Morality and Responsibility

Traditional and Modernist

Your Aim?

“Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for that reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.”

• Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics

What are Moral Actions?

• “Moral” actions (as opposed to amoral) are – serious, – affect basic direction of life and others, – and are willed.

• They require (according to Aristotle/Aquinas): – Knowledge: of the act, means and ends, and why– Voluntarism: an action is willed into happening• Intentional

– Freedom by the actor to choose

Some terms to know…

• A priori

• A posteriori

• postulate

Kant’s 3 Postulates of Ethics

For ethical consideration to be valid:

1. Man must be free to choose.2. Man must live beyond his mortal life.3. God – one who sets a universal standard -

must exist.

There is only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code: That of individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike.

– Peter Drucker

What do you think when I say…

The good life.

– Now, what do you think when I say…

A good life.

What is Good?

Is a life to be considered good if it’s one of excellence and enjoyment?

Or

…if it’s one that embodies ethics and the spirit of being mindful of goodness/ the force?

What is it to be a good person?

• Evaluative Language– Great, good, fair, bad, evil, right and wrong, etc

4 Views of Evaluative Ethical LanguageGreat, good, fair, bad, evil, horrible, wrong, right

1. The Non-cognitive View or Boo/Yay Theory – Honesty is the best policy. means Honesty: Yay!!!– Human sacrifice is wrong. means Human sacrifice: Booo!!

Evaluative language conveys no form of knowing at all.People disagree too much for there to be any objective facts. – Therefore there are no objective ethical facts or sentiments– We cheer based on attitudes of cheering/condemning.

2. The Ethical Subjective ViewStatements convey objective knowledge about the

speaker– “Human sacrifice is bad” tells us objectively about

the subjective belief and thoughts of the speaker• Huh?• The only fact here is about the person, or subject,

speaking, not the object being spoken of.

3. Cultural Subjective View – it says only something factual about the cultural attitudes

4. Moral Objectivism

• “Killing an innocent person for sport is wrong” is an objective statement that is morally true.

• Does this statement convey realities about our world?

• BTW, science presupposes objectivity, though scientists can disagree

Abortion is wrong.

means Abortion: Booo!!! (It makes me feel yucky). means “You believe abortion is wrong for reasons

you can state (but which are completely subjective).”

means “ Abortion is wrong in your culture.” means Abortion is morally wrong for humans to

engage in.

Is it morally right?

Moral Skepticism ?How do we know that any of our moral or ethical beliefs taken as statements of fact about an objective moral reality are true?

– Intuition– Conscience– Evidence that “they work”

– Is a belief in moral objectivity on shaky ground?

– Is our belief in an external world on shaky ground?

Belief Conservation Principle

• For any proposition P:1. If taking a certain cognitive stance toward P would

require rejecting or doubting a vast number of current beliefs,

2. And you have no independent reason to reject or doubt all those other beliefs, and

3. You have no compelling reason to take up that cognitive stance toward P…

• Then it is more rational for you not to take that cognitive stance toward P.

What is Moral Responsibility?Is there a connection between morality and law?

• Consequences follow:• Modifiers – Ignorance

• Vincible• Invincible• Affected

– Passion• Antecedent• consequent

– Fear– Force– Habit

Moderns have attempted revisions of morality and law…

• Hedonism• Utilitarianism• Pragmatism• Existentialism

A Note on Socrates’ Approach

• Precision of knowledge is attainable in practical matters like carpentry, and is, in principle, possible in moral conduct.

• That precise knowledge can be had by analyzing moral language; thus definitions are critical…

Euthyphro Dialogue: Standard of Good

• Is the holy beloved by the gods because it is holy, or holy because it is beloved by the gods?

or …• Is what is holy holy because the gods approve

it, or because it is holy.

Today is a good day.

• Hand out reading for Thursday• Return last week’s good and bad journal

entries• A word on doing great journal writing– Reading and Using the sources– Exploring terms and ideas being considered– Editing for clarity