RL Nanoethics 2

7/21/2019 RL Nanoethics 2

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Ethical Theories:IntroductionNanoethics Lecture II

Roderick T. Long

Auburn Dept. of Philosophy


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What Are Ethical Theories?

Explainwhat makes an action right or wrong

Ethical theories vs. particular ethicaludgments

Analogy with scientific theories and

observations


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Some Kinds of Ethical Theory

!onse"uentialism

Deontology

#irtue Ethics !ontractarianism

$atural Law

Relativism

Divine !ommand Ethics


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Consequentialism

The rightness%wrongness of an action

is determined by its consequences


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Consequentialism

E&ample' utilitarianism

The right action is the one that

promotes the greatest happiness of

the greatest number (ma&imi)es

social utility*


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+eremy ,entham (-/01-023* +ohn 4tuart 5ill (-0671-02*

T8E4E 9:;4 A9A


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Consequentialism

Another e&ample' ethical egoism

The right action is the one that

promotes the greatest happiness of

the agent(ma&imi)es the agents

utility*


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Two Ethical Eoists

,enamin Tucker (-0>/1-?2?* Ayn Rand (-?6>1-?03*


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!eontoloy

The rightness%wrongness of an action is

determined by inherentfeatures of the action

itself@ or by an inherently valid rule


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!eontoloy


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!eontoloyE&ample' Kantianism

Right actions must be

universalizableand must

treat rational agents as

ends, not mere means

(trade1offs forbidden*


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Kant"s !eontoloy :niversali)ability' must be

possible to will the principle

of your action for everybody

without inconsistency.

Lying violates

universali)ability because

lying presupposes ande&ploits a general practice

of telling the truth


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Kant"s !eontoloy Ends@ not mere means' donBt

treat rational agents (others or

yourself* as mere obects to be

used or e&ploited.

Personhood is the basis of

ethical value and canBt be

subordinated to other values. 5ustnBt sacrifice the few even to

benefit the many.


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#irtue EthicsThe rightness%wrongness of an action is

determined by the character traitsit

e&presses

Emphasi)e what kind ofpersonyou should be


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#irtue EthicsE&amples' Aristotelianism@ !onfucianism

Aristotle (20/1233

,!E*

!onfucius (>>-1/?

,!E*


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#irtue Ethics#irtue1ethicists tend to side with deontologists

against conse"uentialists though not always


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ContractarianismThe rightness%wrongness of an

action is determined by

whether rational people do@ or

under appropriate conditionswould@ agree to it

E&ample' +ohn RawlsB #eil of


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Natural LawA body of legal or "uasi1

legal precepts that' are based in human

nature@ not convention can be ascertained by

human reason set the standard for@ and

take precedence over@manmade laws


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Natural Law Fne may well ask' G8ow can you

advocate breaking some laws andobeying othersHB The answer liesin the fact that there are two types

of laws' ust and unust. < would bethe first to advocate obeying ustlaws. Fne has not only a legal buta moral responsibility to obey ustlaws. !onversely@ one has a moralresponsibility to disobey unustlaws. < would agree with 4t.

Augustine that Gan unust law is nolaw at all.B I


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Natural Law I $ow@ what is the difference between the

twoH 8ow does one determine whether alaw is ust or unustH A ust law is amanmade code that s"uares with the morallaw or the law of 9od. An unust law is a

code that is out of harmony with the morallaw. To put it in the terms of 4t. Thomas

A"uinas' An unust law is a human law thatis not rooted in eternal law and natural law.

Any law that uplifts human personality isust. Any law that degrades human

personality is unust.C

5artin Luther ing@ +r.@

Letter from Birmingham ail


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Natural Law$atural law theories

-. often combine deontology J

virtue ethics3. are sometimes theologically

based (Thomas A"uinas@

+ohn Locke@ 5artin Luther

ing* I


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Natural LawI but not necessarily so

(8ugo 9rotius@

Lysander 4pooner*


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Natural LawI but not necessarily so

(8ugo 9rotius@

Lysander 4pooner*
http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/spooner/


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E$am%le of aNatural Law Theory

The doctrine of double effect (A"uinas*


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E$am%le of aNatural Law Theory

4o collateral damage F

(civilian deaths foreseen but not

part of plan*

Dresden%8iroshima not F

(civilian deaths part of plan*

Too strict for many

conse"uentialists Too permissive for many

deontologists


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&elati'ismThe rightness of an action depends on the

approval of some person%group%culture.

Allows conflicting moralities' such1and1such

is right for group A (because group A

approves of it* but wrong for group ,(because group , disapproves of it*.


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&elati'ism(Mhat most philosophers regard as* bad

arguments for relativism'

relativism will make us tolerant (but the$a)is were relativists* cultures disagreeabout moral values (but

they disagree about scientific facts too* ethical disagreements canBt be settled (but

whatBs wrong with reflective e"uilibrationH*


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!i'ine Command EthicsMhat makes an action right is

the fact that !od commandsit.

(As opposed to the view that9od commands thingsbecause they are rightalready.*

A form of relativismH


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!i'ine Command EthicsProblems for divine command theory'

1 A perfect being would have good reasons

for whatever she commands but D!Eseems to make that impossible

"


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!i'ine Command EthicsDefense of divine command

theory'

8ow could 9od be subect to

moral standards he didnBtcreateH

Reply' the standard of moralitymight be 9odBs nature rather

than 9odBs will(Thomas A"uinas@ c. -33>1-3/*


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Ethical Theoriesand Ethical Standin

Mhat has ethical standingH

1 individualsH1 communitiesH

1 non1human animalsH

1 plantsH

1 the non1living environmentH


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antianism' rational agentsonly

(cruelty to animals bad only because it

tends to make you the sort of personwhoBll be cruel to people*

!ontractarianism' only those beings that

can enter agreements


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:tilitarianism' those beings who can feel

pleasureorpain(The "uestion is not@ !an they reasonHnor@ !an they talkH but@ !an they sufferHC +eremy ,entham*

#irtue ethics' whatever beings a virtuous

person would care about=

Divine !ommand' whatever beings 9od

cares about=


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A%%lyin &eflecti'e Equili(rationto Ethical Theories

!ase study' :tilitarianism

Advantage' simplicity (analogy withsuperiority of $ewtonian over Aristotelianmechanics*

Disadvantage' potential conflict with

e&isting norms


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Sim%licity in Science:Aristotle 's) Newton

Apple falls@ moondoesnBt' whyH

Aristotle' two kinds of

matter with differentprinciples of motion.

Terrestrial matter has anaturally vertical

motionN celestialmatter has a naturallycircularmotion


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Sim%licity in Science:Aristotle 's) Newton

$ewton' same laws of

motion apply to both.

#implicity' if two

theories e&plain the

same phenomena

e"ually well@ the one

that posits fewer

e&planatory principles

is better.


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Sim%licity in Ethics:*tilitarianism

Me ordinarily think beneficial results are oneethical consideration among others.

:tilitarianism offers to e&plain the samerange of ethical phenomena e"ually wellby appealing solelyto conse"uences.

This would make it a superior theory ifin

fact it e&plains them equally well.Does itH


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A +uestion for Ne$t Time,

RL Nanoethics 2

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