1. A Superheroes (and villains) Guide to Ethical Theory T. A
A Superheroes (and villains) Guide to Ethical Theory T.A.J White - FNU Nasinu

2. Spiderman’s ethics?

3. Spiderman’s dilemma
Peter Parker has the typical concerns of a geeky teenager: How to win the girl who normally doesn’t look at him. How to pursue his dream of being a scientist. How to stand up to the bullies at school… Then on a school trip, he is bitten by a radioactive spider.

4. Spiderman’s dilemma
After being bitten Peter Parker develops a range of spider-like superpowers. He can climb and swing between New York’s skyscrapers. He can shoot spider-web from his wrists. He is also a lot stronger and very acrobatic. He now seems to be in a position to do the things he’s always wanted.

5. Spiderman’s dilemma
In an effort to make some money, Peter Parker invented “Spiderman”, and entered a wrestling match. After winning the match, and about to leave the venue, a burglar runs past being chased by a security guard. The guard calls out for Peter to stop the thief, but he doesn’t help. He says, “that’s not my job”.

6. Spiderman’s dilemma
However, later on, the same burglar comes across Peter Parker’s guardian, Uncle Ben. The burglar shoots Uncle Ben in an attempt to steal his car. Peter finds Uncle Ben dying, and then chases after the burglar. It is only when he catches him does he realize the consequence of not helping the security guard earlier.

7. Spiderman’s dilemma

8. Do you agree with Spiderman?
Spiderman feels he now has a moral responsibility to fight crime with his superpowers. He has taken a CONSEQUENTIALIST position. The right thing is that which provides the best results. As Spiderman, Peter Parker believes he can achieve the most good. However, we may take a NON-CONSEQUENTIALIST position. Peter was a talented scientist, and this was his calling in life. Indeed it can still provide GOOD, but arguably not as much. Is this still not a valid choice? Is being Spiderman above and beyond the call of duty? Is it a REASONABLE ethical demand?

9. EVG501/502: Ethical Theory Super-lecture Plan
Branches of Ethical Theory
UTILITARIANISM and DEONTOLOGY in The Dark Knight (2008)
ALTRUISM AND ETHICAL EGOISM, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Watchmen (2009)
THE ETHICS OF CARE
VIRTUE THEORY, Superman and the Incredible Hulk.
Applying your Reasoning Powers and explaining your super-self… in writing… in the EXAM!!!

10. Branches of ethical theory

11. The greatest happiness for the greatest number!!
Utilitarianism
What is Utilitarianism? Utilitarianism declares that:
“An action is right if it produces as much or more of an increase in happiness of all affected by it than any alternative action, and wrong if it does not.” (Singer, P. 1999)
It is about “utility”. What does an action accomplish, “what use is it, what has you’re action achieved?”
Therefore it is about (predicted!) consequences. (consequentialism)
It is a means/ends argument. The ends justifies the means.
The greatest happiness for the greatest number!!

12. Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham ( ) is identified as the founder of utilitarian thought
His view was that ethics is about maximizing pleasure/happiness & minimizing pain/unhappiness

14. Utilitarianism How do we measure happiness?
1. Utilitarianism is an egalitarian theory. Everyone’s happiness is to be weighed equally.
Northstar marries his gay partner in the X-Men comics.
(2012)

15. Utilitarianism How do we measure happiness?
2. It is mathematical. A cost/benefit analysis. We can calculate future happiness.
Reality is reduced to its
numbers by Neo in the
Matrix.
(1999, Waskowski)

16. Utilitarianism How do we measure happiness?
3. The attainment of pleasure/the avoidance of pain (the pleasure principle). QUESTION: What does this mean for animal rights? How might it be used to argue either side of the argument? 4. Need to consider short term and long term consequences.

17. Utilitarianism How do we measure happiness?
1 Intensity: How intense/strong is the pleasure and emotional satisfaction? 2 Duration: How long will the pleasure last? 3 Certainty: How certain am I that pleasure will occur? 4 Immediacy: How soon will the pleasure occur? How near is it? 5 Fecundity: How likely is it that this experience will cause more pleasure in the future? 6 Purity: Is there any pain that accompanies this pleasure? 7 Extent: How many people will be affected?

