Philosophy 2020- Test 2 Review Philosophy and Ethical Theory: What you should know Technical definition of philosophy. o The study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc. o two ancient Greek terms philia love and sophia wisdom. Literally, the term philosophy means love of wisdom. o Philosophy is the well reasoned inquiry into and attempt to address the fundamental, non empirical questions of the human condition. Lexical definition of ethics, morality. o Ethics moral principles that govern a person or group's decisions Textbook answer Attempting to discern and remove contradictions among non empirical, reasoned beliefs that have universal importance, with the resulting benefit of achieving a greater understanding of the world and our place within it. o Morality the differentiation between actions that are "good" or "bad" Basic subject matter of moral philosophy or ethical theory. o the study of conceptual, non empirical questions regarding the nature of ethics and morality. Are any moral judgments objectively true or are they merely expressions of subjective preferences and personal attitudes? Why be moral? What is the correct standard for guiding moral decisions? What is the good life for human beings? Meta ethics, normative ethics, applied ethics. o Meta ethics the subfield of moral philosophy that focuses on issues regarding the fundamental status and nature of morality o Normative ethics The subfield of moral philosophy that focuses on identifying and defending standards of right conduct and/or good living o Normative, prescriptive vs. descriptive ethics. o Normative Ethics the subfield of moral philosophy that focuses on identifying and defending standards of right conduct and/or good living Example: Whether it is correct to hold a belief that killing is wrong o Prescriptive Ethics Another name for normative ethics o Descriptive Ethics An empirical investigation of people s moral beliefs Example: what proportions of people believe that killing is wrong Utilitarianism in Pop Culture: What you should know Utilitarianism (first formulated by Bentham)
o The doctrine that the rightness of actions is to be judged by their consequences. o Mill s Greatest Happiness Principle (another name for utility) o Based off of harm or benefit from someone s actions o Can t take personal integrity into account o There are no actions that are inherently right or wrong... it s just based off of what happens from the actions. o Utilitarianism fits with ethical naturalism. *Mills on proving the principle of utility: Happiness has made out its title as one of the ends of conduct, and consequently one of the criteria of morality. o Consequentialism: the view that moral theories should stress the results of actions; invariably associated with UT Maximizing utility: bringing about the greatest ratio of pleasure (or desire satisfaction) possible given the circumstances. (contemporary consequentialists: Peter Singer, J.J. C. Smart, Brad Hooker) Criticisms of Utilitarianism: o Deontological objections... some actions should not be done regardless of their consequences. o Predicting consequences is difficult o Calculating happiness o Nozick s utility monster : monsters who get enormously greater sums of utility from any sacrifice of others than these others lose... the theory seems to require o Bernard Williams Believes one can be committed to personal gain vs. the UT view that we should stand back from our projects and value them only if the promote the general utility Believes the doctrine of UT deprives agents of their integrity because it separates an agent s actions from his projects. Two examples he gives 1) George (an unemployed new Ph.D. in chemistry): should he take a job working on biological and chemical warfare? Someone else will if George doesn t; George has a family; jobs are scarce; George s wife isn t against this sort of research. 2) Jim in the jungle: either A man kills twenty Indians or Jim kills one to save 19. In both the utilitarian should take the job and kill the one, but the after effects of bad feelings are thought as irrational to UT people rather than valued or followed.
