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CONSIDERING
ETHICAL THEORIES
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
STRATEGY #6
DO THEORETICAL
PERSPECTIVES PROVIDE
US WITH THE “RULES”
OR EFFECTIVE
“PRINCIPLES” NEEDED TO
LIVE AN ETHICAL LIFE?
PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT
STRATEGY #6
Now it’s your turn…


What aspects of the theories we’ve
discussed could help you think more
fully about ethical dilemmas?
What aspects of the theories do
you reject outright? Why?
Lawrence Kohlberg:
Morality goes well beyond
rule-making; following
rules, in fact, is the “easy”
way out – keeps us “safe”
TIBETAN PROTEST
VIDEO
UTILITARIAN
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:
Creditor to Debtor
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
No general rules
can be laid down
ARISTOTLE
“Practical wisdom”/
“Intellectual wisdom”
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
“A reasoned
capacity exists for
balancing values.”
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.”
PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT
STRATEGY #6
Now it’s your turn…


What aspects of the theories we’ve
discussed could help you think more
fully about ethical dilemmas?
What aspects of the theories do
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? Would do
you wish the
instructor had
reviewed or
explained more
clearly?