Review Unit 1: Why Be Ethical?

Unit one: Lesson 1 ●​ Secularism: way of living as if God did not exist and a lack of thought that there is any dimension to being beyond the immediate material things. ○​ Religions activities are not very important ●​ Consumerism: attitude to life where material goods and personal appearance are more important than inner development. ○​ Objects provide happiness and status, but people are treated as objects. ●​ Individualism: attitude that put person’s needs before other people○​ Is the exaltation of the individual self over all other considerations. ●​ Moral Relativism: all values are relative, can be right and wrong. ○​ Everything is dependent on one’s point of view. ■​ Ie. a mom stole to feed her kids. Philosophies of life 1.​ Nihilism: Life has no meaning. ○​ You live, you die -goodbye ○​ Look at life as a negative experience. 2.​ Hedonism: Purpose of life is to pursue pleasure. ○​ Anything that makes you feel good -is good. ○​ Make choices that bring pleasure, regardless of how the choices affect others. 3.​ Existentialism: Whatever gets me ahead of others is good. ○​ There is no universal meaning to life, only the meaning each individual gives ○​ Believe whatever fulfills their needs is good and all they should concern themselves with. 4.​ Collectivism/Communism: Whatever the group says-goes ○​ Follow the crowd ○​ Group values and concerns are more important than individual values. 5.​ Secular Humanism: Make their own decisions and decipher right and wrong. ○​ Believes that religion and God are not needed for humans to live their life. 6.​ Christianity: To serve God means to serve others. ○​ Every human is valuable because they are valued by God. ○​ Balances group needs with individuals needs. Lesson 2 ●​ Moral dilemma: a problem that cannot be solved simply by dealing with material facts. ○​ It's a situation that requires a choice between options that seem unfavourable. 1.​ See ​ ​ ​ 2. Judge ​ ​ 3. Act ​ ​ ​ 4. Evaluate Two major approaches philosophers use in handling ethical dilemmas. 1.​ Focus on the practical consequences of what we do. ○​ There is no harm ○​ ie. I took a pen, no one notice so it’s ok 2.​ Focus on the actions and weigh the rightness of the action. ○​ Some actions are simply wrong ○​ ie. I took a pen, it is wrong to steal. Therefore, I did something wrong. ●​ Morality: is concerned with the distinction between right and wrong of human actions. ○​ Not all actions are moral actions, example: choosing colour of socks to wear. ○​ Latin: “moralitas” (customs and manners shaping human life). ●​ Immoral: action or judgement considered wrong. ○​ ie. Cheating on a test is immoral. ●​ Ammoral: action or judgment that has nothing to do with right or wrong. ○​ ie. deciding what to eat for breakfast. ●​ Christian morality: right and wrong according to the laws of God. ○​ They can be seen in the: Bible, Church, catechism, and teachings ●​ Ethics: judgement between right and wrong in light of reason. ○​ Greek: “ethikos” (a person’s good character). ➔​ We do not make bad decisions because we are bad because we give up easily. ➔​ Our moral decisions can depend on our ability to think through our options, check all possible solutions before acting. Lesson 3 ●​ Ethics and morality can become a series of do’s and don’ts imposed by an authority. ●​ Ethical experiences may feel like you do not have a choice but to be ethical. ○​ Ethics is subjective and morality is objectively. 4 major ethical experiences: 1.​ The scream: The experience of personal response ○​ In a relaxed state, you hear a scream and transform into an action motion. ○​ Awareness has transformed into a state of responsibility for another person. ○​ Move from self indulgence to others ○​ Examples of the scream: ■​ Responding to an emergency and a call for help. ○​ The “scream” caused an automatic response. 2.​ The beggar: The experience of the other. ○​ Comes from French-Jewish philosopher, Emmanuel Levinas. ○​ Start at the human face - someone in need. ○​ Face to face interaction changes our awareness of others. ○​ The other evokes a response in us. 3.