Ethics # 9

Chapter One: Thinking About Values

 What is ethics?  Why study ethics?  Do we need a code of ethics?  What is the difference between ethics, values and morals?  Where do moral standards come from?  What role does philosophy play in ethics?  What is the relationship between ethics, morality and

religion?  Can ethics be taught?  What is good and evil?  What are the three different types of ethics?  How do we develop ethical reasoning and argument?

 System or standards of right/wrong held by a group that influence behavior.

 What is good for individuals and society  Called Theory of Moral Philosophy (right vs. wrong)

 Study of values and guidelines we live by (our moral conduct)

 Derived from religion, culture and philosophy

 Questions of moral absolutes.

 We encounter moral issues every day.  Internet file sharing

 Facebook/social media/texting

 Marriage equality

 Gun ownership

 Not always clear

 Is there a set of rational, consistent and universal principles?

 What is considered ethical in one country can be considered very unethical in another.

 The terms ethics and morality are often used interchangeably. Indeed, they can mean the same thing. In casual conversation, there isn’t a problem in switching between one and the other.

 Reduce danger and harm in the world.

 Order, control and consistency in society

 Better understand our actions

 Different views of right and wrong

 Provide purpose and meaning in our lives

 Matters are not always easy to judge

 Make the “best” decisions and choices

 Set of standards for behavior

 Moral compass for difficult decisions

 Defines rights and responsibilities

 Language of right and wrong

 Doesn’t always provide the right answer

 Helps people deal with moral ambiguities

 Based on values

 Things that really matter to us  Ideas and beliefs that are special

 Statements of what we consider an ideal—what we want to be

 Moral code we try to live by  Good and bad

 Inf luence behavior

 Guidelines to follow

 The rules we follow based on beliefs

 Standards of conduct for good/bad or right/wrong

 Based on culture/religion

 Morality is not necessarily legal

 Legality is based on formal laws  Action can be legal but immoral

 Action can be illegal but moral

 Ethics - the principles or rules that morals are based on

 Morals - rules based on personal beliefs which guide our behavior

 Law - the legal aspects of a situation and our behavior in that situation

 Morality: first-order set of beliefs and practices about how to live a good life (PRAXIS)

 Ethics: second-order conscious ref lection on the adequacy of our moral beliefs (THEORY)

 Upbringing

 Behavior of those around us

 Our experiences

 Culture

 Religion

 Religion and personal judgment

 Religion = beliefs (faith), rules and practices  Worldview based on moral instructions

 Right, wrong, good, evil

 Prescriptions for social relationships  Golden Rule

 Moral minimalism

 Christianity: do unto others . . .

 Judaism: Thou shall love thy neighbor

 Buddhism: Hurt not another with something that pains yourself

 Confucianism: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.

 Hinduism: Good people proceed while considering what is best for others is best for themselves.

 Islam: None of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.

 Heaven and hell do not apply to everyone

 Character and habit

 Avoid punishment

 Peer pressure

 Personal conscience

 Moral instructions of religion can be general and imprecise

 Broad terms we need to define.

 Assume concepts based on religion.

 Use context and culture.

 People vs. their actions

 Free will vs. Determinism

 If not, why are we in here?  Help you understand the nature of ethical problems.

 Think critically and analyze ethical arguments.

 Respect opposing views

 People’s behavior indicates it can’t be taught  Ideals and types of knowledge = yes

 Ethical behavior = no

 Motivation – show why/how it is in best interest

 Greek = love (philo) + wisdom (sophia)

 Area of inquiry

 Much like science, historical research, journalism

 Attempt to discover truths involving fundamental concepts  God, truth, reality, free will, right/wrong

 Ethics is an area of philosophy!

 Descriptive ethics  How to describe ethical problems and standards

 Theoretical / metaethics  Looks at origins and meanings of ethical principles

(what is good, wrong, etc.)

 Normative ethics  Focuses on the content and criteria for right/wrong

(what we should do)

 Applied ethics  How we apply ethics to our work/lives

 Functions of theory  Describe (what?)

 Explain (why?)

 Prescribe (how?)

 Give strength (support)  Open new possibilities and insights

 Make a case

 Think thoroughly about ethical matters

 Critically evaluate positions of others.

 According to Aristotle, rhetoric (the art of persuasion) is the “ability in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion.” He described three main forms of persuasion:

 Ethos: appeal to credibility. Based on (1) competence and (2) character. It is why we see a speaker is seen as believable.

 Pathos: appeal to emotion. It is how we get the audience to care about what we say.

 Logos: appeal to reason. Logos refers to the main points and evidence presented.

Issue or Question

Premises/Reasons (Logic)

Sound Argument

Rational Sense

Conclusion of Argument

Issue or Question

Premises/Reasons (Logic)

Poor Argument

Fallacious

Conclusion of Argument

1. Be aware of first impressions.

2. Check your facts.

3. Consider other positions.

4. Keep your thinking f lexible.

5. Express your judgment using reasoning, logic and facts.

 Naturalistic fallacy

 Either/or fallacy

 Bandwagon fallacy

 Red Herring

 Ad Hominem

 Hasty Generalization

 Appeal to authority

 Slippery slope

 Genetic fallacy

 Appeal to ignorance