Fourteen Ethical Principles

Transcription

1 Chapter 8 Lecture Fourteen Ethical Principles 1. The Categorical Imperative 2. The Conventionalist Ethic 3. The Disclosure Rule 4. The Doctrine of the Mean 5. The Ends-Means Ethic 6. The Golden Rule Fourteen Ethical Principles 7. The Intuition Ethic 8. The Might-Equals-Right Ethic 9. The Organization Ethic 10. The Principle of Equal Freedom 11. The Proportionality Ethic 12. The Rights Ethic 1

2 Fourteen Ethical Principles 13. The Theory of Justice 14. The Utilitarian Ethic Questions How should we think about these 14 ethical traditions? Why are they worth studying? Why do we find ourselves agreeing with some of them and disagreeing with others? Answers We seek to make sense of the world. (Among other things,) we want to see ourselves as moral persons. We want others to see us as moral persons. We want tools to dissuade others from engaging in actions we find objectionable. 2

3 We Want to See Ourselves, and We Want Others to See Us, as Moral Persons So we study the 14 ethical principles Partly to decide whether we should change our behavior Partly to gather ammunition to defend our behavior, and Partly to gather ammunition to attack the behavior of others Why Study the 14 Ethical Principles? Inward-Directed Should we change our behavior? Outward-Directed Why our behavior is moral Why the behavior of others is objectionable (when we don t like it) What Actions of Others Do We Find Objectionable? Actions that produce a clear and present reduction in our personal welfare, and Actions that violate our intuitive sense of right and wrong 3

4 What Actions Violate Our Intuitive Sense of Right and Wrong? The answer to this question differs by individual According to one schema developed by Dr. Jonathan Haidt and his colleagues, there are three main groups: Liberals, Conservatives, and Libertarians Sample Ethical Maxims 1. Humbly and sincerely serving others is a noble thing to do 2. Hurting someone else s feelings without provocation is wrong 3. It is wrong* to kill humans 4. It is wrong* to kill animals *in most circumstances These are Duds The Categorical Imperative The Doctrine of the Mean The Proportionality Ethic This is a semi-dud: The Theory of Justice 4

5 The Conventionalist Ethic Business is like a game with permissive ethics, and actions that do not violate the law are permitted. Lying about your age on a resume Claiming you have a college degree that you do not Using tricky means to triple your stock The Conventionalist Ethic Running ads for womens clothing with super-slim models, even though it might have the effect of making many women feel that their own bodies are inadequate? If Merck had decided not to develop Ivermectin for humans. The Disclosure Rule How would it make you feel if you had to disclose this action to: The TV-viewing public Your family A judge Closely-related to the Intuition Ethic 5

6 The Intuition Ethic What is good and right is understood by an inner moral sense based on character development and felt as intuition. Our moral intuition is informed by all the ethical maxims we have truly bought into at a deep level. The Golden Rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This one s got reciprocity written all over it! It also ties into our natural capacity to empathize with others. The Test of Reversibility Would you be willing to change places with the person or persons affected by your actions? Yes action is ethical No action is unethical 6

7 The Ends-Means Ethic Worthwhile ends justify efficient means, and ends of overriding importance or virtue justify unscrupulous means. The Prince (1513) by Niccolo Machiavelli Consequentialism Consequentialism The idea that actions are right or wrong, in part or in whole, based on their consequences. The Ends-Means Ethic The Utilitarian Ethic Deontological Ethics The idea that actions are right or wrong in themselves, independent of any consequences. The Categorical Imperative The Golden Rule The Ten Commandments The Rights Ethic 7

8 The Rights Ethic Each person has a strong right to a limited set of things that we as a society will vigorously protect. Life (with rare exceptions) Free speech (within limits) Religion (within limits) Privacy (within limits) Wide Agreement in Western World (continued) Freedom from arbitrary, unjust police actions Freedom from unequal application of laws (with limits) The Might-Equals-Right Ethic Justice is the interest of the stronger. The Conventionalist Ethic and the Ends-Means Ethic can be used to justify behavior that many would find reprehensible. The Might-Equals-Right Ethic can be used to justify behavior that most would find reprehensible! 8

9 Social Darwinism Might-Equals-Right Social Darwinism (pp ) says its O.K. to pay workers dirt poor wages because doing so is in service to a noble process the culling and shaping of the human race into something more perfect. It s also closely-related to the Ends- Means Ethic. But Social Darwinism is Inconsistent With These Ethical Maxims Human suffering is bad If you could easily have prevented someone else s suffering (for example by raising their wage or giving money to charity) but chose not to, you re a bad person The Utilitarian Ethic That which does the greatest good for the greatest number is the most ethical thing to do. The most famous consequentialist ethical principle in the modern world. The basis of cost-benefit analysis; a weakness of which is that it requires costs and benefits to be rendered in a common unit of measure. 9

10 The Principle of Equal Freedom A person has the right to freedom of action unless such action deprives another person of a proper freedom. Most people know the colloquial version: Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins. Popular with people who are, at an intuitive level, libertarians. The Organization Ethic Be loyal to the organization. Implies that the needs and desires of individuals should be subordinate to the needs and desires of the organization. Appeals to people who are, at an intuitive level, conservatives. Rejected by most liberals and libertarians Jonathan Haidt s Moral Classification Scheme Three groups: Liberals Libertarians Conservatives Also some differences between countries. 10

11 Jonathan Haidt s Moral Classification Scheme: Liberals Jonathan Haidt s Moral Classification Scheme: Libertarians Jonathan Haidt s Moral Classification Scheme: Social Conservatives 11

12 International Differences International Differences Conclusions Studying ethical principles and maxims can help us in the practice of both inwarddirected and outward-directed ethics. We will be successful in persuading others of the merits of our actions, or the drawbacks of their actions, only when the arguments we use align with the ethical principles they hold most dear. 12

13 Conclusions Therefore, cultivation of an understanding of others moral matrices will be useful to us in our dealings with others. The best way to persuade someone is to begin by acknowledging that we can see the merits of their position. This will trigger their reciprocity reflex and they will want to afford you the same courtesy. Conclusions Others will often not be persuaded by our ethical arguments, but we will still need to try. Sometimes we will succeed. Cultivating tolerance of the divergent moral premises and conclusions of others is absolutely appropriate. Your choice to be an ethical person will be greatly appreciated, and will make people want to associate with you. This concludes the chapter 8 lecture. 13