Act vs. rule utilitarianism, Smart's extreme vs. restricted utilitarianism. Smart: utilitarian philosopher, argues pleasure is inherently valuable and defends act/ extreme utilitarianism. Extreme utilitarianism (Act Utilitarianism) o Holds that we ought to do the act that promises to produce the most utility o We test individual actions by their consequences. the rightness or wrongness of keeping a promise on a particular occasion depends only on the goodness or badness of the consequences of keeping or breaking the promise on that particular matter o Moral rules are rules of thumb. Example: If Hitler was drowning, an e.u. may leave him to drown... but if someone saves him, an e.u. will praise the rescuer because these actions are good. extreme utilitarian would apply the universalisation principle in the casual form. (Bentham) Restricted utilitarianism (Rule Utilitarianism) o The rightness of an action is not to be tested by evaluating its consequences but only by considering whether or not it falls under a certain rule o Actions are to be tested by rules and rules by consequences o Aren t concerned with consequences but obey rules that are proven to be good from consequences o The rule does not give us a reason for acting so much as an indication of the probable actions of others, which helps us to find out what would be our own o We ought to follow the rules that promise to produce the most utility. o Smart says rule collapses, saying it falls into act/extreme because there are situations in which breaking that particular situation would maximize utility. (Mill) Mill's greatest happiness principle: o *Mill s concept of respect for autonomy involves the capacity to think, decide and act of the basis of such thought and decision freely and independently. o mill advocated the principle of autonomy (or principle of liberty as he called it) provided that it did not cause harm to others. o Mill observes that many people misunderstand utilitarianism by interpreting utility as in opposition to pleasure. In reality, utility is defined as pleasure itself, and the absence of pain. Thus another name for utility is the Greatest Happiness Principle. This principle holds that "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend
to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure." Mill's conception of happiness (contrast with Aristotle's conception of happiness) o Mill equates happiness with intrinsic pleasure and that's all happiness is. Aristotle believed it was living your life in accordance with the virtues, and actually he uses the greek word eudaimonia which translates to "happiness" in english, and also human flourishing. Aristotle also believes that all virtues are learned. Virtues are acquired through habit. Virtue is partly intellectual and part moral. Aristotle s concepts are teleological: organized by a purpose with final end including nature and human nature. o *criticism of Aristotle s view of virtues: subjective view of virtue ethics. Aristotle says, if you want to be a virtuous person, mimic someone you think is virtuous. faulty because this would mean that you would already know what virtuous is. Higher and lower pleasures o Mill delineates how to differentiate between higher and lower quality pleasures: o A pleasure is of higher quality if people would choose it over a different pleasure even if it is accompanied by discomfort, and if they would not trade it for a greater amount of the other pleasure. Moreover, Mill contends, it is an "unquestionable fact" that, given equal access to all kinds of pleasures, people will prefer those that appeal to their "higher" faculties. A person will not choose to become an animal, an educated person will not choose to become ignorant, and so on. Even though a person who uses higher faculties often suffers more in life (hence the common dictum "ignorance is bliss"), he would never choose a lower existence, preferring instead to maintain his dignity. Some opt for lower pleasures over higher due to the pursuit of the nearer good, though they know it to be less valuable. they pursue sensual indulgences to the injury of health, though perfectly aware that health is the greater good. o Greatest pleasure from knowledge. Utilitarian justification for rights, distributive justice o Distributive justice is involved in the very meaning of utility, or the greatest happiness principle... if it s a duty to do to each according to his deserts, returning good for good as well as repressing evil by evil, it necessarily follows that we should treat all equally well (when no higher duty forbids)
Deontology in Pop Culture: What you should know Deontology o Normative (the ought) ethical theories that emphasizes the notions of duty and obligation. According to this view of normative ethics, some actions are inherently wrong or right regardless of their consequences. Hypothetical vs. categorical imperatives o Hypothetical Imperatives Prudent commands for attaining some goals one desires o Categorical Imperatives Commands that are binding on all rational agents regardless of specific goals persons are pursuing Kant's formulations of the categorical imperative, universalizability test, respect for autonomy Side note (Kant defines certain vales as having an intrinsic value by themselves and follows those values as he calims Duty carries with itself absolute necessity.) o o 3 Formulations on Categorical Imperative 1st Formulation Since the universality of the law according to which effects are produced constitutes what is properly called nature in the most general sense, that is the existence of things so far as it can be determined by general laws, the imperative of duty may be expressed thus: Act as if the maxim of thy action were to become by thy will a universal law of nature. 2nd Formulation For all rational beings come under the law that each of them must treat itself and all others never merely as a means, but in every case at the same time as ends in themselves 3rd Formulation Therefore, every rational being must so act as if he were through his maxim always a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends. Universalizability Test 1. Identify the maxim of the action example: I will lie for personal benefit 2. Recast the maxim as a universal law of nature governing the conduct of all rational agents 3. Do any contradictions or irrationalities arise in the world where rational agents are governed by this maxim? If so, then there s a perfect duty not to act on it, i.e. a moral prohibition. 4. Can you rationally will that you act on this maxim in the world governed by this maxim? If so, then it is morally permissible to act on this maxim. If the maxim fails this step then it is an imperfect duty.
