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Moral Dilemma • You are a passenger in a car driven by a close friend. He hits a pedestrian. You know he was going at least 60 km per hour in an area of the city where the maximum speed allowed is 30 km per hour. There are no witnesses. His lawyer says that if you are prepared to testify under oath that he was only driving at 30 km per hour it may save him from serious consequences. Would you help your friend? (a) I would lie and say he went at 30 km per hour. (b) I would not lie.
What is human ambivalence? • Ambivalence is the uncertainty felt by people towards an issue, object or idea. • Human ambivalence is the many contradictory attitudes and feelings present throughout humanity on certain issues. ex: What is good or evil? Who is right or wrong?
What is… • Ethics: A set of moral principles of right and wrong determines • Morality: The goodness or badness of an action or behaviour. • Etiquette: Correct practices or behaviour according to social conventions.
Examples… • Ethics: • Consequentialism: "The ends justify the means“ • the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would like to be done to you” • Morality: “giving is moral, stealing is immoral, keeping is amoral” • Etiquette: no chewing gum, burping, wearing a hat at the table
Canadian values: “Peace, order and good government” (British North American Act, 1867) American values: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (United States Declaration of Independence, 1776) Values • … are what we value. A value system is what we place in order of importance.
The importance of Values • We judge and interpret moral events based on the values we have. Ex: • abortion (choice vs. life) • slavery (power vs. equality)
Where do values come from? • These values are supplied at birth, and are extended by experience and upbringing. • After seven years, these values start forming the child’s personality. This then forms their behaviour and shapes their beliefs. • Some of these beliefs, which constitute the morality of an individual, can not be changed by reason or experience. It is part of their character.
Morality and Society • A well-defined personal and cultural value system is a moral code. • Therefore, we base morality on our values, both as a society and as individuals.
Examples • Islamic Courts
Examples • Traditional Japanese Confucianism
Examples (Honor) • Blood feuds in Albania • Honor killings in India
Universalism vs. relativism • Moral universalism: A universal system of moral law applies to everyone, regardless of culture, race, religion or nationality. • Moral relativism: Moral or ethical propositions are NOT universal. Like etiquette, they depend on social, cultural and historical circumstances.
Three types of questions • Literal questions test the lowest level of understanding. It involves reading exactly what is on the page and giving back facts or details. Ex: John has a red car. What color is his car? a. Red. b. Blue c. Black
Three types of questions • Application questions. These are questions that test your ability to apply knowledge. ex. In China, Taiwan, and much of the Far East, belching is considered a compliment to the chef and a sign that you have eaten well and enjoyed your meal. This is not the case in North America. Is this… A. moral principle? B. a law? C. a rule of etiquette?
Three types of questions 3. Interpetive/critical thinking questions. These are questions requiring one to “read between the lines.” To answer, one must interpret the evidence given to them and form thoughtful conclusions. Ex. Is moral universalism valid? Explain why.
Social Justice It is the idea of creating a society based on the principles of equality and solidarity and that understands and values human rights and dignity. It is different from legal justice because it is not tied to laws.
Social Injustice Occupy Wall Street Movement
What is social injustice? It is the concept of unfairness of a society related to the divisions of rewards, burdens, and inequalities. Some barriers to justice: prejudice, discrimination, oppression, racism, casteism, classism, ableism, ageism, stereotyping and sexism.
Assignment: Research a Social Injustice Your task will be to choose and research one particular form of social injustice. You will have to find out all of the relevant information related to your topic. Afterwards, you must find out what is being done to help with the situation.
