1. Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe Lewis University June 2009 Teaching Ethics at Universities in the United States

2. Traditional Courses for Undergraduates These courses provide an overview of historical European ethical theories. They are meant to provide students with a guide to finding solutions for ethical problems and issues. Because the philosophers have different types of ethical views, the students learn to think critically about each one. They also show students alternatives to the everyday notions of ethics.

3. Ancient Greek Ethics Plato (427 -347 B.C.) His ethics focuses on how to achieve virtue (in ancient Greek arete meaning excellent, good, virtuous) Plato/Socrates question(s) how we know what is virtuous Do we know what virtue means? If we cannot define it, then how can we achieve it? Several dialogues focus on virtue and ethics without providing an answer: Meno (main characters are Socrates and a young man named Meno) Gorgias (the main debate is between Socrates and Callicles) The Republic (Socrates narrates a conversation on justice)

4. Aristotle and Virtue Ethics Background on Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Plato’s Student The Nichomachean Ethics Focus on happiness In ancient Greek eudaimonia means well being or having a good spirit within the soul. For Aristotle all humans have a goal of happiness. The Doctrine of the Mean To be virtuous one must do things, at the right time in the right way, toward the right people, etc. The ultimate or complete type of happiness Divine contemplation (in Greek the word is theoria)

5. Modern European Ethics I Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) German philosopher His ethics is known as deontology (deon=necessary) Main Issues for Kant The Good Will What is of primary importance is that our will is good. Happiness cannot be the goal because it can be unethical Categorical Imperative Act according to that maxim (subjective principle) that you can at the same time will to become a universal law (objective principle) The Kingdom of Ends A kingdom in which all rational beings stand under common moral laws in which they treat each other as ends rather than means

6. Modern European Ethics II John Stuart Mill, 1806-1873, English philosopher His ethics is called utilitarianism Main Issues of Utilitarianism The Greatest Happiness Principle Actions are right if they promote happiness, they are wrong if they promote pain. Focus on Consequences not Intentions Similar to Cost/Benefit Analysis in Economics Focus on the Majority Why Mill Opposes Kant

7. New Ways of Teaching Ethics Courses continue to address the above mentioned ethical theories Added focus on contemporary issues Added emphasis on multiculturalism

8. Multicultural Approaches I Ancient Asian Ethics Confucius (551-449 B.C.) China Role of propriety or li His version of the Golden Rule Bhagavad Gita (6 th century B.C.?, India) Role of dharma Reincarnation and the soul Emphasis on reaching Brahman

9. Multicultural Approaches II African and Latin American Ethics Kwame Nkrumah (1909 – 1972) Ghana His concept of philosophical consciencism Africans need to unite Christian, Muslim, and Colonial aspects with African culture (Pan-Africanism) Begins with the present African conscience Need to create a new set of humanist principles Focus on the material aspects of life (like Karl Marx) This view is evolutionary and adaptable (unlike Kant) Emphasis on the community rather than the individual Paulo Freire (1921 – 1997) Brazil His new pedagogy is an education for the oppressed One must be educated so one can be liberated Both the oppressor and oppressed are dehumanized Frantz Fanon (1925 – 1961) Martinique Problem of colonization Solution: achieving cultural relativity (a new form of equality)

10. Feminist Approaches to Ethics Care Ethics Historical European theories leave out emotions This type of ethics tries to emphasize maternal characteristics Simone de Beauvoir and The Second Sex (1949) Women are viewed as the other and inferior Men are considered subjects, women are objects bell hooks and the interconnection of sex, race, class She critiques feminism as being only focused on gender Race and class factor into oppression All three concepts are linked and should not be separated

11. Applied Ethics Beyond Ethical Theories – How to Apply Ethics The movement began with medical ethics Grew to include business, legal, and engineering ethics Required courses Often a Business College will require students to study business ethics Engineering programs also require it Hospitals include medical ethicists on staff

12. Main Reference Gregory, Wanda Torres and Donna Giancola, editors. World Ethics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003.