o Kant s Respect for Autonomy Autonomy is based on the human capacity to direct one s life according to rational principles. Rationality is the means to autonomy. Rational people have a capacity to determine their own destiny, and as such must be respected. Different types of duties (duties to self, others, perfect vs. imperfect). o Perfect Duties Prohibition on suicide Duty to self Prohibition on lying Duty to others o Imperfect Duties Cultivate talents Duty to selfci Contribute to others happiness Duty to others Korsgaard's view of the categorical imperative o Gives 3 contradictions that arise on the UL test that your maxim as a universal law of nature The Logical Contradiction Interpretation: This is when the action we are contemplating is not correct and a logical contradiction arises. This general rule of conduct comes about to be implausible or impossible. This contradiction is to do something that is a contradiction within itself, to do or say something that is impossible to do at all. An example would be a lying promise, which contradicts each other because you have to do one or the other, not both. The Teleological Contradiction Interpretation: This is to conceive nature as a teleological system, which is a system that towards to a definite end, due to the natural function of things as they are. Action type, instinct, or organ have a telo. If your belief in the general truth, or maxim contradicts the telos, then it is the wrong action that contradicts itself. The Practical Contradiction Interpretation: This is to say when you know your belief of the general rule of conduct would be incorrect in society or the universe to where it would make it impossible to achieve your belief from the start. An example would be if I believed in robbing the store every time I needed something, it would be impossible to et anything from the store if everyone robbed the store when they needed something, for there would be nothing left and no way or restocking the store due to it constantly being robbed of income to restock. Korsgaard views the Practical Contradiction Interpretation as the best for it handles practices on conception and will better. It also handles the natural
acts against the conventional acts better than the others. It is best because if you carry out the action due to your belief of maxim to be correct then it is due to illogical thought and unreason. The Logical Contradtiction opens means to an interpretation that relies on the maxim of an action that is wrong, which isn t the best way to interpret in a universal scale. The Teleological Contradtiction is also not favored because the example of the man committing suicide over self love would result in an extinct species of humans. Criticisms of deontology, i.e. murderer at the door, the paradox of deontology, Bernard Williams' criticism of deontology o Murderer at the door Nazi shows up at your door to ask if you have Jews in the basement. Two problems arise for 1) You are not suppose to lie to rational agents and 2) If you let Nazi kill the Jews, then all the Jews would be dead. Not a good UL maxim. o Paradox of Deontology deontology seems to prohibit acts (because it would involve violating rights as understood from a deontological perspective), that would maximize overall well being o Bernand Williams Ciriticism disproves categorical imperative (CI) by giving an example of an investor taking money out of a bank once the average hits a certain number. If this were a maxim for everyone then everyone would be taking their money out the bank at the same time and destroying the economy by the collapse of banks. If the CI were correct, then it would say that the investor s action is morally wrong, but it is not therefore the CI cannot be correct. Virtue Ethics: What you should know Virtue ethics: a virtue or character based approach to ethics emphasizes some conception of human flourishing and a list of virtues that promote flourishing and vices that serve as obstacles to it. o Three key ideas: The function argument Happiness, human flourishing Virtues and vices Contemporary Virtue Ethicists: Alasdair Macintyre, Roseland Hursthouse, Julia Annas, Michael Slote Aristotle's function argument: o Aristotle argued, Man is the animal with logos (reason). The capacity for reason, according to Aristotle, is a distinctive aspect of human nature. **3 parts of the soul: Nutritive, Perceptive, and Rational
o To say that happiness is the chief good seems a platitude... this might perhaps be given, if we could first ascertain the function of man...the good and the well is thought to reside in the function, so it would seem to be for man, if he has a function. What then can the function be? We seek what s peculiar to man. Aristotle o *Bernard Williams on Aristotle s Function Argument. If it is a marker of man to have conceptualized and fully conscious awareness of himself as one among others, aware that others have feelings like himself, this is a preconception not only of benevolence, but of cruelty as well. o *Goods and the Highest Good: Since there are more ends than one, and some of these ends we desire as means to something else, it is evident that not all ends are final ends. But the highest good is clearly something final. Hence if there s only one final end, this will be the object of which we are in search. Aristotle The golden mean: o Virtue then is a state of deliberate moral purpose, consisting in a mean relative to ourselves, the mean being determined by reason, or as a prudent man would determine it. It is a mean, firstly, as