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
