"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates

• Understanding the terms philosophy , ethics, and philosophical ethics and their relation to each other;
• Understanding different responses to the question, "Can ethics be taught?";
• Understanding why ethics is taught;
• Understanding the relationship between ethics and religion;
• Understanding Koterski's view of where our ethics comes from?
• Understanding our personal ethics via the ethical inventory  (time permitting)

=======================================================================================

What is philosophy?

Philosophy is derived from the Greek  word philosophos - meaning love of wisdom.

Philosophy is "the rational pursuit of truths conceived as answers to perennial questions."
(Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, The Teaching Company, page 6)

"Philosophy is the endeavor to frame a coherent, logical, necessary system of general ideas in terms of which every element of our experience can be interpreted." (Whitehead quoted by MacKinnon page 3)

Philosophy is unique in that its progress can be measured by the kind of questions it asks rather than by the success of its answers (Hector Hawton from Philosophy for Pleasure, chapter 1, page 12)

What is ethics?

Ethics comes from the Greek word "ethos" meaning character.
Ethics is also called "moral philosophy." It is a branch of philosophy

Ethics is the study of the nature of the good life and good itself. (Teaching Company, p. 6 )

MacKinnon defines ethics as "A study of the various sets of values that people do have." (page 3)

Hinman describes ethics as, " The explicit, philosophical reflection on moral beliefs and practices."

What is philosophical ethics? 
 It is the use of reason and experience to determine what is good and bad, as opposed to using feeling, intuition & religion.

What questions does ethics ask?
Ethics asks questions, such as, "What is good & what is bad and is it even possible to know."                

Can Ethics and ethical behavior be taught per  Plato, Socrates, Robinson, and Walkup?
(Review)

• Plato believed that acting right is a matter of proper education. If we show people what is right, and good, and true, when they are ready to receive this information, people will be drawn to it and do the good. 
  Plato wrote, "All evil is ignorance."  Do you agree with Plato?

•  Socrates, in Protagoras, says if virtue is teachable, then all virtuous parents or leaders would teach virtue, but this is not the case: "I could mention numberless other instances of persons who were good themselves, and never yet made any one else good, whether friend or stranger. Now I, Protagoras, having these examples before me, am inclined to think that virtue cannot be taught. "
  
  At this point in the dialogue, Protagoras has not good response to  the rhetorical questions,  " But why then do the sons of good fathers often turn out ill?"
  
  However, by the end of the dialogue Socrates concludes there are political and social benefits to ethical education. Good ethics can be taught to a ready and willing recipient.
  
  Read Spark Notes' summary and critique of Progatoras at http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/protagoras/context.html

  How does one get a soul ready to learn according to Plato?
  By living in Plato's Republic from birth. In this Republic one would receive the perfect blend of training:  music to soften the soul,  math for the intellect, and physical training for the body.

• A clarifying example explaining that some are just not ready to learn is offered by  Professor Robinson: "A child of one shown the heroism of the Spartans at Thermopylae can learn nothing from it. The soul must be prepared and of the right disposition; there must be guidance, as Meno's servant required guidance to discover that he knew the Pythagorean theorem" (The great Ideas of Philosophy, lecture 9, page 33)      The unprepared child would observe the clash, the sounds, the color, the fall from horses; however the child could never understand the strategy, the self-sacrifice, the planning, and the skills of warfare.

• Walkup  contends  you can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink it.  In part, one can be led to see that certain actions are  intrinsically wrong (drinking and driving, gambling away one's home, sexually abusing a child...), but right knowledge does not necessarily lead to right action.  Sometimes there is a difference between knowledge and behavior. Ethics can be taught by an instructor, but it is the student who decides if he will act ethically.  We must strive to be guided by prudence/wisdom.  A study of ethics can strengthen our desire and show us the path  to aligning our actions with our intellect.

Why study ethics?

What does ethics have to do with you?
If you got up this morning from your comfy bed, had coffee, eggs, bacon, donned clothing, and went to work, the answer is everything.
Did you drink coffee that was picked by laborers paid a decent wage?
Did you eat meat products or eggs or organically grown food? Do you care about our environment & animals & genetically modified foods?
Did you drive to work in a gas guzzler?
Are you wearing environmentally friendly clothing and accessories , are you wearing furs and leather? What about your jewelry?
All of these everyday choices that you made before you even opened your mouth reflect your ethic commitments. Daily we are confronted with moral decisions, some very easy and minor and occasionally some rather difficult  and complicated. 

What role does religion play?
Nine out of every ten Americans believe in God ((Ingram and Parks, Understanding Ethics, page 34)
Many people say their ethics springs from their  religion. They strive to follow the precepts of their religion. A sign of a well educated man is the ability to rationally explain why the precepts of his religion exist, and why it might be beneficial to follow these precepts.  Why, for example,  might stealing and adultery be prohibited?

A Hindu might be just because he does not wish to be reincarnated as an ant or work animal.

Can people be ethical without a belief in  God or reincarnation?
According to MacKinnon, many philosophers claim one need not be religious to be ethical.. Ethics does not "require a religious grounding." Further, MacKinnon states some atheists who do not believe in an afterlife and see this life as all there is may even "take this life more seriously and want to do well in it."  Regardless of religious orientation, everyone "should be able to think clearly and reason well about morality" (page 4).

Where do our ethics come from per Professor Joseph Koterskiof Fordham University?
 "Joseph Koterski argues that views about ethics typically derive from views about human nature, and behind these views about being itself." ("Natural Law and Human Nature " The Teaching Company, August 2006 catalog, page 34)
Thus, if you view a particular person or culture as inferior to yours, you may not treat them with as much respect. How do you view the elderly, the unborn, criminals?

