ETHICS 1: Second LE Reviewer o Mixed Motives Altruism

 Little for self-interest

EGOISM  Self-interest is parallel with
 Selfishness – never mind other’s sentiments altruistic motives
 Self-interest – ought to do things that matters
 Two types: *Teleological – goal or end
o Descriptive/Psychological Egoism
 Own good Utilitarianism
 Hypotheses/Explanation
 Teleological
o Normative/Ethical Egoism
 Utility – satisfaction
 Ought to do actions that lead to
own good  Two aspects:
 Types of Ethical Egoism: o Consequentialist/Teleological Aspect
 The right or wrongness of an act
 Individual
depends on the result of the
 Personal
action
 Universal
o Hedonic/Utility Principle
1. Individual Ethical Egoism
 An act is good if it leads to
 All other people ought to do something
pleasure, wrong if it leads to
that will benefit for my own good
pain
2. Personal Ethical Egoism
 The only thing that is good in
 You do the action that will benefit for
itself is the state
your own good, never minding other’s
 Two types:
3. Universal Ethical Egoism
 Instrumental Good
 Everyone ought to do actions that will
 Intrinsic Good
benefit themselves
 Proponents of Utilitarianism:
o Reciprocal Egoism 1. Jeremy Bentham
 Enlightened egoism  Quantitative Utilitarianism
 Actions done for own benefit by  Hedonic or Felicific Calculus
helping others (“hedons”)
o Rational Egoism o Intensity
 Ayn Rand – “The Virtue of o Duration
Selfishness” o Certainty
 Self-interest is used o Hearness
interchangeably with selfishness o Fruitfulness
o Purity
o Extent
2. John Stuart Mill
ALTRUISM
 Bentham’s student
 Ought to do actions which maximize good of  Qualitative Utilitarianism
others  Two types of pleasure:
 Altruist – for others, automatically good o Lower order pleasures –
 Self-negation or deprivation bodily pleasures
 Types of Altruism based on motives: o Higher order pleasures –
o Pure Altruism intellect, spirit, artistic, non-
 Purely for altruistic reason bodily pleasures
 Two Types:
“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig
 High Altruism satisfied, it is better to be Socrates satisfied than a fool
o Based on dissatisfied”
beneficiary of
actions
 Low Altruism

  Types of Utilitarianism:  Two types:
o Act Utilitarianism o Act Intuitionism
 An act determines if the result is  You’ll know an act is
good or bad good or not based on
 “What act will maximize the your intuitions
good?”  Joseph Butler
 Disadvantage: Different people, o Rule Intuitionism
different acts of good  Two types:
o Rule Utilitarianism a. Absolutist
 “What rules, if followed, will b. Objectivist
maximize the good?”
*WD Ross (objectivist) – our intuition discovers the
correct moral principles and applies them correctly
*Reason-based Intuitionism
 Immanuel Kant – “categorical imperative”
*The special quality of humans is the capacity to
reason
*Categorical vs. Hypothetical Imperative
Categorical – perfect duties; Do A
Hypothetical – if you want A, do B
*Chi Nielsen – negative responsibility to utilitarianism Major Formulations of Categorical Imperative
*Three kinds of Consequences: 1. Formula of Universality
a. Act only according to that maxim at
1. Actual
which you can
2. Expected
*Maxim – rule of action depending on an
3. Intended individual (Maxim universalised = law)
*Objections against Utilitarianism 2. Formula of Humanity
a. Treat people as end in themselves and
1. No Rest not as means
2. Absurd Implications 3. Formula of Autonomy
3. Integrity a. “So act that your will can regard itself at
4. Justice the same time as making universal law
5. Publicity through its maxims”
*William Frankena
*Deontological – duty; rule-based act; we look at the
 Mixed Deontology (utilitarianism + deontology)
rightness or wrongness of the act itself
 Two principles:
Deontological Theories: o Principle of Justice
o Principle of Beneficence
1. Divine Command Theory
 “if it is willed by God, it is correct”
 Morality originates from God, therefore VIRTUE ETHICS
without God, there is no morality
 Moral rightness = willed by God  Aretaic Ethics (“Arete” = excellence)
2. Intuitionism  “What type of person should I be?”
 Intuition  Focuses in the character of an individual
 An act is right based on your intuition
  Three types:
o Pure Aretaic Ethics
 Virtues are seen as intrinsic
good
 Virtues > Principles
 Moral principles are only
derived from virtues
o Standard Deonic View
 Virtue is instrumental, duty is
intrinsic
 There is always a need for
principles in order to guide
virtues
o Pluralistic/Complemetarily Ethics
 Both virtues and principles are
equally important
*Aristotle – virtues = golden mean = aretaic

CARE ETHICS
*Carol Giligan – one of the first liberal feminists
*Heinz dilemma

PARTICULARITY ETHICS/MORAL PARTICULARISM

 Context can’t be disregarded
 We miscontrue the subject and arrive at the
wrong decisions if context is disregarded