Ethics Families

Confucius

4th and 5th century BCE Chinese proponent of ten, who formulated variations of the Golden Rule, sometimes in the negative. "What do you not wish for yourself, do not do to others."

Aristotle

A follower of Socrates and plato, Aristotle saw the study of ethical virtues as a way to improve life. Said we must apply our understanding of virtues: including justice, courage, temperance — to determine a particular course of action in a particular case. But he said no ethical decision procedure would apply in general.

Jean-Paul Sartre

A leading figure who contributing the proposition: "Existence precedes essence."

Thomas Hobbes

Author of Leviathan. Concerned with social and political order. Life in the state of nature, he said, was insecure and violent. "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." to be avoided.

Agape

Care based principle. Greek word for selfless, unconditional love of others.

Judeo-Christian

Care based thinking. Finn's summary settles on forgiveness and love of others as the key elements in Judeo-Christian philosophy. The lecture observed that Christian philosophers are far from unanimous, and that judgement also comes into play

Existentialists

Care based thinking. Holds that individual existence is a matter of subjective reality (or realities), a search for "the idea for which I can live and die." It came into prominence and influence in the second half of the 20th century.

Veil of ignorance

Decision makers in a dilemma would lose their own identity and apply the rules fairly, regardless of the power or weakness of those affected by decision.

The Kalon

Defined as the beautiful, noble or fine — is the reason a good person chooses to act virtuously.

Utilitarianism

Ends based thinking. Advocates doing whatever produces the greatest good (happiness or utility) for the greatest number of people. Ends-based thinking is widespread in politics, and indeed was developed as part of a political reform movement in Great Britain.

Jeremy Bentham

Ends based thinking. Employed the principle of utility in law and politics

John Stuart Mill

Ends based thinking. Was inspired by Bentham to apply utilitarian ideas to legal and political reform, particularly in the 1859 treatise "On Liberty"

Deontos

Greek word for duty. Root of deontology. Good intentions are paramount, and it's firmly opposed to utilitarianism or consideration of the consequences.

Reversibility

Primary concept in care based thinking. It's expressed in the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and in Eastern philosophy. it's related to the Christian gospels' commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.

Hobbes rejection

Rejected religion as the ultimate source of authority put him at risk of trial for heresy, although he denied being an atheist.

Albert Camus

Respected French Algerian novelist and journalist whose books contain a strong element of nihilism

John Rawls

Rule Based thinking. 20th century philosopher who insisted that social systems should seek justice, a fair distribution of advantages. He advocated the veil of ignorance.

Immanuel Kant

Rule Based thinking. Central philosopher of deontology and author of the Categorical Imperative. Rule based thinking and deontological thinking sometimes referred to Kantian ethics of philosophy.

Harm principle

States that the only valid reason for acting in a way that limits someones liberty is to prevent harm to others.

Soren Kierkegaard

The first to use the term existentialism, in his 19th century explorations of the aesthetic, ethical and religious spheres of life.

Ethics families: Rule-based

The system of ethical thought that says we should base our actions on duty and principle.

Individuals must take responsibility for who?

Themselves. They cannot rely on outside moral standards. Existentialism rejects abstract theory and academic formalism. One must choose for one's self, and choosing not to make a choice is a form of a choice. Those choices define existence.

Care based thinking

This system is often associated with Christianity, but it appears at the center of all great religious teachings. As an ideal, it's nearly universal. As a practical principle, it has weaknesses.

Aristotle advocating Golden Mean

To determine virtue. An intermediate state between the extremes of excess and deficiency. It is not an arithmetic concept; it is relativistic and circumstantial, a matter or harmony.

Hobbes solution

To use natural law and reason — Independent of God or religion — to discern principles of conduct and maintain civil society. Social contract theory would have us behave as if we were in a voluntary contract with everyone else in society, Hobbes said. It's practically impossible, so Hobbes proposed obedience to a sovereign authority as only a rightful judge.

Ethics families: Ends-based thinking

teleological ethical thinking, also known as consequentialism, examines ends of outcomes of proposed actions.