Normative Ethical Theories - Essay Plans

• Examine Aquinas' NML A01

  - primary precepts

  - secondary precepts

  - proportionalism

  - four fold division
• Aquinas NML A02

  - strength: deontological. Help people know exactly how to respond in any given situation

  - weakness: inflexible and not culturally relative

  - strength: bible based. Welcomed by Christians around the world

  - weakness: not everyone considers biblical ethics to be morally right

  - strength: teleological: provides a foundation. Enables people to establish common rules by which people can live in an ordered society. Sets firm boundaries for moral behaviour

  - weakness: people have different beliefs and aims in life. Some rules do not work for people
• Examine Fletcher's Situation Ethics A01

  - middle way between legalism and antinomianism / context of 1960s

  - teleological / situational

  - bible based. Jesus was a situationist

  - focus on agape love. Link to personalism
• Fletcher SE A02

  - strength: based on Jesus's life; he acted situationally. Built around agapeic love displayed by Jesus. Ideal formula when faced with problems bcs it focuses on most loving action

  - weakness: more modern way of approaching problems. Basing decisions on the bible is outdated

  - strength: individual autonomy: ignore rules which do not fit a situation. Gives more freedom

  - weakness: too much responsibility on the individual. People need rules. If not can lead to selfishness

  - strength: promotes moral justice: forces people to analyse situations in terms of the desired end. Motivates people to improve society

  - weakness: could lead to obsessive love being mistaken as agape love
• Examine Aristotle's Virtue Ethics A01

  - character based

  - end goal of eudaimonia

  - golden mean. Link to courage. Also justice

  - fruitcake analogy
• Aristotle's VE A02


  - strength: human centered: values strength of moral character above rules. Eg janitor story

  - weakness: cultural differences in what is considered virtuous

  - strength: moral judgement: make decisions based on what seems virtuous rather than consequences or rules conflicting

  - weakness: lack of rules means there is a lot of pressure on individuals to act in a virtuous manner despite not knowing how it is defined. Aristotle's ideas outdated

  - strength: teleological focus of eudaimonia: good for own wellbeing and society. Tries to improve yourself and your virtuous side

  - weakness: better suited for individual morality. Cannot be used for politics as laws are based on the majority rather than an individual. Therefore may not align with our individual virtue system
• NML abortion A01

  - abortion goes against primary precept of preservation of life and reproduction

  - double effect (defies first rule: nature of act. Many believe it is not moral)

  - secondary precepts: do not kill

  - proportionalism: only allows double effect, just war and a starving man stealing. Assesses the value and disvalue and intention
• NML abortion A02

  - strength: bible based. Bible says to care for pregnant women

  - weakness: atheists disagree. Not everyone agrees with biblical morals

  - strength: intrinsic morals: abortion is intrinsically evil. Uses primary precepts to back up argument

  - weakness: woman's feelings should come first

  - strength: deontological: clear rules to follow

  - weakness: outdated inflexible and unrealistic. Difficult to apply to abortion
• NML euthanasia A01

  - sanctity of life: human life is intrinsically good and it is always impermissible to kill an innocent human

  - biblical based: 1980 declaration on euthanasia. Catholic Church's official document about euthanasia. Euthanasia ignores the value of suffering for salvation

  - most fearful evil is death. Suicide not allowed

  - primary precepts: preservation of life, worship of God and ordered society
• NML euthanasia A02

  - strength: deontological: guides us to primary precept of preservation of life and living in an ordered society

  - weakness: would allow for people to endure extended suffering - physically or mentally

  - strength: double effect - allows us to fully assess the situation

  - weakness: euthanasia goes against it. How can you know your intention though? How do you know if the act is morally right or not?

  - strength: bible based. Ten Commandments - thou shall not kill

  - weakness: some may disagree with Ten Commandments as they do not consider euthanasia as murder. Not everyone considers biblical teachings ethical
• NML capital punishment A01

  - believes individuals should not be responsible because it becomes revenge. Should be carried out by state

  - bible: god authorised the Israelites to kill their enemies, like how the state authorises the executioner a murderer. Works towards ordered society

  - primary precept: ordered society more important than preservation of innocent life (criminal is not innocent).

  - an eye for an eye: exodus 21:24. Punishment equal to the crime
• NML capital punishment A02

  - strength: deontological

  - weakness: too much responsibility on individuals such as executioner and judge

  - strength: carried out by state. Pressure off individual

  - weakness: Aquinas talks about sanctity of life yet allows capital punishment. Some may argue that only God should carry out punishments. It is not our duty to

  - strength: biblical teachings

  - weakness: not everyone agrees with the teachings
• NML embryo reseach A01

  - imago dei: image of God. Designer babies go against God's intentions

  - experimentation is wrong: human becomes an individual person at the moment of conception. Experimentation up to fourteenth day can break the commandment to not murder

  - violates third primary precept: ordered society.

