E T H I C A L T H E O RY

PART TWO

INTRODUCTION

• Moral Theory• Assessment of Ethical Theories• Moral Theories and Real People• Use

ASSUMPTIONS

• Introduction• Prescriptivity• Universalizability• Overridingness• Public• Practicality

VIRTUE THEORY

• Introduction• Defined• Proponents• Appeal

CONFUCIUS

• Background• Life• Rituals and Values• The Analects• Impact

ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS

• The Virtues• Respect for Authority• Master Tseng’s Three Points of Examination• A Young Man’s Duty• Four Virtues• How to Act• Nine Cares of the Gentleman

• Goodness• Good & Goodness• Wealth & Goodness• Goodness & Happiness• Moral Force

CONFUCIUS’ DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN

• Equilibrium & Harmony• Equilibrium• Perfection

• The Mean• Virtue• Why the path of the mean is not walked• Why the path of the mean is not understood• Shun’s Wisdom• Hui

• Virtues• Virtues• The Path

DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN

• Duties & Virtues• Five Duties of Universal Obligation• The Virtues by Which the Five Duties are Practiced• Acquiring Knowledge of Duties

• Sincerity• What is Sincerity?• Attaining Sincerity• Intelligence & Sincerity• One who possesses sincerity• Sincerity & Completion

DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN

• The Superior Man• The Superior Man & The Mean• The Superior Man• Archer Analogy• Energy of the Southern Regions• Energy of the Northern Regions• The Superior Man

ARISTOTLE

• History• Athens & Macedonia• Aristotle

• Ethics• Nicomachean Ethics• Nature of Ethics• Intellectual Virtue & Moral Virtue• Intellectual Virtue

ARISTOTLE’S METAPHYSICS

• Causes & Teleology• Four Types of Causes• Teleology

ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE THEORY

• The Supreme Good• End• Regress-Reductio Argument• Knowledge of the Good

• Happiness & Lives• Happiness• The Three Main Types of Life

• Life of Pleasure• Life of Pleasure• Pleasure is not Happiness

ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE THEORY

• Life of Honor• The Life of Honor• Honor is not the Good• Goodness/Justice rather than honor?

• What is the Good for Man?• Wealth & The Good• Inadequate• What is the good for man?

ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE THEORY

• The Good• Second Argument for the Good• The Final End• Choice Argument for happiness as the final end• Self Sufficiency Argument for happiness as the final end• Most Desirable Argument for happiness

• The Function of Man• Argument for function• Life is not Man’s Function• The Function is found in the rational part• Function & Good

ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE THEORY

• How is Happiness Acquired?• How?• Divine Dispensation• Study & Training• Teleological Argument Against Chance• Happiness• Political Science & Virtue

• Excellence & Virtue• Excellence• Virtue• The Mark of Virtue• Actions• The mean

ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE THEORY

• The Doctrine of the Mean Applied• Particulars• More Particulars

• Summing Up & Three Rules• Virtue• Difficult to be Good• Practical Rule #1: Keeping away from the contrary

extreme• Practical Rule #2: Likely errors• Practical Rule #3: Pleasure• Hitting the Mean• Rule

RELIGION & ETHICS

• Basis of Morality• Ethics & God• Introduction• Divine Command Theory• Autonomy Thesis• Kant• Secular Ethics

• Intellectualism & Voluntarism• Introduction• Voluntarism• Intellectualism

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

• Background• Early Life• The Ox• Works

• Teleological Ethics• Nicomachean Ethics• Actions• Humans Actions vs. Acts of Humans• Factors of Moral Assessment• Christian Modification

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

• Natural Law• Natural Law• Natural Morality• Disagreement

• The Four Laws• Metaphysics• Eternal Law• Natural Law• Divine Law• Human Law

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SUMMA THEOLOGICA

• Whether there is an Eternal Law?• Law• Eternal Law & Natural Law

• Whether an Effect of Law is to Make Men Good?• Law & Virtue• Goodness & The State• Tyrannical Law

ST. THOMAS AQUINASSUMMA THEOLGICA

• Whether the Natural Law Contains Several Precepts or Only One• Natural Law is Self Evident• Principle of Practical Reason• Good & Evil• Inclination to Good

• Whether the Natural Law is the Same in All Men?• Same

DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

• Definition of Divine Command Theory• Defined• Characteristics• Appeal

JOHN DUN SCOTUS

• Background• Life• Dunsmen

• Will, Intellect & Morality• The Will & Intellect• Scotus’s Argument for the Will• Voluntarism & Morality• Voluntarism & God• Argument for Voluntarism• Love of God• The Ten Commandments

DIVINE COMMAND THEORYTHE BIBLE

• Morality• The Ten Commandments• Killing• Injury• Loans, Thefts, & Losses• Virgins• More Death• Treatment of Aliens, Widows & Orphans

PROBLEMS WITH DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

• Problems• Euthyphro Problem• Different Religions, Texts, Interpretations• Metaphysics• God’s Goodness• Arbitrariness

