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For Parts I and II (The Nature of Ethics and Moral Reasoning and Understanding Basic
Ethical Concepts)
Dominant perspective during the time of Socrates (Ancient Greek) through the
characterization of the just and the unjust man as Glaucon narrated
For reflection:
It is neutral on the issue of morality, yet its very generality implies that it is
applicable to everyone
It is about a manner of life
It is non-committal,
It pertains to ethical and moral considerations (important for Socrates) as
well as other kinds of considerations, e.g. economic, political, family, or
all things considered
It is a timeless question w/c invites reflection
It drives to generalize under Socratic reflection
To act morally is to act autonomously, not as a result of social pressure.1
How should one live? – Best place for moral philosophy to start because:
1
Williams, B. (2006) Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, (Oxford: Routledge), p. 7
Ethical consideration for the Greeks refers to the individual character –
broader term (for Williams)
Notion of obligation – “to act morally is to act autonomously, not as the
result of social pressure
Notion of outcomes (consequences)
Notion of virtues (disposition of character)
Notion of egoism (ethical) – “each person ought to pursue his or her own
self-interest” may take on an ethical turn when one believes that the
above statement becomes an “ought” and “that is for the best of
everyone”
For reflection:
If the question “How should I live?” is neutral to morality, why did Williams consider
it still as the best way for moral philosophy to start?
An action is normal if it falls well within the limits of expected behavior for a
particular society.
The concept of the normal is properly a variant of the concept of the good.
Most individuals are plastic to the molding force of the society into which they
are born.
All local conventions of moral behavior and of immoral are without absolute
validity, yet it is quite possible that a modicum of what is considered right and
what is wrong could be disentangled that is shared by the whole human race.
For reflection:
How does the notion that adults can shape children’s behavior
come to terms w/ children’s internal powers and inclination?
What happens if there is a conflict between the two?
If the above approaches are often ineffective, how are you going to explain/
account for the discipline the earlier generation has and their claims that the
above approaches worked for them? (They believe that they have more
manners and are better disciplined)
Clarifying Values – Help students find their own values – values are viewed
as relative, personal and situational; the goal is to help students clarify
his/her own values so he can obtain the values that best suit him and his
environment; so he can adjust himself to a changing world.
Value Skills Approach – it’s aimed at helping the student to learn skills
to continue the value-clarifying approach throughout his life and to
apply his values in ways that are personally and socially helpful.
Measuring instruments are needed to distinguish values expressed in paper
versus values woven in behavior.
A combination of clarifying liberal arts – provides data often useful for
making choices and value skills – provides a climate and experiences for
practicing value choice-making is probably best;
Models are useful but not as prescriptions of behavior to be emulated; useful as
illustrations of what life can be and not what life should be
Explanations are useful if they inform students thinking; as long as offered as
personal consensual statements of positions, and not dogma
Students who behave in ways that contradict the teacher’s, schools, or society’s
values must be taught that there are limits to accepted behavior.
For reflection:
Kohlberg’s Conclusions
“Youths who understand justice act more justly and the man who
understands justice helps create a moral climate which goes far
beyond his immediate and personal acts. The universal society is
the beneficiary.”
For reflection:
What is the implication of Kohlberg’s Moral Levels and Stages? If a child’s morality is
not internalized from the outside, what does this say about morality being culture
bound? Would you say that “morality is universal” will be justified by Kohlberg’s
studies?
F. Mothershead, The Problem of the Scope of Morality
Ethics (branch of Philosophy) is the study of morality(subject)
Value experience – side taking between good (value) and bad (disvalue);
the expression of approbation or disapprobation; good is not exclusively a
moral term.
All values are priorities with respect to some aspect of human experience
Morality centers about deliberate budgeting of actions whether for the self
or others or for active beings generally
The present state of human knowledge does not does not enable men to
draw a sharp line or to be confident to dogmatically assert that higher
animals are not capable of any degree of moral action
Only men make fully explicit moral judgments and decisions
The central problem of ethical theory is the justification of moral principles
The life of man is only partly a moral life
It is part of a moral philosophy to equip people to recognize and cope w/
encounters w/ critical situations that would call for careful moral judgment.
For reflection:
If moral values are priority ratings and takes precedence over other values, is it
possible for people to overlook it in their decision making process and their actions?
Why?