PHIL 150 1st Edition Lecture 12 Outline of Last Lecture I. Some Advantages of the Social Contract TheoryII. The Problem of Civil Disobedience III. Difficulties for the TheoryOutline of Current Lecture I. The Revolution in EthicsII. First Example: EuthanasiaIII. Second Example: MarijuanaIV. Third Example: Nonhuman AnimalsCurrent LectureRachels Chapter 7The Revolution of Ethics- New ideas about ethics emerged in the late 18th and 19th century- Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) mad a powerful argument for a novel conception of morality Not about pleasing God or being faithful to abstract rules but making the world as happy as possible Principle of Utility: requires us to produce the most happiness and the least unhappiness that we can- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was a leading advocate of utilitarian moral theory- Principle of Utility leaves out of morality: Gone are all references to God or to abstract moral rules “written in the heavens” Morality is no longer understood as obedience to some divinely given code or some set of inflexible rules- Peter Singer (1946)-morality is not a “system of nasty puritanical prohibitions….designed to stop people from having fun”These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. Point of morality is the happiness of beings in this world, and nothing more; and we are permitted to do what is necessary to promote that happinessFirst Example: Euthanasia- Freud’s (1856-1939) cancer was active and inoperable, and he was also suffering from heart failure- Asked Dr. Schur to inject him to die- Wrong according to Christianity Human life is a gift from God, and that only God may decide to end it Some exceptions: capital punishment and killing in war- Right according to UtilitarianismSecond Example: Marijuana- William Bennett, America’s first “drug czar”, advised George W. Bush on drug policy Advocated the aggressive enforcement of U.S. drug laws The assertion that drug use is wrong by its very nature- Utilitarianism supports marijuana use Must be flexible if new evidence emerges that shows marijuana to be more harmful than was previously thought, then the utilitarian view might changeThird Example: Nonhuman Animals- Christians believe that man alone is made in God’s image and that animals do not have souls We can treat animals any way we want- Saint Thomas Aquinas states its wrong to be cruel to animals due to human welfare, not animal welfare- People and animals are in separate moral categories- Animals have no moral standing of their own- Philosophers have said that animals are not rational that they lack the ability to speak or that they are simply not human All these are given as reasons why their interests lie outside the sphere of moral concern- Utilitarianism differs on this view, depends what makes the person happy, generally not to harm the
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