Health Care Ethics

(Bioethics)

Module #4 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Borlasa, Justin Kean Hakeem L. Class number:

Section: BSN2 – B14 Schedule: M/TH Date:

Lesson Title: Decision Making in Value Issues and Private Law Materials:

Learning Targets: Pen, paper, index card, book, and class List
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
1. List the theorist who are considered the fathers of
contemporary duty-oriented, consequence oriented, and References:
virtue ethics;
2. Outline the theoretical positions known as duty-oriented, Ethics of Health Care: A Guide for Clinical
consequence oriented, divine mandate and virtue ethics Practice Fourth Edition, Raymond S. Edge, J.
reasoning; Randall Groves
3. Differentiate between act and rule utilitarianism; and,
4. List the major criticisms of duty-oriented, consequence
oriented, divine mandate and virtue ethics systems.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

Brain Teaser: You will be asked by your instructor some questions about the previous
topic.

B. MAIN LESSON

Value Confrontation

Values
– Tell us what is right and wrong, good, and evil
– Imply a preference to correct human behavior
– Attempt to be constructive, not destructive, over issues involving personal values

Essential Mental Attributes for Ethical Reasoning

1. Ethical humility- awareness of the limits of one’s own ethical insights
2. Ethical courage- willingness to assess fairly ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints differing from your own
3. Ethical empathy- willingness to attempt to understand the opinions of others and try to see the issue from their
position.
4. Ethical fair-mindedness- to hold one’s own beliefs and opinions to the same standard of proof and evidence that we
require for the opinions of others.

As professionals, it is necessary, even in our opposition, to attempt to be constructive, not destructive, in the methods we
use when we come to disagreements over issues involving personal values. When trying to come to mutual
understanding regarding value disagreements it is wise to follow J.M Barrie’s admonition “Never ascribe to an opponent
motive meaner than your own.”

Teleological (Consequence-oriented) Theories

– Judge rightness or wrongness of decisions based on outcomes or predicted outcomes
– The right thing to do is the good thing to do

Utilitarianism
– Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) – Fathers of utilitarianism

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 Health Care Ethics
(Bioethics)

Module #4 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Dalmao, Khatleen Grethel R. Class number:

Section: BSN2 – B14 Schedule: M/TH Date:

– The good resides in promotion of happiness or greatest net increase of pleasure over pain
– Happiness as higher-order pleasures: intellectual, aesthetic, and social enjoyments as defined by Stuart Mill

There are criticisms that this kind of reasoning might lead to situations in which group derives pleasure from the pain of
others:
– To overcome this objective or this criticism some consequentialist have required the principles of equal
consideration of interest
– Utilitarian theory uses when they seek to divide scarce resources such as health care.

Act Utilitarianism
– Decision based on possible alternatives for action
– Weighing each to amount of pleasure or utility it provides
– Selecting course of action that maximizes pleasure

Equal Consideration of Interest

– Individual not allowed to increase his share of happiness at expense of another
– One ought to act to produce greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness, everyone considered

Consequence-Oriented Reasoning

Criticisms of Utilitarianism
– Calculation of all possible consequences of our actions, or inactions, appears impossible
– May be used to sanction unfairness and violation of rights
– Not sensitive to agent-relativity of duty
– Does not seem to give enough respect to persons
– Justifiable to prevent others from doing what we believe to be harmful acts to themselves
– Does not provide basis for our own moral attitudes and presuppositions

Rule Utilitarianism
– Action deemed to be right if it conforms to a rule validated by the principle of utility
– Principle of utility: rule brings about positive results when generalized to variety of situations

Deontological (Duty-Oriented) Theories

Duty-oriented Theories
– Basic rightness or wrongness of act depends on its intrinsic nature rather than on situation or consequences
– Act right or wrong; it could not be both

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)

– Morality derived from rationality, not from experience

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 Health Care Ethics
(Bioethics)

Module #4 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Dalmao, Khatleen Grethel R. Class number:

Section: BSN2 – B14 Schedule: M/TH Date:

– Based his moral philosophy on the crucial fact that we are rational beings, and a central feature of this rationality
was that principles derived from reason are universal.
– Obligation grounded in pure reason

Categorical imperative: do not admit exceptions

Imperative
– Command derived from a principle
– Maxim understood as universal law
3 elements
– Universal application (i.e., binding on every individual)
– Unconditionality
– Demanding an action

Categorical imperative - an action is known to be right when it was in accordance with rule that satisfied a principle.

