make the action wrong
• Yet his action is morally wrong because it
  violates the moral ideal of fairness

21
Professor Woebegone
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Analysis 1 Details of the Case

• Identify important questions
• Has he checked with other professors about
  Rogers progress? Has Roger earned passing grades
  in their classes?
• What are Prof. Woebegones chances of getting a
  position at another college?

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Analysis 2 Relevant Criteria

• Obligations
• To be diligent in helping students meet course
  objectives
• To his profession, set a reasonable grading
  standard apply it impartially honestly
• Ideals justice, courage, fairness
• Consequences
• Failing Roger/ineligibility for crucial game
• Other courses could keep him eligible
• Prof. Woebegone will be fired
• Lawsuit against college
• Be an example of integrity for his colleagues

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Analysis 3 Possible Courses of Action

• To violate his obligations and moral ideals and
  give Roger a higher grade than he deserves
• Fail Roger and quietly accept his almost certain
  dismissal
• Fail Roger and let the administration know that
  he will file a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal of
  most unwelcome publicity

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Analysis 4 The Most Ethical Action

• Although consequences are mixed, both obligations
  and moral ideals suggest that Prof. Woebegone
  should fail Roger
• He should also try to preserve his teaching
  position, but be willing to be dismissed rather
  than compromise his integrity

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Other Pitfalls in Ethical Decision-Making

• Oversimplifications
• Exists whenever our treatment of a case goes
  beyond reducing to manageable proportions and
  distorts it.
• Happens when criteria is ignored
• Hasty Conclusions
• Refers to embracing a judgment before we have
  examined it fully
• Ask if then questions to become more
  objective.

• Generalizations
• Use the 4 step process
• Double Standards
• Consists of using one set of criteria for judging
  cases that concern us or someone we identify with
  and another set for judging other cases.
• Unwarranted Assumptions
• Consists of taking too much for granted. (occurs
  subconsciously)