​ “I have to…”: The experience of obligation ○​ Urged to act responsibly through what you’ve been taught and by the rules. ○​ Ethical sense comes from an authority figure ○​ Cannot remain neutral, you have a duty. ○​ The order is in your consciousness and demands a response. 4.​ This is intolerable! This isn’t fair! The experience of contrast ○​ Faced cruelty, making you feel shock and disgust, and want to do something. ○​ Shows how someone knows the difference between how things are and how they should be. ○​ Example: Holocaust. Lesson 4 ●​ Aristoteles was a student of Plato and then a teacher to Alexander the Great. ●​ Aristoteles preferred an experiential approach to ethics. ●​ Aristoteles style of teaching is teleological: is the design or purpose of something. ○​ The telos or purpose is to be a good person and to be happy. Aristoteles: purpose of life ●​ Aristoteles teaches that everything has a purpose. ●​ His ethical approach was less about the individual and more in the community. ●​ Happiness and pleasure are not the same. Pleasure is momentary happiness. ●​ Happiness is achieved by a good person who succeeds in living and acting good. ○​ Happiness is the final goal Hierarchy of being ●​ Aristotle’s ethics based on his view of the universe ●​ He saw it as a hierarchy that everything has a function ●​ The proper function of a thing is arete (virtue), and it is activity of the soul in accordance with reason. ●​ It cannot be simply living and growing – trees and animals do that as well. Humans have 2 kind of virtue: ●​ Intellectual virtues: relate to our professions. Differ of a doctor and a truck driver. ●​ Moral virtue: vary according to our capacities. Is the outcome of habit. ➔​ Intellectual and moral virtues are needed to achieve happiness. ●​ In order to get good things we need to follow the path of rational thinking ●​ In order to become happy we develop habits. ●​ Aristotle's calls these excellences virtues. We become virtuous by choosing to do virtuous things. Good thoughts → Good acts → Good habits → Good character → Can be happy ●​ Aristotle’s mean is the balance between: extreme of excess and extreme of deficiency. Deficiency ​ ​ ​ ​ Mean ​ ​ ​ ​ Excess Humility​ ​ ​ ​ Pride​ ​ ​ ​ Vanity ●​ Mean varies according to individuals ○​ Example: The mean of a marine is different from a kid. ○​ Example: The mean of charity is different for a millionaire from a student. ●​ Aristotles recognize that being good is something that we need to work on. Lesson 5 ●​ Deontology comes from the Greek “deon” meaning: Study of duty ●​ Immanuel Kant: conclude that the only thing that is good for its own sake is good will. ●​ His ethics focus on the individual and the presence of personal “goodwill” as a personal duty. ●​ He was concerned with what we ought to do or should do. ●​ Kant agreed with Aristotles that humans were rational and through it they could determine their duty. 2 ways we can reason 1.​ Theoretical reason: How we come to know how laws of nature govern human behaviour. ○​ ie. Tell us the effect of alcohol consumption on the body. 2.​ Practical reason: help us understand how people make choices. ○​ ie. Tell us that we ought not to drink and drive. ●​ He believed that ethical principles could apply to everyone. ●​ Kant ethics also known as absolutism ●​ Based on the idea that the only consideration is the act itself. ○​ Actions are either intrinsically moral or not moral. ○​ Decisions should be based on whether or not the action is a moral one. ●​ To determine our duty we must establish ethical maxims. ○​ Rules you set for yourself because you believe everyone should follow them. Review Unit 1: Why Be Ethical? Test Review Might come in multiple choice: 1.​ What is a moral dilemma? What are the two ways to approach a moral dilemma? ➢​ Moral dilemma is a problem that cannot be solved simply by dealing with material facts and requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavourable. 2.​ What is morality? In philosophy what is morality concerned with? ➢​ Morality is the subjective distinction between right and wrong. 3.