The Nature of Ethics

Descriptive in its focus on moral situations

Focus given to choice of behavior

involving human values

Grounded in interpretation, perspective,

and cultural beliefs

Often enacted without consideration to the

appropriateness or reasonableness of those
beliefs

The Nature of Ethics

Underlying ethics-based choices is that

varying degrees of responsibility are
associated with ones actions

The Need for Ethics

Ethics (defined)

The study of choices people make

regarding right and wrong

The nature of the choices may be long

lasting

but are not always choices involving

matters of great consequence

The Need for Ethics

Should I

Wait for the traffic light to change from red to

green at 2 o clock a.m. when theres no traffic
around or go through the light?

Spend the extra money I earned in this weeks

pay check on entertainment for me or pay a
friend who lent me the same amount in cash last
week?

The Need for Ethics

Should I

Put quotes around borrowed phrasing or

pretend the words are my own?

Be straight-forward about my limited skills

or abilities or embellish the truth to get
the job I really want?

Who Should Judge Right or

Wrong?

Institutions?

Social systems?

The government?
The church?
Others?

Society/community
Family?
Others?

Individuals themselves?

Moral relativism (p. 3)

Who Should Judge Right or

Wrong?

Moral relativism is the idea of who can

say?, so live and let live

Decisions about right and wrong are

purely personal and subjective

And, to judge other peoples conduct is

considered intolerant

Who Should Judge Right or

Wrong?

Pros, Cons to moral relativism?

Laws and Ethics

Why should ethics be a point of discussion

if laws exist to protect individual rights?

Law is not possible without ethics

The only way for a law to be enacted or

repealed is for one or more people to make a
decision about right and wrong

Religion and Ethics

Morality is the basis of both modes of

thought

However, to be productive, ethical

discourse must take place on common
ground, that is using understandings and
intellectual procedures and judgment
criteria that all participants affirm.

Summarizing the Need for

Ethics

To refine and perfect our legal system

To help us reach sound decisions based on

reasonable thought processes

To facilitate discussions with others who may not

share our theological position

To help us interpret everyday human actions and

determine which we want to emulate

The Role of The Majority

Does majority imply the wisest, most

informed view?

Consider how laws are passed in a

democratic society?

By representative majority

The Role of Majority

There must be more to right and wrong

than a showing of hands

Majority is no guarantee of correctness

The Role Feelings &

Conscience in Ethics

Should each person make decisions on the

basis of her or his own feelings, desires,
and preferences?

For Discussion

Rogers claimed that one becomes a

person by self-affirmation, rather than
self-evaluation or self-criticism

If it feels worth doing, it is worth doing

Am I living in a way which is deeply satisfying
to me, and which truly expresses me?

What are the implications of this approach

on self? On others?

For Discussion

when we speak of the right to choice,

we mean that there are no necessary
consequences, that disapproval is only
prejudice and guilt only a neurosis (p.
27)

To what extent do you believe this is true?

What are the it depends aspects of this quote,

if any?

For Discussion

Where do feelings fit in ethical evaluation?

Should feelings be altogether dispensed

with as an ethics compass?

The Role of Conscience

Conscience is defined as the faculty by

which we determine that we are guilty of a
moral offense.

Shame is described as an appropriate

emotional response to lapses of conscious

The Role of Conscience

The intensity of conscience differs from

person to person

And, quite possibly from circumstance to

circumstance

Without conscience, satisfaction of and for

oneself becomes a driving motivator in
existence

Ingredients for Conscience

Natural endowment (internal)

Temperament
Intelligence (practical vs. philosophic)

Social conditioning (external)

People, places, institutions, ideas, and values

that we are exposed to as we mature

A Balanced View of
Conscience

when feelings are allowed to overrule

conscience, conscience loses its moral
bearings (p. 40)

At the same time, for all its

imperfections, conscience is the most
important single guide to right and wrong
and individual can have

Follow your conscience, but not blindly

Differences in Opinions Call

for Rules for Engagement

Productive conversation on topics mean

approaching each topic with an understanding
that differences of opinion exist

and that an individuals opinions are not

necessarily right or wrong, merely different

Therefore advance preparation makes one better

ready for what opinions that may be presented

Rules for Engagement

Simplify your expectations

Leave egotism and personal agendas at

the door

About changing others opinions or about the

idea of winning the debate

Modus operandi of mutual respect and civility

in a context of healthy engagement

Contribute, but dont dominate the

discussion

Rules for Engagement

Avoid distracting mannerisms

Be an active listener

Judge ideas based on their merits, not on

your personal feelings or impressions

Resist the urge to shout or interrupt