Explain and discuss one critique of the link between religion and morality
Explain and discuss one critique of the link between religion and morality One critique of the link between religion and morality comes from Professor Chung, who believed he was a moral atheist and that you do not have to be religious to be moral, and that religion does not automatically mean that you possess moral authority. His position argues that religion in fact corrupts a person's morality and makes them less moral. Professor Chung first points out that although in our society religious rules and societies morals are closely interlinked it does not mean that religious people are qualified to decide the correct moral action one should take in a certain situation. He believes that although religious leaders regard themselves as experts they are in reality limited and not moral at all as they are being lead not by what the believe to be morally right but by a set of rules the believe they must follow. Most world religions have deontological morality systems which they must follow for example the Ten Commandments which Christians and Jews obey. These are a set of rules that they are told they should obey throughout their lives in order to live a morally good life. Therefore in situations Christians and Jews should turn to these commandments and the other commandments in the form of teachings in their holy book to decide moral dilemmas. The problem with this Professor
Utilitarianism is a contrast to classic approaches to ethics. One of the main features or indeed the basis of Utilitarianism is the 'Greatest happiness for the greatest number' theory which posses a secular oUtlook to ethics.
Utilitarianism is a contrast to classic approaches to ethics. One of the main features or indeed the basis of Utilitarianism is the 'Greatest happiness for the greatest number' theory which posses a secular oUtlook to ethics. Utilitarianism is the doctrine according to which actions are made right or wrong so far as they promote happiness, wrong in so far as they promote the reverse. The form of this definition conceals the fact that Utilitarianism is often called the consequentalist doctrine. One main feature of Utilitarianism is that according to Utilitarianism actions are not themselves intrinsically right or wrong; they are right or wrong in so far as they have good or bad oUtcomes. The version of Utilitarianism which holds the 'greatest happiness for the greatest number theory was popularised by Jeremy Benthem and his disciple John Mill and from them we have the ' Greatest happiness principle'. This derived from a 19th Century philosopher, Jeremy Benthem (1748-1831) who was the founder of Utilitarianism; Utilitarianism began life as an ethical principle under Jeremy Bentham who theorised that an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. In its original form the argument had many flaws, so John Stuart Mill decided to defend the principle of Utility against its critics by refining its ideas making them more practical in society.
virtue ethis
Explain Virtue Ethics.(33) Many important philosophers have made theories on virtue ethics from early Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato to modern philosophers such as Carol Gilligan, Alasdair MacIntyre, Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa foot, Slote and Noddings. Virtue ethics was originally introduced to society by Aristotle in ancient Greek times. Virtue ethics tells us that we should look at the character of the person instead of the actions or duties a person performs. Instead of concentrating on what is the right thing to do, virtue ethics asks how you can be a better person. Ethical questions, therefore, should not be about whether one or another choice is morally right, but whether the person himself or herself is a good person. The personal character of the person is what matters; morality is involved with developing your own virtues in order to become the right kind of person. Virtue ethics then, does not ask: "What is the right thing to do?" but "What sort of person should I aim to become?" Aristotle claims that leading a virtuous life is easy, and those who do, do so to be happy. Happiness is the ultimate goal for everyone in life. This is known as Eudaimonia. Aristotle believed that all virtues lay at the mid point between two vices that of excess and that of deficiency. Courage is one of the virtues. If you don't have enough courage then it is classed as a
What do I mean when I say, 'I know', and why should anyone believe me?
Theory of Knowledge Weekly essay: Due: Wednesday, 3rd of September What do I mean when I say, 'I know', and why should anyone believe me? If I said I know something, it means I have knowledge of something or someone. But why should anyone believe me? Ultimately, there are only two ways in which my knowledge can be trustworthy: from personal experience that the person has also personally experienced or from proven facts. I could say I know something because I have personally experienced it. But how would anyone know that I am not lying? They haven't experienced my personal experience. They could have a different interpretation, but as long as their experience is similar they will consider what I know as right, because they can relate to it, and therefore they can believe me. This applies when sharing personal knowledge. When I say I know, I am saying I am a knower. I am a knower because I have my own experiences. Everyone who has experiences is a knower. Rights and wrongs are only because of our interpretation from personal experience through our reason because of morals and ethics. It is impossible to prove what is right and wrong with reason, unless we can relate to it through personal experience. So morals and ethics are experiences in themselves. We all know for example that it is wrong to hurt someone, but a young child might think it is funny to hurt someone and not
What are the main features of utilitarianism as anethical theory?
