CSC 385 - Simmonds

Brandon Hilton
Jeffrey Raynor
David Macurak
Defining Terms
General Scenarios
Ethical Theories
Subjective Relativism
Cultural Relativism
Divine Command Theory
Ethical Egoism
Kantianism
Act Utilitarianism
Rule Utilitarianism
Social Contract Theory
Comparison of Workable Ethical Theories
Summary


Society an association of people organized
under a system of rules designed to advance
the good of its members over time.
Morality rules of conduct describing what
people ought and ought not to do in various
situations.
Ethics the philosophical study of morality, a
rational examination into peoples moral
beliefs and behavior.
An analogy explaining the difference
between ethics and morality. Imagine
society as a town. Morality is the road
network within the town. People doing
ethics are in balloons floating above the
town.
Scenario 2 Questions:
Did the anti-spam organization do anything
wrong?
Did the ISPs that refused to accept the email
from the blacklisted ISPs do anything wrong?
Who benefited from the organizations action?
Who was hurt by the organizations action?
Could the organization have achieved its goals
through a better course of action?
What additional information, if any, would help
you answer the previous questions?
Scenario 4 Questions:
Should you recommend release of the product
next week?
Who will benefit if the company follows your
recommendation?
Who will be harmed if the company follows your
recommendation?
Do you have an obligation to any group of people
that may be affected by your decision?
What additional information, if any, would help
you answer the previous questions?
Relativism the theory that there are no
universal moral norms of right and wrong

Subjective Relativism each person decides
right and wrong for himself or herself
Whats right for you may not be right for me.
The Case for Subjective Relativism
Well-meaning and intelligent people can have
totally opposite opinions about moral issues.
Ethical debates are disagreeable and pointless.
The Case against Subjective Relativism
The line between doing what you think is right and
doing what you want to do is not sharply drawn.
Makes no moral distinction between the actions of
different people
Subjective relativism and tolerance are two
different things.
Allows people to make decisions based on
something other than reason
Cultural Relativism the ethical theory that
meaning of right and wrong rests with a
societys actual moral guidelines

The Case for Cultural Relativism
Different social contexts demand different
moral guidelines.
It is arrogant for one society to judge another.
The Case against Cultural Relativism
Does not explain how an individual determines
the moral guidelines of a particular society
Does not explain how to determine right from
wrong when there are no cultural norms
Societies do, in fact, share certain core values.
Cultural relativism is only indirectly based on
reason.
The divine command theory of ethics is
based on two premises: good actions are
those actions aligned with the will of
God, and Gods will has been revealed to
us.
The Case for the Divine Command Theory
We owe obedience to our Creator.
God is all-good and all-knowing.
God is the ultimate authority.
The Case against the Divine Command Theory
There are many holy books, and some of their
teachings disagree with each other.
It is unrealistic to assume a multicultural society will
adopt a religion-based morality.
Some moral problems are not addressed directly in
scripture.
It is fallacious to equate the good with God.
Based on obedience, not reason
Ethical Egoism the philosophy that each
person should focus exclusively on his or her
self-interest
Ethical Egoism does not prohibit acting to help
someone else, but assisting another is the right
thing to do if and only if it is in the helpers own
long-term best interest
The Case for Ethical Egoism
Ethical Egoism is a practical moral philosophy.
The community can benefit when individuals put
their well-being first.
Other moral principles are rooted in the principle
of self-interest.


The Case against Ethical Egoism
The premise that people naturally act in their
own long-term self-interest is false.
There are plenty of examples of injustices that
have occurred when powerful individuals put
their own interests above those of the
community
Other moral principles are superior to the
principle of self-interest.
Ethical egoism is a form of bigotry.
Kantianism is the name given to the ethical
theory of the German philosopher Immanuel
Kant.
Kant believed that peoples actions ought to
be guided by moral laws, and that these
moral laws were universal.
Kantianism is based on the premise that
rational beings can use logic to explain the
why behind their solutions to ethical
problems
Kant proposes the Categorical
Imperative: (1) Act only from moral rules
that you can at the same time will to be
universal moral laws. (2) Act so that you
always treat both yourself and other
people as ends in themselves, and never
only as a means to an end.
The Case for Kantianism
It is rational
Produces universal moral guidelines
All persons are treated as moral equals.
The Case against Kantianism
Sometimes no single rule fully characterizes an
action.
Sometimes there is no way to resolve a conflict
between rules.
Allows no exceptions to perfect duties

Principal of Utility An action is right (or
wrong) to the extent that it increases (or
decreases) the total happiness of the
affected parties.
Utility the tendency of an object to
produce happiness or prevent unhappiness
for an individual or community.
Act Utilitarianism the ethical theory that an
action is good if its net effect (over all
affected beings) is to produce more
happiness than unhappiness.
Attributes of Evaluation:
Intensity magnitude of the experience
Duration how long the experience lasts
Certainty probability it will actually happen
Propinquity how close the experience is in
space and time
Fecundity- its ability to produce more
experiences of the same kind
Purity extent to which pleasure is not diluted
by pain, or vice-versa
Extent number of people affected
The Case for Act Utilitarianism
It focuses on happiness.
It is straightforward.
It is comprehensive.
The Case against Act Utilitarianism
When evaluating, it is not clear where to draw the
line.
It is not practical to put so much energy into every
moral decision.
Ignores our innate sense of duty
We cannot predict with certainty the consequences of
an action.
Susceptible to the problem of moral luck
Actions are moral when they conform to
the rules that lead to the greatest good.
The Case for Rule Utilitarianism
Not every moral decision requires someone to
weigh the positives and negatives of a situation.
Solves the problem of moral luck. A rule
utilitarian would say that sending flowers to
people in the hospital is a good action.
It appeals to a wide cross section of society.
The Case against Rule Utilitarianism
Forces us to use a single scale or measure to
evaluate completely differently kinds of
consequences.
Ignores the problem of an unjust distribution of
good consequences.
Implies that people give up sovereignty
to a government or other authority in
order to receive or maintain social order
through the rule of law.
The Case for Social Contract Theory
It is framed in the language of rights.
Explains why rational people act out of self-
interest in the absence of a common agreement.
Provides a clear ethical analysis of some
important moral issues regarding the relationship
between people and government.
The Case against Social Contract Theory
None of us signed the social contract.
Some actions can be characterized in multiple ways.
May be unjust to those people who are incapable of
upholding their side of the contract.
The divine command theory, ethical
egoism, Kantianism, act utilitarianism,
rule utilitarianism, and social contract
theory share the viewpoint that moral
good and moral precepts are objective.
Kantianism, utilitarianism, and social
contract theory explicitly take other people
into consideration when defining what makes
an action morally correct, which sets these
theories apart from ethical egoism.
Kantianism, act utilitarianism, rule
utilitarianism, and social contract theory are
the most workable.
Act utilitarian considers the consequences of
the action, computing the total change in
utility to determine if an action is right or
wrong.
Ethics is a rational examination into people's
moral beliefs and behaviors.
Divine Command Theory is based on the idea
that God provided us with moral guidelines
designed to promote our well-being.
Ethical egoism is the belief that the right
thing for a person to do in any situation is
the action that will benefit him or her the
most.
Kantianism is based on the notion that
peoples actions ought to be guided by
universal moral laws.
Act Utilitarianism is based upon the Principle
of Utility, also called the Greatest Happiness
Principle.
Rule utilitarianism is when actions are moral
when they conform to the rules that lead to
the greatest good.
Social Contract Theory implies that people
give up sovereignty to a government or other
authority in order to receive or maintain
social order through the rule of law.