Ethical Theories – Cultural Importance
By the end of this lesson you will have:
• Be sure of the cultural influences for each of the
theories• Be able to consider how
these theories may be suitable for modern day ethics• Have decided which theory you think is the most suitable
for modern day ethics
Spec Check
• An examination of the key features of the three approaches to ethical decision making; the contribution of key scholars such as Kant, W.D Ross, Aquinas, Hoose, Aristotle and MacIntyre; an understanding of philosophical foundations of these theories in terms of absolute, relative, teleological and deontological principles; an evaluation of the efficacy of these theories for ethical decision making, including consideration of their religious and cultural influences at the time of development and for the modern day. Students should be able to draw evaluative conclusions about their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Cultural Influences
Virtue Ethics
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What do these pictures tell us about the culture of the time in Ancient Greece?
Cultural Influences
Virtue Ethics
What do these pictures tell us about the culture of the time in Ancient Greece?
Slavery•Inequality was the norm – Virtue ethics may not be as accessible for women or slaves.•However, Elizabeth Anscombe’s revival of virtue ethics in the 20th century goes some way to solving this problem
Philosophers & Hedonism•Philosophers were seen as high in society – intellect was seen as something to aspire to• Hedonism was appreciated – having a good and pleasure full life went hand in hand with morality
Cultural Influences
Pope Gregory IX (1147-1241) hated cats and started the feline holocaust that would last almost five hundred years. In a Papal Bull (1233) he condemned the black cat as diabolic and thereby giving his blessing to the torture and killing/burning of cats.
Natural Law
What do these pictures tell us about the culture of the time in Medieval Europe?
Cultural Influences
Natural Law
What do these pictures tell us about the culture of the time in Medieval Europe?
Superstition•Great superstition existed which led to somewhat bizarre practises•Sometimes rationality was neglected, although Aquinas sought to combine rationality with faith
Celibacy•Celibacy was prized as a virtue•Aquinas lived a celibate life and only associated with his male colleagues•This presumably influenced his thoughts on the importance of reproduction and his views on women
Cultural Influences
Deontology
What do these pictures tell us about the culture of the time in the Enlightenment period?
Cultural Influences
Deontology
What do these pictures tell us about the culture of the time in the Enlightenment period?
Science•Scientific developments took people away from superstitious belief and focused on reason and logic•More people started to question religious morality
Faith and reason•Ethical theories started to move away from those of the established religions and started to focus on reason•Kant’s theory is completely based on the ability to reason and act in a way which is not contradictory
Cultural Influences
Task:• How have the cultural influences of the
theories affected their philosophical basis?• Write a sentence for each theory which
answers this question
Modern Day applications
• Which theory is most applicable to modern day?
• Each pair will be given a modern day ethical dilemma. Read it and figure out how each theory would be applied to the story. Then discover whether the ‘cultural clashes’ would be problematic in applying a particular theory to the modern day dilemma.
Ethical Theories – Cultural Importance
By the end of this lesson you will have:
• Be sure of the cultural influences for each of the
theories• Be able to consider how
these theories may be suitable for modern day ethics• Have decided which theory you think is the most suitable
for modern day ethics