18. Problems with Utilitarianism
How accurately can we predict our consequences?
The Time Machine - H G Wells.

19. Problems with utilitarianism
2. How does utilitarianism allow for justice?
eg: Race riots and false testimony

20. Problems with Utilitarianism
Are there some things that are wrong, yet have no visibly bad consequences? eg: Peeping tom

21. Problems with Utilitarianism
Too demanding.

22. Deontology - Kant Deontology regards ‘duty’
What type of duty? Duty to ‘respect the moral law’.
To ‘act purely from good will’, ‘good heart’, Yalo Vinaka.
To make the correct moral choices, we have to understand what our moral duties are and what correct rules exist to regulate those duties. When we follow our duty, we are behaving morally. When we fail to follow our duty, we are behaving immorally

23. Deontology
Acts are right or wrong in-themselves. Not consequences! Must look at the motive/intention.
Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative:
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law”
(Kant, 1785)
What does this mean?

24. Deontology
What is the motive for your action? What kind of world would we live in if everyone acted from the same motives? Essentially, “what if everybody thought like that!” eg: Lying to the bank for a loan.
As such, Murder is always wrong. eg. Axeman in the living room. 10 Commandments
Based on a respect for Persons. ‘Ends in themselves’. We all have moral autonomy which demands respect.

25. Batman – The Dark Knight
Think about what is being said
by these characters:
The Joker.
Batman
Alfred

26. The Dilemma in The Dark Knight
each ferry is packed with enough explosives to kill everyone on board
2) the passengers of each ferry have been given a radio-controlled detonator that will destroy the other boat (the convicts can detonate the ship of citizens, and vice versa)
unless one boat detonates the other by midnight, the Joker will detonate both boats. Of course, the Joker is monitoring the situation, and any attempt by anyone to escape will result in the Joker blowing up both boats.
What will they do?

27. The Dark Knight

28. The choice to a passenger on either boat looks like this: 1) I don’t blow up the other boat, and either; a. The other boat doesn’t blow us up, and the Joker blows us both up at midnight; or b. The other boat blows us up, meaning that we die but they live. 2) I do blow up the other boat, meaning that they die while we live.

29. The Dark Knight – Analysis - Utilitarianism
WHAT HAPPENS!! How do we choose the ethically right action according to utilitarianism? A utilitarian would argue that it is right to blow up the other boat. If we look at the predicted consequences, greatest happiness is served by at least half the passengers surviving. Problems? Are consequences ever certain? A Batman rescue? Joker betrays them? Press the detonator at the same time!! Is there something missing here?

30. The Dark Knight – Analysis - Deontology
How do we choose the ethically right action according to deontology? Deontology would argue that it is never right to take another life for the motive of preserving one’s own life. If this principle were universalized what would be the result? Could we in good heart wish for such an outcome? No. We must do our moral duty and abstain from killing. Problem? But surely this results in the worst possible outcome!… or did it??? What happens when duties conflict?

31. Altruism
To act purely out of a concern for others, without any thought to the self, or without any intent to receive a personal benefit. “A good deed is its own reward.” Key terms/ideas: Taking others suffering as one’s own (empathy) Evolutionary instinct (herd behaviour) Socialisation: eg: offering a ride. Self-sacrifice

32. Altruism
A key idea of what makes the superhero is indeed not their superpowers, but their public spiritedness and self-sacrifice. The next clip is taken from the film Captain America where they are looking to select the test-subject for a medical experiment that will create a new super-soldier to fight for the United States. As we see, the doctor is more interested in their sense of altruism then their physical prowess.
Chris Evans in Captain America: The
First Avenger. (2011, Johnston)

33. Ethical Egoism
“Immanuel Kant is the real villain of our age” Ayn Rand.
We should all pursue our own self-interests!
Why:
Altruism is demeaning. Nietzsche – we ought not deny the self, or willingly make ourselves a slave to others.
It leads to a better world. Think of sports or economic competition. We know what we ourselves want best. It leads to self-reliance and personal responsibility.
Its not that different, and it’s a lot more honest about people’s motivations. ie: simply taking a long-term view and thinking of psychological egoism.

