Ethics… an introduction – Lesson 1
“We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the
part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix What are Ethics?
Ethics are a set of moral principles… they are the compass by which we navigate our way
through society and decide upon the ‘best’ or ‘correct’ action or opinion. They allow us to
make distinctions about what is good or bad, right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable.
When we discuss or argue about ethics we are usually applying or utilizing moral
principles… consider for example the following derived from the Calvin and Hobbes
cartoon above:
o Cheating on a test is wrong
o Tom Cheated on the test
o Therefore what Tom did is wrong
This is the application of deductive reasoning to the ethical issue by the application of
reasoning and moral principles. However if all ethical positions were so easily resolved
why is there debate and why do different people take different ethical stances?
Task 1:
On your table use the cartolina and pens to write out One Ethical statement
or dilemma for each person. For each dilemma derive a set of moral principles then use
reasoning as in the example above to justify your or any individual position in relation to
each of the ethical statements. Be prepared to share these with the class in a minute.
Task 2:
Make a list of as many ‘evil’, ‘bad’ or ‘socially unacceptable’ acts… list as many
as you can… again be prepared to share the list to create a combined class list of ‘evil’
Now for each try evil act to consider or describe a circumstance or set of circumstances
where the given act would be morally acceptable… what conclusions does this activity lend
us to believe about ethics?
BIG QUESTION: Is there any act that can be considered to be universally wrong or
ethically unacceptable?
Ethical Relativism…
There are two main arguments for the notion of ethical relativism…
A
The Diversity Argument – this is based upon the principle that the sheer diversity
of and variety of moral practices suggests that there is no objective set of moral values and
that the values themselves are derived from the culture itself and its history and/or
tradition. We can se this is the class with almost any moral dilemma… there will be those
who support either side for a variety of reasons often derived from their beliefs and
cultural heritage or upbringing
B
The Lack of Foundation Argument – This suggests that moral values are shifting
in someway, there is no independent moral reality against which we can test the values to
see whether they are true or false… this utilizes a scientific approach or the application of
reason, we cannot apply perception to test them epistemologically (with our senses).
Therefore there is a lack of objective / independent measure or yardstick to gauge or
measure ethics – as such they have no solid foundation and will always tend towards the
subjective – i.e. each may justify his or own ethical stance based upon his or her own values
and context.
Now let’s challenge some of these ideas a little!
Task 4: A challenge – on your table (and this is a competition) – how many of the 10
commandments can you name? – Do not use the internet for this – it will lead to
disqualification (donuts are the prize for the most correct answers!
What do the 10 commandments suggest about the philosophical position of ethical
relativism?
Task 5: Another type of list that governs ethical behavior is the universal declaration of
human rights proposed and implemented by the United Nations in 1948. When it was
finally passed Hernán Santa Cruz of Chile, member of the drafting sub-Committee, wrote:
“I perceived clearly that I was participating in a truly significant historic event in
which a consensus had been reached as to the supreme value of the human person, a
value that did not originate in the decision of a worldly power, but rather in the fact of
existing—which gave rise to the inalienable right to live free from want and
oppression and to fully develop one’s personality. In the Great Hall…there was an
atmosphere of genuine solidarity and brotherhood among men and women from all
latitudes, the like of which I have not seen again in any international setting.”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has 30 Articles (or principles) that set out a
general ethical framework for humanity… What does this suggest about the notion of
ethical relativism?
Task 6: Now attempt to write your own version of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights… try to write just 10 articles or less. You can refer to the original here
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml if this helps…
Write it on a Cartolina and display your declaration of human rights somewhere in the
room. Be prepared to defend it against others!
Ethical Absolutism
This is the opposing position to ethical relativism. It suggests that there are actions that are
universally and absolutely wrong. It is often negated because there is a consideration in
ethical relativism that the ‘ends justifies the means’ therefore even ‘wrong’ acts may be
good if they create a positive outcome… e.g. lying to your friend over her appearance so as
not to upset her. However the absolutist perspective suggests that the ends are irrelevant –
the lie itself is wrong on principle and therefore always wrong! The 10 commandments or
the universal declaration of human rights hint at the notion of ethical absolutism!