Ethical Experience Overview

Study Notes

Human ethical experience manifests through four distinct ways: The Scream, The Beggar, The Experience of Obligation, and The Intolerance, each revealing a unique facet of our ethical nature.
The Scream: This experience highlights our innate inclination to help those in immediate danger, demonstrating the powerful human impulse to respond to suffering. However, it acknowledges that this impulse can be tempered by the instinct for self-preservation.
The Beggar: Engaging with the plight of others, whether offering assistance or choosing to avoid them, unveils profound reflections on our capacity for compassion, responsibility, and the justifications we use to navigate our moral choices.
The Experience of Obligation: Our reactions to obligations, whether fulfilling them or breaking them, reveal the force of conscience and its impact on our sense of self.
The Intolerance: Witnessing blatant injustice, either towards ourselves or others, fuels a deep sense of outrage, underscoring our innate aversion to unfairness and our commitment to upholding principles of justice.

Aristotle: His teleological ethics emphasize understanding the purpose (telos) of human actions, striving towards the ultimate good, advocating for moderation, and cultivating virtues for excellence and a fulfilling life.
Kant: Kant focuses on God, freedom, and immortality as necessary for achieving the "supreme good". He emphasizes autonomy, rational will, and the responsibility of individuals to act as moral legislators.
Levinas: Levinas's ethics center on the "face of the Other," challenging self-centeredness and urging us to act responsibly towards the wellbeing of others. This responsibility is unending and reflects God's indirect touch in our lives. He proposes that true ethics stem from our encounters with others, especially those in need. He emphasizes humility, generosity, and ethical responsibility in everyday life.

Main Focus: This framework aims to understand actions by analyzing Who (the agent), What (the action), How (with whom or against whom), Under what circumstances the action takes place, and What outcome results from the action.
Understanding Actions Indirectly: This framework provides insights into the indirect consequences and hidden meanings behind actions.
Shifting Meaning: The meaning of an action changes based on the answers provided to these core questions.
Goodness of Action: An action is considered good only when it fulfills certain conditions, determined by the framework's analysis.
The Agent (Who): This refers to the person who initiates and carries out the action. Each person holds the power to act and reshape their own future. Actions shape who we become, reflecting our choices and intentions.