Questions for Discussion

• Would you change your religion if - it changed its ethics -
  For example, if it allowed gay marriage or if it allowed or mandated a monthly affair to rid one of stress.
• What is it that differentiates you from an animal in terms of ethics? Would you say the ability to enter into the ethical arena differentiates you from an animal? Anything else?
• Was the stingray that killed Steve Irwin bad, immoral, duplicitous, vindictive....?
• Did religion create your ethics?
• As an adult, have you chosen your religion  (or atheism) based on your ethics and rational beliefs?
• Do you agree with all the tenets of your religion and can you rationally support your viewpoint?
• Did you select your religion (or political party) because its code of ethics mirrors yours?  OR did you form your code of ethics based on your religion?   Which is dominant?  Is there an interrelationship between the two?
• If someone asked you if adultery is justifiable,  would you say, "No, because my religion doesn't allow it."   And when told, "I  am of a different religion, so I think adultery is occasionally beneficial for a stressed and  troubled marriage."  would you say that you're both right?   Is it all relative? Are there any universal absolute truths, or does it all depend on your culture and your personal beliefs? Could you argue your religion's  viewpoint from a logical perspective.
• If you are an agnostic or an  atheist, how did you come up with your ethical principles? How do you know what is right and what is wrong? Is it reason? Is it feeling? Is it intuition?
• How do you measure your life? By its conformity to your moral/ethical vision?
• What brings meaning and purpose to your life and how does this relate to your ethics?
• Is there a link between personal happiness and moral virtues?

See notes on Rings of Gyges and on Euthyphro

END OF LECTURE JANUARY 2007

==================================================================

"Ethics is the study of morality." The Ethics of Caring: Honoring the Web of Life in our Professional Healing Relationships by Kylea Taylor, Hanford Mead Publishers, Santa Cruz, California 1995. page 3

Ethics "refers to a code or set of principles by which men live" (Philosophy made simple by Popking, page13)

"Ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves - as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, ...." Markkula Center for Applied Ethics 
The article continues to say what ethics is NOT:
Ethics is not the same as feelings.
Ethics is not a religion.
Ethics is not following the law
Ethic is not following culturally accepted norms

Markkula identifies two reasons why  identifying  & practicing ethical standards is hard:
We must know which ethical standard should be followed & then figure out how to apply it to our particular situation.

According to Albert Schweitzer, what is the beginning of morality?
"Schweitzer was famous for the philosophy he practiced in every detail of daily living called reverence for life. He describes what he meant in a sermon that he delivered in 1919: 'I cannot but have reverence for all that is called life....That is the beginning and foundation of morality. Once a man has experienced it and continues to do so - and he who has once experienced it will continue to do so--he is ethical. He carries his morality within him and can never lose it, for it continues to develop within him. He who has never experienced this has only a set of superficial principles. These theories have no root in him, they do not belong to him, and they fall off him.'" [Schweitzer quote from "Reverence for life. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 116. . (Passage from The Ethics of Caring: Honoring the Web of Life in our Professional Healing Relationships by Kylea Taylor, Hanford Mead Publishers, Santa Cruz, California 1995. page 9

What do you think needs to be done to change a person's behavior?
Comment on the behavior change in the film "The Edge"

Why study ethics?

MacKinnon, author of our text answer the question "Why study ethics?" with "To improve one's ability to make good ethical judgments." (MacKinnon 26)

Ethical reflection is a tool for finding meaning and value in our own lives (Hinman). It adds a depth and richness to our lives.  Studying ethics arms us with the necessary tools to improve our decision making process, thus allowing us to lead more human lives.           It allows us to more fully understand who we are, what we are supposed to be doing, what our goals are, and provides us with guidance and encouragement to fulfill our unique destiny.

It is imperative to study ethics because simply following our instincts is not enough. Of course, feelings are important, but they don't take tell the whole. Rational thought must be included in the decision making process. This is what is means to be human. Anthony Weston writes, "If ethics were just a matter of feelings, there would be nothing to say against such prejudices. It would be perfectly moral to discriminate against people you don't like" ("A Practical Companion to Ethics, Chapter 1, page 1)

Marvin Brown writes, "Our decisions are as  good as the resources we use to make them. Most poor decisions are made, not because decision makers want to make poor decisions, but because they lack important resources" (The Ethical Process, Chapter 1, page 1)

 Therefore, the quality of our decisions depends on our knowledge thus far. What is the quality of your ethical knowledge? 

Looking back, with what you know now, would you have changed any of your actions in the past if you walked into them today - based on your increased knowledge and life experience.   Do you feel you are the same person you were ten years ago? Have you grown in wisdom?  Has your moral vision and wisdom grown in the past decade?  Do you expect to continue growing in wisdom?   A course n ethics will accelerate this process via the twofold process of  placing you in the shoes of others (case studies) combined with knowledge of specific ethical theories.

Understanding ethics arms us with resources to make better informed decisions. It brings a richness, depth, and fullness to life.   It helps us to understand what it truly means to be human, what it means to love. It allows one to see that one measure of man is how loving and generous and ethical  he is to the weakest, to those that can do him no favor in return.  It helps us  distinguish between motivation and intention.

Is it in you best interest to always  do the  "right thing," to keep receipts and pay state income tax on items purchased out-of-state.... ?
Does the best man always win?
Do good guys always lose?

References

(David Bruce Ingram and Jennifer a. Parks, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Ethics, Copyright 2002, published by Pearson Education)