Introduction to Ethics



Course Outline by Jon Roland 

of the Constitution Society



Test of any ethical system is whether it can resolve dilemmas 



Dimensions of ethical analysis 



     Domain

          Two-valued: Right or Wrong 

          Multi-valued: Right, Wrong, Undefined, Unknown, Other 

          Scalar 

          Vector 

          Relative 



     Nomic context

      Combination competitive/co-operative games: iterated

     prisoners' dilemmas 

          State of nature 

          Social contract: Duty of mutual defense of rights 

          Constitution: Delegations of powers; disablement of rights;

          due process; decisionmaking 

          Law: Instruments of control; utility; social models 

          Contract: Agency; corporate bodies; decisionmaking 

          Externalities: When non-parties are affected for better or

          worse 



     Structure  Number and kinds of

          Principal 

          Agent 

          Object 

      present each with dilemmas when conflicts arise among

     demands of one or more of each of the others, whether one, a

     few, or many, and depending on the relationships among them. 



     Interrogatory pronouns and proadverbs

          Who 

               Right depends partly or entirely on who does it. Can

               the king do wrong? 

          What 

               Right depends partly or entirely on what kind of act

               it is. Are some acts always right, or always wrong? 

          How 

               Right depends partly or entirely on how it is done. Is

               there always a way to do anything that can make it

               right, or make it wrong? 

          When 

               Right depends partly or entirely on timing, and on

               what may have happened before, or may happen

               after. Is there always a right time to do anything, or a

               wrong time? 

          Where 

               Right depends partly or entirely on location or

               circumstances. Is there always a situation in which

               anything is right, or wrong? 

          Why 

               Right depends partly or entirely on cause or motive.

               Can good intentions always be enough? 

          Whither 

               Right depends partly or entirely on impacts, either

               short-term, mid-term, or long-term. Can it ever be

               right if it turns out badly, and how far ahead is far

               enough? 

          Whom 

               Right depends partly or entirely on to whom something 
	       is done. Does the target matter? 




Traditional classifications 

     Ideal: Platonism 

     Virtue (aretaic): Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Eternalism 

     Pleasure: Epicureanism, Hedonism 

     Duty (deontological): Augustinism, Thomism 

     Reason: Kantism 

     Utility (consequentialist): Benthamism, Utilitarianism, Pragmatism 

     Survival: Darwinism, Wilsonism, Memetic diffusionism 

     State: Fascism, Marxism, Collectivism, Totalitarianism 

     Social contract: Lockeanism, Constitutionalism