Ethics Moral Philosophy What do I do to live a productive life Objectivism Religion Immanuel Kant 1704 1804 Objects conform to mind but mind is a way of managing conditions that lead to the object Intellect Sense Time and Space Ideas of God Freewill Immortality These things are important in order to become a worthwhile human being Pure Reason the understanding which gives us knowledge of objects common sense and scientific objects Practical Reason tells us about morality and ethics Free will A priori the conditions of moral thought necessary laws of morality Synthetic from experience Particular and Practical Ethics What is moral philosophy Happiness Sometimes good things Fame Money Love Power Not the a priori good that we need find something that is good no matter what GOODWILL Motive intention Good outcomes indifferent outcomes bad outcomes Kant God Free Will Immorality Practical Reason Pure Reason Apriori Synthetic Goodwill Intention Motive 1 Do it because you like to do it praiseworthy but not morally good 2 If liking is unintended or incidental morally good 3 No pleasure in doing it but you did it anyways clearest test that your action was morally good according to the informal guide Informal Guide Is this act done out of a sense of duty to the goodwill If the answer is yes you ve passed the informal guide Deontology duty based Kant is a deontologist Formal Guide Categorical Imperative Forany Act What would happen should this act become universal law 1 No logical contradiction morally good 2 Logical contradiction not morally good 3 No logical contradiction but clearly violates the do good spirit of the goodwill Hypothetical Imperative uses the question if If I do act X what consequence Y will follow If I steal I might get caught and put in jail not apriori Objections to the Categorical Imperative 1 Can be manipulated to justify almost any act example white lies to make people feel better lies would be undetected and wouldn t be impossible 2 Categorical Imperative appeal to a hypothetical Kant uses hypothetical if in the structure of his categorical imperative IMPERSONAL 1 How much is my life worth 2 Everyone is of infinite worth a Everyone is an end in themselves means Practical Imperative Treat all rational beings including yourself as ends rather than means Naturalism Aristotle 384 322 BC Form Matter together Potentiality Actuality The nature of human good is HAPPINESS rejected by Kant What is happiness Aristotle says happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue in a complete life Activity of the Soul 3 parts of the soul 3 human capacities 1 Nutritive absorbs the matter of things 2 Perceptive absorbs form of things 3 Rational abstract concepts from particulars and communicate them Rational Perceptive Nutritive In Accordance with Virtue Virtue arete Virtue Excellence Conceptual Rational Perceptive A B Nutritive and contemplative life The life of the philosopher 1 Practical Reason a Common sense and science learning b Ethics and morality habit sophrosyne effortless self control Combination of forms and particulars 2 Theoretical Reason a Metaphysics logic and pure mathematics Only concerned with forms In a Complete Life Happiest of the happy having mastered ethics common sense science are free to live the Nichomachean Ethics written about for his son Nichomachus Practical guide for raising young people Golden Mean sets a perimeter for virtuous behavior Vice Virtue Vice Mean Examples Coward Stinginess Courage Charity Recklessness Extravagance 1 Adjustable to Cultures Greek Vanity Pride Humility Self Abasement Christian Humility Pride Where Plato went wrong 1 All reality is of forms 2 All evil doing is a result of ignorance Truth Justice Beauty Good Humans Animals Plants Objects Reality Sophists Self Annihilation People can know what is good yet choose to do evil 1 Morally Weak rehabilitate them 2 Morally Vicious exile or execution get them out of society Social Relativism Contract Theory Thomas Hobbes sovereign John Locke Utilitarianism 19th Century England utilitarianism The idea that there should be a social contract relationship between those who are governed and those who govern Based upon empiricism Hedonism Good pleasure and happiness Bad pain unhappiness Jeremy Bentham 1748 1832 The greatest happiness principle Seek the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number Pleasure Calculus simple way of measuring the amount of happiness Add up the pleasures and subtract the pain Pleasure O Pain John Stuart Mill 1806 1873 Started philosophy at a young age but around 17 or 18 he had a nervous breakdown Became a businessman for the East India Company Then in his older age came back to philosophy Utilitarianism Found a couple of problems with the pleasure calculus 1 Pleasure calculus could be used by a majority to persecute a minority 2 Could be used to promote purely swinish pleasures Pleasure comes in 2 varieties 1 Quantity 2 Quality Both higher or lower pleasures Go to individuals who have experienced both and ask them Morality Lower pleasures selfish Higher pleasures altruistic or selfless Revision of the greatest happiness principle because it does not reflect higher and lower pleasures Revised greatest happiness principle Seek the greatest long term or highest pleasure for the greatest numbers in a society You must be willing to give up your own personal happiness for the greater good Ex Spock in Star Trek 2 Some people would say this is unrealistic many are not motivated by altruism Sanctions External rewards and punishments that get people to do the right thing regardless what their motivations are Something that motivates you to do the right thing Internal conscience my feeling for humanity To be a good utilitarian you must leave the world a better place than when you came into it Kohlberg s Stages of Moral Development Handout on Blackboard Learn Being a good friend Being charitable Being an honest business person Etc 1 Obedience and punishment 2 Self Interest 3 Social Norm Conformity 4 Law and Order Morality 5 Social Contract 6 Universal Ethical Understanding Jake Amy 11 years old Heinz Dilemma Heinz s wife needs 2000 drug but they have no money The drug only costs the druggist 200 Should he steal the drugs Jake says YES Kantian principles Weighing the benefits Amy doesn t know FAIL more like Dewey Little boys have a good grasp of justice and equity earlier on than girls Carol Gilligan 1937 research assistant of Kohlberg s Says that Amy s sense
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