Ethics, Morality, and Moral Philosophy

• Study notes on ethics, moral philosophy, moral theories, and justice

Ethics

• Originates from the Greek word "ethos," meaning character or custom.
• A set of rules or principles that help people decide what is good or bad, right or wrong.
• Shaped by values, beliefs, and culture.

Morality

• Originates from the Latin word "moralis," referring to customs or manners.

Moral Philosophy

• A broad field exploring the origins, existence, and justification of ethical rules.
• Ethics explains "what to do."
• Moral philosophy explains the "why and how" of decision-making.
• Ethics helps us act; moral philosophy helps us understand the reasoning behind actions.

Reasons Why Ethics Matter

• Guiding personal behavior by instilling integrity and accountability.
• Promoting social harmony through cooperation and understanding.
• Encouraging critical thinking by engaging with ethical questions.
• Influenced by policy and governance. This includes laws and social norms.

Nature and Scope of Ethics

• Moral reasoning is a key aspect.
• Moral dilemmas also factor in.

Moral Reasoning

• The process of thinking about what is right and wrong.

Moral Dilemma

• A situation requiring a choice between two actions with both good and bad aspects.

Why Rules Matter

• Cooperation: teamwork
• Law and Order: maintain structure and predictability
• Equality: fairness
• Accountability: taking responsibility
• Rights Protection: protecting individual rights and freedoms.

Impacts of Breaking Rules

• Ruins trust by damaging relationships and teamwork
• Interferes with harmony and disrupting peace
• Stalls progress by maintaining chaos and instability
• Keeps consequences like punishments or negative outcomes.

Key Branches of Ethics

• Normative Ethics
• Metaethics
• Applied Ethics

Normative Ethics

• Focuses on standards or norms.

Metaethics

• Focuses on ethical statements and judgments.

Applied Ethics

• Involves the practical application of ethical principles.

Consequentialism

• Focuses on outcomes or consequences.

Utilitarianism

• Seeks happiness or benefit to the most people.

Types of Consequentialism

• Act Consequentialism
• Rule Consequentialism

Act Consequentialism

• Individual actions and their outcomes are judged by how much happiness they create.

Rule Consequentialism

• Following certain rules leads to the best outcome.

Jeremy Bentham

• Deals with quantity and is the founder of Utilitarianism.
• Believed actions are right if they bring happiness and wrong if they cause pain.

John Stuart Mill

• Deals with quality.
• Believed that some pleasures like intellectual ones are more valuable than others like physical ones.

Deontology

• Focuses on duties and rules.
• Some actions are right or wrong regardless of the outcome

Duty-Based Ethics

• Moral duties must be followed, regardless of the results.

Categorical Imperative

• Proposed by Immanuel Kant.
• States to act only in ways that you believe everyone should act.

Immanuel Kant

• Argued that rational principles must guide moral actions and that individuals should always treat others as ends in themselves, not merely as means to an end.
• Was the most influential deontologist.
• Believed in the importance of reason and moral law.

Virtue Ethics

• Focuses on the character of the moral agent.

Character Over Action

• Ethical behavior comes from being a good person rather than following rules or evaluating consequences.

The Golden Mean

• Attributed to Aristotle.
• Virtue lies between two extremes such as excess and deficiency.

Aristotle

• Father of virtue ethics.
• Believed developing good character traits helps achieve eudaimonia (human flourishing).

Justice

• The principle of fairness.

Importance of Justice

• Maintains social order.
• Ensures recognized and protected rights.
• Promotes accountability.
• Discourages wrongdoing.
• Promotes trust.

Main Types of Justice

• Distributive Justice
• Retributive Justice
• Restorative Justice
• Social Justice

Distributive Justice

• Fair distribution of resources and benefits within society.

Retributive Justice

• Punishment for wrongdoing.

Restorative Justice

• Repairing the harm.

Social Justice

• Need for equality and fair treatment.

Human Rights

• The basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death.

Basic Human Rights

• Right to life
• Right to liberty and security
• Right to equality before the law
• Freedom of expression
• Right to privacy
• Right to education
• Right to work and fair wages
• Freedom of assembly
• Right to participate in government
• Right to a fair trial: public trial, fair and impartial trial, and legal representation.