Moral Theory Day 1
Moral Theory 1st Lecture
“What good fortune for those in power that people do not think.” – Adolph Hitler
Vietnam War documentary Hearts and Mind – an unflinching look at how the United States conducted the war and the effects and aftereffects of the war on those who, in one way or another, were involved in it. One interview involved a former bomber who upon seeing the devastation he had brought to a small village and the people who lived in it realized he was responsible for the very same damage and transformed his understanding of his ‘job.’ Piloting his plane to a particular set of coordinates and pushing a switch to release his load of bombs was now inexorably linked with the knowledge that he bombs he dropped killed and maimed not only the enemy soldiers they were meant to kill and main, but innocent civilians as well. The aim of this class and my hope for it is that we will examine the various buttons that we push on command and analyze their moral worth ourselves.
The “eat it, it tastes good” example
Yale Psychologist Stanley Milgram and his experiment on Americans
“Those who were able to resist the authority figure…were able to provide justifications, in the form of moral principles and moral theory, for their refusal; they were able to say why continuing to deliver the shocks was wrong.”(pg. 1)
The goal of this class is to try and define the term Moral. And then to apply your definition of moral to contemporary issues were the ambiguity of morality is still an issue.
If you merely defer to the authority or refuse to take a stand when an obvious moral injustice is being committed you face the possibility of ending up as a pawn for an unmoral authority.
“Moral philosophy is the study of the values and guidelines by which we live, as well as the justification of these values and guidelines.”(pg. 2)
Is morality just a matter of opinion? Do some opinions have more weight than others? Do you want to have weight to your opinions?
A few logical fallacies to look out for:
Accident: committed whenever one argues that because a certain generalization is usually true, it holds in a particular case, even though that particular case has certain “accidental” characteristics which make the generalization inapplicable and thus not true for that particular case.
Example: The constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Therefore, my religious practice of human sacrifice is constitutionally guaranteed
Argumentum ad Baculum (appeal to force): The fallacious appeal to force is committed whenever a threat of force or coercion is utilized to cause acceptance of a conclusion
Example: Instructor to class – I know you will be interested in attending every class this semester, because I will give failing grades to anyone who misses a class session.
Argumentum ad Hominem (to the man) The ad Hominem fallacy is committed whenever one tries to cause the rejection of a particular proposition by criticizing or abusing the person who asserts that proposition, rather than attacking the truth or falsity of the proposition itself.
Example: Of course we can’t accept Einstein’s theory of relativity! After all, Einstein was nearly blind, had wild and unruly hair, and could not even do elementary algebra problems!
Argumentum ad Ignorantium (appeal to ignorance): Committed whenever one concludes that a particular proposition s true because it has not been proven false. Or that a proposition is false because it has been unable to be proven true
Example: I have no evidence to prove that God is not playing hacky sack on the other side of this wall, so therefore God is playing hack on the other side of that door. Or Aliens have not been proven not to exist, so therefore they must exist.
Argumentum ad Populum (appeal to the masses) Committed whenever one attempts to cause acceptance of a particular conclusion by using tequniques to arouse the enthusiasm of the multitudes. (A frequent tool of advertising)
Two kinds:
Snob appeal: buy this sports car and you will be the envy of the neighborhood
Band Wagon: 30 million Americans can’t be wrong
“If all your friends jumped a bridge would you?”
Argumentum ad Verecundiam (appeal to authority) Committed whenever one attempts to win the acceptance of a conclusion by appealing to a reputed authority on the subject when that authority is not in fact an authority on the subject in question.
Example: Kobe Bryant for Sprite
False Cause: I started my car and it started to rain, therefore starting the car was the cause of the rain.
Ignoratio Elenchi (irrelevant conclusion) committed whenever one attempts to prove a particular conclusion by using premises directed toward proving different conclusions.
Example: Tests have shown that the new drug Carlsonix has relieved headaches. Therefore Carlsonix cure’s cancer.
Bottom line when: Just because an argument is persuasive does not necessarily entail that is logically valid and correct.
What is a Moral Theory? What does it mean when somebody says they have a philosophy about life? Where do these theories come from?
Moral theories as roadmaps. Except that there is no Random Mcnally in the ethical world.
“We all approach the world with certain assumptions that, loosely, form our theories about what to expect in the world In any culture there are certain theories that are so embedded in the cultural worldview that they are uncritically assumed to be true. For example, in Western culture the theory that humans are superior to and separate from other animals is rarely questioned.”
We must constantly examine our foundational beliefs and provide justification for them if we are to make moral judgments based on them. So….why do we think that humans are superior to animals what makes us special?
Ethical Relativism – state that morality is different for different people. An ethical relativist claims that morality is invented or created by people; therefore morality, like fashion, can vary from time to time and form person to person. Cultural relativism is the theory that morality is relative to social norms and values of the society. “The fact of moral disagreements among individuals and between cultures raises the question of whether there are really any objective or universal moral principles.”(5)
Two Kinds:
Ethical Subjectivism –
“What I feel is right is right. What I feel is wrong is wrong.” – Rousseau
The basic idea is that morality is a private choice
Cultural Relativism –
“We recognize that morality differs in every society, and is a convenient term for socially approved habits.” – Ruth Benedict
If it is right within a particular culture to do some act, then that act inside that culture is moral.
