Chap 1 and 2

Chap 1 what is ethics

“Polite manners grace our

social existence, but they are

not what existence is about.

What is Ethics?

What is morality and why do we need it?

How do we know the Good/the Right/Just?

Whose interest it is to be moral?

And what is the relationship to religion, law,

and social etiquette?

What is Ethics?

-a branch of philosophy

- how we ought to live

-“mores” Latin ethos” Greek

--“tradition, customs”

Divisions

Descriptive Morality- actual beliefs, customs, principles, and practices of people and cultures;
sociological in nature

Moral Philosophy- systematic effort to understand moral concepts and justify moral principles and
theories

Applied Ethics- to the extension of moral principles to positive social issues such as war, prostitution,
gambling, abortion, economic exploitation, civil disobedience, euthanasia, violence and many others.
Other Normative Spaces

Religion

Divine Authority

Law

Constitutional Frames and Statutes

Etiquette Styles of social practices

Traits of Morality

Prescriptive action-guiding nature of morality Universalizability applicable to people who are in similar
situation

Overridingness take precedence over other considerations including aesthetics, prudential, and legal
ones

Publicity not hidden, not secret

Practicability workable and not burdensome

The Story

of George
Chap 2

Ethical relativism

Thesis-main claim

It offers new outlook of nature and life in general

-There are no objective moral standards

-no universal acceptance (reconsider norms that we cherish)

-John ladd (no moral standard at all)

MR is not the same way

Relativist still believes in morality but denies the possibility of having universial life and general object of
moral standards.

Forms

-subjectivism (individual) Kant – On deciding we think of a law that fits to what we are about to do

Ex stealing, you don’t have to ask other people. Think as an individual.

Don’t need to consult other people

-Conventionalism – Culture tradition practices (make us a bit confused with what to do with our lifes).

Ethnocentrism.

Video clip: subjectivism

Man cannot survive except through his mind, brain is only weapon, no such thing as collective brain.
Not an object of sacrifice.

His ideas are His properties. He is an architect.

Vid clip: Conventionalism

Tthey have a general idea on the plans, group of people combine their ideas to works. They designed
building. But the man said if they wanted his design, He wanted them to take it as it is and not change
the structure. (aesthetics) architect serves as individualism.

They don’t go together. Conflict.

BULBS

Serves as morality is like a light that guides , colors represent cultural differences.different impacts to
society.

Form

Conventionalism – standards generated by different traditions

-Theses

Dependency -derived their validity from cultural acceptance

Diversity – varies from among societies

There is no singular morality

Does not exist in a vacuum.

Contextual

Societal goals and intentions

Conventionalism and Tolerance

- Ruth Benedeict
- Conventionalism over the value of tolerance

We shall arrive at a more realistic social faith, accepting as grounds of hope and as new bases for
tolerance the coexisting and equally valid patterns of life which mankind has created for itself from the
raw materials of existence

-Nancy scheper-hughes

Westerners condescending toward cultural spaces

I don’t like the idea of clitoridoectonomy any better than any other woman I know. But I like even less
wetern voices of reason

Criticisms of Conventionalism

A. Undermines important value

B. Convention subjectivism
C. Moral diversity is exaggerated
D. Weak dependency not imply relativism
E. The interminacy

Conlclusion

He does not like relativism (more harm than good)

Objectivity is possible

Pojman holds on the possibility of objectivism ‘

Katian Bais.
-