What are the main features of utilitarianism as an ethical theory? (10) Utilitarianism is a teleological ethical theory. Deontological ethical theories concentrate on moral rules that cannot be broken because the act itself is bad, whereas teleological theories concentrate on the consequence of an action instead. 'For a teleological thinker, the ends justify the means'. Followers of teleological ethical theories decide whether an act is good or bad from the consequences it will produce. Therefore, whereas a deontological thinker would say stealing was wrong, a teleological thinker might say stealing in situations where the consequences bring the greatest good to the greatest number was acceptable. Therefore, for teleological thinkers a way in which to determine the good or bad outcome of an action needed to be devised. This led to the principle of utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham developed the theory of utilirarianism. His theory formed three parts. The first part is what he believed motivated human beings. He was a hedonist in his belief that pleasure was what motivated human beings, them turning away from pain, and that pleasure was the sole good and pain was the sole evil. "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure" Bentham developed the utility principle that stated the rightness or wrongness or an
Outline the principles of situation ethics
Outline the principles of situation ethics. For centuries people have based their moral rules on religious grounds, for example the Decalogue or Ten Commandments. However, at the end of the last century an alternate base to people's morals was offered, called Situation Ethics. Situation Ethics was an idea developed by a man called Joseph Fletcher, an Anglican Theologian. Situation Ethic's is considered to be a compromise between Anarchy and Totalitarianism. Fletcher rejected the idea that people should follow a set of rules. So, Fletcher developed three ways of making a moral decision. These are the antinomian way, the legalistic way and the situational way. The antinomian way is a way of making a moral decision without regarding law or principles. To follow this way you would have to make a decision on "gut instinct" and what feels right at the time, on no bases at all. The Antinomian way was where Existentialism surfaced, this was already a principle developed by a 19th Century Danish philosopher called Soren Kierkegaard. His theory was that the best way to make a moral decision was for individuals to find their own unique basis for morality. This argument was based on the foundations that no object or rational basis could be grounded in moral decisions. The antinomian approach basically says that in each unique situation the situation itself determines the ethical
Can Euthanasia Ever be justified?
Can Euthanasia ever be justified? Those who believe that euthanasia should be legal would argue that everyone should have the right to choose how and when they want to die. The whole campaign about legalising euthanasia is to have the right to choose, which makes sense, as we are in a free country. We are allowed to "abuse" our bodies (through alcohol and cigarettes) .Why not allow people to choose when they die? So if someone is terminally ill why not allow them to die? Most people would say that the reason why they want to be euthanized is because they don't want to be a burden (emotionally and financially) to their families and society. It should be realised that not everyone dies well. At least 5% of terminal pain cannot be controlled by drugs. It would prevent patients from suffering needlessly. Passive euthanasia is sometimes allowed and it is not any better than active euthanasia. The government has nothing to say on your religion so has no right to determine your faith or even if you have any faith at all and the main arguments against euthanasia are based in religion. So the state's intervention is only justified when the argument goes beyond religion. Arguments against euthanasia: One of the most important arguments against euthanasia is that we never know if the person will recover or not, "miracles" do happen (e.g. people do wake up from long term comas).
Explain the theory of virtue ethics.
A) Explain the theory of virtue ethics. Virtue ethics was previously discussed and examined by the early philosophers: Plato and in particular Aristotle. Although the theory is old fashioned, its popularity has resurfaced in recent times giving its ideas a modern spin. According to the theory of virtue ethics, a person's morality is judged not on their actions but on their character and behaviour. In other words, the person (the agent) should not ask what they should do, but should look at the bigger picture and ask what kind of person they should become. This is why virtue ethics contrasts greatly with many other forms of ethics as they consider the right course of action. Aristotle believed that the main goal of every person's life is to reach 'eudaimonia' an overall sense of happiness, fulfilment and well-being. He saw this as the highest form of good as every person for no ulterior motive, would desire it for its own sake. He saw three different forms of happiness: happiness as a life of enjoyment, happiness as a free member of society and happiness a philosopher. Eudaimonia contained a fusion of all three. He believed that in order to reach eudaimonia one must integrate moral qualities, like being selfless into their own personality. He said that eudaimonia could be achieved by consciously practising the qualities needed everyday so
Euthanasia can never be justified
c) Euthanasia can never be justified. Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. I totally agree with this statement. Euthanasia can never be justified for many reasons. Human life is a gift from God, we should value it greatly, not destroy it. I agree with the Christian belief that our lives are sacred and are set apart form other lives, we are created in the image of God. God makes each person individually and deliberately so that each one has a value in life. Christians also believe that these individuals are useful members of society at whatever age, so people are wrong when they say " the elderly deserve to die, they have lived their life" or "the newborn haven't lived yet, what difference would killing them make?". Patients who are old or sick, and who are near the end of earthly life have the same value as any other human being and the same applies to the people who have mental or physical handicaps. The Christian belief in the sanctity of life is one which puts most Christians totally against euthanasia. The sanctity of life is the belief of the fact that human life is sacred and God given. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over
Explain The Alternative View To Virtue Ethics
Explain The Alternative View To Virtue Ethics Virtue theory is the view that the foundation of morality is the development of good character traits, or virtues. A person is good, then, if he has virtues and lacks vices. Some virtue theorists mention as many as 100 virtuous character traits, which contribute to making someone a good person. Virtue theory places special emphasis on moral education since virtuous character traits are developed in one's youth; adults, therefore, are responsible for instilling virtues in the young. The failure to properly develop virtuous character traits will result in the agent acquiring vices or bad character traits instead. Vices include cowardice, insensibility, injustice, and vanity. Virtue ethics says that it is not only important to do the right thing, but also to have the required dispositions, motivations, and emotions in being good and doing right. We should enjoy doing good because we are good. It isn't only about action but also about emotions, character, and moral habits. The virtues are Excellencies of character. Traditionally, they have been divided into two types: moral and nonmoral virtues. Moral ones being; honesty, benevolence, non-malevolence, fairness, kindness, conscientiousness and others like that... Nonmoral virtues being; courage, optimism, rationality, self-control, patience, endurance and so on... The exact