Duty-Oriented Reasoning

Criticisms of Kant
– Too rigid for real life
– Morality cannot be derived from pure reason
– Disregard of consequences of our actions can lead to disastrous results
– Even though nonhuman animals feel pain and pleasure, they do not have independent moral standing since
they are not rational beings
– Possible to be faced with a conflict between two duties equally supported by an imperative

Contract Theory of John Rawls

– Individual in social situation requiring value choice without knowing role he was playing in situation
– Individual would choose alternative that best supported or favored most disadvantaged person
– Secure basic liberties for all

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

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 Health Care Ethics
(Bioethics)

Module #4 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Dalmao, Khatleen Grethel R. Class number:

Section: BSN2 – B14 Schedule: M/TH Date:

You will answer and rationalize this by yourself. This will be recorded as your quiz. One (1) point will be given to correct
answer and another one (1) point for the correct ratio. Superimpositions or erasures in you answer/ratio is not allowed.

1. The most common form of consequence-oriented reasoning is known as?

A. Divine command theory
B. Deontological theory
C. Utilitarianism
D. Virtue ethics
Answer: C.
Rationale: The most common form of consequence-oriented reasoning is known as utilitarianism which is a kind of consequentialism
since it holds that the outcomes or consequences of acts, rules, laws, and so on decide if they are good or bad, correct or wrong. In
essence, we should select the option that will yield the best overall outcomes.

2. Held that morality Is derived from rationality, not from experience, and obligation is grounded in pure reason.
A. Jeremy Bentham
B. Immanuel Kant
C. John Stuart Mill
D. Aristotle
Answer: B.
Rationale: It was Immanuel Kant who believes that morality is derived from rationality, not from experience, and obligation is
grounded in pure reason.

3. Utilitarianism is a form of what type of reasoning?

A. Consequence-oriented
B. Duty oriented
C. Virtue ethics
D. Divine mandate
Answer: A.
Rationale: Utilitarianism is a form of consequence-oriented reasoning since it holds that the outcomes or consequences of acts, rules,
laws, and so on decide if they are good or bad, correct or wrong and at the end, we should choose the ones that will yield the best
overall outcomes.

4. For the ethicist, the basic wrongness of an act depends on the intrinsic nature of the act itself?
A. Consequence-oriented
B. Duty oriented
C. Virtue ethics
D. Divine mandate
Answer: B.
Rationale: Duty oriented theory believed that the basic wrongness of an act depends on the intrinsic nature of the act itself.

5. Is a form of utilitarianism that holds that an action can be deemed to be right if it conforms to a rule that has been
validated by the principle of utility.
A. Act of utilitarianism
B. Rule of utilitarianism
C. Kantian ethics
D. Ethics of care
Answer: B.

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 Health Care Ethics
(Bioethics)

Module #4 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Dalmao, Khatleen Grethel R. Dalmao Class number:

Section: BSN2 – B14 Schedule: M/TH Date:

Rationale: The rule of utilitarianism holds that an action can be deemed to be right if it conforms to a rule that has been validated by
the principle of utility.

6. The “categorical imperative is part of ethics.

A. Duty oriented
B. Virtue
B. Kantian
C. Consequence oriented
Answer: A.
Rationale: The categorical imperative is part of duty-oriented ethics.

7. “Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals “is the classic work of?

A. Immanuel Kant
B. John Rawls
C. Lawrence Kohlberg
D. Aristotle
Answer: A.
Rationale: “Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals” is the classic work of Immanuel Kant.

8. In the principle of categorical imperative, the imperatives seem to have three elements, which of the following is NOT
part of the elements?
A. Demanding action
B. Unconditionality
C. Golden Rule
D. Universal application
Answer: C.
Rationale: In the principle of categorical imperative, the imperatives seem to have three elements that includes universal application,
unconditionally, and demanding an action.

9. A Scottish author that quoted “Never ascribe to an opponent motive meaner than your own.”
A. Immanuel Kant
B. J.M Barrie
C. John Rawls
D. Morris Massey
Answer: B.
Rationale: It was J.M Barrie, a Scottish author who quoted “Never ascribe to an opponent motive meaner than your own.”

10. Who are considered the Fathers of Utilitarianism?

A. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
B. J.M Barrie and John Rawls
C. Morris Massey and J.M Barrie
D. Mahatma Gandhi and Aristotle
Answer: A.

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 Health Care Ethics
(Bioethics)

Module #4 Student Activity Sheet

Name: Dalmao, Khatleen Grethel R. Class number:

Section: BSN2 – B14 Schedule: M/TH Date:

Rationale: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are considered the Fathers of Utilitarianism.

C. LESSON WRAP-UP

AL Activity: Formative Assessment

This strategy focuses on the assessment of your learnings after a lesson. You must answer the following questions, as
honest as possible, based on your own understanding.

1. What specific part of the Main Lesson for this session do you find the most confusing?
The topic that I found most confusing is about the difference between the act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism.

2. What makes your answer in #1 confusing? What is the question in your mind?
I find it a bit confusing since I cannot differentiate the difference between them. Also, I think I can understand the topic more if
there are examples related to act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism.

3. Since that is your most confusing lesson, what are the interventions that you must do to understand the topic?
Maybe I can use the internet to browse some examples or watch the related topic on YouTube.

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