  - Jeremiah 1:5: 'before I formed you in the womb I knew you'd. we should not interfere with God's creation
• NML embryo research A02

  - strength: deontological

  - weakness: Aquinas' ideas are outdated. Why should we pass up the opportunity of potentially saving thousands of lives?

  - strength: bible based

  - weakness: atheists would reject it. Also God's intention is for us to fulfill our purpose. Research could cure diseases that could help us fulfil our purpose

  - strength: primary precept: embryo research goes against orderly society

  - weakness: preservation of life. Potential curing of diseases achieves this
• SE abortion A01

  - love decides there and then

  - agapeic calculus

  - Jesus broke the law

  - personalism and pragmatism
• SE abortion A02

  - strength: focuses on agape love

  - weakness: what about love for the foetus?

  - strength: teleological / based on situation

  - weakness: people have different interpretations of what is loving

  - strength: Jesus didn't follow the rules sometimes

  - weakness: just because Jesus broke the rules doesn't mean it is acceptable in this situation
• SE euthanasia A01

  - case of Jim: situationists would think he has a right to die as well as a right to live

  - four pre-suppositions

  - prolonging life loving? Sometimes is, sometimes isn't

  - promotes autonomy: more loving to allow person to choose when to die than suffer longer
• SE euthanasia A02

  - strength: promotes individual autonomy

  - weakness: some may not be able to make decisions. Difficult for the doctor to decide if they can allow it or not

  - strength: agapeic calculus

  - weakness: how do you know what the most loving course of action is?

  - strength: personalism

  - weakness: does not consider feelings of family or friends
• SE capital punishment A01

  - personalism: apply to victims family

  - pacifism: Jesus

  - 'turn to them the other cheek also'

  - sometimes would allow it (if it is considered justice for the victims family)
• SE capital punishment A02

  - strength: based on Jesus' life. 'An eye for an eye'

  - weakness: 'turn to them the other cheek also'

  - strength: individual autonomy. Judge makes final verdict

  - weakness: too much responsibility on individuals

  - strength: most loving outcome. Give closure, relief and justice to the victims family

  - weakness: subjective
• SE embryo research A01

  - teleological. Embryo research could cure diseases

  - love for persons. Focuses on person affected rather than embryo

  - ethical aspects of genetic control: need for people to be designed to survive long periods in the deep sea or space. Cloning necessary to avoid genetic diseases or meet a family's survival need

  - four working presuppositions
• SE embryo research A02

  - strength: based on the situation

  - weakness: affects all of us. Could be dangerous if research got into wrong hands

  - strength: recognises the risks

  - weakness: still allows it. Does not suggest what measures could be put in place if someone used it for personal gain

  - strength: personalism

  - weakness: does not consider the embryo
• VE abortion A01

  - should take place before fourteen days

  - virtue of serious-mindedness

  - acting virtuously: have we acted callously or not?

  - fruitcake analogy
• VE abortion A02

  - strength: fruitcake analogy

  - weakness: everyone has different practical reasoning

  - strength: golden mean of serious-mindedness

  - weakness: everyone sees the mean differently and the golden point differently

  - strength: addresses problems

  - weakness: people do not know what is classed as virtuous. No rules
• VE euthanasia A01

  - if the person can no longer achieve eudaimonia

  - case of George

  - fruitcake analogy

  - virtue of courage
• VE euthanasia A02

  - strength: fruitcake analogy

  - weakness: too complicated. Difficult to make a decision

  - strength: eudaimonia

  - weakness: ending your life before you've fulfilled your purpose does not allow you to fully develop your virtuous character or achieve complete happiness

  - strength: charity and love

  - weakness: justice overpowers charity and love
• VE capital punishment A01

  - Socrates execution

  - virtue of justice

  - balancing the situation

  - allows mistakes
• VE capital punishment A02

  - strength: justice

  - weakness: has to be a common law for capital punishment

  - strength: allows for moral judgement

  - weakness: mistakes cannot happen; it puts peoples lives at risk

  - strength: considers the whole personality / fruitcake analogy

  - weakness: fruitcake analogy is for an individual not everyone. We cannot make decisions based on the individual for capital punishment so fruitcake analogy cannot apply to this
• VE embryo research A01

  - virtue of compassion: focuses on improving the persons life rather than the embryo

  - end goal of eudaimonia

  - golden mean: compassion. Excess 'bleeding heart'. Deficiency 'callousness'.

  - modern virtue ethicist view (would ruin virtue ethics because designer babies and cloning effects virtues)
• VE embryo research A02

  - strength: virtue of compassion

  - weakness: shouldn't we care for the embryo too

  - strength: not legalistic

  - weakness: embryo research affects us all; we need rules.

  - strength: eudaimonia

  - weakness: virtues and characteristics would be controlled and tailored so we may not be able to become virtuous