1_ethical theory and foundation: consequentialism

1_ethical theory and foundation: consequentialism

1. ethical theories

   • a) meta-ethics
     • asks about the very possibility and nature itself. ex: "what do the words right and wrong mean?" "Are there objective moral facts?"
       • does not ask specific moral rules or facts
   • b) normative ethics
     • theories about what rules/principles should guide our behavior. Try to figure out what we ought to do/be
       • 4 normative theories
         • a) consequentialism
           • An action is right or wrong depending on the consequences it will likely bring about
             • 2 theories
               • a) egoism
                 • "best results" of action means "best results" for me.
               • b) utilitariasnism
                 • "best results" of action is defined in terms of "overall" happiness / well-being of anyone affected by the action. Aim to maximize good consequences and minimize bad consequences to get the best outcome possible
                   • John Stuart Mill
                     • through experiment: harvesting one patient's organs to save others... (never let me go) Patient x, doctor y and surgeon Z. (patient x is recovering, but is suicidal and no one will miss him. 7 patients waiting for organ transplant with great future. we should harvest Patient x's organs) Are our moral intuitions incorrect? Is there a slippery slope argument here? (scared of going to the hospital because it is considered common practice to harvest organs)
                     • the principle of utility
                       • " Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain"
                   • Jeremy Bentham
                   • act utilitarianism (AU) VS rule utilitarianism (RU)
                     • RU
                       • find the general rules that will promote the most happiness in society
                         • Rule of thumb, when I lack the time or impartiality to go through the actual calculation
                           • But, what about when breaking a rule will bring about more happiness than following it. Are rules just "rules of thumb" when I lack the time or impartiality? Does RU collapse into RU?
                     • AU
                       • each case evaluated via the principle of utility
                         • we look at the possible actions and all the expected outcomes, and then the right thing to do is the one with the best overall outcomes.
                   • Not every utilitarian associates best outcomes directly with pleasure and pain. For this reason, classical utilitarianism is called hedonistic utilitarianism (since an hedonist is someone who seeks pleasure)
                   • 2 types
                     • ideal utilitarianism
                       • best outcome should be the ideal state of affairs (equality, freedom, justice,...)
                     • eudaimonistic utilitarianism
                       • not the quantity of pleasure that counts, but the quality
   • c) applied or practical ethics
     • attempt to resolve (at at least understant) controversial issues such as "Do animals have rights?", "What obligation does a company have to its employees or customers?", etc...