Ethics—The Basicsby John Mizzoni

INTRODUCTION

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

Do murderers Deserve the death penalty?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

Is executing murderers morally justified because it will likely have more good consequences for society than a sentence of life in prison?

WHAT IS MORALITY?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

MORALITY refers to the ideas, beliefs, and concepts of what people value, of conduct that is right or wrong, good or bad, and of any choices and actions in the practice of that conduct.

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

PHILOSOPHY refers to “love of wisdom”, the systematic inquiry into the nature of things based on logical reasoning, or rationality.

WHAT IS MORAL PHILOSOPHY?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

MORAL PHILOSOPHY, or PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICS, refers to the systematic reasoned inquiry into the nature of morality (values, choices, principles, theories, traditions, and conduct)

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MORALITY AND MORAL PHILOSOPHY?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• Moral philosophy approaches morality through the use of logical reasoning. • It recommends moral action based on

reason. • Moral philosophy is one subset of

morality.WHAT ARE VALUES?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• Values are those people and things that we find important to us. • Values may be concrete—such as Francis

of Assisi, Gandhi, or a parent, (people) or gold or land (things); or they may be abstract—including beliefs, attitudes, preferences, rules, codes, judgments, or theories.

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• MORAL THEOLOGY approaches morality through faith and scripture as well as reason. • Moral theology recommends moral

action based on faith. • Moral theology is another subset of

morality.DO SOCIAL SCIENCES RELATE TO MORALITY?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• SOCIAL SCIENCES (e.g. anthropology, social psychology, and sociology) also approach morality through a variety of disciplinary perspectives. • They describe the morality of different

people at various times and in various places. This descriptive ethics is another subset of morality.

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

MORALITY

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• How do we begin to answer ethical questions like these?• Are there ethical standards

that can help us?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

Where do ethical standards come from? –My society?–My God? My religion?–My own rationality?–My feelings?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

Philosophers:–Think (use reason/rationality/logic)–Organize and group questions that are

similar–Formulate answers

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• The #1 value (assumption, presupposition) of moral philosophers, like other philosophers, is RATIONALITY.

• Rationality implies at least three things:– Free choice– Impartiality– Universalizability

Rationality is fundamental to philosophy.REASON RULES! REASONS RULE!

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

WHAT IS “JUSTIFICATION”?In moral philosophy, justification is providing rational arguments—reasons and evidence—to support:— ethical assumptions, — ethical premises, and — ethical conclusions

REASON RULES! REASONS RULE!

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

What are the four basic concerns of ethics?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• One basic ethical concern is the philosophical problem of the origins of ethics.• There are answers to this question,

but it is hard to know which answers are the correct answers.

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• A second basic ethical concern is the philosophical problem of relativism.• Is ethics always a direct function

of society?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• A third basic ethical concern is the philosophical problem of human nature.•What is essential

to being human?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

• A fourth basic ethical concern is the philosophical problem of right and wrong.•What makes something

morally right or morally good, morally wrong or morally bad?

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

What is the structure of ethics?

–Concepts, e.g., good, happiness –Principles, e.g., “Utility”–Theories, e.g., act-utilitarianism–Traditions, e.g., utilitarian ethics

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

The Structure of Ethics

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

What is the organization of ethics?–What is ethics and what is not ethics

(metaethics)–Ethical theories and traditions

(normative ethics)–Use of theories to solve real problems

(applied ethics)

Ethics—The BasicsINTRODUCTION

METAETHICS

The Organization of Ethics