Common Morality, Ethical Theory, and Engineering Ethics. Part II: Duty Ethics (or Respect for Persons) and Utilitarianism

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Common Morality, Ethical Theory, and Engineering Ethics. Part II: Duty Ethics (or Respect for Persons) and Utilitarianism"

Charles Ethan Cook
6 years ago
Views:

1 Commo Morality, Ethical Theory, ad Egieerig Ethics Part II: Duty Ethics (or Respect for Persos) ad Utilitariaism

2 Housekeepig First readig quiz must be completed by 11:59 PM Thursday ight A updated schedule has bee posted to ecampus ü Persoal ad Professioal Ethics Statemet is due Moday, Sept. 16 ü Ethical Debate Aalysis is due Moday, Oct. 28 ü Fial Project Report is due Moday, Nov Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

4 Retracig the Ladscape Relativistic moral positios ü Moral ihilism ü Ethical subjectivism ü Cultural relativism Uiversal moral positios ü Virtue ethics ü Duty ethics (ic. respect for persos) ü Utilitariaism 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

5 Duty Ethics A secular foudatio for a uiversal moral law A uiversal moral law is possible just as Newto s laws of motio were possible Grouded i the structure of reaso itself 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

6 Duty Ethics: Key Cocepts Will: There is o possibility of thikig of aythig at all i the world, or eve out of it, which ca be regarded as good without qualificatio, except a good will. Immauel Kat, Groudig for the Metaphysics of Morals, Ak Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

7 Duty Ethics: Key Cocepts Duty A motivatio distict from self-iterest, self-preservatio, sympathy, ad happiess Coformace of the will to the uiversal moral law Duty is the ecessity of a actio doe out of respect for the law. (Ak. 400) 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

8 Duty Ethics: Key Cocepts Maxim A subjective priciple that oe uses to determie a course of actio A example: I should ever tell a lie A presumptive statemet of the will 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

9 Duty Ethics: Categorical Imperative A first formulatio of the (oe) law Uiversal law: I should ever act except i such a way that I ca also will my maxim should become a uiversal law. (Ak. 402) A more precise statemet of the idea of uiversalizability i The Golde Rule Approach (p. 44) ad of The Self- Defeatig Approach (p. 45) 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

10 Duty Ethics: Categorical Imperative A secod formulatio of the (oe) law Law of the ed-i-itself: Act i such a way that you treat humaity, whether i your ow perso or i the perso of aother, always at the same time as a ed ad ever simply as a meas. (Ak. 429) Similar to oe reaso give for failure i The Self-Defeatig Approach : it fails to treat [others] with appropriate respect (pp ) Implies The Rights Approach (p. 47) that respects the moral agecy of others 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

11 Duty Ethics: Categorical Imperative A third formulatio of the (oe) law Autoomy: The idea of the will of every ratioal beig as a will that legislates uiversal law. (Ak. 431) Implies The Rights Approach (p. 47) that respects the moral agecy of others Differs from the uiversal law i that it refers to law-makig rather tha law-followig 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

12 A Refresher: W. D. Ross s List of Duties Duties of fidelity Duties of gratitude Duties of justice Duties of beeficece Duties of self-improvemet Duties ot to ijure others 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

13 W. D. Ross s Duties Prima facie duties arise through our relatioships ad self-resposibility Ulike Kat s duties, they are ot categorical Prima facie duties are simple ad uiversal, yet always i coflict Moral priciples are self-evidet ad ca be discovered by the ituitio 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

15 Act Utilitariaism Actios are right i proportio as they ted to promote happiess; wrog as they ited to promote the reverse of happiess. By happiess is iteded pleasure ad the absece of pai; by uhappiess, pai ad privatio of pleasure. Joh Stuart Mill, Utilitariaism, secod editio (Idiaapolis: Hackett, 2001), Chapter II, Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

16 Rule Utilitariaism A rule is morally appropriate if it leads to the greatest good for the greatest umber A specific act is moral if it follows a correctly-applied rule 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

17 Berard Gert s Moral Rules Morality is a public system applyig to all ratioal persos goverig behavior which affects others ad which has the miimizatio of evil as its ed, ad which icludes what are commoly kow as moral rules as its core. Berard Gert, Morality: A New Justificatio of the Moral Rules (Oxford: Oxford Uiversity Press, 1988), p. 6 (italics removed) 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

18 A Refresher: A List of Berard Gert s Rules Do t kill Do t cause pai Do t disable Do t deprive of freedom Do t deprive of pleasure Do t deceive Keep your promise Do t cheat Obey the law Do your duty 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

21 Puttig Ethical Theory i Cotext How do we assess a ethical theory? The basic sciece of ethics Ca it explai acts that are Impermissible Permissible Acceptable Obligatory Supererogatory 2013 Gle Miller. All rights reserved.

Adults have relationship problems as often as and sometimes more often than

Adults have relationship problems as often as and sometimes more often than Lesso 9 83 Lot ad Abram Divide the Lad Geesis 13 s have relatioship problems as ofte as ad sometimes more ofte tha childre. Ayoe may have trouble relatig to a child, a spouse, a paret, a coworker, a eighbor,