The Principle of Humanity
Kant's principle of humanity states:
Always treat a human being (yourself included) as
an end and never as a mere means.
Treating as a means: dealing with someone so
as to achieve your goals.
Treating as an end: treating someone
Ethical egoism states:
Actions are morally right just because they
best promote one's self-interest.
Psychological egoism is one possible source of
support for ethical egoism, but one can be an
ethical egoist without being a psychological
Theories of Well-Being
Theories of well-being attempt to state what it is
for a life to go well, and what kind of things
make a life go better.
They seek to specify what is intrinsically good
Intrinsic vs. Instrumental Value
Something is instrumen
Moral nihilism: the view that there are no moral
For moral nihilists, there is a sharp difference
between facts and values: Facts are real,
values are not.
Two types of moral nihilism:
Argument from Absolutism
1) If moral claims are objectively true, then moral
rules are absolute.
2) No moral rule is absolute.
3) Therefore, moral claims are not objectively
Argument against Objective Truths
1) There are no objective truths.
What Is Ethics?
Ethicsis the systematic endeavor to
understand moral concepts and justify moral
principles and theories (Pojman, p.1).
Meta-ethical questions investigate the
foundation of moral principles and their
Meta-ethical questions investiga
Arguments for Ethical
Moral rightness and wrongness of
actions vary from society to society, so
Guide to Studying Philosophy
Follow Five Rules
Come to class
Take notes in class
Read the text AT LEAST twice
Review slides, notes and readings after
5. Study for the exams
1. Come to class
The lectures will cover more than the
Doctrine of Negative
[I]f I am ever responsible for anything, then
I must be just as much responsible for things
that I allow or fail to prevent, as I am for
things that I myself, in the more everyday
Ethical objectivism: the view that some moral
standards are objectively correct and that some
moral claims are objectively true.
Objectivity: Moral standards are objective if they
apply to everyone, even if people dont believe
Ross's Ethic of Prima Facie Duties
A non-absolutist version of ethical pluralism.
Prima facie duty: an excellent, permanent, nonabsolute reason to do or refrain from
We have many prima facie duties.
Each is fundamental.
Each can be
Is Hedonism Paradoxical?
Paradox of Hedonism Argument
1) If happiness is the only thing that directly
makes us better off, then it is rational to singlemindedly pursue it.
2) It isnt rational to do that.
3) Therefore, happiness isnt the only thing that
Religion and Morality
Religious belief is needed to get us to do our duty.
Morality must be created by someone, and God is
by far the best candidate for the job.
Religious wisdom is the key to providing us with
Desire Satisfaction Theory
The desire satisfaction theory states:
Something benefits you if and only if it satisfies your
Anything that benefits you does so exactly because
it satisfies your desires.
Attractions of the Theory
A variety of good li
Two Central Claims of Desire
If something is good for us, then it fulfills our
If something fulfills our desires, then it is good
Desire Satisfaction Not Necessary
for Promoting Our Good
Natural Law Theory
Natural law theory states:
Actions are right just because they are natural and
wrong just because they are unnatural. People are
good or bad to the extent that they fulfill their true
naturethe more they fulfill their true nature, the
Psychological egoism is the theory that all
human actions are aimed at avoiding some
personal loss or gaining some personal benefit.
If psychological egoism is true, then altruism
the direct desire to benefit others for their own
Two Morally Charged Questions
What if everyone did that?
How would you like it if someone did that to
Both raise the issue of fairness, but neither
provides a foolproof test of the morality of
Kant's Principle of Universalizability
If utilitarianism is true, the right action is the one
that brings about the greatest overall wellbeing.
But how do we measure well-being?
This is particularly difficult if many things directly
contribute to well-being.
The Argument f
Proceduralism: the view that we should begin
moral inquiry without making any substantive
moral assumptions but rather should devise a
procedure that will tell us what steps we must
take to distinguish right from wrong.
The Fool is someone who admits that breaking
his promises is unjust but doesn't care if he
behaves justly or not.
If self-interest is the fundamental reason for
acting, and behaving unjustly is sometimes in
our interest, it is sometimes rati
A Different Starting Point for Ethics
Most moral theories: What is the right thing to
Virtue ethics: What kind of person should I be?
Virtue ethics is a family of theories that traces
its roots (in the West) back to the ancient Greek
Four Central Claims of Feminist
Women are the moral equals of men; views that
justify the subordination of women or downplay
their interests are thus mistaken on that
The experiences of women deserve our respect
and are vital to a full and
Ethical monism: the family of views according to
which there is one supreme rule that serves as
the basis of all morality.
An ethical rule is supreme if it is both:
Absolute: never permissibly broken.
Fundamental: not justified by some more