Respect for Persons

Lessons-Doing Good to Others

Being Just to Others
 Doing Good to Others
ETHICS- the branch of philosophy devoted to the
study of morality. It has three general kinds:
1. normative ethics- which studies the principles or
standards used as bases for making moral judgments
(judgments that actions are good or bad)
2. meta-ethics- which studies the nature of moral
judgments in terms of how they are known and
acquire their meanings
3. applied ethics- which studies the application of
moral principles in some specified areas such as
medicine, business, law and environment
 Doing Good to Others
3 STANDARD NORMATIVE ETHICAL THEORIES
(are based on three morally relevant features of
human actions: that these actions)
1. consequentialism- lead to certain
consequences
2. deontology- follow (or violate) certain rules
3. virtue ethics- are performed by persons with
certain character traits
 Doing Good to Others
3 STANDARD NORMATIVE ETHICAL THEORIES
1. Consequentialism- This theory claims that a good action is
one that results in good or desirable consequences, while
a bad action is one that results.
2. Deontology- This theory claims that a good action is one
that follows a good or right rule (or violate a bad or wrong
rule), while a bad action is one that follows a bad or
wrong rule (or violates a good or right rule)
3. Virtue Ethics- This theory claims a good action is one that
is performed by a virtuous person (a person with good
character traits), while a bad action is one that is
performed by a vicious person (a person with bad
character traits)
 Forms of Consequentialism
HEDONISTIC- when good consequences are defined solely in
terms of the experience of pleasure and the avoidance of pain
NONHEDONISTIC- when good consequences are also defined
in terms of other desirable things such as the acquisition of
knowledge, establishment of good relationships and the
satisfaction of interests
EGOISTIC/AGENT-RELATIVE- when good consequences only
refer to the consequences that promote the good or welfare
of the agent or doer of the action
NONEGOISTIC/AGENT-NEUTRAL- when good consequences
also refer to the consequences that promote the welfare of
other people, or to the welfare of all persons involved in or
affected by the action
 Forms of Consequentialism
UTILITARIANISM- is the most influential and ideal
form of consequentialism. It is agent-neutral and is
either hedonistic or nonhedonistic.
Utilitarianism generally claims that an action is
morally good if it maximizes the aggregate good or
happiness or welfare of all affected persons, or
promotes the greatest good or happiness of the
greatest number of people.
Utilitarianism considers to be morally relevant is
the maximum aggregate or sum total welfare (good,
pleasure, or happiness) of all affected persons.
 Deontological Ethical Theories
- are also sometimes referred to as duty-based
or right-based ethical theories. And this is because of
the close relationship among law, duty, and right.
RELIGIOUS DEONTOLOGY- defines good rules as the
rules or laws of God; and thus defines a good action
as one which follows the laws of God and bad action
as one which violates these laws
RATIONAL DEONTOLOGY- defines good rules as the
laws of reason and a bad action as one which violates
these laws
 Deontological Ethical Theories
- the laws of human reason may coincide with
the laws of God, but rational deontology formulates
its moral principles independent of religious
considerations
-rational laws derive their force from these 2
principles: universalizability and respect for persons
Universalizability- states that an action is morally
good if its maxim is made universal, or as a law for
everyone, without contradiction
Respect for Persons- an action is morally good if it
does not merely use a person but treats them as ends
at the same time
 Virtue Ethics
Virtue- is the excellence of a thing in terms of the
exercise of its proper functions
Intellectual Virtue- is the excellence of reason. It is
acquired through study or instruction and are
manifested through knowledge
Moral Virtue- is the excellence of the will. It is
acquired through practice and habit and are
manifested through practical actions
Principle of the Golden Mean- according to this
principle, the good character trait is that which lies in
between two extreme traits relevant to the situation:
one is an excessive form; the other the deficient form.
 Being Good to Others
Essay- Analyze the morality
of abortion and euthanasia
using the ethical theories of
deontology, utilitarianism
and virtue ethics. (Make a
stand whether you are in
favor or not.)
