Phil 106: Moral Controversies

Some Ethical "First" Principles in the West

Natural Law

Principle of Double Effect: An action is justified if its negative results are indirect and unintended, i.e., the bad (double) effects can not be the means to a good end.

4 criteria
1) Intention: must be good
2) Means: must be good
3) Ends: if bad, not brought about intentionally or directly, i.e., must not be the means to the good end
4) Proportionality: the reason for allowing such a double effect can not be trivial

Principle of Totality: Parts of the human body can be destroyed or their functioning compromised only to the degree that the wellbeing of the body as a whole depends on it.

Most important (self-evident or self-justifying) "moral" good: human life, conceived as purposefully directed at developing intellectual and moral virtue.

Kant's Ethics

Categorical Imperative: An action is right if it can be willed (as a "maxim" or rule) to be universal law.

Most important (self-evident or self-justifying) "moral" good: autonomy, conceived as rational and free agency.

Utilitarianism

Principle of Utility: An action is right in proportion as it tends to produce "happiness" (benefit, utility), wrong in proportion as it tends to produce the reverse of happiness, in general.

Most important (self-evident or self-justifying) "moral" good: happiness, conceived as utility or benefit.