are things right or wrong in themselves or are they only right or wrong in relation to the wishes of the gods?
Greek
Gods
were
fickle
why would they create a moral code only to break it?
if not the gods, then
how does an action
become good?
higher power than the gods?
many people commit morally
unacceptable acts because they
believe that their god has told them to
does this mean that gods can make mistakes?
does morality come from the
divine or is moral as of itself?
Absolute,
Relative
&
Arbitrary
Absolute
something is always right/wrong
regardless of circumstances
Relative
general guiding principles but exceptions are allowed dependent on circumstances
Arbitrary
random
The Golden Rule
treat others as you would want to be treated
almost all religions have some variation of this
mutual
self-interest
everyone can understand it
if everyone followed it, the
world would be better
common to
many faiths &
non-religious
stances
Autonomy
moral values which
aren't decided by
religious teachings
Pros
individual thought
self-determination
based on reason
God given free will
reason can be used
in any situation
people take a more active part in their decisions resulting in greater responsibility but more moral freedom
Cons
individuals
have different
opinions- leads
to conflict
people are fallible
in some situations
people may feel unable
to make a decision
cultivates selfishness
lack of expertise: e.g. patient
autonomy in medicine can lead to
poor decisions being made due to
lack of medical knowledge
Heteronomy
making decisions based on
religious belief, authority & tradition
Pros
always
certain of
actions
everyone
acts in the
same way
Scotland has been
positively influenced by
Christianity in law etc.
ultimate authority
for morality is the
will of God
provides solid
foundation for morality
motivates people to do good (rewarded
in heaven, punished in hell etc.)
encourages
'selflessness'
Cons
doesn't leave room
for individual thought
there can't be a rule for every moral situation
people can follow rules blindly
doesn't examine consequences
Utilitarianism
greatest
good for
the
greatest
number
Bentham's Method
humans controlled by two things: pleasure & pain
therefore people should
act in a way that brings
the greatest amount of
pleasure or the least
amount of pain for the
majority
must measure an action by the: duration,
intensity & reach of the pleasure/pain
an example of Act Utilitarianism: no universal laws
hedonistic
calculus
personal feelings of person making decision should not count - must be objective
John Stuart Mill
because humans know from experience what causes pleasure/pain we can come
up with general moral principles that should be adhered to the majority of the time
rule
utilitarianism
higher pleasure (education, music etc.)
lower pleasure (eating etc.)
it is more important to have higher pleasures for the majority than to have lower pleasures
types
Act: outcome
of actions,
situation
Rule: some rules always produce the greatest good for the greatest number,
sticking rigidly to this = strong utilitarianism, being flexible = weak utilitarianism
Preference Utilitarianism: taking into account what the majority want rather than what is best for them
Motive Utilitarianism: is an action good if the outcome is good
for the majority but it was done with the wrong intentions
consequential ethics
Modern Utilitarianism
Peter
Singer
'best consequences' should be understood as meaning, what furthers the interests of those affected rather than merely what increases pleasure/reduces pain
criticisms
can never accurately predict outcomes
who decides what happiness is?
what can you base someone's 'best interest' on?
risk of harming the minority
Gender
happiness of everyone is of equal value
individual is the best judge of their own happiness therefore everyone should be able to make their own choices
Mill argued for social &
economic equality for
women & said that marriage
was an equal partnership
concerned with the majority,
regardless of gender
women have the
potential to
contribute to
society & should
be given equal
opportunity to do
so as it will benefit
the majority
Divine
Command
Theory
God is all
powerful &
all-good,
anything
God
commands
must be
obeyed
consistent approach to morality
based on moral code of religion, scripture, religious leaders
appears to based on the whims of
God, which would make the actions
of someone following DCT arbitrary
however, those
following DCT would
disagree as they
would believe that
God does everything
for a reason
Intelligent
Responses
cross checking commands,
refers to holy books etc.
