1. Answer these questions on your own.
An unexamined life...
Answer these questions on your own.
When thinking about consequences and actions, which do you think is more important when making a moral decision?
The consequences
The consequences more than the action
Both as important as each other
The action more than the consequences
The action

2. Answer these questions on your own.
An unexamined life...
Answer these questions on your own.
Do you think some things are absolutely right/wrong or does everything just depend on the situation?
Things totally depend on the situation.
Things mostly depend on the situation.
Things are split ½ and ½ (and my brain is starting to hurt).
Things are mostly either right or wrong.
Things are always either right or wrong.

3. Answer these questions on your own.
An unexamined life...
Answer these questions on your own.
Do you think that people can be used as means to an end?
People should never be used as means to an end.
People shouldn’t really be used as means to an end but sometimes it’s ok.
HELP, I’m still stuck on c. and can’t get off the fence!
People can be used as means to an end but not too much.
People being used as means to an end is always a good idea.

4. Kantian and Utilitarian ethics
Crime and Punishment
Kantian and Utilitarian ethics

5. Introduction
All reasonable people agree that committing acts which are wrong should result in punishment for the wrongdoer. There’s also general agreement that the punishment should fit the crime. How, specifically, this works out in practice is, however, another issue altogether...

6. Learning intentions After today’s lesson you will be able to:
Consider the relationship between Kantian and Utilitarian ethics and Crime and Punishment.
Apply Kantian and Utilitarian ethics to moral issues found in Crime and Punishment.

7. Kantian ethics recap Kantian ethics Universal Maxim
Categorical Imperative
Respect of persons: never as means to an end
Use of human reason
Duty
Moral absolutes

8. Crime and Punishment Kantian view
In The Philosophy of Law (1887) Kant argued that:
The penal law (law which punishes) is a categorical imperative.
Everybody is equal and therefore equal before law.
Criminals must pay for their crimes.
Punishment is necessary but not for the greater good of society, which would mean individuals would be used as a means to an end.

9. Kantian view continued...
This means that deterrence and protection are immoral purposes for punishment because they are not a response to guilt they are a benefit to others.
Only the guilty should be punished; innocents must be protected (note the subtle difference to the previous point here).
Punishment is necessary because there is a duty to punish criminals to establish justice and demonstrate dignity for the victims.
The punishment must fit the crime, for example a murderer must be murdered.
It can be argued that an ‘eye for an eye’ underpins Kantian teaching.

10. Learning check… Crime and Punishment
Explain the main features of Kantian ethics. 4KU
How might Kantians respond to issues relating to the punishment of criminals? 8AE

11. Utilitarian ethics recap
Utilitarian’s
Act: Bentham
Rule: J.S. Mill
Utilitarianism
Consequences over action
Principle of the greatest good
Ends justify the means

12. Crime and Punishment Utilitarian view
In An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789)
Bentham argued that:
Appropriate punishments for crime must be considered in relation to the consequences of the wrong doing on others.
Punishment is an effective way of deterring others from similar action and the criminal from re-offending.
Punishment is necessary to ensure the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

13. Utilitarian view continued…
In A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive (1843) Mill argued that:
Punishment is the consequence of crime.
Punishment must be about reformation.
For some serious crimes life imprisonment is most appropriate as the criminal is removed completely from society and deprived of freedom because this provides the most amount of happiness.
The obvious consequence of stopping the life of an innocent person must be to stop the life of the criminal.
Mill argued that if a person had no possibility of release from prison because their crime was so terrible, e.g. murder, then the greatest amount of happiness will be achieved by ending the criminal’s life thus preventing them from years of pain in prison.

14. Learning check… Crime and Punishment
Explain the main features of Utilitarian ethics. 4KU
How might Utilitarian's respond to the issues relating to capital punishment? 8AE

15. Kantian ethics Utilitarian ethics
Action over Consequence
Moral absolutism
People can never be used as means to an end
Utilitarian ethics
Consequence over Action
Moral relativism
People can be used as means to an end

16. An unexamined life...
At the start of the lesson you were asked 3 questions. Here’s the ‘marking scheme’.
+ 2
+ 1
- 1
- 2
What do these ‘scores’ tell you about your moral stance?