PHIL 2 Philosophy: Ethics in Contemporary Society Week 3 Topic Outlines

Week 3, PHIL23.2 Week 3 Moral Implications of Taking Human Life – Chap. 8 Moral Implications of Allowing Someone to Die – Chap. 9 Moral Implications of Abortion – Chap. 10 Applying Humanitarian Ethics

Week 3, PHIL23.3 Topic 1: Moral Implications of Taking Human Life Basic principles, rules, or guidelines to dealing with moral issues Deciding to what extent an action is moral or immoral Applying basic principles to specific moral problems and arguments for and against

Week 3, PHIL23.4 Basic Principles, Rules, or Guidelines to Dealing with Moral Issues Value of Life Principle Principle of Goodness Principle of Justice Principle of Honesty and Truth Telling Principle of Individual Freedom

Week 3, PHIL23.5 Deciding to What Extent an Action Is Moral or Immoral Are five basic principles upheld or violated? Is it rational? Does it result in the best interest of everyone, yet avoid the end-justifies- the means problem?

Week 3, PHIL23.6 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against Suicide Argument for: A person is free to make decisions affecting his or her own body.

Week 3, PHIL23.7 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) Arguments against: Suicide is irrational. Only God has the right to give and take away life. Domino argument Survivors pay unjust penalty.

Week 3, PHIL23.8 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) Killing in Defense of the Innocent Argument for: People have a right and an obligation to protect innocent lives, their own included. Arguments against: Violence breeds violence. The taking of human life is always wrong.

Week 3, PHIL23.9 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) War Arguments for: War is the best controller of overpopulation. War is the mother of invention. War is a boon to economic gain and national unity. The “just war” argument

Week 3, PHIL23.10 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) War Arguments against: War is a direct and massive violation of the Value of Life Principle. War kills many innocent noncombatants, including children.

Week 3, PHIL23.11 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) Terrorism Arguments for: Nonviolent protest is ignored and ineffective. Violent actions achieve recognition. Argument against: Excessive violence, especially against the innocent, cannot be condoned.

Week 3, PHIL23.12 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) Capital punishment Argument for: It is an effective deterrent to crime. Why should we pay to support killers in prison for long sentences? It puts teeth into the criminal law enforcement system. Killers have forfeited their rights. Rehabilitation is useless. Justice demands an eye for an eye.

Week 3, PHIL23.13 Applying Principles to Specific Moral Problems; Arguments For and Against (continued) Capital punishment Arguments against: It is a violation of the Value of Life Principle. Killing a criminal does not recompense the victim(s). It is not an effective deterrent to crime. It is possible to execute an innocent person. The criminal is denied the chance for rehabilitation.

Week 3, PHIL23.14 Topic 2: Moral Implications of Allowing Someone to Die Mercy death and mercy killing Contributions of advanced medical technology and litigious concerns Justification of allowing someone to die, mercy death, and mercy killing

Week 3, PHIL23.15 Mercy Death and Mercy Killing “Allowing someone to die” means not providing curative treatment when no cure is possible. “Mercy death” means taking a direct action to terminate a person’s life because the person has requested it; an assisted suicide.

Week 3, PHIL23.16 Mercy Death and Mercy Killing “Mercy killing” means taking a direct action to terminate a person’s life without that person’s permission or request.

Week 3, PHIL23.17 Contributions of Advanced Medical Technology and Litigious Concerns Brain death: the brain is irreversibly damaged; the person “flatlines” Persistent vegetative state or irreversible coma: cerebral cortex damage destroys cognitive function but the brain stem continues to support life function in the body

Week 3, PHIL23.18 Contributions of Advanced Medical Technology and Litigious Concerns Legal status Mercy death is specifically prohibited in 32 states. Mercy killing is outlawed in all U.S. states and most countries of the world. Medical technology can keep bodies alive indefinitely without brain function.

Week 3, PHIL23.19 Justification of Allowing Someone to Die, Mercy Death, and Mercy Killing Allowing someone to die Arguments for: A rational person has the individual right to refuse treatment. It shortens the period of suffering. A person has the right to die with dignity.

Week 3, PHIL23.20 Justification of Allowing Someone to Die, Mercy Death, and Mercy Killing (continued) Allowing someone to die Arguments against: It is tantamount to abandonment. A cure may be found. We must always choose life. It interferes with God’s divine plan.

Week 3, PHIL23.21 Justification of Allowing Someone to Die, Mercy Death, and Mercy Killing (continued) Mercy death Arguments for: A person has the right to decide when his or her life should end. We are willing to end animals’ misery; we should do the same for higher-value humans.

