pep 570: frankena, chapter 4 dr. frankena: moral value & responsibility ä need a normative...

PEP 570: Frankena, Chapter 4PEP 570: Frankena, Chapter 4

Dr. Frankena: Moral Value & ResponsibilityDr. Frankena: Moral Value & Responsibility

Need a normative theoryNeed a normative theory Normative meaning - standard or guideNormative meaning - standard or guide

Morally good or bad things are:Morally good or bad things are: persons, groups of persons, traits of character, persons, groups of persons, traits of character,

dispositions, emotions, motives, and intentionsdispositions, emotions, motives, and intentions Nonmorally good or bad things are:Nonmorally good or bad things are:

physical objects like cars, paintings, physical objects like cars, paintings, knowledge, freedom, government, and so forth.knowledge, freedom, government, and so forth.


Historically, morality concerned with:Historically, morality concerned with:

Cultivation of certain disposition, or traits Cultivation of certain disposition, or traits of character.of character. virtues - not wholly innate: they must all be virtues - not wholly innate: they must all be

acquired, at least in part, by teaching and acquired, at least in part, by teaching and practice or perhaps by gracepractice or perhaps by grace honesty, kindness, conscientiousness.honesty, kindness, conscientiousness.

Morality not rules or principles, but rather the Morality not rules or principles, but rather the cultivation of such dispositions, i.e.., Plato and cultivation of such dispositions, i.e.., Plato and AristotleAristotle


Leslie Stephen: Morality is InternalLeslie Stephen: Morality is Internal

Moral law is truly a rule of character.Moral law is truly a rule of character. Ethics of Virtue:Ethics of Virtue:

Aretaic JudgmentsAretaic Judgments Actions are secondary, what is important is the Actions are secondary, what is important is the

motive or trait.motive or trait. motives, intentions, and actionsmotives, intentions, and actions


HumeHume

When we praise any actions, we regard only When we praise any actions, we regard only the motives that produce them. The the motives that produce them. The external performance has no merit..all external performance has no merit..all virtuous actions derive their true merit only virtuous actions derive their true merit only from virtuous motives. from virtuous motives.

In other words, what is important is In other words, what is important is judgments about agents and their motives ojudgments about agents and their motives o


Hume: 3 kinds of ethics of dutyHume: 3 kinds of ethics of duty

Trait EgoismTrait Egoism Virtues that are most conducive to one’s own good Virtues that are most conducive to one’s own good

or welfareor welfare Trait UtilitarianismTrait Utilitarianism

Virtues are those traits that promote the greatest Virtues are those traits that promote the greatest amount of good, oramount of good, or benevolence is the basic or cardinal moral virtuebenevolence is the basic or cardinal moral virtue

Trait Deontological Trait Deontological certain traits are morally good simply as suchcertain traits are morally good simply as such


Difference between obligation and virtue...Difference between obligation and virtue...

Principles of DutyPrinciples of Duty We ought to promote goodWe ought to promote good We ought to treat people equalityWe ought to treat people equality We ought to tell the truthWe ought to tell the truth We ought to be responsibleWe ought to be responsible

Trait is a disposition, habit, quality, or trait, Trait is a disposition, habit, quality, or trait, which an individual either has or seeks to which an individual either has or seeks to have.have.


Values

Principles

Obligations

Actions

Values

Principles

Obligations

Actions


What are the moral virtues?What are the moral virtues?

They cannot be derived from one anotherThey cannot be derived from one another All other moral virtues can be derived from All other moral virtues can be derived from

or shown to be forms of themor shown to be forms of them Plato and Greeks though they were four cardinal Plato and Greeks though they were four cardinal

virtues:virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justicewisdom, courage, temperance, and justice

Christianity has seven:Christianity has seven: faith, hope, love, prudence, fortitude, temperance, and faith, hope, love, prudence, fortitude, temperance, and

justice - first three theological, last 4 humanjustice - first three theological, last 4 human


Cardinal Virtues - Frankena & SchopenhauerCardinal Virtues - Frankena & Schopenhauer

BenevolenceBenevolence JusticeJustice

All other virtues can be derived from these two.All other virtues can be derived from these two.


