ETHICS – SESSION 2

Dr. Ponmythili
Review – Session 1
◦ Consequentialist Theories : Maximize the Good
◦ Ethical Egoist :
◦ According to this theory the right action is the one that advances one’s
own best interest
◦ This says, one’s only moral duty is to promote the most favourable
balance of good over evil for ONESELF.
◦ Example : Your promotion as VP and the memo of your competitor
◦ Utilitarianism:
◦ According to this theory: the morally right action is the one that produces
the most favourable balance of good or evil, everyone considered.
◦ Example : You being the Medical scientist – Found the unique medicine.
Problems with Utilitarianism
◦ How do we determine benefits and harms? How do we assign

value? e.g. the value of life, the value of money, the value of

time, the value of human dignity?

◦ Can we ever calculate all the consequences of our actions?

◦ What of justice? What happens to minorities?

Learnings from Utilitarianism
Discussions

◦ Ill patients

◦ Trolley Example

◦ Terrorist

◦ Riots in the city

Major Learning

1) This model consider that the consequences of our actions do indeed make a
difference in our moral deliberations.

2) Incorporates the principle of impartiality, a fundamental pillar of morality itself.

Everyone concerned counts equally in every moral decisions.

3) The obligation to act for the well-being of others.

Nonconsequentialist Theories: Do
Your Duty
◦ Kant’s moral system

◦ natural law theory

Non Consequentialist: Do your Duty
◦ Kant’s categorical imperative— it is our duty to act in such a
manner that we would want everyone else to act in a similar
manner in similar circumstances towards all other people.
an action is permissible if

1) Its maxim can be universalized (if everyone can consistently act on the maxim in
similar situations)

2) you would be willing to let that happen.

Example: Lying Borrower

Kant’s categorical imperative
Four categories of duties

◦ Perfect duties toward ourselves

◦ to refrain from suicide

◦ Perfect duties toward others

◦ to refrain from making promises you have no intention of keeping

◦ Imperfect duties toward ourselves

◦ to develop one’s talents

◦ Imperfect duties toward others

◦ to contribute to the happiness of others

The means-end principle

Doctrine of double effect
◦ The principle that performing a good action may be permissible even if it has
bad effects, but performing a bad action for the purpose of achieving good
effects is never permissible; any bad effects must be unintended.

An action is permissible if four requirements are met:

1. The action is inherently (without reference to consequences) either morally

good or morally neutral.

2. The bad effect is not used to produce the good effect (though the bad may
be a side effect of the good).

3. The intention must always be to bring about the good effect.

4. The good effect must be at least as important as the bad effect

Non Consequentialist: Do your Duty
◦ Kant’s categorical imperative— it is our duty to act in such a
manner that we would want everyone else to act in a similar
manner in similar circumstances towards all other people.

◦ natural law theory—A theory asserting that the morally right

action is the one that follows the dictates of nature.

◦ divine command theory—A theory asserting that the morally right

action is the one that God commands.
"Who Am I?" 20 statements test
◦ Number the lines on a sheet of paper from 1 to 20. On each line,

complete the statement "I am ..." with whatever aspect of

yourself comes to mind. Answer as if you were talking to yourself,

not to somebody else. Write the answers in the order they occur

to you, and don't worry if they aren't logical or factual.

Step 2
◦ Read each statement and then classify it into one of two categories.

1. Collectivistic elements are any descriptions that refer to the self in

relationship to others. It includes roles ("I am a student,"), family relations ("I

am a mother,"), ethnicity, race, gender, and origins (e.g., "I am an African

American," "I am from the States"), and religion.

2. Individualistic elements are qualities that apply to you personally, such as

traits, attitudes, habits, and mood (e.g., I am intelligent," or "I like to play

soccer").
Step 3
Summarize your self-concept by computing the percentage of your self that is

individualistic versus collectivistic.

1. Is your self-concept more individualistic or collectivistic?

2. Did you tend to list collectivistic elements earlier in the list than individualistic

ones?

3. Was it difficult to classify the self-descriptions as either individualistic or

collectivistic?

4. Which elements are more central to your identity: the collectivistic

components or the individualistic components?

Values in the Rokeach Survey

13
Values - Attribute
• “a specific mode of conduct or end-state of
existence is personally or socially preferable to an
opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state
of existence”
• Attribute
• Content (What is important)
• Intensity (How Important it is)
Classifying Values – Rokeach Value
Survey
● Terminal Values - Desirable end-states of existence
○ The goals that a person would like to achieve
during his or her lifetime
● Instrumental Values - Desirable modes of behavior
Desirable modes of behavior or means of achieving
one’s terminal values
Classifying Values – Rokeach Value
Survey
● Terminal Values - Desirable end-states of existence
○ Self-focused : Personal Values
○ Others-focused: Social Values
● Instrumental Values - Desirable modes of behaviour
○ Moral Values – those which when violated arouses feeling of guilt
for wrong doing
○ Self-actualization Values – those which when violated leads to
feeling of shame about personal inadequacy
 Terminal Values (End-States)
Social (Focus on Others) Personal (Self-Focused)
A World at Peace A Comfortable Life
A World of Beauty An Exciting Life
Equality A Sense of Accomplishment
Family Security Happiness
Freedom Inner Harmony
Mature Love Pleasure
National Security Salvation
Social Recognition Self-respect
True Friendship Wisdom
 Instrumental Values (Behavioural)
Moral (Focus on Morality and Competence (focus on
Relations) competence)
Broadminded Ambitious
Forgiving Capable
Helpful Clean
Honest Courageous
Loving Imaginative
Cheerful Independent
Obedient Intellectual
Polite Logical
Responsible Self-Controlled
What is an Ethical Dilemma?
◦ When different approaches yield different decisions but we still
must choose

◦ When the alternatives all seem wrong in some way but we still
must choose

◦ When the alternatives all seem right in some way but we still must
choose

◦ Note: if what is right is clear to you, it is not a dilemma, though it

may require courage to follow through!

◦ Example: Burger Kitchen

To Blast or Not to Blast: Leaning on Values
1. What makes Thorn’s situation challenging? What situational and personal pressures does she feel?

2. Did Thorn do the right thing? Why or why not ? How could she have better handled the situation?

3. As a young female professional in a male – dominated field, what should Thorn learn from the

situation?

4. What insight form the case related to voicing values could you apply to your own life

experience?

5. What is necessary to effectively voice your values? How can you develop these skills?

6. What values did Thorn demonstrated in her decision – making process?