lying between two vices, the vices of excess on the one hand, and vices of deficiency on the other... Vice of Deficiency cowardice extreme humility stinginess shamelessness laziness apathy boorishness Golden Mean courage honesty generosity modesty self discipline gentleness wit Vice of Excess recklessness arrogance extravagance prudishness opportunism rashness buffoonery (info on graph above): if we aim at the intermediate condition we must first of all steer clear of the more contrary extreme it s hard to find a mean in everything... We must also examine what we ourselves drift into easily. For different people have different natural tendencies toward goals, and we shall come to know our own tendencies from pleasure or pain that arises in us. We must drag ourselves off in the contrary direction And in everything we must beware above all of pleasure and its sources; for we are already biased in its favor when we come to judge it" aristotle Conception of happiness (contrast with Mill):
It s a human virtue; for the good of which we are in search of is human good and human happiness. o Eudemonia: this term is translated as happiness, but also means human flourishing or well being. He believed that virtues are learned from habit. His concepts are teleological (organized by a purpose with final end). Virtue is not implanted in us by nature, but is the outcome of habit. utilitarianism (mill) concerned with consequence, and deontologists (aristotle) isn t concerned with acts, but character. o Aristotle s three types of friendship: o 1.Friendships of Utility o 2.Friendships of Pleasure o 3.Friendships of the Good: pursuit of human flourishing. best friends. Hursthouse's normative virtue ethics, rejoinder to action guiding criticism, v rules: o Main components of her reading: Virtue ethics cannot be a normative rival to utilitarianism and deontology because it cannot tell us what we should do but What kind of person should I be. o Moral wisdom is required if the virtue rules are to be applied correctly and apparent dilemmas thereby resolved. o Hursthouse starts by weakly approving (there is some truth in all of them, but thinks they lead to misunderstanding) of these five major features of virtue ethics that contrast it with D and U: it is (1) agent centered vs. act centered (2) being vs. doing, (3) asks what should I be instead of what should I do?, (4) uses excellence vs right notions, (5) rejects an attempt to codify neatly moral principles. Problem #1: VE gives no action guidance, but U and D do (this is because of 1, 2 and 3 above). U: Act is right if act leads to best consequences Best consequences are those that lead to happiness D: Rule is correct if it is included on some relevant list VE: (P1) (P2) Act is right if act is in accord with correct rule (P1) (P2) Act is right if it is what a virtuous agent would do in the circumstances (P1)
Here is the confusion, it is assumed that b/c we are directed towards an agent (due to 1, 2 and 3 above) in P1, there is no action guidance. Not true, H says we know what to do; namely, act in the way that the exemplar virtuous agent would act. Moreover, she says that this can be expanded to say... The virtuous agent has and exercises the virtues Now we merely need to identify the virtues (just as D needs to identify right rules and U needs to identify best consequences). Now we can move to P2 A virtue is a character trait that... (here we fill in the account of various thinkers, ex. Hume B virtue is a trait that benefits its possessor, or Aristotle B virtue is that which allow the agent to achieve eudemonia). Criticisms of virtue ethics: No clear normative guide for dealing with moral cases, problems, dilemmas. Criticisms of teleological views of human nature. Situtationist objection: based on social psychology undermines the notion that human beings have stable character traits as presupposed by Aristotle s version of virtue ethics. See Gilbert Harman. J.L. Mackie s criticism: We learn the names of the pairs of contrary vices that contrast with each of the virtues, but very little about where or how to draw the dividing lines, where or how to fix the mean. As Sidgwick says, aristotle only indicates the whereabouts of virtue... whole thing talking about aristotle s words. Shit on the Harman reading: (P1a) (P2) o Because of one's free will, nothing that is now settled can make it the case that one is such a person. (if you re brave on one occasion, it doesn t make you a brave person necessarily.)there is more reason to believe that there are virtuous and vicious acts than to believe that people have virtuous or vicious characters. Moral Contractarianism and Pop Culture: What you should know Social contract theory as moral theory