 Being Just to Others
Justice- is generally understood as giving what is due to a
person, or giving to a person what he/she deserves to receive.
3 basic kinds of justice
1. Distributive justice- which refers to the just distribution of
benefits (such as rights and socio-economic goods) and
burdens (such as sacrifices and obligations)
2. Retributive justice- also called retaliatory justice, which
refers to the just imposition of punishments and penalties
on those guilty of performing wrongful acts
3. Compensatory justice- which refers to the just way of
compensating people for what they lost as a result of
wrongful actions done on them
 Theories on Justice
EGALITARIANISM- This theory claims that a certain
distribution is just if every member of a group
receives an equal share of the distribution
a. Political Egalitarianism- which argues for
equality in the distribution of legal rights
b. Economic Egalitarianism- which argues for
equality in the distribution of socio-economic goods
Equality of legal rights is a widely accepted social ideal.
Equality of socio-economic goods is acceptable only on the
level of the basic necessities of the citizens, the satisfaction of
which will enable them to live a decent life
 Theories on Justice
CAPITALIST JUSTICE- This theory claims that a
certain distribution is just if every member of a
group receives his/her contribution to the
success of the goals of the group. Consequently
the greater is ones contribution the greater
should be his/her share in the distribution, and
the lesser is ones contribution the lesser should
be his/her share in the distribution. This kind of
justice exists in the free market forces, such as
how they fare in an open and free competition,
and the law of supply and demand.
 Theories on Justice
CAPITALIST JUSTICE- This theory claims that a
certain distribution is just if every member of a
group receives his/her contribution to the
success of the goals of the group. Consequently
the greater is ones contribution the greater
should be his/her share in the distribution, and
the lesser is ones contribution the lesser should
be his/her share in the distribution. This kind of
justice exists in the free market forces, such as
how they fare in an open and free competition,
and the law of supply and demand.
 Theories on Justice
SOCIALIST JUSTICE- This theory claims that a certain
distribution is just if every member of a group
receives his/her share in the distribution according to
or in proportion to his/her needs. Consequently, the
greater is ones needs the greater should be his/her
share in the distribution, and the lesser is ones needs
the lesser should be his/her share in the distribution.
This view seeks to balance off natural inequalities-
referring to the inequality in our initial endowments
in life which include our genes, natural talents,
inherited economic resources, and social status of our
parents.
 Theories on Justice
JUSTICE BASED ON FAIR OPPORTUNITY- This
theory claims that a certain distribution is just if
every member of a group receives his/her share
in the distribution according to or in proportion
to the effort he/she has exerted in achieving the
goals of the group. Consequently, the greater is
ones effort the greater should be his share in
the distribution, the lesser is ones effort the
lesser should be his/her share in the
distribution.
 Theories on Justice
JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS- This theory claims that a certain
distribution among members in a group is just if the
principles that govern such distribution are chosen by
the members in a fair manner.
Principle of equality, which claims that everyone
should have equal rights and liberties
Difference principle, which claims that
inequalities in the distribution of socio-economic
goods should likewise benefit al least advantaged
members of society and should be attached to
positions and offices open to all.
 Theories on Justice
LIBERTARIANISM- This theory claims that distribution
are just when no moral rights are violated in the two
processes involved in the act of distribution- the
process of acquiring ownership of the goods to be
distributed and the process of transferring the
ownership of the goods to be distributed. More
specifically, this view claims that a distribution is just
if the goods to be distributed are acquired by their
owner in a manner that does not violate moral rights
and that such goods are distributed by the owner to
the other people in a manner that does not likewise
violate moral rights.
 Theories on Justice
CASE STUDY
Suppose that a man of some wealth has
several children, one of whom is blind, another
playboy with expensive tastes, a third is a
prospective politician with expensive ambitions,
another is a poet with a humble needs, another
is a sculptor who works in a expensive material,
and so forth. How shall he draw his will? If you
were the man, how would you distribute your
wealth to your children.