-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
1/20
Lawrence M. Hinman, Ph.D.Director, The Values Instituteniversity
of San Diego
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 1
The Moral Point of
View
mailto:[email protected]?subject=PowerPoint%20Presentationmailto:[email protected]?subject=PowerPoint%20Presentation
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
2/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 2
Why Study Ethics?
Moral concerns are unavoidable in
life.
Analogy: morality is a lot likenutrition.
Principal concern: health
The role of experts
Disagreement
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
3/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 3
Ethics as an Ongoing
Conversation
Professional discussions of ethical
issues in journals.
We come back to ideas again and
again, finding new meaning in them.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
4/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 4
Ethics and Morality
Morality: first-order set of beliefs and
practices about how to live a good
life Ethics: a second-order, conscious
reflection on the adequacy of our
moral beliefs.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
5/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 5
Moral Health
The goal of ethical reflection is moral
health.
Thus we seek to determine what willnourish our moral life and
what will
poison it.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
6/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 6
Ethical Inventory
Take the ethical inventory on pp. 8-10
now or on the web at:
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/ActiveWebSurvey/theory/ .
Return to your answers after
finishing each chapter.
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/ActiveWebSurvey/theory/http://ethics.sandiego.edu/ActiveWebSurvey/theory/
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
7/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 7
The Moral Point of View
What makes something a moral
issue?
Content: duties, rights, human welfare, suffering,
character, etc.
Perspective:
impartial, compassionate, etc.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
8/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 8
Example: Cheating
Imagine a situation in which you see aclassmate cheating. There
are severalelements from a moral point of view: Some people are
hurt by the cheating
There is deception in the situation
Cheating seems to be unfair to those whodont cheat
There are conflicting valueshonesty, loyalty,
etc. There are questions of character.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
9/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 9
The Language of Moral Concerns
Some philosophers have argued that
moral issues are characterized by a
particular kind of languageterms
such as duty, obligation, right, and
good.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
10/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 10
Impartiality
Many philosophers have argued that
the moral point of view is
characterized by impartiality, that is, Idont give my own
interest any
special weight.
Immanuel Kant
John Stuart Mill
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
11/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 11
Compassion
Other philosophers have seen the
origin of the moral life to be in
compassion, feeling for the sufferingof other sentient
beings.
Josiah Royce: Such as that is for
me, so is it for him, nothing less.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
12/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 12
Universally Binding
Moral obligations, somephilosophers maintain, areuniversally
binding and that is what
gives them their distinctivecharacter.
Kant: morality is a matter of
categorical imperatives. Distinguish between hypothetical
and
categorical imperatives.
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
13/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 13
Concern for Character
Philosophers from Aristotle onward
have seen the primary focus of
morality to be character. Two questions:
What ought I to do? (Kant and Mill)
What kind of person ought I to be?(Aristotle)
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
14/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 14
The Focus of Ethics
Ethics as the Evaluation of Other
Peoples Behavior
We are often eager to pass judgment onothers
Ethics as the Search for Meaning and
Value in Our Own Lives
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
15/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 15
Ethics as the Evaluation of Other
Peoples Behavior
Ethics often used as a weapon
Hypocrisy Possibility of knowing other people
The right to judge other people
The right to intervene Judging and caring
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
16/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 16
Ethics as the Search for Meaning
and Value in Our Own Lives
Positive focus Aims at discerning what is good
Emphasizes personal responsibility
for ones own life
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
17/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 17
What to Expect from a Moral
Theory
Functions of theory:
Describe
Explain
Give strength (Stockdale)
Prescribe Open new possibilities
Wonder
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
18/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 18
What to Expect from a Moral
Theory, 2
What is ethics like?
Physics
Clear-cut, definitive answers
Engineering
Several possible ways of doing things,
many ways that are wrong
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
19/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 19
The Point of Ethical Reflection
Ethics as the evaluation of other peoplesbehavior Sources of
mistrust about moral judgments
Hypocrisy
Knowing other people
The right to judge
Judging and intervention
Judging and caring Ethics as the search for the meaning of
our own lives
-
7/29/2019 Moral Point of View
20/20
2/21/2013 Lawrence M. Hinman 20
Conclusion:
Ethics & Good Health
Ethics is like nutrition
One studies bodily health, the other
moral health Significant disagreement in both fields
Still there is a significant common
ground.