Week 3, PHIL23.22 Justification of Allowing Someone to Die, Mercy Death, and Mercy Killing (continued) Mercy death Arguments against: People who are suffering cannot make rational decisions. No one has the right to take an innocent life, even at that person’s request. Mercy death will domino into mercy killing. The assistant’s burden of guilt is too great. A cure may be found.

Week 3, PHIL23.23 Justification of Allowing Someone to Die, Mercy Death, and Mercy Killing (continued) Mercy killing Arguments for: The person is not fully alive. The person is a financial and emotional burden on the family and society. If the person could communicate, he or she would wish to die.

Week 3, PHIL23.24 Justification of Allowing Someone to Die, Mercy Death, and Mercy Killing (continued) Mercy killing Arguments against: It is a direct violation of the Value of Life Principle. Who is to judge the value or meaning of another’s life? It sets a dangerous precedent for the elimination of “useless” people.

Week 3, PHIL23.25 Topic 3: Moral Implications of Abortion Basic conflicting principles and positions Stages in the development of the conceptus Who should make abortion and non- abortion decisions

Week 3, PHIL23.26 Basic Conflicting Principles and Positions Against Genetic view of the beginnings of human life Sanctity or value of life argument Domino argument Danger of abortion to mother Relative safety of pregnancy Existence of viable alternatives to abortion

Week 3, PHIL23.27 Basic Conflicting Principles and Positions (cont) Against: Irrelevance of economic considerations Responsibility for sexual activity Rape and incest as no reason For: Absolute rights of women over their own bodies Birth as the beginning of human life Unwanted or deformed children

Week 3, PHIL23.28 Basic Conflicting Principles and Positions (cont) For: Relative safety of abortion No domino effect Danger of pregnancy to mother Rape and incest as valid reason Abortion as a woman’s private decision

Week 3, PHIL23.29 Stages in the Development of the Conceptus Fertilized egg divides; by the sixth day it has implanted in the uterus. 3 rd week: 2mm long and is developing parts; looks kind of like a worm. 4 th week: 5mm long and has a beating heart; resembles a tadpole.

Week 3, PHIL23.30 Stages in the Development of the Conceptus (continued) 5 th week: Gross divisions of the brain appear as well as eyes and limb buds. 6 th week: 13mm long, eyes on side of head, reptilian-looking face has connected slits where mouth and nose will be.

Week 3, PHIL23.31 Stages in the Development of the Conceptus (continued) 7 th week: tail almost gone, sexual characteristics can be seen, face is mammalian but piglike. 8 th week: face resembles primate’s, some lower brain anatomy is well- developed, fetus shows some reflex response.

Week 3, PHIL23.32 Stages in the Development of the Conceptus (continued) 10 th week: face unmistakably human appearing, males can be distinguished from females. 16 th week: faces can be distinguished between fetuses 5 th month: mother can feel movement 6 th month: lungs begin to develop

Week 3, PHIL23.33 Stages in the Development of the Conceptus (continued) Mid 7 th month: recognizably human brain activity begins 30 th week: brain waves with regular patterns typical of adult human brains appear – earlier than this, the fetus cannot think

Week 3, PHIL23.34 Who Should Make Abortion and Non-abortion Decisions? Mother Father Doctor Family Religious authority Society

Week 3, PHIL23.35 Topic 4: Applying Humanitarian Ethics Applying Humanitarian Ethics to the moral problems of taking human life Evaluating differing positions and reasons/rationale

Week 3, PHIL23.36 Applying Humanitarian Ethics to the Moral Problems of Taking Human Life Suicide – involves four of the basic principles (Value of Life, Goodness, Justice, and Freedom) As long as people are rational, they should have the final decision over whether their lives are valuable and good.

Week 3, PHIL23.37 Applying Humanitarian Ethics to the Moral Problems of Taking Human Life (continued) Defense of the Innocent – aggressors violate the five basic principles and therefore forfeit their right to equal consideration War – generally violates all five principles, yet limited war may be justified for the defense of innocent human beings

Week 3, PHIL23.38 Applying Humanitarian Ethics to the Moral Problems of Taking Human Life Capital Punishment – clearly violates Value of Life, better alternatives are available for rehabilitation, life sentences or voluntary death Allowing Someone to Die – allowing someone to die at the appropriate time is both medically and morally sound

Week 3, PHIL23.39 Applying Humanitarian Ethics to the Moral Problems of Taking Human Life (continued) Mercy Death – a request from a competent person for a mercy death is an assisted suicide, which is moral Mercy Killing – because it is a direct act to kill people without their consent, mercy killing is immoral

Week 3, PHIL23.40 Evaluating Differing Positions and Reasons/Rationale Consider the five basic principles. Are they violated and to what degree? Is the decision made by a rational person?

Week 3, PHIL23.41 Week 3 Thiroux, Jacques P. Ethics – Theory and Practice, 8th ed. Chapters 8-10