Finals Part 2

• Deontology


  The study of moral obligation
• These words are derived from the advocacy of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP)
• The Ethical Explorer: A Journey through Deontological Ethics


  A story about a student named Emma exploring deontological ethics
• Deontological ethics, often associated with the philosopher Immanuel Kant, is a moral theory that focuses on the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, regardless of their consequences
• Deontological ethics suggests that some actions are inherently moral, while others are inherently immoral, regardless of the outcome they produce
• Deontological ethics


  • Emphasizes moral duties and principles
  • Guides individuals to make ethical decisions based on the inherent rightness or wrongness of their actions
• Immanuel Kant


  Philosopher who developed deontological ethics
• Kant believed that reason was sufficient for establishing the moral law as something transcendent and universally binding on all rational creatures
• Imperatives


  Commands that can be translated from duties or obligations
• Categorical Imperative


  An unconditional or absolute command for all rational agents whose validity does not depend on motives or consequences
• Hypothetical Imperative


  A command whose validity depends on the acceptance of the condition
• Categorical Imperative: Universalizability Principle


  1. Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law

  2. Applying the universalizability test to determine the morality of an action
• Kant's Categorical Imperative is absolute, with no exemptions
• Prima facie rules (William David Ross)


  Factors that tend to make something our duty but can sometimes be overridden by other factors
• Ross recognized seven basic prima facie duties: fidelity, reparation, gratitude, justice, beneficence, self-improvement, and nonmaleficence
• Principle of Ends (Second Formulation of Categorical Imperative)


  Act so as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end and never as merely a means
• Principle of Autonomy (Third Principle)


  Humans have the ability to reason and reflect, allowing us to discover the moral law for ourselves rather than relying on external authority
• Virtue Ethics


  An ethical theory concerned with building character and what one wants to become, rather than duties or consequences
• Four key virtues in Plato's virtue ethics


  • Practical Wisdom (Prudence)
  • Self-control
  • Courage/Fortitude
  • Justice
• Autonomy


  Humans have the ability to stop and think, separate oneself, reflect, imagine/create and then act
• Due to this autonomy, we do not need an external authority—be it God, the state, our culture, or anyone else—to determine the nature of the moral law. We can discover this for ourselves.
• Heteronomy


  The heteronomous person is one whose actions are motivated by the authority of others, whether it be religion, his emotions, the state, his or her parents, or a peer group
• Virtue Ethics


  • It's not about duty nor the consequence but the agent (agent-centered)
  • It asks "What do I want to become?" rather than "What should I do?"
  • It is a theory concerned with building character—mental or moral qualities distinctive to an individual
• Plato's four virtues


  • Practical Wisdom (Prudence)
  • Self-control (temperance)
  • Courage/Fortitude
  • Justice
• Practical Wisdom (Prudence)


  Discern the appropriate course of action to be taken in a given situation at the appropriate time
• Self-control (temperance)


  Moderation or control in anything
• Courage


  Facing adversity with strength and endurance
• Justice


  Giving what is due to others
• Aristotle believes that social institutions are necessary. This will help man to develop virtues for the good life. For him, ethics is a part of politics. The government should then encourage the citizens to live virtuous lives necessary for progress.
• Intellectual Virtues (learned by being taught)


  • Wisdom
  • Logical reasoning
  • Intellectual courage
  • Understanding
• Moral Virtues (learned by habit or that must be lived in order to be learned)


  • Honesty
  • Courage
  • Compassion
  • Generosity
  • Fidelity
  • Integrity
  • Fairness
  • Self-control
  • Prudence
• Action -> Habit


  Actions done repetitively
• Golden Mean


  The mean between excess and deficiency or the proper balance between two extremes
• Virtues and Vices


  • Facing death: Cowardice (vice) - Courage (virtue) - Reckless (vice)
  • Giving: Parsimonious (vice) - Charitable (virtue) - Prodigal (vice)
  • Towards others' suffering: Indifference/Meanness (vice) - Empathy/Compassion (virtue) - Pity/Bleeding heart (vice)
  • Towards self: Self-depreciating (vice) - Self-respect (virtue) - Vanity/Arrogance/Narcissism (vice)
• Aristotle begins his Nichomachean Ethics (slightly edited) "Every action aims at some good; and for this reason, the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim." He claims that we act for our goals. We do A for B, then B for C.
• Happiness


  (for Aristotle) A life where we excellently exercise our highest and distinctive capacity, our function or purpose, which is reason
• Aristotle -> Happiness


  St. Thomas Aquinas -> Heaven
• Theological Virtues


  • Faith
  • Hope
  • Love
• Seven Deadly Sins


  • Pride
  • Greed
  • Lust
  • Wrath
  • Gluttony
  • Envy
  • Sloth
• Pride


  An inflated, self-centered view of yourself. The virtue is self-understanding, a correct appraisal of your strong and weak points. The opposite vice is low self-esteem, an excessively negative view of yourself.