HRE4M1 U2-Ethics Test Study Notes PDF

Isabelle Fantini Ms. Stallone HRE4M1 Test Date: Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 Topics Covered on Test: Ethics → Ethical Experience: 4 Ways of Locating the Ethical in You Philosophers : Aristotle, Kant and Levinas Conceptual Framework of Acti...

Isabelle Fantini Ms. Stallone HRE4M1 Test Date: Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 Topics Covered on Test: Ethics → Ethical Experience: 4 Ways of Locating the Ethical in You Philosophers : Aristotle, Kant and Levinas Conceptual Framework of Action Conscience and Guilt MULTIPLE CHOICE, T&F, APPLICATION QUESTION, COMMUNICATION QUESTION TOPIC #1 : THE ETHICAL EXPERIENCE 4 Ways of locating the Ethical in You 1. The Scream: the experience of personal response - Humans have a natural tendency to help those in immediate danger. - We do not hesitate to respond to the call for help although we may hesitate to endanger ourselves in the process of performing a rescue. 2. The beggar : The experience of the other - Humans react deeply to human plight whether or not they take positive action to address the problem. - Giving money to a beggar generates a deep awareness of one's own compassion. - Avoiding the beggar generates deep feelings about responsibility and justice and, most importantly, a deep defensive posture to the morality of one's decision to avoid the beggar. 3. The experience of obligation - Humans react deeply to obligations whether or not they meet them. - Abiding by a curfew generates a clear conscience, even though there may be resentment if the curfew is perceived as unjust. - Breaking a curfew generates anxiety stemming from the guilt of breaking a curfew, just or unjust. 4. The intolerance: The experience of contrast - Humans are outraged when something blatantly unjust or unfair happens to ourselves or to others.  - Images of abused children, for example, generate deep feelings of outrage. TOPIC #2 : PHILOSOPHERS: ARISTOTLE, KANT AND LEVINAS Aristotle Kant Levinas Aristotle's teleological ethics Kant's ethics are centered on the Levinas believed that the face of the focused on understanding the principles of God, freedom, and Other makes us aware of our own purpose (telos) of human actions, immortality, as he believed these self-centeredness and calls us to be with the ultimate goal being the were necessary for humans to responsible for the well-being of supreme good. achieve the "supreme good." others. This responsibility is endless and reflects God's indirect touch in He emphasized moderation and the His moral philosophy values our lives. importance of cultivating virtues to autonomy and rational will, achieve excellence and live a happy, challenging individuals to act as For Levinas, true ethics arises not fulfilled life. their own moral legislators. from abstract principles but from our encounter with others, especially those in need. Levinas's philosophy emphasizes the importance of humility, generosity, and ethical responsibility in everyday life. TOPIC #3 : CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF ACTION MAIN FOCUS: Who? What? How? (with who or against who), Under what circumstances does the action happen? and with what outcome? The Conceptual Framework of Human Action. 1. Allows for understanding actions indirectly 2. Meaning of the action shifts depending on the answers 3. An action is only good when it fulfills certain condition WHO (The Agent) - The who of action, the person who makes things happen - Each person has the power to act  - The humans elf is an intending self, able to intend to fo the things - When you act you will do this rather than that. - Example: studying for an exam, who you spend time with, or have relationships with. - Free choice- an exercise and a measure of freedom. - You're responsible for what you do and for what you intend to do. - Actions shape you, you are who you are because of what you have done. Past is the past yet can influence the future by what you do in the present. - You are the agent when you intend something in the present that will change your future. - Intend to do things = reshape yourself by promises, commitments and plans made today. - For ethics important to discover your… (THESE TELL YOU WHO & OTHERS WHO YOU ARE) a. Commitments b. Beliefs about you capacities c. Image of the world d. Faith e. Hope f. Goals g. Capacity to keep your word. WHAT (The Agent) - Ethics is about the actions, what the agent does - Language expresses actions through verbs. Verbs express how humans act or interact - Action shape you both negatively and positively - Ethics is about reflecting on intentional actions by the agent. - Intentional actions = meaningful actions - Ethical theory is not concerned with a. Unintentional actions b. Involuntary bodily movements (i.e. walking, sleeping) - Only actions with intention = ethical value Why (The Motive) - We can explain and give reason for the way we act. - Motive = reason for action. - “You are what you do” who you are becoming based on your motives. - Reasons for doing things are almost endless, always appear as good-even if they are only good to you, and is to say it is worth doing. - Giving a motive = justifying an action = appeal to a value to make the action right. - You don't make a conscious value judgment each time you act. In most cases it is only afterwards that you become aware of your motive. Whether you are aware or not there is a feeling of good. How (With What Means) - How you carry out an action affects you as the agent. - Whichever means you chose will say something about you. - If you are generous to others you will become a generous person. If you are stingy, you will become a stingy person. - Borrowing without permission affects your goodness as the agent and the goodness of the action. - The end doesn't justify the means, the means qualify the action. Under What Circumstances? - The circumstances under which you do something, also has an impact on your actions. - Every action is aggravating or mitigating circumstances - The circumstances affect how much the action is yours. - In this case circumstances may reduce or increase your responsibility. - Circumstances must always be accounted for in evaluating actions. With Or Against Whom? - When justifying your action by appealing to a motive, you seek approval or seek to prevent the disapproval of someone. - In most cases, you learn to evaluate your actions by evaluating the actions of others. You assign praise or blame for the actions of others. - Every action is an interaction. - You act with others, for others or against others. - How you act in each case will affect you differently. With What Outcome? - Are you responsible for your actions? Yes. - Even if there is no intent behind something, you're responsible. TOPIC #4 : CONSCIENCE & GUIT An informed conscience considers : 1. Scripture (God's Revelation) 2. Church Teaching and Church Traditions 3. Our present christian community (Parents, chaplains, school, priest, friend)  4. Humility (we see over time we ca make mistakes in judgment) 5. The eucharist (we believe God's grace helps us) 4 Kinds of Consciences 1. Well informed conscience - This conscience is formed by using the three sources above ; scripture, church and community. At times having a well informed consents entails recognizing one's own guilt from past wrongdoings and what such an experience raught. → I.e, Once Sam was released from prison, he turned down his friend's offer to rejoin the crime ring to which Sam had belonged prior to prison. While he was in prison, he read the bible and was counseled by a priest that had shown him the error in his ways. HE IS CHANGING HIS VIEWS 2. Wrongly formed conscience - Conscience formed in information that's mistaken → I.e, One was told their boyfriend was cheating on them and broke up with him just to find out a few months later it was a rumor spread by someone who doesn't like them. 3. Lax Conscience - Not being concerned about whether or not an act is right or wrong. → I.e, When someone finished doing their basement, they took all the industrial garbage and threw it down a ditch down the side of a country road. They said “it isn't very much. It won't hurt anyone”. 4. Legalistic Conscience - Obeying rules perfectly; following the letter if the law rather than the spirit of the law → I.e, Going to school everyday even if you're sick. But she shouldn't go as she is sick and will get everyone else sick. 4 TYPES OF GUILTS 1. Warranted Guilt - When we know an act is wrong and we do it anyway and then recognize and accept what we did was in fact wrong, 2. Unwarranted Guilt  - There is no real justifiable reason to feel guilty. This guilt occurs when we have a wrongly formed conscience. 3. To Little Guilt - Becoming accustomed to sin and therefore feeling immune to wrongdoing. This guilt occurs when we have lax consciences. 4. Excessive Guilt - Guilt out of proportion to the severity of the wrongdoing. This guilt occurs when we have a legalistic conscience.