Ethics and Utilitarianism Concepts Quiz

Critical Approach & Business Ethics

• This course covers ethical theories and decision-making in business.
• Week 2 objectives include understanding and applying different ethical theories, describing their advantages and disadvantages, and understanding the social origins of ethical decision-making.

Ethical Theories: A Moral Compass

• Ethical decisions in business are complex and require transparency.
• Ethical theories function as a moral compass for consistent answers to ethical questions.
• Ethical pluralism acknowledges diverse moral convictions and recognizes a consensus on basic principles.
• Ethical theories should be complementary, not mutually exclusive.

Consequentialist and Non-consequentialist Theories

• Consequentialist ethics evaluates actions based on their outcomes.
• Non-consequentialist ethics assesses actions based on moral principles, regardless of outcomes.

Utilitarianism

• Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory.
• The rightness of an action is determined by maximizing well-being for the greatest number.
• Well-being is the sole source of value.
• Maximizing one's own happiness or profit is not utilitarian; it's simple egoism.

Utilitarianism: Key Characteristics

• Consequentialism: Focuses on the outcomes of actions.
• Welfarism: Values well-being as the sole good.
• Maximalism: Aims to maximize well-being.
• Universalism: Considers the well-being of all affected.

The Impartial Spectator

• Utilitarianism necessitates concern for the happiness of all affected, not just one's own.
• This requires impartiality, like that of a disinterested and benevolent spectator.

Utilitarianism: Pros and Cons

• Pros: Provides clear guidance for moral decision-making; impartial and universal; adaptable to different circumstances; empirically grounded.
• Cons: Difficult to predict or measure consequences; can conflict with moral convictions such as human rights; ignores important factors like motives, intentions, and character.

The Costs and Benefits of Calculating Costs and Benefits

• A human life is estimated at 6.7 million Swiss Francs in Switzerland.
• Cost-benefit analysis was used during the Covid-19 pandemic to evaluate the economic costs of lockdowns vs. lives saved.

The Summers Memo

• Economist Lawrence Summers argued for the migration of polluting industries to lower-income countries.
• This was based on the idea that environmental damage would be minimized overall from an economic perspective.
• This "lowest cost" approach raises significant ethical concerns about social justice and fairness.

Effective Altruism

• Effective altruism emphasizes maximizing beneficial impact.
• It incorporates philosophical and social strategies to benefit others.
• "Earning to give" is a core concept, advocating maximal income generation with charitable donations.
• Inspired by philosopher Peter Singer's arguments for obligations to help extreme poverty.

Deontology

• Deontological theories center on the moral obligation and the rightness of an action based on conformity with moral norms rather than outcomes.
• Moral norms should be universally applicable.
• They usually take a strictly principled and absolute position with regards to moral issues.

Deontology: Ethics of Duties

• Immanuel Kant's deontological approach emphasizes humans as rational beings.
• Actions are judged based on their consistency with universally applicable rules, without regard to outcomes.
• Human dignity and respect for rational autonomy are central concepts.
• The categorical imperative (“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law") is a key principle for creating rules and guidelines.

Deontology: Pros and Cons

• Pros: Respects intrinsic value and human dignity; strong moral intuitions around duties; focuses on intentions and actions within one's control.
• Cons: Can be too inflexible in complex situations; difficult to resolve conflicts between duties.

Virtue Ethics

• Virtue ethics focuses on moral character rather than specific actions or outcomes.
• Key traits include honesty, self-control, fidelity, courage.
• It's about developing good character traits through learning, habits, and community interactions.

Virtue Ethics: Pros and Cons

• Pros: Flexible and adaptable to diverse situations; emphasizes good moral motivations; encourages self-improvement and ethical development.
• Cons: Can lack clear guidance in ethical dilemmas; may vary widely due to judgment differences.

Ethics of Rights

• Humans possess basic, inalienable, and unconditional entitlements.
• Rights theories provide a foundation for constitutional rights, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• The right to own property is a fundamental concept with philosophical interpretations and implications for individuals and society.

John Rawls: Justice as Fairness

• Rawls proposed principles of justice based on a thought experiment called the "veil of ignorance."
• Aiming to decide on principles of justice without personal biases.

Combining Ethical Theories

• A pluralistic approach integrates different ethical theories to solve a complex issue.
• It views ethical considerations on an overlapping basis rather than exclusionary.

Applying the theory: Case studies

• Students will apply ethical theories to case studies from their professional lives.
• Groups will analyze a real-world dilemma and present their findings.

Ethical Decision-Making: Who's in the Driver's Seat

• Most ethical theories assume rational people make decisions, but evidence suggests that emotion plays a significant role.
• Humans are social creatures with innate morality, which influences their decisions..

The Social Origins of Morality

• Social animals share a basic system of moral behavior based on reciprocity and compassion.
• Selfishness is less useful where social connections are effective.
• Empathy, including synchronization and consolation, enables us to understand and share the feelings of others.

What "Triggers" Immoral Behavior

• Power dynamics, psychological and physical distance, and groupthink.
• Conformity experiments (like Asch's experiments) demonstrate the power of peer pressure on individuals.

Individual Factors

• National and cultural characteristics; psychological factors; cognitive moral development; personal values.

Situational Factors

• Issue-related factors, like moral intensity and moral framing.
• Context-related factors, like rewards, authority, and bureaucracy.

Evaluating Business Ethics

• Normative ethical theories (egoism, utilitarianism, ethics of duties, and rights).

Conclusion

• Ethical evaluation is a complex process with multiple perspectives, often requiring the use of a pluralistic approach.

Test your understanding of utilitarianism and its principles, including individual happiness, impartiality, and flexibility in ethical decision-making. This quiz explores the fundamental ideas of consequentialism and challenges posed by utilitarianism in moral contexts. Ideal for students studying ethics or philosophy.