CONCERNS ABOUT DIVINE COMMAND THEORY

• Concerns• Moral Intuitions & Actual Moral Practices• Selective Approach• Religious People have done Evil Things

CONSEQUENTIALISM

• Introduction• Defined• Value• Relevant Beings• Appeal

CONSEQUENTIALISMETHICAL EGOISM

• Introduction• Ethical Egoism• Altruism & Egoism• Appeal of Egoism

• Varieties of Egoism• Psychological Egoism• Personal Egoism• Egotism• Ethical Egoism

CONSEQUENTIALISMETHICAL EGOISM

• Standard Arguments for Ethical Egoism• Adam Smith Style Argument• Ayn Rand• Response to Rand• Thomas Hobbes

ETHICAL EGOISMTHOMAS HOBBES

• Background• Personal Information• The English Civil War• Leviathan (1642)

• Physics• Goal & Method• Empiricism• Metaphysical Materialism• God• Ontology

• Ethics• Morality & Materialism

THOMAS HOBBESLEVIATHAN

• Of the Natural Condition of Mankind• Equality• Value• Three Causes of Quarrel• War• War & Justice• The Passions that Incline Men to Peace• Articles of Peace

THOMAS HOBBESLEVIATHAN

• Of the First & Second Natural Laws, & of Contracts• The Right of Nature (jus naturale)• Law of Natuire (lex naturalis)• Right & Law• Fundamental Law of Nature• The Second Law of Nature

• Of Other Laws of Nature• Third Law of Nature: Justice• Justice & Injustice

THOMAS HOBBESLEVIATHAN

• Moral Philosophy• Moral Philosophy• Good & Evil• Moral Philosophy

PROBLEMS WITH ETHICAL EGOISM

• Inconsistency• The Argument• Reply

• The Ironic Argument• Argument• Reply

• The Paradox Argument• Argument• Responses

CONSEQUENTIALISMUTILITARIANISM

• Introduction• Defined• Utility• Relevant Beings• Act & Rule Utilitarianism• Proponents

• Appeal• Costs & Benefits• Democracy• Moral Intuitions

JOHN STUART MILL

• Background• Background• Education• Life• Works

JOHN STUART MILLUTILITARIANISM

• What Utilitarianism Is• Foundation of Morals• Ends

• The Pig Objection• The Objection• Mill’s Reply• Difference in quality of pleasures• Basis of the difference in quality of pleasures• Preference• Higher Faculties• Happiness & Contentment• Objection• Competent Judges

JOHN STUART MILLUTILITARIANISM

• Standard, End & Scope• Standard• End & Scope

• Proof of the Principle of Utility • Questions of Ultimate Ends• The Analogy• All Possible Proof

JOHN STUART MILLUTILITARIANISM

• Objection • People desire things other than happiness• Virtue & Happiness• Love of Money• Love of Power & Fame• Virtue contrasted with love of money, power or fame• Happiness• Proof of the Principle of Utlity

PROBLEMS WITH UTILITARIANISM

• Internal Problems• Formulation• Consequences• Response

• External Problems• Unreasonable Expectations• The Rights of Minorities• Nothing is Forbidden• Absurd Implications• Integrity

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DEONTOLOGY

• Introduction• Defined

• Rule-Deontological Theories• Defined• Rules• Proponents• Appeal

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KANTIAN ETHICSINTRODUCTION

• Introduction• Theoretical Reason• Practical Reason• Ethical Works• Emphasis• Rationalism

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CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVEIMMANUEL KANT

• The Good Will• The Good Will & Qualities• Worthiness of Happiness• Virtues• The Goodness of the Good Will

• Moral Worth, Maxim & Universal Law• Moral Worth• The Good• Law• Example• Determining the Good• Duty

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CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVEIMMANUEL KANT

• The Categorical Imperative• Law & Will• Imperatives

• Examples • Suicide• Lying Promises• Rusting Talents• Helping Others

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CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVEIMMANUEL KANT

• Ends• Rational Beings• Objects of the Inclination• Rational Beings• Supreme Practical Principle• Kingdom of Ends• Rational Beings as Legislators

• Three Postulates of Morality • Introduction• Freedom• Immortality• God

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PROBLEMS WITHDEONTOLOGY

• Problems• Duty• Inflexibility• Rationality• Terrible Maxims seem to pass the test• Kingdom of Ends

ETHICAL RELATIVISM & SUBJECTIVISM

• Introduction• Defined• Proponents• Pojman’s Reconstruction of the argument• Subjectivism

• Appeal• Appeal• Melville Herskovits’ Tolerance Argument

HERODOTUSCUSTOM IS KING

• Background• Life (484-425 bc)• Works• Contribution

• Relativism• The Best• Anecdote of Darius

PROBLEMS WITHETHICAL RELATIVISM

• Problems• Relativism refutes the tolerance argument• Relativism precludes cross cultural criticism• Disturbing Consequences• Defining Culture• Relativism collapses into Subjectivism• Subjectivism collapses into Nihilism

• Criticism of the Argument • Diversity Thesis• Dependency Thesis