An Introduction to Ethics

Ethics - Asks the question, how should I live? "Ethics deals with individual character and the moral rules that govern and limit our conduct". Good vs. Bad. Can be confused or interchanged with morals. (not sure if they are supposed to be different or not).

Moral vs. Nonmoral standards
Moral Standards - Concern behavior that affects human welfare, such as benefit or injury to people. Takes priority over others, including self-interest. Only as good as the reasons and support that back them.

Morality and Etiquette
Etiquette - Norms and conduct in polite society, or social code or courtesy. Please and thank you.
Following etiquette doesn't make someone moral.

Morality and Laws
1. An action can be illegal but morally right. Nonconformity is not always immoral.
2. AN action that is legal can be morally wrong. The reverse.

Professional Codes
Professional Codes of Ethics - Between etiquette and law. Within a given profession and can be vague or detailed.

Where does morality come from? Religion? Ethical Relativism - right and wrong based on society?

Religion is a large factor in morals. It seems like the "golden rule" exists in every religion in some form.

Divine Command Theory - it is wrong because God said so. Critics say that just because God said it is wrong, doesn't make it immoral. Atheists can believe in these same morals without following a standardized religion.

You must appeal to human reason - religion is not a solid defense.

Ethical Relativism
Morality is relative to society. Abortion is banned in Ireland, but lawful in Japan.

Disagreement in morality between cultures does not make them all equally correct.

If so, we would allow mass genocide in Africa if it is believed to be okay there.

Unpleasant Implications:
1. Can't allow everything under the idea if it is okay where they live.
2. They may change but can't get better or worse. (I think that is in a relative sense and not in comparison)
3. The minority can never be right because changing within has to take a majority opinion.

Conscience
Developed by internalized morals taught be parents and acts as an agent of self-motivation.

You're conscience can be wrong. Sometimes what your conscience tells you can lead to "older" thinking that is immoral, but was previously believed to be right. Example: Huck Finn p. 10.

Moral Principles and Self-Interest
You are able to do immoral things for personal gain and get away with it. Not everything that goes around, comes around - and that sucks.

Doing the right thing for personal gain is not morality. You should so the moral thing to do, just because it is the right things to do.

Selfish people lead less happy lives.

Morality and Personal Values
"The life that each of us forges and the way we understand that life are part of our morality in the broad sense of the term."

Human excellence - according to Aristotle - is not simply based on excellence within a given profession, but based on our morality as a human being: words to live by.