Is morality primarily a following of certain principles or as a cultivation of certain traits.

Is morality primarily a following of certain principles or as a cultivation of certain traits.

Difficult to know what traits to Difficult to know what traits to encourage if we did not subscribe encourage if we did not subscribe

to principlesto principles


What then would be the difference between a principle of

beneficence and the virtue of benevolence.

What then would be the difference between a principle of

beneficence and the virtue of benevolence.


Kant: That Principles without traits are impotent and traits without principles are blind.

Kant: That Principles without traits are impotent and traits without principles are blind.


An Ethics of Virtue:An Ethics of Virtue:

Point of acquiring these virtuesPoint of acquiring these virtues not further guidance or instructionnot further guidance or instruction not to tell us what to donot to tell us what to do but to ensure that we will do it willinglybut to ensure that we will do it willingly

Must not only move us to do what we do, Must not only move us to do what we do, They must also tell us what to doThey must also tell us what to do


Moral IdealMoral Ideal

Ways of being rather than doingWays of being rather than doing wanting to be a person of a certain sortwanting to be a person of a certain sort

wanting to have a certain trait of characterwanting to have a certain trait of character Socrates, Jesus the Christ, Martin Luther King, Socrates, Jesus the Christ, Martin Luther King,

Mohammed GandhiMohammed Gandhi


Dispositions to be CultivatedDispositions to be Cultivated

Cardinal, First Order Virtues:Cardinal, First Order Virtues: Benevolence and JusticeBenevolence and Justice

Corollaries,Corollaries, Truth, honesty, keeping promises, fidelity, which are all acquired Truth, honesty, keeping promises, fidelity, which are all acquired

and fostered.and fostered.

Second Order VirtuesSecond Order Virtues ConscientiousnessConscientiousness Intellectual TraitsIntellectual Traits

Disposition to find and respect the relevant facts and a Disposition to find and respect the relevant facts and a disposition to think clearlydisposition to think clearly


Values

Principles

Obligations

Actions

Values

Principles

Obligations

Actions

Whole Point: ??? Whole Point: ???


Should an action be judged right or wrong because of its results; the principle it exemplifies, or

because of the motive, intention, or trait of character is good or

bad?

Should an action be judged right or wrong because of its results; the principle it exemplifies, or

because of the motive, intention, or trait of character is good or

bad?


What is moral? Reasonable view..What is moral? Reasonable view..

is that one’s actions are morally good if it is is that one’s actions are morally good if it is at least true that, whatever the actual at least true that, whatever the actual motives in acting, the sense of duty or motives in acting, the sense of duty or desire to do the right is so strong that it desire to do the right is so strong that it keeps one trying to do one’s duty.keeps one trying to do one’s duty.


Moral ResponsibilityMoral Responsibility

• Three Kinds of cases for moral Three Kinds of cases for moral • responsibilityresponsibility• 1) X is a responsible person, meaning 1) X is a responsible person, meaning

to say to say • something morally favorable about his something morally favorable about his • character.character.• 2) X is and was responsible for a past 2) X is and was responsible for a past

actionaction• 3) X is responsible for Y when Y still is 3) X is responsible for Y when Y still is

to to • be done.be done.


Case 1: X is responsibleCase 1: X is responsible

• In this case, responsible is known to In this case, responsible is known to be be

• trustworthy or dependable with sound trustworthy or dependable with sound • judgment.judgment.• Meaning what morally?Meaning what morally?


Case 2:Case 2:

• X is and was responsible for a past X is and was responsible for a past action.action.

• Responsible is being the source or Responsible is being the source or cause of cause of

• something happeningsomething happening


Case 3:Case 3:

• X is responsible for Y to be done.X is responsible for Y to be done.• Responsible is the condition of being Responsible is the condition of being • accountable to act without guidance accountable to act without guidance

or or • personal authoritypersonal authority


• In Case 1 and 3, we are accountable In Case 1 and 3, we are accountable for actions; we have obligations for actions; we have obligations because of previous because of previous commitments...hence is a straight commitments...hence is a straight normative judgment of obligation.normative judgment of obligation.

