Essay.
intellects
ethichistoricalbackgroundultima.pdf
Héctor E. López-Sierra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Humanistic Studies Faculty
Metropolitan Campus
Inter American University of Puerto Rico
1
Unit 1:
Studying ethics in contemporary life
and basic concepts of ethics from a
scientific point of view
2
Introduction
• Ethics is the discipline relating to right and wrong, moral duty and obligation, moral principles and values, and to moral character.
• To many people ethics and morality are synonymous terms, both meaning customs in their original Greek and Latin respectively.
• However, the Greek term "ethics" also implies character, whereas "mores" refers to social customs. Morals have probably been discussed as long as there has been language.
• Although Socrates and Plato discussed moral questions at length, it was Aristotle who first made a systematic study of moral principles, and he called that ethics.
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Introduction
• Therefore, it’s vital to make a distinction between the terms and use "ethics" to refer to a universal or philosophical system of moral principles and values, while leaving "morality" to refer to the relative standards or values of any social group or person.
• Of course much overlapping can occur. An individual's or culture's morality may often have universal standards, but in many cases they may not be universally applied in a philosophical way.
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On what basis do we make moral
decisions?
• ―Do what the Bible tells you‖--Divine Command Theories
• ―Follow your conscience‖--The Ethics of Conscience
• ―Watch out for #1‖--Ethical Egoism
• ―Do the right thing‖--The Ethics of Duty
• ―Don't dis' me‖--The Ethics of Respect
• ―...all Men are created ...with certain unalienable
Rights‖--The Ethics of Rights
• ―Make the world a better place‖--Utilitarianism
• ―Daddy, that’s not fair‖--The Ethics of Justice
• ―Be a good person‖--Virtue Ethics
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Divine Command Theories
• Being good is equivalent to
doing whatever the Bible--or
the Qur’an or some other
sacred text or source of
revelation--tells you to do.
• ―What is right‖ equals ―What
God tells me to do.‖
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The Ethics of Our Inner Voice
• Conscience tells us what is right or
wrong
• Often has a religious source
• May be founded in a notion of human
nature
• Is often negative in character, telling
us what is not right
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Ethical Egoism
• Says the only person to look
out for is yourself
• Well known for her novel,
especially Atlas Shrugged
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The Ethics of Duty
• Begins with the conviction that ethics is about doing what is right, about doing your duty.
• Duty may be determined by:
– Reason
• Kant: Do what any rational agent should do
– Professional role
• A physician’s duty to care for the sick
– Social role
• A parent’s duty to care for his or her children
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The Ethics of Respect
• Human interactions should be governed
by rules of respect
• What counts as respect can vary from
one culture to another
– Examples:
• spitting in the sand
• showing the soles of one’s shoes--Richardson
• What is it that merits respect?
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Utilitarianism
• Seeks to reduce suffering and increase pleasure or happiness
• Demands a high degree of self-sacrifice—we must consider the consequences for everyone.
• Utilitarians claim the purpose of morality is to make the world a better place.
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The Ethics of Justice
• Begins early in the family with fairness to all family members
• What is fair for one should be fair for all
• Treating people equally may not mean treating them the same
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Virtue Ethics
• Concern for character has
flourished in the West since the
time of Plato and Aristotle.
• Their early dialogues explored
such virtues as courage and piety.
Strength of character (habit)
• Involving both feeling and action
• Seeks the mean between excess
and deficiency relative to us
• Promotes human flourishing
• Integral to the Jesuit tradition
– The Spiritual Exercises
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Virtue Ethics
• Seeks to develop individual
character
• Assumes good persons will
make good decisions
• Provides a way of integrating
all the theories
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Classroom Application
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Religious Commands
Conscience
Selfishness
Duty
Respect
Rights
Consequences for Everyone
Justice
Personal Virtues
How important are each of the following in your life?
Your Initial Moral Orientation
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Modern Ethics
Bibliography
1. Bauman, Zygmunt. Postmodern Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell, 1993.
2. Bentham, Jeremy. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, in A Bentham Reader. Ed. Mary Peter Mack. New York: Pegasus, 1969, 78-144.
3. Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 198l.
4. Dewey, John. Theory of the Moral Life. New York: Holt, 1960.
5. Glendon, Mary Ann. Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse. New York: Free Press, 199l.
6. Hinman, Lawrence. Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1998.
7. McIntyre, Alasdair. Three Versions of Moral Inquiry. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1990.
8. Midgley, Mary. Can't We Make Moral Judgments? New York: St. Martin's, 1991.
9. Mitchell, Basil. Morality: Secular and Religious. New York: Oxford, 1980.
10. Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy and Genealogy of Morals. Garden City: Doubleday, 1956.
11. Rawls, John. Justice as Fairness. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001.
12. Smith, Thomas. Revaluing Ethics: Aristotle=s Dialectical Pedagogy. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000.
13. Susman, Warren. A Personality and the Making of Twentieth-Century Culture, in Culture as History. New York: Pantheon, 1984, 271-285
14. Toulmin, Stephen. Return to Reason. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001.
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Ethics’ Alternative Approaches
Bibliography
1. Badiou, Alain. Ethics. New York: Verso, 2001.
2. Baier, Annette. Moral Prejudices. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1985.
3. Blackburn, Simon. Being Good: Introduction to Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
4. Dalai Lama. Ethics for a New Millennium. New York: Riverhead, 2001.
5. Furbank, P.N. Behalf. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000.
6. Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.
7. Hallie, Philip. Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1978.
8. Hyde, Lewis. The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property. New York: Random House, 1983.
9. Katz, Michael and others, eds. Justice and Caring: The Search for Common Grond in Education. New York: Teachers College Press, 1999.
10. Keizer, Garret. Help. San Francisco: Harper, 2004.
11. Kitagaro, Nishida. A Study of the Good. Tokyo, Bureau of Japanese Government, 1960.
12. MacIntyre, Alasdair. The Dependent Animal. Chicago: Open Court, 2000.
13. Margalit, Avishai. The Decent Society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996.
14. Sandel, Michael. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.
15. Selznick, Philip. The Communitarian Persuasion. Washington: Woodrow Wilson Center, 2002.
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Professional Ethics
Bibliography
1. Appleman, David and Lawton, Sarah. Ethics and the Professionals. New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston, 1990.
2. Apter, Terri. Working Women Don't Have Wives: Professional Success in the l990s. New York: St. Martin's, 1993.
3. Bayles, Michael. Professional Ethics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1981.
4. Gardner, Howard and others. Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet. New York: Basic Books, 2002.
5. Gorlin, Rena. Codes of Professional Responsibility. Washington: Bureau of National Affairs, 1986.
6. Illich, Ivan. Disabling Professions. Boston: Marion Boyans, 1987.
7. Jarausch, Konrad. The Unfree Professions: German Lawyers,Teachers, Engineers 1900-1950. New York: Oxford University, 1990.
8. Lebacqz, Karen. Professional Ethics. New York: Abigdon, 1985.
9. Linowitz, Sol. The Betrayed Profession. New York: Scribner's, 1994.
10. Mount, Eric. Professional Ethics in Context. Louisville: Westminster/Knox, 1990.
11. Reeck, Darrel. Ethics for the Professions. Minneapolis:Augsburg, 1983.
12. Schmidt, Jeff. Disciplined Minds: A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering that Shapes their Lives. Lanham: Littlefield and Rowan, 2000.
13. Sullivan, William. Work and Integrity: The Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.
14. Windt, Peter et al. Ethical Issues in the Professions.New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston, 1989.
