Introduction to Ethics Scott Rae, Moral Choices Ch. 1

Plato – The ring of Gyges –You could be invisible –You could do anything without being seen or caught –Would you want to be moral? –Why be moral?

Why Study Ethics? Moral questions are at the heart of life’s most important questions. –Questions of right and wrong –What is a good person? –What constitutes a good life? –What would a good society look like?

Why Study Ethics? Many professions deal with ethical questions. –Law –Politics –Medicine –Business –Athletics

Ethics in Societies Most people would not want to live in a society that gives little importance to right and wrong. “In fact, it is unlikely that any sort of civilized society could continue unless it had concern for important moral values such as fairness, justice, truthfulness, and compassion.”

Many issues involve ethics. –Abortion –Euthanasia –Sexuality –War –Capital punishment These are the “big” issues, but everyday questions of honesty and integrity are even more important in showing who you are and shaping who you become.

People face moral choices every day. –Whether to be truthful To friends – To strangers –Whether to be fair to all or just some To friends only? –Whether to cheat or not Taxes Work results – hours, quotas, etc. School work – copying others’ work, tests, assignments

The basis on which you make moral choices is often as important as the choices themselves. Few people have thought through the way in which they justify their conceptions of right and wrong.

Key Terms Morality –Principles regarding right or wrong –Internal Ethics –Rules of conduct in a particular culture or setting. –External

Major Categories Descriptive ethics –Describes the morals of society –Simply describes what people do. Normative ethics –Prescribes what people should do. –Involves arguments for what is right/wrong – what should be done.

Virtue ethics –Focuses on the virtues produced in people rather than the morality of specific acts. –Virtue and character is seen as important as how we resolve moral dilemmas. Major Categories

Moral judgments involve four specific considerations: –Consider the action itself. –Evaluate the motive of the person. –Evaluate the consequences of your actions and decisions. –Evaluate the character of the moral actor.

Ethical Systems 1. Deontological systems Based on principles in which actions (or character, or even intentions) are inherently right or wrong. –Divine command theory –Natural law

2. Teleological systems Based on the end result of an action. –The consequences determine whether something is right or wrong. –Utilitarianism is the most common form. the action that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people 3. Relativism Right and wrong are not absolute but changing according to one’s culture or one’s own personal preferences.