Ethics
Docentgegevens
Werkgroepdocent: Jonas Müller
Examination ():
Multiple Choice Exam
1
,Week 1: Introduction
Chapter 3: Culture
Ethics can be seen a subjective term. It’s important to ask the question when something becomes
offensive and when is something just a difference in taste. If an ethical position or claim can be
grounded in or through an appeal to something outside itself, then it can be understood to be in some
way absolute.
Two positions then open up here; an inside and an outside. From the inside of a particular belief
system, a certain moral or ethical perspective is set in stone. From outside of this belief system, the
same moral perspective is groundless and, therefore, valueless. For the insider, the prescription must
be followed. For the outsider, there is simply no such imperative. Such reasoning seems, in our post-
Enlightenment world, to be fairly obvious. From this perspective, ethics becomes relative. What is
right for one person is wrong for another and vice versa. This, then, returns us to the question of taste.
If right for one is wrong for another and there are then no absolutes, what is really to distinguish
questions of right and wrong in a moral sense, from questions of right and wrong in an aesthetic or
gastronomic sense?
Moral relativism
In this example it looks like the police officer is in a
neutral/third position by not doing anything.
However, Neill denies the existence of this neutral
position. How can you say that harming others is
wrong, but when someone does it out of a different
belief system, then who am I to intervene?
The book states that there are only two stances to
take in morality, not three. In this example it would
be the belief that harming others is either wrong or
permitted. By not intervening, the officer is
permitting the harm. And therefore, it is not a
neutral position.
Neill only explains that moral relativism assumes a neutral position, but the text actually denies the
existence of one. ‘That is to say, the position of relativism assumes that it is possible to occupy a
neutral third position. The problem is that there is no neutral third position".
So, according to moral relativism there IS a neutral position. According to Neill, a neutral position is
‘a myth, or purely imaginary’. And because of this, there is a problem with moral relativism.
2
, Lecture 1: Introduction to the course
Natascha Rietdijk
Ethics is about how people should act: what makes an action right? And how should I live?
Not every action is good or bad in a moral sense: Trolley case; helping an old lady; lying to a friend;
fabricating data for research; picking flavor of ice cream; choosing a romantic partner.
Boundaries of ethics can differ and shift, for example homosexuality vs age of consent. It’s hard to
draw boundaries in words of good and bad in morals.
Ethics and morality
Ethics is science of moral philosophy. It’s a systematic reflection (beyond the intuitive) on morality
Critical and evaluative
Disciplinary: theoretical, normative and practical science
It guides, improves, develops and evaluates morality
Ethos is Morality, it’s a habit we are already used to doing. You could day that it guides you towards
your ideal, attitudes and habits that characterizes a person or community. morality. It is based on
culture, upbringing, religion and other external aspects. They are immediate and a pré-reflective
response. Biases are also implied in.
A way of researching ethics are with ethical dilemmas, but what’s an ethical dilemma:
Ethical: about morals (values, norms and principles)
Examples
Dilemma: conflicting or contradicting moral. There is not
easy solution and also not one solution. The downside is Freedom – Preventing harm
that all options have downsides. Privacy – safety
Loyalty – integrity
Friendship - truthfulness
Three main areas in ethics
Meta ethics Normative ethics Applied ethics
Meta ethics
Reflection on ethics itself
Foundations, concepts, assumptions
Taking a step back
Normative ethics
Reflection on morality & moral behavior
Seeks to set criteria to separate the morally right from the morally wrong
Classical theories: consequentialism, deontology (Kant), virtue ethics
Contemporary theories: pragmatic ethics and care ethics
Applied ethics
Reflection on morality within a specific discipline area, profession.
3
Docentgegevens
Werkgroepdocent: Jonas Müller
Examination ():
Multiple Choice Exam
1
,Week 1: Introduction
Chapter 3: Culture
Ethics can be seen a subjective term. It’s important to ask the question when something becomes
offensive and when is something just a difference in taste. If an ethical position or claim can be
grounded in or through an appeal to something outside itself, then it can be understood to be in some
way absolute.
Two positions then open up here; an inside and an outside. From the inside of a particular belief
system, a certain moral or ethical perspective is set in stone. From outside of this belief system, the
same moral perspective is groundless and, therefore, valueless. For the insider, the prescription must
be followed. For the outsider, there is simply no such imperative. Such reasoning seems, in our post-
Enlightenment world, to be fairly obvious. From this perspective, ethics becomes relative. What is
right for one person is wrong for another and vice versa. This, then, returns us to the question of taste.
If right for one is wrong for another and there are then no absolutes, what is really to distinguish
questions of right and wrong in a moral sense, from questions of right and wrong in an aesthetic or
gastronomic sense?
Moral relativism
In this example it looks like the police officer is in a
neutral/third position by not doing anything.
However, Neill denies the existence of this neutral
position. How can you say that harming others is
wrong, but when someone does it out of a different
belief system, then who am I to intervene?
The book states that there are only two stances to
take in morality, not three. In this example it would
be the belief that harming others is either wrong or
permitted. By not intervening, the officer is
permitting the harm. And therefore, it is not a
neutral position.
Neill only explains that moral relativism assumes a neutral position, but the text actually denies the
existence of one. ‘That is to say, the position of relativism assumes that it is possible to occupy a
neutral third position. The problem is that there is no neutral third position".
So, according to moral relativism there IS a neutral position. According to Neill, a neutral position is
‘a myth, or purely imaginary’. And because of this, there is a problem with moral relativism.
2
, Lecture 1: Introduction to the course
Natascha Rietdijk
Ethics is about how people should act: what makes an action right? And how should I live?
Not every action is good or bad in a moral sense: Trolley case; helping an old lady; lying to a friend;
fabricating data for research; picking flavor of ice cream; choosing a romantic partner.
Boundaries of ethics can differ and shift, for example homosexuality vs age of consent. It’s hard to
draw boundaries in words of good and bad in morals.
Ethics and morality
Ethics is science of moral philosophy. It’s a systematic reflection (beyond the intuitive) on morality
Critical and evaluative
Disciplinary: theoretical, normative and practical science
It guides, improves, develops and evaluates morality
Ethos is Morality, it’s a habit we are already used to doing. You could day that it guides you towards
your ideal, attitudes and habits that characterizes a person or community. morality. It is based on
culture, upbringing, religion and other external aspects. They are immediate and a pré-reflective
response. Biases are also implied in.
A way of researching ethics are with ethical dilemmas, but what’s an ethical dilemma:
Ethical: about morals (values, norms and principles)
Examples
Dilemma: conflicting or contradicting moral. There is not
easy solution and also not one solution. The downside is Freedom – Preventing harm
that all options have downsides. Privacy – safety
Loyalty – integrity
Friendship - truthfulness
Three main areas in ethics
Meta ethics Normative ethics Applied ethics
Meta ethics
Reflection on ethics itself
Foundations, concepts, assumptions
Taking a step back
Normative ethics
Reflection on morality & moral behavior
Seeks to set criteria to separate the morally right from the morally wrong
Classical theories: consequentialism, deontology (Kant), virtue ethics
Contemporary theories: pragmatic ethics and care ethics
Applied ethics
Reflection on morality within a specific discipline area, profession.
3
