1. Intro to Philosophy
Ethical Systems

2. Preliminary Definitions:
Morality: A class of rules held by a society to govern right conduct of its members.
Ethics: A branch of philosophy that seeks to understand the nature, purposes, justification, and founding principles of moral rules and the systems they comprise.

3. Non-Normative Ethics
Non-Normative Ethics are descriptive, and do not necessarily attempt to suggest what ought to be.
1. Scientific/ Descriptive Ethics are a factual investigation of moral behavior.
Ex: A school psychologist studies why student X continually breaks a certain rule.
2. Simple Ethical Relativism states that no one objective moral standard applies to all human behavior.
Morality is always relative to time, place, and social group.
Whatever a particular group (in a specific time & place) thinks is right is right.

4. Non-Normative Ethics
3. Functional Ethical Relativism suggests that what a society deems good or right reflects its historical experience.
Behaviors conforming to these moral dictums have been functionally beneficial to it in the way they are conducive to social order, peaceful coexistence, and well-being.
Some behaviors tend to change; they can lose their contemporary functional efficacy.
The ethical systems we will study are examples of Normative Ethics. That is, they attempt to determine what moral standards ought to be followed.

5. Ethical Systems: Egoism
Egoism: The general belief that people are selfish (or look out for their own self-interest.
Psychological Egoism: A general theory about what people are like.
States that people act in our own self-interest.
Self-interest is NOT the same as selfishness.
Ethical Egoism: A NORMATIVE THEORY suggesting that people ought to look out only for our own interests.
I ought to be concerned for others only to the extent that it contributes to my own interests.

6. Ethical Theories: Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism: An ethical theory based on the “Principle of Utility” (aka “The Greatest Happiness Principle”)
States that the morally best (or better) alternative is that which produces the greatest (or greater)net utility, where utility is defined in terms of happiness or pleasure.
Goal= To maximize pleasure and minimize suffering.
Pleasure is the ultimate goal of our actions.

7. Kant’s Ethical Theory Deontology- Assessing acts.
Morality is a matter of duty.
Whether something is right or wrong does NOT depend on its consequences.
Actions are right or wrong in and of themselves.

8. Happiness vs. Reason
Happiness & reason are the only things that motivate people to act.
Morality motivates us to act, so it must be driven by either reason or happiness.
Happiness is conditional; what makes people happy differs. Happiness can be good OR bad.
But reason is universal/ categorical/ unconditional.

9. The Good Will The Good Will: Our power of rational moral choice.
Gives humans our inherent dignity.
Why we should not be a simple means to an end (utilitarian ethics).
Found in humans, but not animals (according to Kant).

10. What makes the will good?
When it acts out of duty, not out of inclination.
Acting out of inclination = doing something because it makes you feel good (or) you hope to gain something from it.
Acting out of duty = when you act out of the moral law.
How can we know what the moral law is?
We use the Categorical Imperative.

11. What is an imperative? An imperative is simply a command.
A hypothetical imperative is a command that presupposes some further goal or end.
i.e.- “If I want X, I should do Y.”
A categorical imperative is not hypothetical.
It is irrational and immoral not to obey it.
i.e.- “I must do X.”

12. Kant’s Categorical Imperative
We act on maxims (practical principles 0f action).
Morality is universal (the same for everyone).
Rationally speaking, the moral law must be obeyed.
“Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”