Exam 2: How to Be Ethical

According to Dewey, ethical theories based on absolute laws and principles fail to address the actual conditions of daily life and experience. What are Dewey's reasons for making this claim? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

Virginia Held | On Feminist Ethics Held lays out the consequences of centuries of creating ethical theory purely from a male point of view. The most important is that a feminist ethics cannot simply add to a structure built of concepts that are themselves based on a patriarchal view of the masculine and feminine but rather must transform ethics completely. She focuses on three main issues: (i) that of equating reason with males and emotion with females; (ii) associating the public arena with men and the private, household arena with women; and (iii) creating a caricature of the moral self that is exclusive to males. -While feminist philosophers agree on the need for ethical theories that do not devalue the lives and experiences of women, not all agree on whether

John Stuart Mill | Utilitarianism Mill criticizes existing ethical theories based on abstract principles that fail to apply directly to human action and its consequences. He builds on earlier conceptions of utilitarianism from Epicurus to Bentham by distinguishing between different qualities of human pleasure, which include both the intellectual and the sensual (the higher and lower pleasures). -Opponents of utilitarianism have not understood that human pleasures include those of the intellect as well as those of

Virginia Held | On Feminist Ethics Held lays out the consequences of centuries of creating ethical theory purely from a male point of view. The most important is that a feminist ethics cannot simply add to a structure built of concepts that are themselves based on a patriarchal view of the masculine and feminine but rather must transform ethics completely. She focuses on three main issues: (i) that of equating reason with males and emotion with females; (ii) associating the public arena with men and the private, household arena with women; and (iii) creating a caricature of the moral self that is exclusive to males. -Feminist philosophers cannot simply incorporate new concepts into existing male-based ethical theories because these theories

Case 2.2: Bernard Williams, "George, Jim, and Utilitarianism" -Consider how Jim would respond to the situation if he were implementing Kantian ethics. What kind of choice would he make? Do you think this would lead Jim to the best decision? Why or why not?

John Dewey | The Construction of Good Dewey contrasts his pragmatic approach to morals with earlier theories based on loyalty to ideals or principles. The scientific method is best applied to social and moral questions both because its claims are seen as hypotheses to be tested rather than rigid laws to be followed and because it allows for knowledge that responds to changing conditions over time. -An ethics based on eternal and immutable ideals, according to Dewey, denies the possibility of social

Immanuel Kant | Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals In this excerpt from Kant's moral philosophy, we are first introduced to the concepts of good will, duty, and moral worth, followed by a discussion leading up to the fundamental principle of the categorical imperative. The passage concludes with Kant's examples demonstrating the distinction between perfect and imperfect duties. -The type of love that is ___________ follows from principles of action rather than from inclinations of the senses.

Aristotle | On the Good Life In this excerpt from The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explores what it means to lead a good life and how this is related to pleasure, pain, virtue, and character. He concludes that happiness, or pleasure, is the chief good, or end goal, of a well-lived life. -One who delights in abstaining from pleasure, according to Aristotle, would be considered

Kant criticized previous accounts of morality for a particular failure that he claimed his own deontological ethics fully addressed. What did he see missing in earlier accounts, and what reasons did he provide in support of his own approach? Do you agree with this view of moral philosophy? Why or why not?

Virginia Held | On Feminist Ethics Held lays out the consequences of centuries of creating ethical theory purely from a male point of view. The most important is that a feminist ethics cannot simply add to a structure built of concepts that are themselves based on a patriarchal view of the masculine and feminine but rather must transform ethics completely. She focuses on three main issues: (i) that of equating reason with males and emotion with females; (ii) associating the public arena with men and the private, household arena with women; and (iii) creating a caricature of the moral self that is exclusive to males. -A feminist ethic might be advantageous for professionals specifically with respect to

Virginia Held | On Feminist Ethics Held lays out the consequences of centuries of creating ethical theory purely from a male point of view. The most important is that a feminist ethics cannot simply add to a structure built of concepts that are themselves based on a patriarchal view of the masculine and feminine but rather must transform ethics completely. She focuses on three main issues: (i) that of equating reason with males and emotion with females; (ii) associating the public arena with men and the private, household arena with women; and (iii) creating a caricature of the moral self that is exclusive to males. -The human/natural distinction has NOT been traditionally used to justify

John Dewey | The Construction of Good Dewey contrasts his pragmatic approach to morals with earlier theories based on loyalty to ideals or principles. The scientific method is best applied to social and moral questions both because its claims are seen as hypotheses to be tested rather than rigid laws to be followed and because it allows for knowledge that responds to changing conditions over time. -Instead of promoting rigid allegiance to dogmas, a scientific approach would treat all tenets and creeds as

Walter Stace | On Ethical Relativism Ethical relativism can be understood as an extreme left-wing response to ethical absolutism, which arose naturally out of Christian theology. Stace points out that while the former denies the latter, it also uses the term standard in a different way. While absolutist distinguishes between what is right and what is only thought to be right, the relativist sees them as the same. -Ethical absolutism developed out of

Do you see a contradiction between believing that the ideas of philosophers are "molded by the civilizations in which they live" and also believing that there exist universal moral truths unaffected by considerations of space and time? Why or why not?

Plato | The Ring of Gyges In this excerpt from the dialogue The Republic, Glaucon and Socrates discuss the nature and origin of justice. Glaucon defends injustice, illustrating his argument with the legend of Gyges, to play devil's advocate and force Socrates to explain why people would voluntarily choose to be just. -To hear Socrates defend ___________ as something praiseworthy in itself, without regard to consequences, Glaucon defends ___________.

Aristotle | On the Good Life In this excerpt from The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explores what it means to lead a good life and how this is related to pleasure, pain, virtue, and character. He concludes that happiness, or pleasure, is the chief good, or end goal, of a well-lived life. -The end, or goal, of a political life is

Virginia Held | On Feminist Ethics Held lays out the consequences of centuries of creating ethical theory purely from a male point of view. The most important is that a feminist ethics cannot simply add to a structure built of concepts that are themselves based on a patriarchal view of the masculine and feminine but rather must transform ethics completely. She focuses on three main issues: (i) that of equating reason with males and emotion with females; (ii) associating the public arena with men and the private, household arena with women; and (iii) creating a caricature of the moral self that is exclusive to males. -The public/private distinction has traditionally been used to justify

Dewey discusses several changes that would occur if the scientific method were to be applied to questions of morality. Describe three of these, providing examples for each. Do you agree with Dewey that such an approach to ethics is possible, let alone an improvement on previous ethical theories? Why or why not?

John Stuart Mill | Utilitarianism Mill criticizes existing ethical theories based on abstract principles that fail to apply directly to human action and its consequences. He builds on earlier conceptions of utilitarianism from Epicurus to Bentham by distinguishing between different qualities of human pleasure, which include both the intellectual and the sensual (the higher and lower pleasures). -Utilitarianism guides human conduct in promoting both the greatest happiness of an individual agent as well as the greatest happiness for

Walter Stace | On Ethical Relativism Ethical relativism can be understood as an extreme left-wing response to ethical absolutism, which arose naturally out of Christian theology. Stace points out that while the former denies the latter, it also uses the term standard in a different way. While absolutist distinguishes between what is right and what is only thought to be right, the relativist sees them as the same. -When a culture has a different sense of what is right and wrong, according to an absolutist, they most likely ___________ the one, true moral code.