o Social Contracl Theory Central element of modern political philosophy, but recently some philosophers have aimed to develop an account of moral theory based on contractual agreement Lord of the Flies and Lost are examples of SCT o Moral Contractarianism The view that moral norms derive their normative force from a contract or mutual agreement between rational, selfinterested agents. Hobbes' view of the state of nature, social contract o The state of nature is the condition of man where there is a condition of war of everyone against everyone. The right of nature is the liberty each man has to use his own power to preserve his own life. o Social Contract Theory is the mutual transferring of right is that which men call contract. Suggest moral standards are derived from social contracts with one another and the state that rational people understand they are better off to live in a world of cooperation and will surrender every on of their natural right, with the exception of self-defense, to a sovereign in order to escape the state of nature. Prisoner s Dilemma: Demonstrates a fundamental issue in society, which acting rationally and respecting agreements, end up worse off than those who break agreements. Social Contracts are a means of escaping prisoner s dilemma Guathier's moral contractarianism as a response to foundational crisis o It is a Justified Constraint. Contractarianism offers the only plausible resolution of this crisis. Focuses on human rationality, in particular their ability to critically assess and reflect upon their choices and possible outcomes, and their desire to maximize utility. And like Hobbes, Gauthier argues that rational people will realize it is in their best interest to respect social contracts and behave morally. o Moral agreements are equally favorable to all parties are desirable because they satisfy our desire for fairness. Deliberative justification and moral justification o Deliberative justification There is nothing for practical rationality besides deliberative justification. An action has deliberative justification if and only if it maximizes the agent s expected ultility. Ignores morality and seemingly replaces it. Hampton's criticisms of social contract morality (the knave)
o The knave will cooperate if and only if it is utility maximized for him to do so (SELFISH), and thus will be prepared not to do so in situations, such as Prisoner s Dilemma. o Constrained Maximizer Refrains from taking advantage of any person for the other person is also thought as being contrained maximizer. They have a moral attitude. o Straightforward Maximizer (the Knave) o Argues that characterization of individuals in the state of nature leads to a dilemma. Two problems on the state of nature as Hobbes states as a potential war of all against all generated by passion or rationality: 1) If passion is correct the contractors will still be motivated by these passions after the social contract is drawn up, and so will fail to comply with it. 2) If rationality account is correct, then rational actors will not comply with the social contract any more than they will cooperate with each other before it is made. Alternative Perspectives: What you should know Deontology, UT, and Virtue Ethics all share: o Morality is rational o Moral reasoning is impartial o Universal conception of human nature o Single, universally true moral standard or conception of the good life o Emphasize some conception of justice Nietzsche's criticisms of utilitarianism, deontology o Nietzsche s critique of Utilitarianism: Says that the ethical position of UT for group happiness is an idiosyncrasy of the English psychologists. Defining good as that which increases happiness is of no importance to Nietzsche s project. To claim utility is the measure of morality willingly subjects itself to a number of moral virtues that hold no utility to its happiness whatsoever. To maximize utility could not have been the origin of our morality, but exists solely as an arbitrary ethical maxim of modern times. o Nietzsche s critique of Deontology (Kant): Kant s categorical imperative is mortally dangerous to feel without inner necessity, without a deep personal choice as an automation of duty Believes life neither possesses nor lacks intrinsic value
Nietzsche's criticism of traditional morality/christian morality o Nietzsche s critique of traditional morality centered on the typology of master and slave o Master morality (Noble Morality)- values pride strength, and nobility, weighs actions on a scale of good or bad consequences Masters are violent, unthinking brutes o Slave morality (Herd Morality) - values kindness, humility, and sympathy, weighs actions on a scale of good or evil intentions. o Definition of Traditional philosophy expresses the self discipline ideal for soul over body, mind over senses, duty over desire, reality over appearance, timeless over the temporal. o The good/evil contrasts arises when slaves avenged themselves by converting attributes of mastery into vices. o Nietzsche saw democracy and Christianity as the same emasculating impulse which sought to make all equal- to make all slaves. The Overman o Man is something that shall be overcome. Ape to man is embarrassing, but man to the overman is embarrassing. Criticisms of Nietzsche (self-defeating) o Rejects all objective claims aout moral value and truth, but his philosophy clearly asserts truth and moral claims (overman, slave morality). o If there are no objective morals or truths, then this undermines Nietzsche s own asseritions. Existentialism and Ethics: What you should know Sartre s existentialism: defines EX as existence preceding essence... which means that man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world and defines himself afterwards. If man as the existentialist sees him is not definable, it is because to begin with he is nothing. He will not be anything until later, and then he will be what he makes of himself. Thus there is no human nature, man simply is. o Good does not exist since we are now upon the plane where there are only men. Everything is permitted if God doesn t exist, and man is in consequence forlorn, he can t find anything to depend on within or outside himself. He discovers forthwith that he is without excuse. Once thrown into the world, man is responsible for everything he does. Man has ability to make own choices. FREE.
