Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction To Ethics
Introduction To Ethics
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Religion Philosophy
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Ethics (Moral Philosophy) Defined
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Theistic ethics
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Absolute and Relative Theistic Ethics
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Indo-European Origins of Philosophy
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Hindu/Buddhist philosophy
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3 Stages in the History of Ethics
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Philosophical ethics--Assumptions
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Philosophical ethics--Assumptions
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Locating Ethics Within Philosophy
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Schools of Those Who Accept Moral
Truth
• A further division--for those who have come so far
as to believe that moral good exists--is among
those who emphasize
– what is right (deontologists)
– what is good (utilitarians or consequentialists)
– virtue or character as the basis for ethics.
15
Theories of Moral Truth
Ethical Moral Truth Exists: Moral Truth Doesn’t Exist:
Theories:
Cognitivism (“moral facts” can be Non-cognitivism (“Moral facts” are just
discovered by reason expressions of desire.)
Descriptivism (“Moral judgments can Non-descriptivism (Moral judgments are
be true or false.”) neither true or false.)
Sources in , A Intuitionism (We know right and Projectivism (We project our values upon a
Companion to
Ethics, Peter wrong innately—”moral sense theory.”) world that has none.)
Singer, Ed.
“Relativism” by Naturalism (Moral facts are found in Nihilism (Moral facts don’t exist and morality
David Wong, pp.
442-450 nature and are scientific or social is false.)
scientific.)
Realism”, Absolutism (Bible, Relativism (Morality is a function of culture
Michael Smith, p
399-410 Prescriptivist) (There is one truth-- and history—it isn’t absolute.)
two sides can’t be right.)
“Intuitionism” by Moral Realism (moral facts validated Irrealism (There are no moral facts.)
Jonathan Dancy,
pp. 411-419 by the consensus of behavior and
bycircumstances—”
“Universal Consequentialism (Try to find the Error theory (“denies that moral sentences
Prescriptivism”,
by R.M. Hare, most good for the most people.) express propositions”) Wikipedia “Ethical
Naturalism” 16
pp. 451-463
Moral Deontological Consequential Virtue,
theories:Theories that “right”
(of the “Right”) exists
(of the “Good”) Character
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Arguments against absolutes: Diversity
– Local moral standards have been transformed by Christian teaching,
reducing diversity. Examples are slavery and cannibalism. (Holmes,
citing William Frankena, p. 20)
• Other examples are killing twins and albinos in Africa, and burning
widows (sutee).
– "[T]he relativist cannot consistently reject all intolerance. In tolerating
other moralities than his own, he must tolerate their
intolerance....Further, at least one virtue, tolerance, is then not
entirely relative; and at least one moral belief, the belief that we
ought to be tolerant, is taken to be true." (Holmes, p. 23)
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Argument against absolutes:
Dependency (determinism)
• Humans are socialized into accepting moral/ethical
practices, which they must accept.
– People cannot believe otherwise—beliefs are determined by
environment.
– If so, how do non-conformists, reformers and prophets arise?
– Determinism is not a view that can be chosen, since those who
believe it have no choice but to believe it. If so, the determinist
cannot say that this view is independently better than another.
(Holmes, p. 139)
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Argument against absolutes: Dependency
(determinism)
• The Holy Spirit, by the power and grace of God,
can overcome any environmental upbringing and
social norms, as well as ethics generated by sin.
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Lack of consensus among philosophers
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Human value in Hinduism
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Human value in Buddhism
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Human value in Islam
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Evolutionary ethics
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Valentine (March 2010)
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Valentine