Moral Philosophy

Approaches to Ethics

2023
 The Nature of Morality
• Three basic kinds of prescriptive /rigid/ moral theories
(theories that are legal/known for along period of time)
• Teleological theory(consequential)
• Deontological theory(non consequentialist)
( the above two are some times called as alternative moral standard )
b/c there are no standard moral rules)
And most of the time depended on action, how ever Teleological
includes the consequences.
• And virtue theory (developed by Aristotle and other Greek
philosophers) it is the quest to understand and live a life of moral
character…)
 Cont…
• There are three broad areas of Ethical study:
• Meta-ethics focuses on the meaning of ethical terms e.g. what
is goodness? How ethical knowledge is obtained?
• Meta-ethics is concerned with the nature of ethical properties,
statements, attitudes, and judgments.
 Cont…
• Normative ethics is the study of ethical acts.
• It focuses explicitly/openly/ on questions (what is the right
thing to do?)
• Normative ethics: concerned with questions of what people
ought to do, how people can decide what the correct moral
actions to take are.
 Cont…
• Applied ethics: how people can achieve moral outcomes in
specific situations.
• Concerned with the philosophical examination of particular
and complex issues involving moral judgments.
• Bioethics, environmental ethics, and development ethics.
 Cont…
• Ethics focuses on the studying or building up a coherent set
of rules or principles by which people ought to live.
• Theories of ethics evaluate human actions or behaviors in a
systematic way.
• Ways of justifying human conduct (actions/behaviors)
outcomes, duties, and motivations.
 Ethical views or Western Ethical Theories

• There are no standard moral rules that determine the rightness

or wrongness of human action or behavior.
• Instead, alternative standards, two broad theories
(Deontological and teleological).
 Cont…
• One traditional principle often given to guide action is:-
• Let your conscience be your guide.
• Doing whatever most loving is another principle.
• The golden rule, do to others as you would have them do to
you.
• I.e. Conscience, love, and golden rule.
( called as worthy of rules for human beings b/c
• work for most of us
• most of the time
• in ordinary moral situations.
• However, for more complicated moral cases, they have
limitations.
Cont…

• Is it easy to know what the right or the wrong action is?

• Conscience, love, and the golden rule are all worthy of rules
• They work for most of us, most of the time in ordinary moral
situations. However, for more complicated moral cases, they
have limitations.
 Teleological (Consequentialist)

• Human being usually weigh up the right and wrong decisions

fairly, quickly and easily.
• The consequences of human action or behavior determines the
morality and immorality of a given action or behavior.
• The end justifies the means. Purpose, ends or goals of human
action or behavior.
Cont….

• Teleological ethics means being a good person with good

intentions.
• Focuses on the intention behind human action.
• The judgment of wrong or right action/behavior depends on
the consequence of that action/behavior.
Cont…

• Positive outcomes of an action/behavior are considered right.

• Negative outcomes of an action/behavior are considered
wrong.
• The end justifies the means. The consequences of an action
determines the morality and immorality of a given action.
Cont…

• Do you think giving money to charity makes us a good

person?
• Does giving money to charity Allow us feel better about
ourselves?
• Is it the consequence of our actions that matter?
• Is it purely the action itself?(The act of giving, that is
intrinsically right?)
Cont…

• Teleological ethics focuses on the goal of the ethical action.

• The basis of moral judgment is based on outcomes of a
decision or an action.
• The judgment of right or wrong depends the consequences of
the decision or action.
 Three types of Teleological Ethics
• Egoism, Utilitarianism, and Altruism.
• Egoism believes that the motivation for all of our action is self
interest (one’s self).
• Egoism has :-
• Descriptive argument
• And normative argument.
• Descriptive argument tells us how the world actually is.
Cont…

• Egoism as a normative argument tell us how the world ought

to be.
• Egoism believes that human nature is self-centered.
• Individuals act in their own self-interest.
• Doing one’s duty or helping others.
 Cont…

