Back to PH485 Table of ContentIntroduction to EthicsI. What is ethics?-- Reconceptualization and characteristication of EthicsA. Original MeaningThe Greek designation: "Ethics" (--custom, habit)The Latin designation: "Moral" (Mores)"Ethics" and "Moral Philosophy" are used as synonymous, etymologically.B. Three Related implicationsA general pattern or "way of life" -- Buddhist or Christian EthicsA set of rules of conduct or "moral code" -- Professional EthicsInquiry about ways of life and rules of conduct -- Philosophical EthicsC. Five Types of Definition1. Rationalistical definition- Rational explanation;- Abstractive understanding;- Speculative justification;- Priori knowledge;- Theoretical discipline;- Intellectual examination; and - Reasoning inquiry2. Empirical Definition- Generalized observation- Recognized experience- Posteriori knowledge- Objective discovery- Experimental description3. Practical Definition- Guidance of action- Science of conduct- Examination of life- Investigation of moral behavior4. Functional Definition- Moral discovery- Moral interest- Moral judgement- Moral inquiry- Moral argument- Moral defend- Moral academic study- Moral assumption- Moral criticism- Moral construction- Moral prediction- Moral generalization- Moral distinction- Moral abstraction- Moral theorization- Moral classification - Moral normalization5. Structural Definition- Framed theory- Systematic inquiry- Formalized studyD. Objects of Ethics- Moral principles- Moral orders- Moral problems- Moral judgements- Moral codes- Moral arguments- Moral experiences- Moral consciousness- Moral methods- Moral resolvation- Moral natures- Moral relations- Moral actions- Moral laws- Moral criteria- Moral evaluation- Moral values- Moral behaviors- Moral norms- Moral assumptions- Moral rules- Moral motivations- Moral causality- Moral reasoning- Moral experiments- Moral events- Moral typology- Moral predictions- Moral functions- Moral processes- Moral systems- Moral changes- Moral characteristicsE. Comparative and Contrary Concepts- Fact and value- Value and obligation- Good and bad- Right and wrong- Ethically good person and personal good ethicist- Ethicist and moralist- Morals (or morality) and ethics- The moral, immoral and nonmoral- Habitual morality and reflective morality- Descriptive ethics- Normative ethics and non-normative ethics- Persona; ethics and social ethicsF. Seven Separations- From politics- From law- From theology- From ideology- From social sciences (Psychology, sociology, anthropology, and biology)- From manners- From ordinary moralityG. Seven Theoretical Perspectives1. Ontological perspective- Objective property- Physical objects- Factual condition- Social existence- Valued entity- Immaterial reality- Subjective being2. Epistemological Perspective- Knowing what goodness and badness, rightness and wrongness are- Knowing why certain human actions and behaviors happen- Knowledge how a society direct people to adopt proper and rational actions.3. methodological Perspective- The logical and the psychological- The analytical and the synthetic- The deductive and the inductive- The metaphysical and the dialectical- The static and the dynamic- The macro and the micro- The general and the specific- The form and the content- The abstractive and the concrete- The descriptive and the explanatory- The structural-functional and the processed - The systematic and the rational- The historical and the scientific4. Formalistic Perspective- Anti-metaphysical study- Logical and linguistic reduction- Philosophical analysis5. Scientific Perspective- Scientific explanation- Scientific influence- Scientific ethics and ethical sciences6. Theological Perspective- Morality by faith and by reason- Morality by theological and by humanist approaches- Morality by mysticism and empiricism7. Socio-cultural Perspective- Ethics and social equilibrium- Ethics and political control- Ethics and legal order- Ethics and educational mechanism- Ethics and ideological change- Ethics and economic development- Ethics and racial harmony- Ethics and religious tradition- Ethics and international relationshipH. Four Periods of Ethical History1. Classical perioda. Pre-Socrates ethics: Comparison between medicine and ethics; emphasis on man; belief of powerb. Greek ethics: Socrates; Plato; Aristotlec. Roman ethics: Epicureanism; Stoicism; Neo-Platonism2. Medieval perioda. Early medieval ethics: Augustine's doctrine; free will and divine foreknowledge; distinctions among conceptsb. Middle medieval ethics: Erigena; Bernard of Clairvanx; St. Anselm; Abklardc. Later medieval ethics: natural law; free will3. Modern perioda. Early modern ethics(1) British enlightenment- Hobbes- Early intuitionism- Locke- Hume- Common-sense intuitionism(2) Holanian enlightenment: Spinaza(3) French enlightenment: Rousseau; Montesquieu; The Encyclopedists -- Diderot, Helvetius and Holback(4) German enlightenment: Kant; Leiblizb. Nineteenth century ethics(1) Utilitarianism: Bentham; Mill(2) Idealism: Fichte; Hegel; Schopenhauer; Kiergaard; Nietzsche; Emerson; Royce(3) British idealism and intuitionism: Green; Bosanquet; Bradly; Sidgwick4. Contemporary perioda. Non-naturalism: Moore; Deontological non-naturalists -- Ross and Ewingb. Phenomenlogy: Brantano; Scheler; Hartman; Heideggerc. Noncognitivism(1) Emotive theory: Hagerstrom; Ayel(2) Existentialism: Camus; Sartre5. Recent argumentsa. Linguistic philosophy: Hareb. The good-reason approach: ToulminII. How to Moralize?A. Theory and Practice1. Intellectual activities2. Abstraction of practical action and concretion of theoretical thought3. Ethical knowledge and moral action4. Theorized ethics and applied ethicsB. Requisites (or the study)1. Objective attitude2. Critical approach3. Plural methodology4. Creative ability5. Practical applicationC. Patterns of Moral Reasoning1. Particular moral judgements2. General moral principles3. The relationship between the above two factorsD. Incorrect Reasoning1. Ambiguity2. Invincible ignorance3. Questionable claim4. Begging the question5. Argument from ignorance6. False appeal to authority7. Provincialism8. Hasty conclusion9. Slippery slopeE. Three "Don't" of Moral Reasoning1. Don't rely on emotionalism2. Don't rely on popular feeling to determine morality3. Don't do wrongF. Structure and Process of Ethics1. StructureHR -- Highest-level reason (fundamental moral principle)HRMR MRLR LR LRLRA1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A8A7MR -- Middle-level reasonLR -- lowest-level reasonA -- Action2.