Ethics

ETHICSPL 360

NON-CONSEQUENTIALIST THEORIES DEONTOLOGY, DIVINE COMMAND THEORY, AND NATURAL LAW

What do Non-Consequentialist Theories Have in Common?

Objective Basis for Morality

Deontology: Alignment with

reason

Divine Command Theory:

God’s Commands

Natural Law Theory:

Alignment with the natural law

Deontology: “Let justice reign, though the world perish.”

Ethics is a matter of duty.

Categorical Imperative: Will one’s actions in accordance with the principles of reason

Two Formulations of the Categorical Imperative

1. Principle of Universalizability: Actions must be willed universally without exception.

2. Principle of Dignity: Treat others as having their own ends; never reduce them to a mere means to an end.

Good Will

It’s not enough to do the right thing; one must do the right thing for the right reasons.

One should do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

It’s never right to do wrong.

SUMMARY OF DEONTOLOGY

Pros and Cons Pros

Grants dignity to people (views them as having their own ends)

Moral laws are universally applicable.

Cons

Doesn’t grant that all people full equality

Doesn’t provide a way to address competing duties

Divine Command Theory

An action is morally justified because God

commands it.

Euthyphyro’s Criticism If an action is justified because the deity commands it then:

On the one hand, the deity could command anything, and the action would be ethical.

On the other hand, if the deity only commands what is ethical according to reason, then the deity is not the source of morality.

Contemporary Criticism

How do we know what God commands, or put another way, how do we know which divine commands are universally binding?

Natural Law Theory

Actions that are in alignment with natural law are morally

justified.

Human Beings

Must examine the structure of nature to discern the law that governs it.

Like Deontology, Natural Law Theory

Actions are right or wrong in and of themselves.

A moral action is either in keeping with the natural law or it is not.

Like Virtue Theory, Natural Law Theory

Natural law has a teleological import.

A moral action, which is in keeping with the natural law, aims to construct a particular kind of character or person.

Pros and Cons Pros

Moral laws are universally applicable.

Moral laws can be discerned through reason and are therefore knowable to all persons.

Cons

No commonly accepted definition of “human nature”

Leads to absolutist moral judgments that may fall short of common sense (See Vaughn, p. 136).

Image Credits 1. Slide 1: http://www.emtecinc.com/blog/wp-

content/uploads/2014/07/shutterstock_207916873.jpg

2. Slide 3: http://oll.libertyfund.org/media/W1siZiIsInBlb3BsZS8zNzc5L0ltbWF udWVsX0thbnRfJTI4cGFpbnRlZF9wb3J0cmFpdCUyOS5qcGciXV0/ Immanuel_Kant_%2528painted_portrait%2529.jpg?sha=c098c42cf fe92f07

3. Slide 9: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ogyWXNsKt3I/Rvsnj920ikI/AAAAAAAAA V4/D5zAbStVYSI/s400/euthyphro.gif

4. Slide 11: https://renresearch.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/leonardo- vitruvian-man.jpg