• The motivation behind doing good deeds may be related to

• Making ourselves good,
• Making ourselves look good in the eyes of others,
• By helping others, others will help us.
Cont…

• Normative argument of egoism says that we should act in our

own interests.
• If everyone acts in their own self-interest, then society will
become more efficient.
• It is morally right to pursue one’s own self-interest.
Cont…
• Self-interested behavior is right if it lead to morally acceptable
ends.
• For ethical egoism, there is only one rule.
• Look after yourself you have no business for others.
• Ethical egoism implies that we ought to be selfish.
Cont…

• Ethical egoism is a theory that advocates egoism as a moral

rule.
• You should look after you. Egoists insist that if you don’t take
advantage of situation, you are foolish.
Cont…

• Morality is a result of self-interest. We should treat others the

way we would like to be treated.
• Acting only in one’s own best interest. We all always seek to
maximize our own self-interest.
• Other people’s interests are of no importance.
 Cont…

• Advancing your own interest by helping others.

• Help others if you are the main beneficiary.
• According to ethical egoism, treat others in a way that is to
your advantage not to theirs.
• Ethical egoism is one version /kind/of psychological egoism.
• The basis of argument for ethical egoism is psychological one.
Cont…

• An argument from human nature.

• Self love is the only basic principle in human nature.
• Ego /self/satisfaction is the final aim of all activity or
• That the pleasure principle is the basic drive in every
individual.
• Self love is the basic ethical principle of egoism.
Cont…

• We do things for others, but we get satisfaction out of doing

them.
• This satisfaction is our end in doing them.
• Doing them is only a means to get this satisfaction.
• Generally, Teleological ethics is how the consequences of a
given action will affect oneself or a given group.
 Utilitarianism/Universal Teleological Ethical system /

• Utilitarianism is closely associated with Jeremy Bentham and

John Stuart mill (British philosophers).
• It is producing the best consequences (the action is the best
consequence when it procures the greatest happiness for the
greatest numbers.
• Utilitarianism focuses on collective welfare .
Cont…

• Pleasure as the sole good and pain the only evil. Maximizing
pleasure and minimizing suffering.
• The given human action/behavior is right if it brings about
more pleasure than pain.
• The given human action/behavior is wrong if it brings about
more pain.
 Cont…
• John Stuart Mill defines happiness in terms of
• Higher order pleasures and lower order pleasures.
• The lower or elementary pleasures include :
 Eating
 drinking
 Sexuality
 resting etc.
The higher includes :-
 Creativity
 Intellectuality
 higher culture.
 scientific knowledge etc.
 Cont…

• Utilitarianism identifies goodness;

• Utilitarianism is a universal teleological ethical system.
• The maximization of goodness in society (social good)(The
greatest goodness for the greatest number of society.
• The notion of general happiness that is,
• The pleasing consequences that impact others and not just the
individual.
 Cont…

• With the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of

people.
• Greatest happiness principle.
• Maximizing benefit for the greatest number of people.
• Three elements of utilitarianism including the rightness and
wrongness of a decision or an action is determined by its
consequences.
 Cont…

• The value of the consequence of an action is

assessed in terms of the amount of happiness
or well-being caused.
• In assessing the total happiness caused to a
number of people, equal amount's of
happiness are to have equal value,
 Act and Rule Utilitarianism

• Both agree that human actions/behaviors should produce best

results/consequences.
• However, they differ about how to do that.
• The principle of utility, do whatever will produce the best
overall results should be applied on a case by case basis.
• Creates more well-being than available actions.
 Cont…

• Rule utilitarians stresses the importance of moral rules.

• A specific action is morally justified if it conforms to a
justified moral rules.
• The morality of individual’s action is judged on the basis of
general moral rules.
• Act utilitarianism is equal to the evaluation of individual
actions.
Cont…

• Rule utilitarianism is equal to the evaluation of rules.

• Evaluate individual actions by seeing if they obey or disobey
those rules.
• Direct and extreme for act utilitarianism and indirect and
restricted for rule utilitarianism.