Ethics of Duties (2nd ethical theory) Flashcards
(13 cards)
Who contributed the ethic of duties theory?
Immanuel Kant
What is ethics of duties?
objective, rational and unconditional principles that we must follow, regardless of any feelings we may have to the contrary - based on the principle of normative theory.
Can decisions be justified?
decisions cannot always be justified by their outcomes, a decision is right if it conforms with a moral norm. A moral act must be motivated by duty. Some acts with a different motivation such as self interest or sympathy, are not considered to have moral worth, as act is considered an ‘accidental’ outcome of these motives.
What is the first maxim of categorical imperatives?
Consistency - act only according to that maxim (rule/principle) by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.
What is the second maxim of categorical imperatives?
act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only - every person needs to be treated with dignity and respect.
What is the third maxim of categorical imperatives?
act only so that the will, through its maxims could regard itself at the same time as universally law giving i.e. would everyone else agree that something should become a universal law.
What is universal acceptability?
Accept a moral law only if the rational being can also embrace it.
Example - without expectation the same rules apply in all circumstances. Failure to repay the debts is not universalizable, no one would lend money, lying not universalizable because if everybody were allowed to lie, the entire notion of ‘truth’ would be impossible and an organised and stable human civilisation would not be imaginable.
What is respect for persons?
Treat humanity as an end, never merely as a means to an end.
Example - humans deserve respect as automatous, rational actors and this essential dignity should never be ignored.
Business use people as means. However this does not mean we should only treat them as means to achieve what we wont and just forget about their own needs and goals in life and their expectations to make their own decisions.
What are some examples of ethics of duties in business?
- code of conduct - describes how the business will treat employees
- professional norms
- standards - quality management standards, environmental management standards, health and safety standards.
E.g. companies follow these well and follow proper ethical duties such as Unilever, EY, Patagonia.
What are the challenges to ethics of duties?
- Undervaluing motivation - to say that the only motivation that moral worth is doing our duty feels extreme. There is no recognition for going beyond our duty e.g. a nurse staying late to comfort a patient
- Undervaluing outcomes - sometimes bending the rules for a better outcome feels like the more moral decision e.g. lying about someone’s location to protect them
- Assumption of rationality - can we be expected to always act entirely rationally without emotion?
What do critics say about Kantians moral thoughts?
They rely too heavily on general principles to determine what moral agents ought to do in situations.
What does Kantian argue?
That agents detach themselves from various personal motives, relationships and commitments in answering moral questions in favour of general principles that enforce rational uniformity.
Why does Kant use maxims?
He uses maxims that people should identify or isolate to more general motives rather than specific, concrete ones - general principles are therefore identified under conditions of limited information.