ResponsibilityResponsibility


ResponsibilityResponsibility

• Normative judgment: making a Normative judgment: making a decision based on a norm or standard. decision based on a norm or standard. In this case, the standard is based on In this case, the standard is based on an obligation to a certain principle (to an obligation to a certain principle (to be responsible) from the value: be responsible) from the value: responsibilityresponsibility


Related IssuesRelated Issues

CoercionCoercionFreedom and ChoiceFreedom and ChoiceDeterminismDeterminism


CoercionCoercion

Absence of coercionAbsence of coercion not only direct by indirect, i.e., modeling, not only direct by indirect, i.e., modeling,

manipulation, that affect alternativesmanipulation, that affect alternatives

Liberty - choice between alternativesLiberty - choice between alternatives importance of education enlarges the importance of education enlarges the

capacity of choice and decisions. capacity of choice and decisions. Important precondition of existence of Important precondition of existence of freedomfreedom..


Free Will and DeterminismFree Will and Determinism

• Free will: you have choices Free will: you have choices that you can make based on that you can make based on your values.your values.

•Determinism: every event, Determinism: every event, including human choices and including human choices and volitions, is caused by other volitions, is caused by other events and happens as an events and happens as an effect or result of these other effect or result of these other events.events.


DeterminismDeterminism

The general philosophical thesis which The general philosophical thesis which states that for everything that ever happens states that for everything that ever happens there are conditions that given them nothing there are conditions that given them nothing else.else. ethical determinismethical determinism logical determinismlogical determinism theological determinismtheological determinism physical determinismphysical determinism psychological determinismpsychological determinism


Ethical determinismEthical determinism

actions are determined by an apparent good..no actions are determined by an apparent good..no man can set as the object of his choice something man can set as the object of his choice something that seems evil or bad to him.that seems evil or bad to him.

opponent:The evident fact of incontinence. A opponent:The evident fact of incontinence. A man’s desires or appetites are in conflict with his man’s desires or appetites are in conflict with his reason, precisely in the sense that he desires reason, precisely in the sense that he desires something that is bad for him. something that is bad for him. Aristotle.Aristotle.


Logical DeterminismLogical Determinism

Men’s wills are fettered, that nothing is Men’s wills are fettered, that nothing is real in in their power to alter.real in in their power to alter.

Fate determines all. No man’s destiny Fate determines all. No man’s destiny is in any degree up to him.is in any degree up to him.

Everything he ever does is something Everything he ever does is something he could never have avoided..it is idle he could never have avoided..it is idle to speak of free will.to speak of free will.


Psychological DeterminismPsychological Determinism

Christian Theology, a concept arose Christian Theology, a concept arose that a perfectly good god, omniscient, that a perfectly good god, omniscient, and omnipotent, the entire world and and omnipotent, the entire world and everything in it, down to the minutest everything in it, down to the minutest detail, are absolutely dependent for detail, are absolutely dependent for existence and character from Him.existence and character from Him.

Divine Power and Predestination.Divine Power and Predestination.


Physical DeterminismPhysical Determinism

Events are determined by eternal and Events are determined by eternal and immutable laws of nature.immutable laws of nature.

A move away from people making A move away from people making decisions, or god writing out the decisions, or god writing out the decisions to the decisions are really not decisions to the decisions are really not decisions at all.decisions at all.


Psychological DeterminismPsychological Determinism

All voluntary human action is caused by All voluntary human action is caused by the alternate operation of motives, desires, the alternate operation of motives, desires, and aversions...which are varieties of and aversions...which are varieties of physical forces. physical forces.

The immediate cause of a voluntary The immediate cause of a voluntary motion is an act of will, but it is never free, motion is an act of will, but it is never free, it is caused...by psychological training. it is caused...by psychological training. Hobbsian thoughtHobbsian thought

pep 570: frankena, chapter 4 dr. frankena: moral value & responsibility ä need a normative...

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