What is ethics?/Teleology v. Deontology

ethics...

- a branch of the field of philosophy; search for wisdom and truth - greek ethos: custom or usage - a theory or system of moral values - SYSTEMATIC study of GENERAL principles of right and wrong behavior

illustrate the difference between:

- a moral principle - a religious principle - a legal rule - a principle of etiquette

how do we assess ethical acts?

- action- right or wrong? - consequences - character/virtue - motive

universal

- apply to all who are in a similar situation - evaluative judgements: golden rule

descriptive morality

- beliefs, customs, principles and practices - how we (as a cultural group) define morality and act in moral ways

teleology

- concerned with the consequences of the act - pleasure, happiness, health, satisfaction, benefit ---utilitarianism (act&rule) ---ethical egoism ---altruism ---ethical objectivism (looks at consequences)

what is the price?

- damaged reputation - actual harm to ppl, bus., enviro.... - loss of revenue, donations, etc. - downsizing, bankruptcy - increased regulation of industry - lawsuits, criminal charges

deontology

- duty to follow universal truths - duty done for duty's sake ---divine command theory(got tells us what the rules are) ---kant's categorical imperative ---virtue based ethics - concerned with the act itself deontology = duty universal truths - have to follow them kant - "man knows these rules, god doesn't need to tell us"

some don't fit...

- ethical relativism - ethical objectivism

Morality...

- latin moris: conduct or way of life - describes SPECIFIC, culturally transmitted standards of right and wrong - prescribes action - broad acceptance (bible, torah, koran.. over time, they have become almost interchangeable)

publicity

- make moral principles known - how we pass our moral history

prescriptive

- practical, or ACTION-GUIDING nature of morality - "do not kill"

traits of moral principles

- prescriptive - universal - over-ridingness - publicity - practicability

moral philosophy

- understanding concepts and theories systematically - analyzes what is "right," "wrong," or "permissible"

categorical imperative

- we are to do that right act no matter the consequences - never treat anyone merely as a means to an end - instead, treat everyone as an end in themselves

3 divisions of ethics

1. descriptive morality 2. moral philosophy (ethical theory) 3. applied ethics (theory seeks to describe how people make moral decisions)

applied ethics

examines controversial moral topics... drinking/smoking age

practicability

its got to make sense and work

over-ridingness

moral principles override other kinds of principles