34. Do we know what’s best for us?
Ethical Egoism
“Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Pregnant woman. Gunned her down. Bang. And y'know what? You watched me. You coulda changed the gun into steam or the bullets into mercury or the bottle into god damn snowflakes! You coulda teleported either of us to goddamn Australia...but you didn't lift a finger! You don't really give a damn about human beings.”
The Comedian (Watchman, 2009)
Is it still possible to have friendship with this understanding? Are we now all in a world full of strangers?
Do we know what’s best for us?
Contradictory – The command that you should follow your self-interest, is not in my self-interest!
Something missing?

35. Situation Ethics and Ethics of Care
In a world dominated by men, some feminist thinkers argue that we have a very male dominated perspective.

37. Ethics of Care
“It is easy to see the influence of men’s experience in the ethical theories they’ve created. Men dominate public life, and in politics and business, one’s relations with other people are typically impersonal and contractual. Often the relationship is adversarial – others have interests that conflict with our own. So we negotiate, we bargain and make deals. Moreover in public life our decisions may affect large numbers of people we do not know. So we may try to calculate, in an impersonal way, which decisions have the best overall outcome for the most people. And what do men’s theories emphasise? Impersonal duty, contracts, the harmonization of competing interests, and the calculation of costs and benefits.” (Rachels, 1999, pg173)

38. Ethics of Care
Other theories are too detached or lack a human element. A man’s world is full of impersonal relationships. No wonder ethics is so abstract! There are people who are personally dependent on us. They deserve our special consideration

39. Ethics of Care
An Ethics of Care emphasises the importance of personal relationships, of love (not obligation), and being a certain type of person:
Think of weakness in previous theories regarding:
Why we look after our children.
The principle of treating everyone equally every time.
Animals – why sometimes a pet, other times… Lunch!
Why might women and men have different ethical approaches?

40. Virtue Theory – Ethics of Character
Virtue theory is different. Its about moral character. The question is not what is the right thing to do, but what is it that makes a person ‘good’. Aristotle ( BC) talks of ‘Eudaemonia’, which is Ancient Greek, and can translate to ‘excellence’, ‘happiness’, ‘virtue’ or perhaps best to ‘human flourishing’. What is it is to ‘flourish’? Quite simply, to be the best you can possibly be. For humans, Aristotle says this is done by being virtuous.

41. Virtue Theory
What are the virtues? Think of Superman! Truthfulness, courage, confidence, compassion, loyalty, friendliness, honour, integrity, helpfulness, gentleness, strength, selflessness, righteousness, toughness, to name just a few!

42. Virtue Theory
As virtues must be part of our character we can not be honest one time, and then dishonest at another. We must be consistently virtuous, and through habitual virtuous action we then flourish. Aristotle also spoke of how virtues often sit in the middle between to extremes or vices. This is called the Golden Mean (not the Golden Rule!!) Eg: Cowardice Bravery Rashness Pessimistic Hopeful Over-optimistic Timidity Confident Arrogant This is Aristotle’s principle of moderation. Look at the next clip with Thor and The Incredible Hulk in The Avengers. Where might a virtue be slipping to vice in the case of the Hulk?

43. The Avengers – The Hulk

44. How to apply Virtue Theory?
So how can we use virtue theory to tell us what we ought to do? We may take this approach: An action is morally permissable, if and only if, it is the action that a virtuous person would have taken in the circumstances. If a person X, displays the virtues, S1, S2, S3, S4… Sn in action A, then person X is justified in performing action A.

45. Weakness of VT
Sometimes, we may find one type of virtue is not the right virtue for the situation, and lead to the wrong action. eg: friendliness to a serial killer loyalty to a someone who betrays you patience waiting for a parcel never posted Sometimes, virtues actually result in more harm when applied by the wrong people: Eg: the brave suicide bomber the careful thief the confident con-man

46. …the intelligent super-villain!!

47. Branches of ethical theory

48. 5 Key Questions to Frame your Super-Arguments!
What is the ethical dilemma? What is the choice in the case-study question?
What are the ethical issues being raised, what are the possible consequences and whose interests must you take into account?
What is the guiding principle provided by the ethical theory you will be applying to the case-study? Weighing happiness, obeying the moral law or being virtuous?
How does this shape you’re conclusion that action A, or instead action B, is the right thing to do?
Are you entirely happy with this conclusion? What’s been left unsaid.