Philosophy March 22nd Objective Opener Explain and apply Aristotle’s virtue ethics to a situation. Imagine that you are everything you could be, that you have actualized all of your potential. What adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Thought Probe: Lying with Care Suppose your best friend stole some medicine that he needed but couldn’t afford from a company that you work for. Should you lie to protect him from the law? What if it was something they didn’t need, like a CD?

Criteria of adequacy for moral decisions Justice – treat equals equally Mercy – do not cause unnecessary suffering Utility (beneficence) - maximize happiness Rights (autonomy) – do not violate others’ rights Care – exhibit care for those who have cared for you

The I CARE Method of Making Ethical Decisions Identify the relevant facts. Consider the Alternative courses of action. Rate the various alternatives in terms of the moral criteria of adequacy. Effect a decision based on the rating.

Thought Probe: The Zygmanic Brothers Lester Zygmanic killed his quadriplegic brother George at his request. Use the I CARE method to determine whether Lester did the right thing. Apply I CARE to the Prom situation.

Section 5.4 Character Is Destiny Virtue Makes Right © 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved. McGraw-Hill

Morality and the Good Life A system of morality should help us live a good life. A strict adherence to utilitarianism or Kantianism, however, may be an impediment to a good life.

The Virtuous Utilitarian Every action one performs should be designed to maximize happiness. Problem: Given all the poverty in the world, spending money on oneself would rarely produce more happiness than spending it on the needy.

The Virtuous Kantian Every action should be in accordance with one’s duty. Problem: Acting out of respect for persons in general may prevent us from realizing the goods of love, friendship, affection, fellow-feeling, and community.

Thought Experiment: Stocker’s Hospitalized Patient You are hospitalized and bored when Smith comes in to cheer you up. Smith seems to be a real friend. However, Smith explains that he is just doing his duty. Stocker suggests that Smith lacks concern for the hospitalized person himself.

Duty and Empathy To truly act out of duty, one must understand one’s duty. To understand one’s duty, one must be able to empathize with others. So if Smith doesn’t empathize with the patient, he is acting out of an impoverished sense of duty.

Thought Probe: Empathy and Agency Can someone without a conscience – without the ability to empathize with others – act morally? Can he or she be a moral agent? If not, what should we do with these people?

The Purpose of Morality Obeying moral rules that override self-interest makes it more likely that we will all accomplish our goals. To get people to act morally, we need to cultivate moral sentiments such as compassion, sympathy, and trust.

Aristotle on Virtue A virtue is an admirable human quality—admirable either because it is good for the person who has it or because it is good for other people. Moral virtues such as courage, temperance, friendliness, and justice help us lead a balanced life. One does not live the good life to get something else, the good life is the ultimate human goal.

Virtue Ethics According to virtue ethics, the fundamental ethical question should be “What sort of person should I be?” instead of “What sorts of actions should I perform.” In this view, questions about what constitutes the good life would be of paramount importance.

Train in the ways of Virtue When properly trained in virtue, virtuous habits will be pleasurable and vice will be painful When one has a corrupt character, when one embodies vice regularly, virtuous acts will seem uncomfortable. Train to acquire habits of virtue to get pleasure from doing the right thing.

Acts determine Character A virtuous act must be done With the knowledge of the virtue which is embodied With the person’s free choice Done willingly because it is known to be right, not from expectation.

Virtues are not feelings Feelings happen to us Actions happen from us You cannot be praised or blamed for your feelings. Virtue is to be found in what one does when one is angry

Moderation between 2 Extremes Deficient Virtuous Excessive Selfish Generous Wasteful Cowardly Rash Boor Buffoon Self-deprecating Boastful Disconnected Self-aggrandizing Quarrelsome Flattering spiteful envious Reflect back on the opener. How many virtuous adjectives did you use to describe your actualized self?

Reconsider the prom date scenario What would Aristotle say for Jennifer to do? If Jennifer did ditch Jim, what would Aristotle say his reaction and further action should be?

Closer-Thought Probe: The Ring of Gyges Suppose there were two rings that made their wearers invisible. One is given to a virtuous person and the other to an outlaw. Would the virtuous person eventually become an outlaw?

Crash Course Skits

Ethics Case Study Skits Objectives: Students will hone their ability to think within the framework presented by all of the ethical systems studied. Students will work on critical thinking skills, abilities to analyze ethical situations, and express complex ideas clearly and convincingly. You will have the half the class to write and practice your assigned skit based on your ethical situation. You must have one character present a case from each of the ethical systems (Utilitarianism, Deontology, Social Contract, Care Ethics, Virtue Ethics). You will present your skit the last 25 minutes of class. After each presentation, your classmates will try to identify which character was utilizing which system.