Ethical Frameworks and Principles of Justice

Ethical Frameworks and Moral Philosophy

Absolutism vs. Relativism in Ethics

Absolutism: Stealing is wrong.

Relativism: Stealing is wrong, but not nearly as wrong when someone is stealing to avoid starvation. So, it is often acceptable.

Example: If you plan to execute a murder in cold blood, your intent is most probably revenge, lust for power, or money. If you tell a white lie to spare someone’s feelings, your intent is kindness. It is still wrong to lie, but only a little bit wrong. There are different levels of wrong and right, such as greed, lust, arrogance, and envy.

Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Free Will: Our choices matter; an individual’s free will interacts with others, and there are outcomes with consequences. Possessing free will means that we have responsibility for our choices and some portion of the outcomes.

Utilitarianism and the Greatest Good

Utilitarianism: Do the greatest good for the greatest number. Generate the most benefits as compared to disadvantages. Benefit the largest number of people.

Example: To cut costs, lay off 48% of your workforce; 52% are happy they can stay in business.

Disadvantage: Humans tend to downplay long-term risk in favor of immediate rewards.

Example: The atomic bomb brought Japan to her knees. Fewer Americans were killed, though many Japanese were killed.

Kantian Ethics and Objectivism

According to Immanuel Kant, killing, cheating, lying, and stealing are always wrong.

Objectivism: Every man is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others.

Example: People have the right to do whatever they want with the things they own, provided they respect other people’s rights to do the same. The core pursuit of one’s own rational self-interest and of one’s own happiness is the highest moral purpose of one’s life.

John Rawls and Justice as Fairness

Rawls’s Justice as Fairness: Society should maintain a balance between freedom and equality.

Example: Each person has an equal right to the same basic liberties and opportunities. However, people also need individual liberty to achieve. Justice is the foundation of an ethical society, maintaining equilibrium between freedom (individual liberty) and equality (universal rights).

Socialism and Communitarianism

Socialism/Communitarianism: A shift from individual rights to communal responsibilities. The quality of life includes "other people's lives."

Defining Welfare, Freedom, and Virtue

• Welfare: Government support that provides people of the society with water, food, and shelter.
• Freedom: Individual choice, liberty, and free will.
• Virtue: Doing the right thing; the right thing to do (decision making and closure).

Three Types of Fairness in Society

Context: Whistleblower Mr. Wigand and the Tobacco industry.

• Proportionality: People get benefits based on their contributions. Nobody is cheating or getting cheated.
• Equality: When everyone’s inputs are equal, everyone should get the same outcome.
• Procedural: Honest, open, and impartial rules are used to determine who gets what.