Moral and Ethical Theories PDF

ETHICAL THEORIES Dr Doreen Odame  Introduction A theory is a set of assumptions, propositions, or accepted facts that attempts to provide a plausible or rational explanation of cause-and-effect (causal) relationships among a group of observed phenomenon Theo...

ETHICAL THEORIES Dr Doreen Odame  Introduction A theory is a set of assumptions, propositions, or accepted facts that attempts to provide a plausible or rational explanation of cause-and-effect (causal) relationships among a group of observed phenomenon Theories are not only a valuable resource for enabling us to think through ethical issues but also form the foundation for the ethics.  ETHICAL THEORIES Ethical theories can be divided into two: – Teleological – Deontological Classical Teleogical Theory = Utilitarianism Classical Deontologiccal Theory = Immanuel Kant Ethics  TELEOLOGICAL THEORY Teleology is derived from the Greek word “telos” which means end Teleological theories hold that the rightness of actions is determined by – the amount of good consequences they produce Actions are justified on teleological theories by – virtue of the end they achieve  The Principle of Utilitarianism Classical utilitarianism states that an action is right if and only if – It produces the greatest balance of pleasure over pain for everyone The four branches of utilitarianism are: – Consequentialism, – hedonism, – maximalism, and – universalism  Consequentialism the rightness of actions is determined solely by their consequences. It requires the results or consequences of an act be measured in some way so that the good and bad consequences for different individuals can be added together and the results of different courses of action compared.  Hedonism Pleasure and the absence of pain. Thus, Pleasure and only pleasure is ultimately good. The good and bad consequences are the pleasure and pain and every act virtually produce the two.  Maximalism a right action is the one that has not merely some good consequence but also the greatest amount of good consequence possible when the bad consequence are also taken into consideration. An action may produce a great amount of pain and still be right on the utilitarian view as long as the amount of pleasure produced is greater than the amount of pain produced by other action. Hence, subtract the amount of pain produced by an action from its pleasure to yield the net pleasure  Universalism The consequences to be considered are those of everyone. It requires to consider the pleasure and pain of everyone alike, not only for ourselves or friends and family or for an organization we are part of. We are however not to ignore our personal interest but not to place it higher and no lower than the interest of anyone else. It however does not insist on promoting everyone’s interest but to consider their interest in taking an action  2. DEONTOLOGICAL THEORIES Deontology is derived from the Greek word “Deon” meaning duty. Deontological theories hold that: – We have a duty to perform certain acts not because of some benefits to ourselves or others but because of the nature of these actions or the rules from which they follow – Lying is wrong by its nature no matter the consequence They appeal to the basic notions of rights, human dignity and respect for other persons  KANTIAN ETHICS Immanuel Kant sought to restore reason to “its rightful place” in moral life. He attempted to show that there are some things we ought to do and others that we ought not to do merely by virtue of being rational. His theory can be divided into two – universalizability and respect for persons  The Principle of Universalizability Kant’s example A man finds himself forced by need to borrow money. He knows that he will not be able to repay it, but he also sees that nothing will be loaned him if he does not firmly promise to repay it at a certain time. He desires to make such promise, but he has enough conscience to ask himself whether it is not improper and opposed to duty to relieve his distress in such as way. What (morally) ought this man to do? From the teleogical perspective and from the deontological perspective?  A teleological theorist would say consider the consequences of each course of action but Kant see such consequences are morally irrelevant. Kant addressed the problem of making a lying promise with his categorical imperative principle which states that “act only on rules that you would be willing to have everyone follow”. A. Kant Principle of Universalizability If an action is right/wrong for one person, then it is right/wrong for all other relevantly similar persons in similar circumstances It counters the natural temptation to make exceptions for ourselves or to apply a double standard Implication What if everyone did that?” e.g. corruption. If everyone is corrupts, the results will be disastrous and that alone is sufficient to conclude that corruption is wrong B. Respect for Persons Kant second formulation of categorical imperative: Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. Simply put – we should respect other people (and ourselves) as human beings. Distinction of human beings from “things” or inanimate objects, is the possession of reason. Reason = the ability to posit ends and to act purposefully to achieve them.  In acting to achieve ends, human beings also have free will that enables them to create rules to govern their own conduct. Acting on self-devised laws is autonomy A rational being is therefore, a being who is autonomous. To respect other people, is to respect their capacity for acting freely, that is, their autonomy.  Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics Whereas utilitarians and Kant address the question “what actions are right”, virtue ethics ask “what kind of person should we be?” Traced to the writings of Aristotle According to Aristotle, the role of ethics is to enable us to lead successful, rewarding lives – the kind of lives that we would call “the good life”. The good life in Aristotle’s view is possible only for virtuous persons – persons who develop the traits of character that we call “the virtues”.  What is a Virtue? According to Aristotle, virtue is a character trait that manifest itself in good action. A virtue is also something that we actually practice. Honesty is not simply knowing how to tell the truth but involves habitually telling the truth. A virtue is something that we admire in a person a virtue is an excellence of some kind that is worth having for its own sake.  Aristotle considered pride and shame as virtues on grounds that we should be proud of our genuine accomplishments (but not arrogant) and be properly shamed by our failings More significantly, Aristotle lists justice among the virtues – A virtuous person not only has a sense of fair treatment but can also determine what constitute fairness.  The Nature and Value of Justice Aristotle distinguished three kinds of justice: 1. Distributive - the distribution of benefits and burdens 2. Compensatory - compensating persons for wrongs done to them 3. Retributive - punishment of wrongdoers THANK YOU