You Are What You Do In Search of the Good, chapter 2

Quick Review Aristotle’s teleological view: the role of desire for the good Kant’s deontological view: role of duty & obligation Levinas’ relational theory of ethics (the face of another): calls forth in us the Good

Richard M. Gula To speak of the human person as a SUBJECT is to say that the person is in charge of his or her own life. That is, the person is a moral agent with a certain degree of AUTONOMY and self-direction empowered to act according to his or her OWN CONSCIENCE, in freedom, and with knowledge.

Humans: animals but different We are rational, i.e., we think Our response is not automatic / predictable ▫We can be spontaneous or predictable (not instincts alone) ▫We have a freedom to choose

The Heart of Ethics: Human Agency Agent, a person who: acts freely and knowingly, chooses to do or not to do something; is accountable for his or her actions or omissions.

Action Theory From Analytic Philosophy, from the Logical Positivists (e.g., Ludwig Wittgenstein) gives insight into our human capacity to do something: ▫examines the language we use to communicate our action ▫helps us to understand what constitutes a meaningful action.

Human Actions the fibre of what makes us what we are give us our identity building blocks of who we are & who we become are not events standing apart on their own, ▫they are not “out there”

Freedom Potential Capacity Power to act Action The realization of that power

To use your freedom To change the course of events To change the world

Focus of Action Theory Not first on WHAT is done But, on WHO it is done by An action requires an AGENT

Ethics examines One’s capacity to make things happen in the world

The Conceptual Framework of Action Paul Ricoeur We cannot directly observe or directly describe our capacity to make things happen. We have a sense of “I can do this…” We deduce the ability from what others do.

Key Questions from the Framework Who? What? Why? How? With whom or against whom? Under what circumstances? With what outcome? the answers: to understand action indirectly.

The meaning of an action Changes according to the answers to the questions An action is good only if certain conditions are fulfilled An action is not just good in itself

The Morality of Human Acts Depends on: The object chosen (what) The end view or intention (outcome) The circumstances of the action

The Agent: Who? One who makes things happen An intending self One with free choice Free choice: Exercise Measure of freedom

We are responsible For: ▫What we do ▫What we intend to do We are shaped by: ▫Our actions ▫Our intentions ▫Our promises and commitments

Ethics looks at: Commitments Beliefs Capacities Image of the world Faith Hopes Goals Who you are

What? The Action What the agent does Ethics reflects on intentional actions (MEANINGFUL ACTIONS) not reflexes, involuntary responses Ethical value comes from actions with intention

The Motive: Why? Our reasons for doing something: always appear as a good (to us at least) say why the action is worth doing justify our actions, i.e., appeal to a value to make it right are not always expressed may not be the result of a conscious value judgment, ▫awareness only comes after the action

Ethics is what we do: when we reflect on values embedded in our decisions and intentions when we examine the values that make life human.

With What Means? How? Our means affects ▫Our goodness as agent ▫The goodness of our actions THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS! “One may not do evil so that good may result from it.” CCC #1761

With or Against Whom? To “Justify” behaviour ▫Looking for approval ▫Avoiding disapproval We learn to evaluate actions by evaluating those of others ▫Assigning blame ▫Or praise Actions are interactions: they affect ourselves and others

With What Outcome? The results of our actions, INTENDED OR NOT, affects the self for good or for bad