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7/27/2019 Ethical Relativism and Utilitarianism
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ETHICS
ethos - custom, habit,character or disposition
system of moral standardsof right and wrong that
prescribe what humansought to do, usually interms of rights,obligations, benefits to
society, fairness, or specificvirtues
Any view that maintainsthat the truth or falsity ofstatements of a certainclass depends on the
person making thestatement or upon hiscircumstances or society
RELATIVISM
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Philosophical view that what is right or wrong andgood or bad is not absolute but variable and relative,
depending on the person, circumstances, or socialsituation.
the prescriptive view that
(1) different groups of people ought to have differentethical standards for evaluating acts as right or wrong,
(2) these different beliefs are true in their respectivesocieties, and
(3) these different beliefs are not instances of a basicmoral principle
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1. The relativist confuses cultural (or sociological)relativism with ethical relativism
*cultural relativism is a descriptive view
*ethical relativism is a prescriptive view.
(E.g., cultural relativism describes the waypeople actually behave, and ethicalrelativism prescribes the way people ought to behave.
2. The ethical relativist often argues as follows:
An absolute ethical standard has never been provedbeyond doubt in the history of thought.Thus, anabsolute ethical standard does not exist.
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1. Different societies have different moral codes2. No objective standard that can be used to judge one
societal code better than the other3. The moral code of our own society has no special status;
it is merely one among many4. There is no "universal truth" in ethics; that is, there are
no moral truths that hold for all peoples at all times.5. The moral code of a society determines what is right
within that society; that is, if the moral code of a societysays that a certain action is right, then that action is right,at least within that society.
6. It is mere arrogance for us to try to judge the conduct ofother peoples. We should adopt an attitude of tolerancetoward the practices of other cultures
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Mary Midgley points out the necessity of moral judgment:
The power of moral judgment is not a luxury, not a perverse indulgence of theself-righteous. When we judge something to be good or bad, better or worse
than something else, we are taking it as an example to aim at or avoid. Withoutopinions of this sort, we would have no framework of comparison for our ownpolicy, no chance of profiting by other peoples insights or mistakes. In thisvacuum, we could form no judgments on our own actions.
To accept relativism is to accept a kind of paralysis in our ability to make ethicaljudgments.
Relativism can lead to ethical paralysis
If we accept relativism, then we seem paralyzed with regard to our obligations toothers. If we dont think we can justifiably make judgments about practices andbeliefs we find objectionable, then we have no impetus to work to change thosepractices and beliefs. If all ethical standards are equal, there are no grounds to
criticize practices which we find ethically wrongafter all, thats just theirway of doing things and we have ours.
But, if we reject relativism, that is, if we think that we can make ethical judgmentsabout the practices of other culturesand vice versathen it seems that we dohave some obligations towards others.
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Mankind has been placed by nature under thegovernance of 2 sovereign masters pain and pleasure
That which giver happiness or pleasure to most people isgood
That which bestows pain or misery is evil
Happiness can be computed according to him by felicificcalculus or hedonic calculus
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Criticized his teacher ,as according to himutilitarianism was refined
Higher pleasures are more valued bycompetent judges
than the lower pleasuresit is quite compatible with the principle of utility torecognize the fact that some kinds of pleasure aremore desirable and more valuable than others
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The Utilitarian were social reformers
They supported suffrage for women and those without
property, and the abolition of slavery. Utilitarian arguedthat criminals ought to be reformed and not merely
punished(although Mill did support capital punishment
as a deterrent).Bentham spoke out against cruelty to
animals. Mill was a strong supporter of meritocracy .
Its main principle is that one must act so as to promote the
greatest happiness or pleasure to the greatest number ofpersons.
Thus an act is good if contributes to the overall utility.
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The Greatest Happiness Principle
Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness,wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness
Happiness = pleasure, and the absence of painUnhappiness = pain, and the absence of pleasure
Happiness is the only thing that has intrinsic value
pleasure, and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable asends...all
desirable things are desirable either for the pleasure inherent inthemselves, oras means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain.
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WHEN THE STATE IS ENTITLED TO AUTHORITY?
UTILITARIAN- State is entitled if and only if it promotes more happinessfor the greatest number
Thomas Hobbes:Might argue the state needs a strong central government and a strict
implementation of laws
Jeremy Bentham:
Might disagree he believes that it will be best served by minimum
governance and limited state authority
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ACT UTILITARIANISM
Do those acts whichproduce the greatest good
for the greatest number Thus rules or laws may be
deserted in those instanceswhere following them
would not produce greatestgood for the greatestnumber.
You need to follow therule appropriate to that
kind of situation you arein.
And adopt the samewhich will produce the
greatest good for thegreatest number
RULE UTILITARIANISM
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The connection between these two has as longtradition
Bentham thought that the principle of utility canguide the lawmakers as the purpose of law and moral
are one,it is to PROMOTE GENERAL WELFARE OFTHE PEOPLE
Mills The sole end for which mankind are warranted,in prying with the liberty of action of others is self
protection. It can be rightfully exercised over anymember of a civilized community, against his will , isto prevent harm to others.
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1987 Constitution
General welfare is defined as mandate where the
government by virtue of its police powers may adoptordinances to secure the peace , safety, health, moralsand the best and highest interests of the entity
Revised Administrative Code
General welfare clause as that where municipal councilshall enact such ordinances and make such
regulations, not repugnant to law
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Actions are Right when they maximize the Good
Whether an action is morally right or wrong depends
entirely on its consequences. An action is right if it
brings about the best outcome of the choices available.otherwise it is wrong.
Ex: Suppoe A promise to pay his debt of P10k to B nextwk.It is alright if by then he will not pay if he will usethe money in a much important situation ,for instancespend it to homeless people or relative who is in thehospital (it generates better consequence)
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The only important thing is the amount of happinessthan unhappiness
Ex: A man took photos of a semi nude sleeping womanand the man kept the photos for his personalenjoyment and never shared it with anyone.Forutilitarian ,this ia alright.No one was hurt,the woman
did not know of the photos and man was made morehappy.
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Each ones happiness and welfare are equally important.
Ex: Saving a scientist who is working on a possible cure
for AIDS over your loved ones who are both confinedin a burning hospital