Is a set of morally permissible standards of a

group that each member of the group (at his/her

rational best) wants every other member to
follow even if their doing so would mean he/she
must do the same
Profession Code and Ethics by Machael Davis
 Is the set of standards everyone (every rational
person at his/her rational best) wants everyone
else to follow even if their following them means
having to do the same.

Profession Code and Ethics by Machael Davis

Context
a. In Scenario 1 of Case 1.1, Alice and Josh are
first year students. In your view, is there a set
of ethical rules for students.
b. In Scenario 2 and 3 of Case 1.1, Alice is a
professional and has an ethical code to follow.
Josh is still a student and so he does not have
that same code. How, if at all, do you think
that should affect your evaluations of their
actions? Explain.
 Is a way in defining morality.
Example:
1. How do I know that X is good?
2. Why is X good?
Refers to a set of ethical standards for the
followers of a particular religion.
Application
a. Is it possible for a person who faithfully follows
the rules of his/her religion to be immoral?
Explain.
b. Is it possible for a person who faithfully follows
the rules of his/her religion to be unethical?
Explain.
c. Is it possible for a person who often violates the
rules of his/her religion to be moral? Explain.
d. Is it possible for a person who often violates the
rules of his/her religion to be ethical? Explain.
 Is a moral theory that holds that X is good
because God commands it, and for no other
reason.
God and only God, decrees what is right and
what is wrong
God decrees are communicated to us via all or
some of the following:
Religious texts
Human messengers of God, such as priests
or prophets
Divine Revelation
Gods decrees are all we need to determine the
right action in any situation.
Application
a. Can a person who is not religious act morally?
Why or why not?
b. Can a person who is not religious act
ethically? Why or why not?
 Is a moral theory that holds that no valid
rational criterion for determining the right thing
to do exists.
Is the willingness to let people do what they
wish, as long as there is no overriding
justification to do otherwise.
Cultural Relativism is based on the following
two premises:
Morally judging an individual involves
comparing the individuals behavior to the
standards of his or her culture.
There is no rational way to compare cultures
with respect to morality.
From those premises, it follows that there can
therefore be no universal human morality.
Critics of cultural relativism argue that moral
standards exist for human beings independent of
culture. Hence, both of the premises of cultural
relativism are false.
Application

a. Can a person be a cultural relativist and still

be a moral person according to your notion
of morality?
b. One problem with cultural relativism is defining
the boundaries of a culture. Clearly, anyone living
in the United States today is living today in a
different culture than someone living in the society
of the ancient Aztecs. But how about a man who as
of today has lived all his forty years in rural
Alabama verses a woman who has lived all of her
twenty years in New York City? Are they members
of the same culture? Do students residing in
university housing belong to the same culture as
professors working at the same university? How
about an African American living in Columbus,
Ohio versus a Native American of the Miami Tribe
living in Oklahoma?
 Is a moral theory that, as the name implies,
concerns the nature of virtue and what it means
to have a virtue.
Aristotles Virtues and Vices
Is the anger we feel at someones undeserved
good or bad fortune.
 Virtue Ethics is agent-centered as opposed to
act-centered. That is, it focuses more on the
character of the person making the decision
rather than on the decision itself.
A person becomes virtuous by repeatedly
doing virtuous acts until they become habitual.