​ What is Christian Morality? ➢​ Christian morality disagrees, with making immoral decisions because we are bad. ➢​ Christian morality is concerned with the right and wrong according to God. 4.​ What is ethics? In philosophy what is ethics concerned with? ➢​ Ethics is a person’s good character ➢​ Ethics is concerned with the objective distinction between right and wrong, the overall good and bad of human actions. 5.​ Be able to identify and explain the 4 ethical experiences. ➢​ The Beggar: face to face interaction changes our awareness. ○​ Example: sacrificing your concert ticket to someone who really wants to see the Weeknd. ➢​ The Scream: help someone in need. ○​ Example: rushing to help a cyclist who has been struck by a car. ➢​ The Obligation: act to rules teached and have been made by an authority. ○​ Example: Returning books to the library on time. ➢​ The Intolerable: experiencing cruelty makes someone feel shocked. ○​ Example: A doctor told George his girlfriend died and he seems good. Might come on Thinking (matching): 6.​ What is teleological ethics? ➢​ Teleological ethics: Having to do with the design or purpose of something. 7.​ What is deontological ethics? ➢​ Deontological ethics is a study of duty. 8.​ What are the 4 major “isms” of Modern Culture? ➢​ Secularism: a way of living as if God did not exist. ➢​ Consumerism: An attitude to life thatrates material goods more important than inner development. ➢​ Individualism: An attitude that glorifies a person’s needs at the expenses of other people. ➢​ Moral relativism: All values are relative, the product of human thought. 9.​ What does it mean to be immoral? Amoral? ➢​ Immoral: action considered wrong ➢​ Amoral: An action that has nothing to do with right or wrong. 10.​What are the 6 philosophies of life? ➢​ Nihilism: there is no purpose in life, life has no meaning. ➢​ Hedonism: purpose of life is to pursue pleasure. ➢​ Existentialism: we’re alone in the world and must do whatever gets us ahead of others. ➢​ Collectivism: When making decisions it is best to follow the crowd. ➢​ Secular humanism: Humans are intelligent enough to make their own decisions and decipher right from wrong. ➢​ Christianity: We must remember that God wants us to think about the other when making decisions. Might come on communication (identification) 11.​Aristotle's philosophy (happiness/virtue/good character) ➢​ Eudaimonia: a life well lived, pushing yourself to limits and finding happiness. ➢​ Arete/virtue: Moral virtue comes to us as a result of habit. ➢​ The Mean: moderation in all things results in happiness. ➢​ Good character: must be developed through practice. ➢​ We achieve happiness by developing our potential and achieving our telos. ➢​ Happiness is not the same as pleasure; pleasure is momentary. ➢​ In order to achieve supreme good life beyond us needed. ➢​ Humans find happiness within the community. ➢​ “The happy person lives well and does well; for we have practically defined happiness as a sort of good life and good action.” 12.​Kant’s philosophy (duty/law/maxims/reason) ➢​ Practical reason: moving away from empirical knowledge to the moral dimension that guides human behavior and defines our moral duty. ➢​ Theoretical reason: the area of reasoning whereby we come to know how human beings are governed by laws of nature. ➢​ 3 principles: principles of consistency, respect and duty. ➢​ Maxims: treat others as an end, not just as a means. ➢​ I must act in such a way that the principles according to which I act should become universal law. ➢​ “Duty is the necessity of an action done out of respect for the law.” 13.​Levinas’ philosophy (God/human face/others) ➢​ The Other: the face of the Other calls us to respond in a good way. ➢​ Traces of God: we each reflect a unique trace of our infinite God. ➢​ Infinity: we are all different and responsible for each other. ➢​ The face: traces of God can be found in the human face. ➢​ Relationalism: strongly believed in rational ethics. ➢​ Totality: we are all the same ➢​ Goodness translates into responsibility for the Other. ➢​ The Good = God ➢​ “The good is interested, not in what is common among things,but what is absolutely unique”.