Chapter One: Dr. Frankena
Sharon Kay Stoll
PEP 570: Ethics in Sport
Chapter One: Frankena: 1
Introduction

Our goal in this session: - To understand the
nature and purpose of morality and moral
philosophy according to Frankena.
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Topics of Discussion

An unexamined life is not
worth living. Socrates
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Topic One

According to Socrates: what are the
requisites of ethical thinking:
 We
ought never to harm anyone
 We ought to keep our promises
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Topic two - The nature of ethics
Descriptive, empirical
 Normative
 Analytical

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Descriptive Philosophy
To describe and explain, or...
 To work out a theory of human nature

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Normative ethics

Asking “what is right” and “why is it
right”?
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Analytical ethics
also called critical ethics, or meta-ethics, or
just ethics.
 it asks epistemological or semantical
questions, like:

 What
is the meaning of “right” or good”
 How can ethical or value judgments be made?
 Can they be justified?
 What is the nature of morality?
 What is the difference between moral and nonmoral?
 What is the meaning of free will or determinism?
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Topic Three - the nature of
morality

Why is it different from ethics?
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Factors in Morality - p. 9
1. Certain forms of judgment are said to
have moral quality, obligation, or
responsibility.
 2. Possible to give reasons for these
judgments.
 3. Some rules, principles, ideas, and virtues
can be expressed in more general judgments
and form a background of knowledge.

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Factors - continued
4. Certain ways of feeling accompany these
judgments and help us act.
 5. Certain Sanctions of holding responsible,
praising, and blaming.
 6. A point of view that is different in other
types of judging.

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Kinds of normative judgment
Judgment of moral obligation or deontic
judgment.
 Judgments of moral value or aretaic
judgments.
 Judgments of nonmoral value.
 Judgments of nonmoral obligation.

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Examples:
I ought to wash my car today.
 I ought to do my homework.
 I ought to tell the truth, even if she doesn’t.
 What you did was wrong!
 Coach Smith is a good coach.
 Coach Smith is a good man.

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Examples:
You should go to the rock concert.
 You should wear the skimpy bikini.
 You should honor your word.
 The movie, “Rosemary’s Baby”, would
have been a better movie without the sex.

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Dr. Frankena’s goal...

A little normative mixed in toward a metaethical approach.
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