What is Ethics?

Watch Stephen Fry on God - The Meaning Of Life

Objectives:

1. To define ethics.2. To encourage students to consider how

they come to moral decisions. 3. To introduce three ethical theories and

consider how each would approach moral issues.

LOOK AT THE ‘MAKING MORAL DECISIONS’ SHEET.

In pairs consider each of the moral dilemmas outlined on the sheet.

What would you do in each situation?

How did you reach your conclusions? Did your partner agree with you?

WHAT IS ETHICS?

The term ‘ethics’ comes from the Greek word ethikos, meaning ‘character’.

It can be translated as ‘custom’ and refers to the customary way people act in society.

Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with morality.

Today modern ethics is concerned with four fundamental questions:

1. Do good/bad and right/wrong exist?

2. What is meant by the moral terms good/bad and right/wrong?

3. Are there good/bad and right/wrong actions?

4. What should the individual or society do in order to be morally good or right?

From the earliest times, philosophers have attempted to answer these questions.

They have put forward a variety of theories explaining how we should come to moral decisions.

Here are 4 of them.

UTILITARIAN ETHICS

A THEORY PUT FORWARD BY JEREMY BENTHAM (His mummified body is still on show at King’s College, London!)

When you are making an ethical decision you must:

a. decide what action would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people;

b. or what action would bring the least amount of unhappiness to the most people.

c. not take personal relationships into account.

NATURAL LAW ETHICS

A THEORY PUT FORWARD BY THOMAS AQUINAS.

When you make an ethical decision you must:

a. use your reason;b. follow the first precept (rule) which is to

preserve life;c. as far as possible keep to what is

natural, i.e. part of the natural scheme of things.

KANT’S ETHICS

A THEORY PUT FORWARD BY IMMANUEL KANT.

When you make an ethical decision, you must:

a. act only out of duty, not for any ulterior motive;

b. only do something that you would be happy for everyone else to do in the same situation.

CHRISTIAN ETHICS

A THEORY DERIVED FROM THE BIBLE, ESPECIALLY THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS AND SAINT PAUL.

When you make an ethical decision you must:

a. Consider Jesus’ main teachings – - love God - love your neighbour - love your enemy - do not judge others - treat others as you would like to be treated.

… even if that even if that person is acting person is acting in a completely in a completely irrational and irrational and

destructive way destructive way ….?….?

NOW RETURN TO THE ‘MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS’ SHEET.

How would a utilitarian, Natural Law theorist, a Kantian theorist and a Christian decide how to act in each of the dilemmas?

Which ethical theory do you most identify with?

Situation 1

You witness a car crash. The wreckage is burning, but you may be able to save one of the two passengers. To your horror, you realise that one is your father and the other is a famous cancer specialist on the brink of a breakthrough.

WHO DO YOU SAVE?

Situation 2

You are close to a breakthrough with a new medical treatment, but to complete your work you must carry out some particularly slow and painful experiments on animals. WHAT DO YOU DO?

WHO DO YOU SAVE?

Situation 3

Your ship goes down and you’re lost in the sea with three others, in a life raft. You have no food. There is no immediate hope of rescue. Two could survive by eating the third: otherwise, all three of you will die.WHAT DO YOU DO?

WHO DO YOU SAVE?

Situation 4One night in a concentration camp, a girl is raped and some of her uniform is taken away by the rapist. Prisoners who are incorrectly dressed are shot by the guards.SHOULD SHE ACCEPT HER FATE OR STEAL FROM SOMEONE ELSE?

WHO DO YOU SAVE?

Situation 5

You are close to a breakthrough with a new medical treatment, but to complete your work you must carry out some particularly slow and painful experiments on animals. WHAT DO YOU DO?

WHO DO YOU SAVE?

Situation 6

An unattractive man/woman offers to give a million pounds to the charity of your choice if you spent one night with him/her. WHAT DO YOU DO?

Sophie’s World

What kind of questions do philosophers ask?

Explain the analogy of the magic trick.Why do you think people stop asking

questions about the universe and our existence?

Sophie’s World

Are you interested in the questions philosophers ask?

How did you fell about the arguments for God’s existence in Year 10? Is this the kind of question you want to be debating?

What kind of questions do you ask? Do you ask questions at all?