The Study of Ethics How do we know how to do the Right Thing?

Three Approaches to Justice 1) Utilitarianism: Asks the question: “What is the Best for the Most?” “What produces the most collective happiness?” ( Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill) 2) Asks the Question “What maximizes Human Freedom?” What is Just is what gives us the most Freedom” ( Kant) 3) Asks the Question: “ What gives people what they deserve? “What rewards or promotes Virtue?” (Aristotle)

Immanual Kant Kant was born what was happening to the world then? His first major works: Critique of Pure Reason- against Empiricism of Locke Ground work for the Metaphysics of Morals (Note that this is written just after the American Revolution and before the French Revolution- what were the main ideas of the times?)

Kant’s Approach to Justice His approach to Justice is one that maximizes human freedom Morality does not come from God; it comes from within ourselves Morality- what is Right and Wrong- can be ascertained through the use of Human REASON

Kant believes….. 1) Every person is worthy of respect because we can reason 2) We are rational beings, capable reason 3 ) We are autonomous beings, capable of acting freely We do not always act rationally, but we have t he capability to do so…

What is Freedom for Kant? Acting NOT “as slaves to our desires”, but acting AUTONOMOUSLY “The law I give myself, not according to the laws of nature or social convention” not acting HETERONOMOUSLY acting in response to other influences, ”determinations outside of me”, slaves or desires, acting in reaction to an outside force

What does it mean to “Act Freely?” To Act Freely is to not to choose the best means to a given end, but to choose to act for the END in itself- for its own sake- “We are no longer instruments of purposes given outside us” Acting with Autonomy gives human life dignity- and Moral Responsibility for our actions -Only human beings can make this choice-

What is the difference between acting Heteronomously and acting Autonomously? HeteronomyAutonomy Acting according to outside influences“Acting according to inner law I give myself” We are instruments We are authors We are subjects We are creators We do something for the sake of ends We do something for the END in itself Reason for our actions are We determine the determined by outside reasons for our actions influences “We act as THINGS” “We act as PERSONS”

When does an Action have “Moral Worth”? “What matters is the Motive” An action has moral worth if you are doing it because it it the RIGHT thing as an end in itself, not because you have an ulterior motive Only actions done out of moral duty have moral worth

Moral Worth? Actions decided Autonomously and End in Itself DOING THINGS OUT OF COMPASSION DOES NOT GIVE AN ACTION MORAL WORTH DOING THINGS SO THAT YOU WILL FEEL BETTER OR FOR PLEASURE DOES NOT GIVE AN ACTION MORAL WORTH What matters is the motive…..

What would Kant say about these examples? Shopkeeper example (page 112) Signing honesty pledges and given a gift card- (page 113) How does Kant feel about suicide? (page 114) Spelling Bee Hero (page 116)

WHAT GIVES AN ACTION MORAL WORTH? If an action comes from moral duty- “doing some thing that is right because it is right” If an action