Introduction to Ethics

1. Introduction to Ethics • Definition of Morality and Ethics • Fields in Ethics • descriptive, normative, metaethics • Other Normative Disciplines • law, religion, etiquette • Domains of Moral Assessment • act, consequences, character, motive

2. Ways of Moral Reasoning • Deontological • Teleological/Utilitarian • Relativism • Egoism • Emotivism • Virtue Theory

3. Deontological Ethics • Defined: principle-based • 3 Main Types of Deontology: • Divine Commands • Natural Law • Kantian deontology

4. Natural Law Ethics • Defined: general revelation in the area of moral values • Biblical Basis: • Jeremiah 33: 25-26, Proverbs 8:22-31 • Romans 2: 14-16 • Proverbs 6:6-11, 24:30-34

5. Teleological Ethics • Utilitarianism Defined: greatest good for the greates number. • Act and rule utilitarianism • Appeal of Utilitarianism • Problems with Utilitarianism • Can’t predict/measure harm and benefit; harm depends on prior principles, can’t protect minorities.

6. Teleological Ethics • Ethical Egoism defined: self-interest • Appeal of Egoism • Problems with Egoism • Balancing self-interest and altruism

7. Relativism • Different cultural standards • Multiculturalism and the revival of relativism • Types of Relativism: cultural, individual, situation ethics • Cultural Relativism defined: • Problems with relativism • self-defeating, can’t condemn tyrants

8. Virtue Theory • Action oriented ethics vs. virtue oriented ethics • Approach of the Virtue ethicist to cases • Intuitionist--right and wrong known directly by intuition/conscience

9. Conclusion • Systems have one main point of difference--source of moral authority • Scripture uses a variety of types of reasoning, but is primarily deontological/virtue based • Watch the news for discussion of the issues--watch how they determine right and wrong