A Glimpse into

Moral theories and Mental

Frames
presented by:
Lara Mae Gorpido and Ehdilyn Briones
 Learning objectives :
What we'll discuss : At the end of this topic learners
Different Moral should be able to assess the
Theories and Mental importance of Moral theories and
Mental frames.
Frame
Dig deeper into the meaning of
Why are they
Moral Theories and Mental Frames
important?
"LIFE IS ALL ABOUT
PERSPECTIVE."
-Unknown
What is Moral Theory?
A moral theory consists of more or
less connected claims arranged to
determine what a morally good or
right action or stance is, and what it
is that makes it either right or good.
 5 Moral Theories
1. CONSEQUENTIALISM 4. UTILITARIANISM.

2. DEONTOLOGY 5.VIRTUE ETHICS.

3. JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS
Components of any action:

1. The person 2. The action 3. Consequences

who perfoms that result from the
itself action
the action
 1.Consequentialism
•Unlike virtue and deontological
theories, this hold that only the
consequences or outcomes of actions
matter morally.
• Acts are deemed to be morally right
solely on the basis of their
consequences
• Most common form: utilitarianism
 2. Deontology
• Derived from the Greek word deon which
means duty
• By Immanuel Kant
• Morality is based on certain duties, or
obligations and claim that certain actions
are intrinsically right or wrong in
themselves
regardless of the consequences that may
follow from those actions
• We act on maxims: principle of action, what
we intend.
 2. Deontology
In moral philosophy, deontological ethics
or deontology is the normative ethical
theory that the morality of an action
should be based on whether that action
itself is right or wrong under a series of
rules and principles, rather than based on
the consequences of the action.
 3. Justice as Fairness
• Refers to the conception of justice that John
Rawls presents in A Theory of Justice
• Justice means giving each person what he or
she deserves or in more traditional terms,
giving each person his or her due.
• Fairness refers to an ability to judge without
reference to one’s feelings or interests; it
refers to the ability to make judgments that
are not overly general but that are concrete
and specific to a particular case.
 4.Utilitarianism
• Classical utilitarians: Jeremy Bentham
and John Stuart Mill
• States that actions are morally right if
and only if they maximize the good
(or, alternatively, minimizes the bad)
• Actions are morally right, if and only if
they maximize pleasure or well-being
or minimize suffering.
 4.Utilitarianism
Greatest Happiness Principle – actions
are right in proportion as they tend
to
promote happiness, wrong as they
tend
to produce the reverse of happiness.
 Types of Utilitarianism
1. Hedonistic Utilitarianism – the
rightness of our actions are
determined solely on the basis of
consequences of pleasure or pain.
2. Preference Utilitarianism – takes
into account not just pleasures, but
the satisfaction of any preference.
 5.Virtue Ethics
• Aristotle
• Claims that ethics is about agents, not
actions or consequences.
• Living an ethical or good life consists
in the possession of the right
character traits (virtues) and having
the appropriate moral character.
 5.Virtue Ethics
• The focus is on developing good
habits of character or virtuous
character traits
• These include courage, temperance,
justice, wisdom, generosity and good
temper.
 Mental Frame
• Framing is a feature of our brain’s
architecture
• Our minds react to the context in
which something is embedded, not
just to the thing itself
• It is one way the brain finds patterns
in chaos and creates meaning out of
meaninglessness
 Mental Frame
A frame of reference, or point of view, refers
to the way we look at a given situation. How a
person views that situation can affect her
understanding of the facts and influence how
she determines right from wrong. Some frames
minimize or even omit the ethical aspects of a
decision.
Importance of
Moral Theories
& Mental
Frame
 Importance of moral theories
Moral theories allow us to see the
implications of the judgments that these (and
other fundamental concerns) are each
important in moral reasoning. Perhaps, as a
result, moral theories have in recent years
become more concerned to accommodate the
insights of what were once regarded as rival
theories.
 why is mental frame important?
Our outlook or mindset can have a tremendous
influence on our attitudes and performance. So it
is important to have a positive outlook if we want
to achieve our goals. “The mind is its own place
and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of
Heaven,” said the poet John Milton.
Thank You for
listening,
Teachers!