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Chapter 8 Lecture
Fourteen Ethical Principles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The Categorical Imperative
The Conventionalist Ethic
The Disclosure Rule
The Doctrine of the Mean
The Ends-Means Ethic
The Golden Rule
Fourteen Ethical Principles
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
The Intuition Ethic
The Might-Equals-Right Ethic
The Organization Ethic
The Principle of Equal Freedom
The Proportionality Ethic
The Rights Ethic
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Fourteen Ethical Principles
13. The Theory of Justice
14. The Utilitarian Ethic
Questions
ƒHow should we think about these 14
ethical traditions?
ƒWhy are they worth studying?
ƒWhy do we find ourselves agreeing
with some of them and disagreeing
with others?
Answers
ƒWe seek to make sense of the world.
ƒ(Among other things,) we want to see
ourselves as moral persons.
ƒWe want others to see us as moral
persons.
ƒWe want tools to dissuade others
from engaging in actions we find
objectionable.
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We Want to See Ourselves, and We Want
Others to See Us, as Moral Persons
ƒSo we study the 14 ethical principles
ƒPartly to decide whether we should
change our behavior
ƒPartly to gather ammunition to
defend our behavior, and
ƒPartly to gather ammunition to attack
the behavior of others
Why Study the 14 Ethical Principles?
Inward-Directed
ƒShould we
change our
behavior?
Outward-Directed
ƒWhy our behavior
is moral
ƒWhy the behavior
of others is
objectionable
(when we don’t
like it)
What Actions of Others Do We Find
Objectionable?
ƒActions that produce a clear and
present reduction in our personal
welfare, and
ƒActions that violate our intuitive
sense of right and wrong
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What Actions Violate Our Intuitive Sense of
Right and Wrong?
ƒThe answer to this question differs by
individual
ƒAccording to one schema developed
by Dr. Jonathan Haidt and his
colleagues, there are three main
groups: Liberals, Conservatives, and
Libertarians
Sample Ethical Maxims
1. Humbly and sincerely serving
others is a noble thing to do
2. Hurting someone else’s feelings
without provocation is wrong
3. It is wrong* to kill humans
4. It is wrong* to kill animals
*in most circumstances
These are Duds
ƒThe Categorical Imperative
ƒThe Doctrine of the Mean
ƒThe Proportionality Ethic
This is a semi-dud:
ƒThe Theory of Justice
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The Conventionalist Ethic
“Business is like a game with
permissive ethics, and actions that
do not violate the law are
permitted.”
ƒ Lying about your age on a resume
ƒ Claiming you have a college degree that you
do not
ƒ Using tricky means to triple your stock
The Conventionalist Ethic
ƒRunning ads for womens’ clothing
with super-slim models, even
though it might have the effect of
making many women feel that their
own bodies are inadequate?
ƒIf Merck had decided not to
develop Ivermectin for humans.
The Disclosure Rule
How would it make you feel if you had
to disclose this action to:
ƒThe TV-viewing public
ƒYour family
ƒA judge
ƒClosely-related to the Intuition Ethic
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The Intuition Ethic
“What is good and right is
understood by an inner moral sense
based on character development and
felt as intuition.”
ƒOur moral intuition is informed by
all the ethical maxims we have
truly bought into at a deep level.
The Golden Rule
“Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you.”
ƒThis one’s got “reciprocity” written
all over it!
ƒIt also ties into our natural capacity
to empathize with others.
The Test of Reversibility
“Would you be willing to change
places with the person or persons
affected by your actions?”
ƒYes → action is ethical
ƒNo → action is unethical
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The Ends-Means Ethic
Worthwhile ends justify efficient
means, and ends of overriding
importance or virtue justify
unscrupulous means.
ƒThe Prince (1513) by Niccolo
Machiavelli
ƒConsequentialism
Consequentialism
The idea that actions are right or
wrong, in part or in whole, based on
their consequences.
ƒThe Ends-Means Ethic
ƒThe Utilitarian Ethic
Deontological Ethics
The idea that actions are right or
wrong in themselves, independent
of any consequences.
ƒThe Categorical Imperative
ƒThe Golden Rule
ƒThe Ten Commandments
ƒThe Rights Ethic
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The Rights Ethic
Each person has a strong right to a
limited set of things that we as a
society will vigorously protect.
ƒLife (with rare exceptions)
ƒFree speech (within limits)
ƒReligion (within limits)
ƒPrivacy (within limits)
Wide Agreement in Western World
(continued)
ƒFreedom from arbitrary, unjust
police actions
ƒFreedom from unequal application
of laws (with limits)
The Might-Equals-Right Ethic
Justice is the interest of the stronger.
ƒ The Conventionalist Ethic and the
Ends-Means Ethic can be used to justify
behavior that many would find
reprehensible.
ƒ The Might-Equals-Right Ethic can be
used to justify behavior that most
would find reprehensible!
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Social Darwinism ≅ Might-Equals-Right
ƒSocial Darwinism (pp. 126-7) says
its O.K. to pay workers dirt poor
wages because doing so is in
service to a noble process – the
culling and shaping of the human
race into something more perfect.
ƒIt’s also closely-related to the EndsMeans Ethic.
But Social Darwinism is Inconsistent With
These Ethical Maxims
ƒHuman suffering is bad
ƒIf you could easily have prevented
someone else’s suffering (for
example by raising their wage or
giving money to charity) but chose
not to, you’re a bad person
The Utilitarian Ethic
That which does the greatest good for the
greatest number is the most ethical thing
to do.
ƒ The most famous consequentialist
ethical principle in the modern world.
ƒ The basis of cost-benefit analysis; a weakness
of which is that it requires costs and benefits
to be rendered in a common unit of measure.
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The Principle of Equal Freedom
A person has the right to freedom of
action unless such action deprives
another person of a proper freedom.
ƒ Most people know the colloquial
version: “Your right to swing your fist
ends where my nose begins.”
ƒ Popular with people who are, at an
intuitive level, libertarians.
The Organization Ethic
Be loyal to the organization.
ƒ Implies that the needs and desires of
individuals should be subordinate to the
needs and desires of the organization.
ƒ Appeals to people who are, at an
intuitive level, conservatives.
ƒ Rejected by most liberals and libertarians
Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Classification
Scheme
Three groups:
ƒLiberals
ƒLibertarians
ƒConservatives
Also some
differences between
countries.
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Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Classification
Scheme: Liberals
Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Classification
Scheme: Libertarians
Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Classification
Scheme: Social Conservatives
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International Differences
International Differences
Conclusions
ƒ Studying ethical principles and maxims
can help us in the practice of both inwarddirected and outward-directed ethics.
ƒ We will be successful in persuading
others of the merits of our actions, or the
drawbacks of their actions, only when the
arguments we use align with the ethical
principles they hold most dear.
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Conclusions
ƒ Therefore, cultivation of an understanding
of others’ moral matrices will be useful to
us in our dealings with others.
ƒ The best way to persuade someone is to
begin by acknowledging that we can see
the merits of their position.
ƒ This will trigger their reciprocity reflex and
they will want to afford you the same
courtesy.
Conclusions
ƒ Others will often not be persuaded by our
ethical arguments, but we will still need to
try. Sometimes we will succeed.
ƒ Cultivating tolerance of the divergent
moral premises and conclusions of others is
absolutely appropriate.
ƒ Your choice to be an ethical person will be
greatly appreciated, and will make people
want to associate with you.
This concludes the chapter 8 lecture.
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