ETHICS AND MORALITY Chapter 1: why be ethical? HRE 4M1 – GRADE 12M RELIGION ETHICS AND MORALITY Chapter 1: why be ethical?

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORALITY Ethics comes from the Greek word “ta ethicka” – means having to do with good character Ethics is more interested in the good that humans strive for. Examples of “the good” include happiness and freedom. Ethics is also interested in that search for the good.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORALITY Morality comes from the Latin word ‘moralitas’ - means having to do with the customs, manners, and habits shaping human life Morality is interested more in the ways that humans can attain the good. Some examples of “ways” include: rules, laws or commandments which we experience as a duty or obligation to follow.

LETS IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING... Ethics is like... Morality is like... understanding musical theory, reading music, understanding technique playing music, hitting the right notes, performing People can still play music without musical theory but.....you may/may not make good decisions in a musical arrangement or performance

LETS IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING... Ethics is like... Morality is like... understanding the basic principles of how our cars work. (Ex. You get good traction because of the friction your tires have with the road and that in a snowstorm this friction is reduced) good driving – knowing and applying the rules of the road in bad weather such as slowing down and allowing greater distance to stop the car. You can operate a car without understanding the laws of physics however you would have difficulty in making good decisions should dramatic changes arise

So do Ethics trump Morality? Ethics has a certain priority because our focus on “the good” will steer us to choose the human thing to do in any given situation. Ethics guides morality – it gives us the vision of our action (we can’t paint if we don’t know what to paint) Ethics gives us an understanding of the essential principles underlying our activity Ethics point towards the application of morality The purpose of ethics is to find the highest possible good in various circumstances and under certain conditions (i.e. self defence vs. Thou shall not kill) Rules, norms, commandments and duties are not the final word......the GOOD is! If the rules or laws don’t contribute to that highest good - the rules or laws need to be reconsidered.

4 Types of Ethical Experiences: #1 The Scream – The Personal Response There is a spontaneous decision to help – it is not a decision you make. There is a drive to move and act – an automatic response which urges you not to think but to act. The scream forces you to an awareness of your responsibility for another person.

4 Types of Ethical Experiences: #2 The Beggar – The Experience of the Other All face to face encounters are ethical because they remind us of our responsibility for others. The other person takes you hostage as they evoke a response from you (it can be guilt) and makes you responsible The face stays with you even after you decide what to do – he or she is inside you while you are busy defending your decision to give or not to give.

4 Types of Ethical Experiences: #3 “I have to 4 Types of Ethical Experiences: #3 “I have to...” – The Obligation Experience This experience of feeling obliged to obey a rule or law has everything to do with your ethical side. You feel an intrinsic duty to oblige (i.e. To follow parent’s rules). The order or wish from an authority figure can invade our consciousness, change our ethical framework and demand a response. If you choose to ignore the ethical response, the unrest stays with you.

4 Types of Ethical Experiences: #4 “This isn’t fair 4 Types of Ethical Experiences: #4 “This isn’t fair!” – The Experience of Contrast This experience occurs when you feel outraged by something blatantly unjust or unfair happening to yourself or to others. When you feel overwhelmed by the unjust suffering of others, the indignation you feel is an experience of contrast with what the world should look like. These experiences lead us to thoughts of “That is not fair!” or “This must be stopped!” or “This is intolerable!” This is a response to a terrifying event that contrasts greatly with how we think humans should be acting. Can cause a change that opposes this destruction.

Determine which of the four ethical experiences these video clips are portraying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=echAo3hmz3E&feature=related (Fisher King) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrbNSNpdnTY&feature=related (Grey’s Anatomy - give me my dad) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLyz78t5IKI&feature=related (Grey’s anatomy – the door is open) Hotel Rawanda (scene 7) Spider Man 2 (scene 33) Crash (scene 13)

4 Types of Ethical Experiences - Summary We all have an ethical core – we are called to react in one way or another when confronted with a dilemma. Whether this desire to react is - embedded in our genes (innate) or - programmed in our psyche after years of listening to moral authorities (learned) - or is evidence of the divine within us What one person interprets as duty, guilt, intolerable contrast, etc. will be different from another persons’ interpretation of the same experience. For example one person may experience an encounter with a beggar on the street and believe that it is their duty to help them. In every experience we are forced to an awareness of our responsibility for another person. There is an obvious change in our thought processes, our perception of the world and our resultant behaviour as a result of the impact of the experience.

Actor Action Consequence Other You and your group of 3 will be assigned one eight moral dilemmas. You are the actor in the assigned dilemma and you must decide what course of action must be taken. In your group read the assigned dilemma and answer the three questions below. Be prepared to share with the class. A. What course of action did you decide to take and WHY. B. When choosing your course of action which of the above four perspectives did you focus on? (You can focus on more than one!)

Summary of Ethical Theories Perspective from which decisions are based A decision is morally correct if... Individual Responsible for Theory Name of Theory ACTOR It makes you a better person. Morality is about cultivating morally desirable character traits such as honesty, courage, generosity. Aristotle 385-322 BCE Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 Virtue Ethics ACTION If it is in agreement with moral rules, norms, and duties. We are motivated to act because it is a moral duty/obligation, not because the act is in one’s self-interest. Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 Duty Ethics or Categorical Ethics CONSEQUENCE If it does the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. Jeremy Bentham 1748 – 1832 John Stewart Mill 1806 – 1873 Consequentialism or Utilitarianism OTHERS If it allows you to identify and relate to the good and God in others Emmanuel Levinas 1905-1995 Relational Ethics

Ethical Theories help us to..... identify and define problems, think systematically (organize thought processes), view issues from many different vantage points, and provide us with decision-making guidelines.

Ethical Pluralism Resist the temptation to choose your favourite approach (ethical theory) to a moral dilemma and ignore the rest. Use a variety of theories when possible. Applying many approaches to the same problem (practicing ethical pluralism) is a good way to generate new insights about the issue. You may find that some perspectives are more suited to this problem than others. Combining insights from more than one theory might help you come up with a better solution.

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY PHILOSOPHY IS: Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline. Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods. A system of thought based on or involving such inquiry.