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CONSIDERING
ETHICAL THEORIES
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
STRATEGY #6

PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT TASK #6
•
What four aspects of the theories we’ve reviewed could help you think more fully about ethical dilemmas?
•
What two aspects of the theories would you reject outright? Why?

DO THEORETICAL
PERSPECTIVES PROVIDE
US WITH THE “RULES”
OR EFFECTIVE
“PRINCIPLES” NEEDED TO
LIVE AN ETHICAL LIFE?

Lawrence Kohlberg:
Morality goes well beyond rule-making; following rules, in fact, is the “easy” way out – keeps us “safe”

TIBETAN PROTEST
VIDEO LINK

Must consider the
“greatest good” for the greatest number: Moves away from rule-following
(to a degree) to focus on justice/equality

So, how do we decide
“right action”?
That’s your challenge in
Performance Assessment
Strategy #6.

TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES
The consequences (as opposed to motives or intentions) determine an act’s worth or correctness. That is, the rightness or wrongness of an act can be judged by the result.

DEONTOLOGICAL
THEORIES
Rule or law centered:
What is right and what is wrong does not depend on outcome but on principles or rules applied in making the decision

Think of a situation where such a perspective might be acceptable and one where it might be totally unacceptable

Might we not also consider relationships:
Debtor to Creditor
Parent to Child
Citizen to Citizen

Might we not also consider relationships:
Debtor to Creditor
Parent to Child
Citizen to Citizen

Prima Facie Duty:
Presumption That Duty Exists
A parent… must care for a child.
A worker…must go to work and do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.
A citizen…must not dump oil down the storm drain.

But how does one WEIGH prima facie obligations against each other?
Indeed, we experience
COMPETING interests and obligations.

W. D. ROSS

ARISTOTLE

ARISTOTLE
Recall the truths we have learned, “inspect them,” make sense of them –
“practical wisdom”

We have obligations in our community – to our employer, our nation, our family – and we must balance these competing values, yes?

THOMAS NAGEL

Aristotle, Nagel, Ross – all agree we can reason

We can reason rationally, though, without “rules”

Others argue: If we can reason, shouldn’t we be able to make these reasons explicit? Shouldn’t we be able to come up with the “rules”?

OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS,
JUSTICE, DUTY – ALL
CONFLICT CONSTANTLY
IN…
MEDICAL RESEARCH
POLITICS
PERSONAL LIFE

Obviously, centuries of philosophical debate have not brought consensus on what constitutes ethical decision-making!

THE ABILITY TO
FORMULATE EXPLICIT
RULES IN PRINCIPLE
IS PRETTY THIN!

DO WE LEARN LANGUAGE
BY LEARNING THE
RULES?

DO WE NOT LEARN
MUSIC, LANGUAGE,
BLACKSMITHING, AND
ETHICS BY MASTERING
BODIES OF PRACTICE
RATHER THAN BY
LEARNING SPECIFIC
RULES?

SO, HOW DO WE DO
THE WEIGHING?
IF THERE ARE REASONS,
SHOULDN’T WE BE ABLE
TO FORMULATE THEM?

W. D. ROSS
“We must balance…No general rules, so far as I can see, can be laid down. We can only say that we have duties to keep our promises, to repair wrongs we’ve done, and to compensate for services we’ve received.”

CONSIDERING
ETHICAL THEORIES
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
STRATEGY #6

PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT TASK #6
•
What four aspects of the theories we’ve reviewed could help you think more fully about ethical dilemmas?
•
Develop concrete examples for each of your four: That is, what dilemmas do you face that could be addressed by…
•
What two aspects of the theories would you reject outright? Why?

EXPECTATION OF
PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT STRATEGY #6
A BEGINNING
INVESTIGATION/
CONSIDERATION

ONE-MINUTE WRITING

What did you learn
BEST today?
Anything new or interesting? Do you feel you’ve mastered the basics of the theories?

What concepts or ideas do you understand the
LEAST? What do you wish the instructor had reviewed or explained more clearly?