Ethical Theories

ethics

comes from the Greek word “ethikos”, meaning character. may translate as custom or usage. the customary way to behave in society. the principles by which people live.

morality

comes from the latin word “moralis” , concerned with which actions are right or wrong rather than the character of the person

ethics and morality

can be used interchangeably

ethical theory and practical ethics

ethics can be broadly divided into _ and _

normative approach, descriptive approach and metaethics

three main ways of doing ethics

ethical theory

covers religious and philosophical systems or methods for making moral decisions or analyzing moral statements

practical ethics

focuses on debates about specific dilemmas , such as abortion or euthanasia

normative ethics

decides how people ought to act, how moral choices should be made and how the rules apply

descriptive ethics

describes and compares the different ways in which people and societies have answered moral questions. it can be described as ‘moral sociology’ or ‘moral anthropology’. looks at how different people and societies have answered moral questions.

metaethics

sometimes called philosophical ethics, explores the meaning and function of moral language.

definism

____ or ethical naturalism is the theory that ethical facts are known in the same way as mathematical or scientific facts.

intuitionism

___ or non-naturalism disagrees with ethical naturalism, stating that moral properties cannot be reduced to entirely non-ethical properties; they are not like mathematical facts.

emotivism

A.J. Ayer’s theory , which argues that moral choices are based on emotional reactions to what we see. for ex. if we dislike the sight of blood, then our emotional reaction to it will make us predisposed to outlaw murder.

teleological ethics and deontological ethics

two main ethical systems within normative ethics

teleological ethics

is concerned with the ends or consequences of actions. a description applied to utilitarianism. it stresses that an action is right or wrong depending on its purpose/intended outcome.

consequentialist

thinking, in this case, about the rightness or wrongness of an action that takes only the consequences of an action into consideration. contrasted with deontological thinking. (referring to person)

intrinsic good

__ is built in good e.g. one does not have to ask why health is good. _ for Kant is in the good will - duty for duty’s sake.

telos

greek for “end”

the ends justify the means

for a teleological thinker…

the virtue of the result

in teleological ethics, the action isn’t good in itself but good by __.

utilitarianism and situation ethics

two teleological theories

utilitarianism

which values actions that produce the greatest amount of happiness and well-being for the most people. a philosophical system concerned with consequences rather than motives and in which happiness of the greatest number should be the result.

situation ethics

the moral theory proposed by Joseph Fletcher which requires the application of love to every unique situation. which values actions that produce the most love-filled result

deontological

ethical theories that concentrate on moral rules that cant be broken are __.

deontological ethics

the important thing isn’t the result or consequence of the action, but the action itself. __ is concerned with the nature of the acts themselves and it is the action which is the defining feature of importance in moral decision-making.

deontologists

__ maintain that acts are right or wrong in themselves because of some absolute law perhaps laid down by God, or because they go against some duty or obligation. __ have the advantage of being able to take strong moral positions on certain actions

absolutism, natural moral law, and Kantian ethics

three deontological ethical theories

means

in any action, we distinguish between the end result to be achieved, and the way in which it is achieved --- the __

duty

the central plank of Kant’s ethics. good will’s only motive is to act for the sake of _ . _ is based on moral obligation as shown by the categorical imperative, and it must not be confused with desire.

absolutism

in ethics, the view that moral rules have a complete and universal authority that derives either from God, or from the internal authority/consistency of the rule.

natural moral law

the name of Aquinas’s ethical system, derived partly from Aristotle, in which the good is defined by the acts which are within are common human nature. good actions are those which help us become fully human , whereas bad actions are those which hinder us from being fully human.

Kantian ethics

the ethical theory defined by Immanuel Kant, consisting of the primacy of duty , good will and categorical imperative.

George Edward Moore

The philosopher __, thought there is a difference between good things and goodness itself. (author of Principia Ethica)

good

in a moral sense, is used in reference to actions, consequences, situations, people, characters, choices and lifestyles

ethical naturalism

by observing the natural world we can deduce the correct moral order. ethical rules in this formulation can be deduced by an understanding of our place and role in society.

Francis Herbert Bradley

__ believed that knowledge of our own place in society would lead to an understanding of our moral duties. “we have found the end , we have found self realization, duty and happiness in one…”. (author of Ethical Studies, 1876)

naturalistic fallacy

G.E. Moore’s claim that the concept of ‘good’ is indefinable and therefore not valid in philosophical discussion.

Harold Arthur Prichard

author of the article ‘Does moral philosophy rest on mistake?’. thought that moral obligations presented themselves directly to our intuitions.

intuitionism

we know moral things using intuition, and that moral facts are different from other kinds of facts

emotivism

moral statements are expressions of emotion or beliefs

prescriptivism

moral statements encourage people to perform certain moral behaviors and imply a hope that others will do the same. in addition they hold that statements are universal.

Richard Mervyn Hare

author of “The Language of Morals” and “Freedom and Reason”.