CDT409
Ethical Theories
Gordana Dodig Crnkovic
School of Innovation, Design and Engineering,
Mälardalen University, Sweden http://www.idt.mdh.se/personal/gdc/ 1
Basic Ethical Approaches
2
On What Basis Do We Make Moral
Decisions? (1)
Divine Command -- “Do what the sacred book tells you” - the will of God
Utilitarianism -- “Make the world a better place”
Virtue Ethics -- “Be a good person”
The Ethics of Duty -- “Do your duty”
Immanuel Kant -- Categoric imperativ
Ethical Egoism -- “Watch out for #1”
3
On What Basis Do We Make Moral
Decisions? (2)
The Ethics of Natural and Human Rights -“...all people are created ...with certain unalienable rights”
Social Contract Ethics
Moral Reason versus Moral Feeling
Evolutionary Ethics
4
Divine Command Theories
Being good is equivalent to doing whatever the Bible, Qur’an, Buddhist sacred scriptures or some other sacred text or source of revelation-tells you to do.
“What is right” equals “What God tells me to do.”
5
List of sacred texts of various religions 5.1 Ancient Greece
5.2 Atenism
5.3 Ayyavazhi
5.4 Bahá'í Faith
5.5 Bön
5.6 Buddhism
5.7 Cheondoism
5.8 Christianity
5.9 Confucianism
5.10 Discordianism
5.11 Druze
5.12 Ancient Egyptian religion
5.13 Etruscan religion
5.14 Hermeticism
5.15 Hinduism
5.16 Islam
5.17 Jainism
5.18 Judaism
5.19 LaVeyan Satanism
5.20 Lingayatism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_text
5.21 Mandaeanism
5.22 Manichaeism
5.23 Meher Baba
5.24 New Age religions
5.25 Orphism
5.26 Pastafarianism
5.27 Rastafari movement
5.28 Samaritanism
5.29 Scientology
5.30 Shinto
5.31 Sikhism
5.32 Spiritism
5.33 Swedenborgianism
5.34 Taoism
5.35 Tenrikyo
5.36 Thelema
5.37 Unification Church
5.38 Yazidi
5.39 Zoroastrianism
6
Utilitarianism
Hedonistic utilitarianism: Seeks to reduce suffering and increase pleasure or happiness
Epicurus (341-270 BC) Greek
“We count pleasure as the