Ethical Theories I

WEEK 2-1
Utilitarianism
• which says that the right thing to do in any situation is whatever
will “do the most good” (that is, produce the best outcomes)
taking into consideration the interests of all concerned parties;
• For example, if you are choosing ice cream for yourself, the utilitarian
view is that you should choose the flavor that will give you the most
pleasure. If you enjoy chocolate but hate vanilla, you should choose
chocolate for the pleasure it will bring and avoid vanilla because it will
bring displeasure.
• https://youtu.be/-FrZl22_79Q
Kantianism
• (or Deontology more generally), which says that—as a matter of
respect—there are certain absolute (or nearly absolute) rules
that must be followed (for example, the rule that we must
respect people’s privacy, or respect other people’s right to make
decisions about their own lives);
• Deontology is an ethical theory that uses rules to distinguish right
from wrong. Deontology is often associated with philosopher
Immanuel Kant. Kant believed that ethical actions follow universal
moral laws, such as “Don’t lie.  Don’t steal.  Don’t cheat.”
• https://youtu.be/wWZi-8Wji7M
Social Contract Theory
•  which says that, in order to figure out what ethical rules to
follow, we ought to imagine what rules rational beings would
agree to in an “ideal” decision-making context;
• Social contract theory says that people live together in society in
accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political
rules of behavior. Some people believe that if we live according to a
social contract, we can live morally by our own choice and not
because a divine being requires it.
• https://youtu.be/UY3aMtMkoEU
Virtue Theory
• which says that we ought to focus not on what rules to follow, but on
what kinds of people (or organizations!) we want to be, and what
kinds of ethical examples we ought to follow;
• Generally, people are predisposed to adopt the values that they are raised
with. People also tend to believe that those values are “right” because
they are the values of their particular culture.
• Ethical decision-making often involves weighing values against each other
and choosing which values to elevate. Conflicts can result when people
have different values, leading to a clash of preferences and priorities.
• https://youtu.be/SCjYaatMJuY
Confirmation Bias
• Confirmation bias is the tendency of people’s minds to seek out
information that supports the views they already hold. It also leads
people to interpret evidence in ways that support their pre-existing
beliefs, expectations, or hypotheses
• Likewise, police officers who accept stereotypes that link young black
men to crime may gather and process clues in a one-sided way when
investigating a crime with a black suspect. As Nobel-prize winner Daniel
Kahneman warns, even scientists who commit to a theory tend to
disregard inconsistent facts, concluding that the facts are wrong, not the
theory.
• https://youtu.be/7zoWTb3KP-k