Ex. Female Circumcision
Major Problems with Ethical Relativism
-doublethink
-Logical flaws
-Universal rights and wrongs in religion and culture
“What good fortune for those in power that people do not think.” – Adolph Hitler
Vietnam War documentary Hearts and Mind – an unflinching look at how the United States conducted the war and the effects and aftereffects of the war on those who, in one way or another, were involved in it. One interview involved a former bomber who upon seeing the devastation he had brought to a small village and the people who lived in it realized he was responsible for the very same damage and transformed his understanding of his ‘job.’ Piloting his plane to a particular set of coordinates and pushing a switch to release his load of bombs was now inexorably linked with the knowledge that he bombs he dropped killed and maimed not only the enemy soldiers they were meant to kill and main, but innocent civilians as well. The aim of this class and my hope for it is that we will examine the various buttons that we push on command and analyze their moral worth ourselves.
The “eat it, it tastes good” example
Yale Psychologist Stanley Milgram and his experiment on Americans
“Those who were able to resist the authority figure…were able to provide justifications, in the form of moral principles and moral theory, for their refusal; they were able to say why continuing to deliver the shocks was wrong.”(pg. 1)
The goal of this class is to try and define the term Moral. And then to apply your definition of moral to contemporary issues were the ambiguity of morality is still an issue.
If you merely defer to the authority or refuse to take a stand when an obvious moral injustice is being committed you face the possibility of ending up as a pawn for an unmoral authority.
“Moral philosophy is the study of the values and guidelines by which we live, as well as the justification of these values and guidelines.”(pg. 2)
Is morality just a matter of opinion? Do some opinions have more weight than others? Do you want to have weight to your opinions?
A few logical fallacies to look out for:
Accident: committed whenever one argues that because a certain generalization is usually true, it holds in a particular case, even though that particular case has certain “accidental” characteristics which make the generalization inapplicable and thus not true for that particular case.
Example: The constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Therefore, my religious practice of human sacrifice is constitutionally guaranteed
Argumentum ad Baculum (appeal to force): The fallacious appeal to force is committed whenever a threat of force or coercion is utilized to cause acceptance of a conclusion
Example: Instructor to class – I know you will be interested in attending every class this semester, because I will give failing grades to anyone who misses a class session.
Argumentum ad Hominem (to the man) The ad Hominem fallacy is committed whenever one tries to cause the rejection of a particular proposition by criticizing or abusing the person who asserts that proposition, rather than attacking the truth or falsity of the proposition itself.
Example: Of course we can’t accept Einstein’s theory of relativity! After all, Einstein was nearly blind, had wild and unruly hair, and could not even do elementary algebra problems!
Argumentum ad Ignorantium (appeal to ignorance): Committed whenever one concludes that a particular proposition s true because it has not been proven false. Or that a proposition is false because it has been unable to be proven true
Example: I have no evidence to prove that God is not playing hacky sack on the other side of this wall, so therefore God is playing hack on the other side of that door. Or Aliens have not been proven not to exist, so therefore they must exist.
Argumentum ad Populum (appeal to the masses) Committed whenever one attempts to cause acceptance of a particular conclusion by using tequniques to arouse the enthusiasm of the multitudes. (A frequent tool of advertising)
Two kinds:
Snob appeal: buy this sports car and you will be the envy of the neighborhood
Band Wagon: 30 million Americans can’t be wrong
“If all your friends jumped a bridge would you?”
Argumentum ad Verecundiam (appeal to authority) Committed whenever one attempts to win the acceptance of a conclusion by appealing to a reputed authority on the subject when that authority is not in fact an authority on the subject in question.
Example: Kobe Bryant for Sprite
False Cause: I started my car and it started to rain, therefore starting the car was the cause of the rain.
Ignoratio Elenchi (irrelevant conclusion) committed whenever one attempts to prove a particular conclusion by using premises directed toward proving different conclusions.
Example: Tests have shown that the new drug Carlsonix has relieved headaches. Therefore Carlsonix cure’s cancer.
Bottom line when: Just because an argument is persuasive does not necessarily entail that is logically valid and correct.
What is a Moral Theory? What does it mean when somebody says they have a philosophy about life? Where do these theories come from?
Moral theories as roadmaps. Except that there is no Random Mcnally in the ethical world.
“We all approach the world with certain assumptions that, loosely, form our theories about what to expect in the world In any culture there are certain theories that are so embedded in the cultural worldview that they are uncritically assumed to be true. For example, in Western culture the theory that humans are superior to and separate from other animals is rarely questioned.”
We must constantly examine our foundational beliefs and provide justification for them if we are to make moral judgments based on them. So….why do we think that humans are superior to animals what makes us special?
Ethical Relativism – state that morality is different for different people. An ethical relativist claims that morality is invented or created by people; therefore morality, like fashion, can vary from time to time and form person to person. Cultural relativism is the theory that morality is relative to social norms and values of the society. “The fact of moral disagreements among individuals and between cultures raises the question of whether there are really any objective or universal moral principles.”(5)
Two Kinds:
Ethical Subjectivism –
“What I feel is right is right. What I feel is wrong is wrong.” – Rousseau
The basic idea is that morality is a private choice
Cultural Relativism –
“We recognize that morality differs in every society, and is a convenient term for socially approved habits.” – Ruth Benedict
If it is right within a particular culture to do some act, then that act inside that culture is moral.
Ex. Female Circumcision
Major Problems with Ethical Relativism
-doublethink
-Logical flaws
-Universal rights and wrongs in religion and culture
posted by Charles Carlson at
7:00 AM
