MGTA02H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Kantianism, Deontological Ethics, Felicific Calculus
Philosophy: Lecture 1
Introductory examples
Ethics: Philosophical study of morality
The attempt to understand the nature of morality and what it
requires of us
Examples of moral questions
Should I tell someone they have alzheimers? Or let them live
with the hope?
She has a right to know, even though it would be better for
her
Is it okay to spend money on whatever
I want? Or… give it to poverty? Is
euthanasia okay?
First we look at attempts at theories of morality
Unit One: Moral Theories
1. Utlilitarianism
2. Kantianism
Moral Theories: attempt to explain, at the most general and
fundamental level, what differentiates right actions from wrong
actions
Utilitarianism
• Whether an act is wright or wrong, depends on its
consequences
• It depends on how much pleasure and pain the act
producesand how this compares t o the other actions
available to the agent
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Kantianism
• Something intrinsic to the action
• Looking at the action itself
Utilitarian:
• Less pain and suffering? Mother better off or no?
Kantianism
• It comes down to the act itself. NOT TELLING THE
TRUTH***
• It is wrong because she does not treat her with the respect
she deserves as an autonomous human being
Attempt to tell us facts about
morality with these theories Maybe
morality is subjective?
Unit 2: challenges to morality
• Moral obligation
• Can there be morality without god
• Psychological aspects
• Talking about specific moral issues: particular cases
Unit 3: Moral issues
• Abortion
• Global poverty (do we have all the necessieities to aid the
human poor)\
• The treatment of animals (eating meat, biomedical
research)
Utilitarianism theorists believe in calculating pain and pleasure,
happiness and suffering. They do it in units
COURSEPACK: a11 2013
Whatever happened to good and evil: Russ shafer- landau /
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
January 10 Lecture 2
Descriptive Claim: A claim about what is the case (attempts
to describe the way things are in the world) Obama is
the president of the USA
• 50% of the marriages end in divorce
• Whales are fish
• Leafy green vegetables contain tons of vitamins, minerals
and antioxidants
• FACTS, or a true or FALSE statement
Normative Claim: A claim about how things OUGHT TO BE
• It is wrong to break a promise when keeping it would
merely be inconvenient
• Eating meat is morally permissible
• You should eat a lot of salsa
• YOU SHOULD BELIEVE that it was professor peacock in the
library
• What you SHOULD think, or what is right and wrong
Both of the descriptive and normative claims can be true or false
• The difference between descriptive and normative claims is
a difference in subject matter:
• Descriptive claims are claims about how things ARE – they
attempt to describe the world. But they can be mistaken.
• EX: Whales are fish: descriptive claims that are false.
o Salsa is the #1 condiment in North America.
DEBATABLE descriptive claim
Morality is a NORMATIVE domain
• Moral claims are how things OUGHT to be/ must be/ should
be
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
1
MGTA02H3 Full Course Notes
Verified Note
1 document
Document Summary
The attempt to understand the nature of morality and what it requires of us. Or let them live with the hope? her. Is it okay to spend money on whatever. First we look at attempts at theories of morality. Moral theories: attempt to explain, at the most general and fundamental level, what differentiates right actions from wrong actions. Utilitarianism: whether an act is wright or wrong, depends on its consequences, it depends on how much pleasure and pain the act producesand how this compares t o the other actions available to the agent. Kantianism: something intrinsic to the action, looking at the action itself. Kantianism: it comes down to the act itself. Truth**: it is wrong because she does not treat her with the respect she deserves as an autonomous human being. Unit 2: challenges to morality: moral obligation, can there be morality without god, psychological aspects, talking about specific moral issues: particular cases.
