A Brief Look at Moral Ethics

Moral Objectivism

Image: https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/objectivity

• Objectively knowable rights and wrongs
• Universalism - same for everyone
• Not relative or absolute
• Allows variation - circumstantial difference

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

• Moral principles cannot be objective

or universal

• Right & wrong varies widely

• Particular to relevant contextual factors

• Individual or cultural

• Should not judge other moral

perspectives

• Refutes existence of objective

moral values

Source: Westacott, n.d.

Ethical Relativism

Image: https://www.yesvedanta.com/objectivity-vs-subjectivity-in-light-of-vedanta/

Deontology

&

Teleology

Image: https://munsonmissions.org/2012/04/10/the-unethical-church-part-i/

• A basic truth or law, may be a tenet of a moral system
• Criticism:
• No broader values they belong to
• No standard for resolving conflicts

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Principlism

Image: Jennifer A. Smith / Getty Images;

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-moral-principles-5198602

Virtue Ethics

Image:

Image: https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2010/01/28/st-thomas-aquinas/on-this-day/

Catholic Moral Tradition

• Thoroughly formulated
• Influential in bioethics
• Advocates for human life & dignity
• Conceptiont to death
• Obligation to care for the needy

• Teleological theory
• Thomas Aquina - founder
• Basic goals:
• Protect life
• Procreate
• Create community
• Seek truth

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Image: Philosopher's Shirt;

https://twitter.com/thephiloshirt/status/1095456292221665280

Kantian Ethics

• Immanuel Kant
• Founder of deontological thought
• Ability to reason makes us moral agents
• Morality not based on consequences

• Categorical Imperative:
• Act as if your action were willed as universal law
• Treat others as autnomous ends, not means
• Two categories of duties:
• Perfect
• Must always do
• Imperfect
• Must sometimes do

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Image:

Utilitarianism

• Origins:
• Jeremy Bentham (1748−1832)
• John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
• Acts evaluated by consequences
• Principle of Utility:
• Actions are right if they create greater good on balance

• Act Utilitarianism:
• Act must create highest utility

in specific situation

• Rule Utilitarianism
• Rules can be developed and

tested for good in similar

situations

• An act is good if it

adheres to rules shown

to maximize utility

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Image: Ben Jones; https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/john-rawls-liberal-philosophy-review/

Rawlsian Ethics

• Principles:
• Liberty Principle
• Each person has equal right to basic liberties
• Difference Principle
• Social and economic inequalities are permissible if they are arranged to benefit the least advantaged

• John Rawls (1921-2002)
• Principles of justice must be adhered to
• Institutions and practices
• Original Position
• Thought experiment for choosing basic principles to structure society
• Chosen behind Veil of Ignorance
•  Your place in society cannot be known

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Image: Twitter: @unsmokable; https://twitter.com/unsmokabIe/status/740388110136016896

Feminist Ethics

• Relatively new
• Women & other marginalized groups have less societal power
• Group may be considered oppressed for many reasons
• Significantly less agency
• Societal bias towards white men
• Eradicating this power imbalance
• Elimination of oppression of women
• Group may be considered oppressed for many reasons

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Image: https://www.azquotes.com/author/5542-Carol_Gilligan

Ethic of Care

• Ethic of care looks for context-

specific solutions

• Must have room for

circumstantial discretion

• Relations must be preserved
• Nel Noddings extended theory

to men and women

• “Caring” more foundational

than ethical principles

• Caring must be nurtured,

allowed to grow

• Has roots in feminist thoughts
• Seeks recognition that women have different and unique perspective than men
• This has been used to devalue women’s agency as rational agents
• Carol Gilligan detailed patterns of moral reasoning:
• Women’s ethics rooted in relationships and care (ethic of care)
• Men’s ethics more rule-based (justice perspective)

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

• Legal right rooted in legal principles
• Moral right rooted in moral principles
• Positive right is to receive service or obligation from others
• Negative right is to be free from action of others

Source: Bennett-Woods, 2005

Rights Based Ethics

• Concerned with natural law and rights-based approaches
• Natural rights thought to be a gift from nature or God
• Modern interpretation:
• Inalienable rights of life, liberty, property
• Also called universal human rights
• A right is said to be:
• a claim upon other individuals or society
• Have power over other’s choices

References

Bennett-Woods, D. (2005). Ethics at a glance. Regis University.

Brownlee, S. (2018, September 20). Aristotle's Teleological Ethics. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzlBlifDYM

Mulder, D. H. (n.d.). Objectivity. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/objectiv/#SH4b

The Thomistic Institute. (2019, November 4). Teleology w/ Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P. (Aquinas 101). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoPjFnqO7j4

Westacott, E. (n.d.). Moral relativism. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/moral-re/