Where do we begin?
We can now begin our study of Ethics. Everyone is familiar with Ethics and by the time you're finished this unit you will
be the most ethical person ever - Epistemologically speaking, anyways . . . haha.
Here is a short video on Animal Rights and Vegetarianism and then I'd like you to take this one question Poll Anywhere questionnaire.
1. Is there such a thing as a selfless act? Phoebe
2. Small group discussions:
Are Moral Choices Possible?
Why Do the Right Thing?
Can People Be Good Without a Common Idea of Good?
How Should the Rightness or Wrongness of Actions Be Determined?
3. Ethics Vocab List:
Vocabulary for Ethics
Humanism
An approach that emphasizes the human or secular (non-religious)realm over the religious or spiritual realm.
Examples of Humanism include:
- The statue of David by Michelangelo shows the human form alone, unadorned and without other people or objects.
- The drawing labeled "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo Da Vinci symbolizes the ideal human body, geometry, and human potential.
- "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare includes introspection, self awareness and musings about mankind.
- The United Nations and UNESCO promote human rights, education, peace and social progress.
- Secular and religious views of the world are compared in Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses.
- The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, shows the artist’s appreciation of the human form, especially in the depiction of Adam, who is painted nude.
- Democracy is an example of humanism because it gives control of a country to the individual citizens.
- The human condition and consequences of personal choices can be seen in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
- Prometheus of Greek mythology was defiant and stole fire from the gods for humans to use.
- John Milton’s Paradise Lost deals with the dignity of man, his freedom of choice and his internal struggles.
- "Star Trek," a television series created by Gene Roddenberry, shows man’s search for knowledge and respect for all cultures.
- Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows humanism when Huck treats the slave, Jim, as a human being, and recognizes his worth.
- Humanism in psychology is shown with a positive approach to the behavior of humans which emphasizes nobility and the ability for self-growth through personal experiences and self-awareness.
- Niccolo Machiavelli, who penned The Prince, addressed the idea that people should be responsible for their actions, they have a role in their own destiny and they should not blame God for everything.
- The advancement of science was facilitated by Francis Bacon, who invented the modern scientific method.
Theories of action
Theories that deal with how people should act.
Theories of character (virtue theories)
Theories that deal with questions about character traits that are morally good and morally bad.
Theories of value
Theories that deal with questions about the things people value.
Moral Agent
Someone who is capable of thinking about a moral problem, making a decision how to act, and taking responsibility for this action.
Divine Command Theory
Right and wrong are defined by the commands of the supreme being.
Divine Command Ethicists
A person whose actions are defined by the commands of the supreme being.
Utilitarianism (Developed by John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham)
Morally good choices are those that result in the greatest good (amount of happiness) for the greatest number of people.
Kantian Ethicists
Believe that moral choices must be judged, not by their consequences, but by the good will of the moral agent.
Egoists
Believe that people should act in their own interest.
Intuitionists
Believe that truths, and therefore morals, are understood by intuition (an experience that is independent of reasoning).
Objective
Knowledge that is supported by evidence.
Subjective
Opinions that depend on personal feelings, experience, or thought.
5. Read and take notes on pp. 242 - 259 of the text.
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