1. Sec 2-1:
Introduction

2. Discussion Case:
AIG Bonuses and
Executive Salary Caps

3. How should human beings live their lives?
Ethics seeks to provide rational justification for why
we should act and decide in a particular way.
Anyone can advice for what you should do and how
you should act, but a philosophical and reasoned
ethics must answer the Why question.
Three Categories of Philosophical Ethical
Reasoning:
1. Consequences
2. Principles
3. Personal Character

4. • Three major traditions of ethical theory
( reflect common ways to think and reason about
how we should live and what we should do):
1. Ethics of Consequences: Utilitarianism make
decisions based on the overall consequences of our
acts
2. Ethics of Principles: Deontological ethical traditions
decide on the basis of moral principles, promises,
obligations , deserved recompense and duty(
keeping your promises or giving people what they
deserve)
3. Ethics of Personal Character: Virtue ethics consider
the moral character of individuals and how various
character traits can contribute to, or obstruct, a
happy and meaningful human life.

5. Sec 2-2: Ethical Relativism and
Reasoning in Ethics

6. Paper’s Grade in Ethics class
• How a paper graded since got low grade
• She asked professor how he had graded her?
• How could he say that her opinion was wrong?
• Professor answered that anyone who had reasons
to support opinions could say what was right or
wrong
Ethics: not like math, science, or accounting
Can’t prove the truth of an ethical judgment in
the way you can offer a proof in Geometry.

7. Ethical Relativism: ( serious challenge to ethics)
• ethical values and judgments are ultimately dependent upon,
or relative to , one’s culture, society or personal feelings.
• matter of opinion, the opinion of one’s self, culture, society or
religion
• denies that we can make a rational or objective ethical
judgment.
• There is no right or wrong, moral or immoral, except in terms of
a particular culture or society.
• All opinions are equally valid
Example:
Child labor: western businesses criticized for using supplier who
rely on child laborers, working under harsh conditions for long
hours and very low wages to produce expensive consume goods.
Some argue working conditions accepted in country so they can’t
impose their own cultural norms : ethical relativism p 26

8. • Ethical theories attempt to provide more
fundamental answers to the relativist.
• Avoiding three traps that end up reaching
relativist conclusions:
1st Trap: Don’t hold ethics to too high standard of proof:
ethical judgment must not be proven as absolutely
certain and beyond doubt.
2nd Trap: Confusing the fact that there is wide
disagreement about values, with the conclusion that no
agreement is possible (cultural relativism) Ethos of
cultures differ, but there’s a wide agreement about many
values such as child abuse, torture, genocide, and slavery,
etc.

9. • 3rd Trap: confusing values such as respect,
tolerance and impartiality with relativism.
– Example: Respect for other people is fundamental
ethical value which means to respect someone is
to listen to his or her opinions . Tolerating diverse
opinions and values is not ethical relativism. Is
tolerance (and respect and impartiality) merely a
matter of opinion? If it is, the intolerant people
have no reason to change their view. Condemning
intolerance is simply your opinion. On the other
hand, tolerance in not merely a matter of opinion,
is a legitimate social value