o *The condition of humanity is that each individual finds themselves radically free, the only thing we do not choose is that we must choose. We are in a position of having to decide how we are going to live. This radical freedom implies that since we are free agents we are left in a condition in which we must pick for ourselves how to live. * o Sartre s existence precedes essence is a rejection of the traditional assumption of most western moral philosophy; that there s a metaphysical essence of human nature (like platonic form) that provides the basis or foundation for moral values. Bad Faith: describes the phenomenon where a human being under pressure from societal forces adopts false values and disowns his/her innate freedom to act authentically. It is closely related to the concepts of self deception and resentment Criticisms of Sartre s existentialist ethics (relativism): o If there s no essential, universal human nature then there s no basis for developing a theory of right conduct or human flourishing (a single, true moral philosophy) Ethical Egoism: The view that individuals ought to pursue their own self interest. In contrast to altruism, this view claims that we should do whatever is in our interest rather than in the interest of others. This view is often supported by appealing to psychological egoism, the empirical claim that human beings are motivated by their own self interest. Rand s definitions of selfishness and altruism: Rand defines selfishness as not merely wrong: it represents a devastating intellectual package deal, which is responsible for the arrested moral development of mankind... The time, money, or effort one gives or the risk one takes should be proportionate to the value of the person in relation to one s own happiness. The value he grants to others is only a consequence, an extension, of the primary values which is himself. textbook definition of selfish: concern with one s own interests. Rand s definition of altruism: altruism permits no concept of the self respecting, self supporting man... and altruism permits no view of men except as sacrificial animals and profiteers on sacrifice, as victims and parasites. it permits no concept of justice. Rand s response to the is/ought problem: believes that because a living entity IS, determines what it OUGHT to do. Function controls the existence of values and of an ultimate value which for any given living entity is its own life. Rachel s Reconstruction of Rand s Argument: Each individual has intrinsic and supreme worth.
The ethics of altruism regards the life of an individual as something which must be readily sacrificed for others. Thus, the ethics of altruism does not take seriously the value of individual. Ethical egoism does take the human being s individuality serious, and is the only philosophy that does so. Thus, ethical egoism is the philosophy that ought to be accepted. Rachel s criticisms of ethical egoism: False dilemma at the heart of Rand s argument between either extreme altruism or extreme egoism. it s not only logically possible but probable that people do balance their interests and the interests of others all the time. Extra shit: **Feinberg challenges the truth of psychological egoism by undermining what is often used as a basis for ethical egoism. his thought experiment showing how people can be happy, but to be happy one must desire something in addition to their own self interest. Since many people are in fact happy, it follows that psychological egoism is false. **Hardin claims that ruin is the destination towards which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in commons brings ruins to all. Ethics of Care: What you should know Feminist criticism of traditional moral theory: o Many feminist critics argue that the priority of justice over care in traditional moral theory (deontology, virtue ethics, consequentialism) is indicative of a masculine bias in Western moral philosophy/theory. Feminist approaches to ethics often emphasize the role of gender, social relationships (esp. gender), and the notions of care, receptivity, and responsiveness that many other theories have ignored or excluded. Noddings ethics of care (caring one/ cared for): we recognize human encounter and affective response as a basic fact of human existence o The one caring must exhibit engrossment, which means that they take up the task of attempting to understand the position of the cared for. Ethical caring, according to Noddings, is a matter of caring for others because it s the appropriate way of relating to others. We are dependent on each other even in our quest for personal goodness. o **Silk Specter II in Watchman illustrates some of the key features of a feminist ethics of care.
Criticisms of the feminist ethics of care include the charge that it perpetuates the patriarchal stereotype of the good woman who foregoes many worthwhile pursuits to take care of a family and/or husband, it offers no guide or decision procedure for addressing moral dilemmas or cases, and that it s a mistake to prioritizing care over justice. o sidenote: Hume believes that morality is founded upon and rooted in feeling. Care Vs. Justice: an ethics of care is traditionally associated with the personal side of things, while justice is concerned with public. This conception of morality as concerned with the activity of care centers moral development around the understanding of responsibility and relationships, just as the conception of morality as fairness (the ethic of justice) ties moral development to the understanding of rights and rules.