for religious people the Euthyphro dilemma has a straightforward answer: something
is good because God commands it, but God only commands that which is good
intelligent responses should eliminate the risk of people following blindly
Kantian Ethics
autonomous value system based on human reason
what matters is the intention, not the outcome/consequence
Good Will
good intentions
an action can' be good without 'good will'
Duty
always acting in a good way if doing duty
no matter what you feel you should do you must do your duty
duty is deduced with reason
The Categorical Imperative
compulsory moral laws which everyone must follow
should be universally applicable (every situation)
universal maxim: an
established principle which
should apply to everyone
e.g. if you don't
want to be killed,
don't kill people
criticisms
too abstract & remote from real life
reason not emotions, disregards attachment to family etc. when making moral decisions
Gender
everyone should be treated with dignity
it will never be a man's duty in modern Britain to discriminate against a women
Kant states
to to use
people for
your own
end
(respect of
persons)
Kant against
objectification because
humans are deserving
of dignity and
objectification takes
away from their
humanity as a
consequence
Gender
Developing World
Convention on Ending all
forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW0
international bill
of rights for
women
stop violence
against women
promote the
education of girls
improve
healthcare
ensure
women
have full
legal
rights
improve
lives of
women
at work
The Beijing
Platform for
Action
women's
rights are
human rights
seeking to
promote &
protect the full
employment of
all human
rights and the
fundamental
freedom of all
women
throughout
their life cycle
women's
empowerment
economic
independence
ensure equal
access to
women to
productive
resources,
opportunities &
public services
UN Women
support
inter-governmental
bodies in the
formulation of policies,
global standards &
norms
to help member states
implement these
standards, standing
ready to provide suitable
technical and financial
support to those
countries that request it&
to forge effective
partnerships with civil
society
to hold the UN
system
accountable for its
own commitments
on gender equality,
including regular
monitoring of
system wide
progress
The United
Nations Entity for
Gender Equality
and the
Empowerment of
Women
United Nations
Development
Fund for Women
reducing women's
poverty and exclusion
ending violence
against women
reversing
the spread of
HIV/AIDS
among
women and
girls
supporting women's
leadership in
governance and
post-conflict
construction
provides
financial and
technical
assistance to
innovative
approaches
aimed at
fostering
women's
empowerment
and gender
equality
Education
illiterate women have
much larger families
64% of the world's
illiterate adults are women
school fees, when only 1
child's education can be
afforded the male child is
usually chosen
Education
Enables:
employment
economic
independence
voice in politics
afford healthcare
more aware of health risks (STD's etc.)
allows them to make
their own decisions about
what they want to do
no need for early marriage
child
mortality
rates are
higher among
illiterate
mothers
Health
unable to see
a doctor in
some countries
due to it being
culturally
unacceptable
for a women to
be treated by a
male doctor
but poor
education for
girls leads to
lack of female
doctors
99% of maternal
deaths during or soon
after childbirth occur in
the developing world
early marriage &
early pregnancy
vulnerability to
HIV epidemic
lack of education,
lack basic knowledge
of how to stay healthy
cost of treatment
poor
water
Influence
raise children & look
after domestic situation
do 2/3 of the world's work
but receive only 10% of
the world's income
little economic independence
unable to take an active part
in politics, lack of education &
too busy in traditional roles
in sub-Saharan Africa,
80% of basic foodstuffs
is produced by women
key to keeping families
& communities together
teach their children survival
can protest & campaign
for women's rights
their workload makes them vital,
gives them a legitimate voice
influence their husbands
Exploitation
domestic abuse,
rape, child
marriages, and
female genital
mutilation
48 rapes per hour
in the Congo
inequality in
healthcare, education,
employment, voice
war discourages girls
from attending school
because it is unsafe to
leave the house
in the absence of
parents adolescent girls
take over the household
Human
Trafficking
forced into
prostitution
alarmingly common
in Asian countries
infanticide,
female babies
often killed due to
male preference
Millennium
Development
Goals
1) eradicate
extreme
poverty &
hunger
2) achieve
universal
primary
education
3) promote
gender equality &
empower women
4) reduce
child mortality
5) improve
maternal health
6) combat
HIV/AIDs Malaria &
other diseases
7) ensure
environmental
sustainability
8) global
partnership for
development
31% of the population in
the developing world
uses the internet
over 2.1illion people
have gained access to
improved water supplies
mortality rates
from malaria
have fallen
mortality declined
by almost half
dropped by 41%
in under 5's
women in parliaments
worldwide is now at 20%
no. of
children out
of school
has halved
worldwide
percentage of
undernourished
people has fallen
7%
Human Trafficking
the fastest
growing
criminal
industry
women and girls
make up 98% of
the victims
trafficked for sexual
exploitation
80% of those
trafficked into the
UK are trafficked
for sexual
exploitation
there are more
individuals in
slavery today than
at the height of the
trans-Atlantic slave
trade
United Kingdom
Stereotyping
the media is
meant to
represent an
accurate picture
of society
radio-management is
largely male dominated
radio1 has a high
proportion of female
listeners yet the majority
of DJ's are men
TV management is
male dominated
women given
prominence in soaps
newspapers owned
& run by men
page 3
women have
money so
advertisers
target women
'if it wasn't bought it
wouldn't be printed'
both
genders
used to sell
item in TV
advertising
abundance of
pornographic
material on the
internet
objectifies women
high usage among young
males, affecting their
perception of women?
maternal,
housekeeping,
aesthetic
society is
demanding
more equal
representation
Equal
Opportunites
Equality Act 2010
entitles a
women doing
equal work to a
man in the same
employment to
equality in pay &
other terms &
conditions
entitled to select
her own
comparator
Sex and Power
Scotland 2011
highlighted areas
where women were
'missing' - managerial
roles, CEO's etc.