Chapter 11: Morality Pearson Longman © 2009 “This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program.” THE ART OF BEING HUMAN 9 TH EDITION

DEFINTION Morality – the study of moral systems by which significant choices are made. Moral – an adjective indicating a choice between significant options, based on principles derived from reason, family teachings, education, religion or law. Pearson Longman © 2009

MORALITY IN THE ARTS Moral themes can be found in all the arts. Literature - The Scarlet Letter Cinema – The Godfather Music – Saint Matthew’s Passion Art - Guernica Pearson Longman © 2009

THE MORALITY OF SELF- INTEREST Works that consider the question: Plato – Republic Sartre – The Respectful Prostitute Bolt – A Man for All Seasons O’ Connor – “The Idealist” Pearson Longman © 2009

THE MORALITY OF SELF- INTEREST Enlightened Self-Interest Machiavelli – The Prince Hobbs - Leviathan Politically enlightened self-interest was the only possible means to a stable and harmonious society. Pearson Longman © 2009

THE MORALITY OF SELF- INTEREST Economics and Self-Interest Adam Smith – The Wealth of Nations In a perfect society, people are free to pursue economic self-interest as long as they do not break the law. Greed itself is not immoral but a natural condition of humanity. Pearson Longman © 2009

THE MORALITY OF SELF- INTEREST Transcending Self-Interest: Altruism Altruism – the quality of acting out of concern for the welfare of others rather than one’s own. Dickens's – A Tale of Two Cities Hemingway – For Whom the Bell Tolls Pearson Longman © 2009

MORAL AUTHORITIES Jeremy Bentham – Moral Mathematics the greatest good for the greatest numbers Swift – “ A Modest Proposal” John Stuart Mill – Liberalism the majority can be wrong, and the government must balance the irresponsibility of the general population. Mill – The Tyranny of the Majority Pearson Longman © 2009

MORAL AUTHORITIES Immanuel Kant - The Moral Imperative The moral imperative – the inborn capacity to understand what is right and wrong, “the sense of ought.” Choices and actions are morally acceptable and unacceptable. Pearson Longman © 2009

MORAL AUTHORITIES Religion and Morality The major religions of the world – Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam –all provide “moral orientation” for most of the world’s population. Pearson Longman © 2009

MORAL AUTHORITIES Work and Morality The workplace is for many the means to the good life where there is world of friendship, trust and security – qualities of altruism – but it can be an adversarial world of others working for self-interest. Pearson Longman © 2009

MORAL AUTHORITIES Moral Relativism the belief that right and wrong have no definite universal meaning but must be defined within a given context. the opposite of moral absolutism, in which actions are right or wrong, regardless of the context. Pearson Longman © 2009

MORAL AUTHORITIES Feminist Morality M any cultural and religious traditions have been dominated by the male-point of view. Feminist ethics maintain that universal and impartial standards are difficult to apply when gender differences are ignored. Women’s ways of feelings and needs may alter the moral nature of situations. Pearson Longman © 2009