standards of conduct dod’s standards of conduct [ aitp’s standards of conduct [
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Standards of Conduct DoD’s Standards of Conduct
http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/ AITP’s Standards of Conduct
http://www.aitp.org/organization/about/conduct/conduct.jsp ASCE’s Standards of Conduct
https://www.asce.org/pdf/ethics_manual.pdf Engineers Ireland
http://www.iei.ie/ethics/conduct.pasp Engineers teaching ethics (interesting article)
http://www.onlineethics.org/CMS/edu/instructessays/davis.aspx
Washington’s code of civility http://www.foundationsmag.com/civility.html
Social Responsibility Maintains that businesses should not
function amorally, but should contribute to the welfare of their communities.
Recognizes multiple objectives: economic, social, and environmental
dimensions from each and all activities Related to:
sustainability, Citizenship
If not “amoral,” then has ethical dimensions
What does it mean? In what context? Why it is so important?
Determinants of Moral Behavior
Characteristics(Moral Intensity) of the
IssueSocial Characteristi
cs
Relationships with “others”
Type of Relationships
Structure of Relationships
IndividualCharacteristic
s
SituationalCharacteristic
sLevel of Cognitive Moral
Development
Cognitive
Dissonance
Recognize
the moralIssue
Make aMoral
Judgment(establis
hIntent)
Engage in
MoralBehavior
Steps towards moral behavior
Individual
Utility
Rights
Justice
Care
Personal Characteristics
Culture
Social Networks
Economic Environment
Foreseeable Consequences
Perceptions&
Behavioral Intentions
Situational Framing
Recognition Analysis &
Evaluation
Action
Ethical Philosophies vs. Reasoning
Teleologyvs
Deontologyvs
Virtues
Utilityvs
Justicevs
Rightsvs
Care
Philosophy Perspective
Ethical Philosophies Utilitarianism (Bentham & Mills)
Ethics of consequences Deontology (Kant)
Ethics of Duty (Ethical laws) Principles willed into Universal laws Treat people as ends (not means)
Virtues (Aristotle)
Ethics of Character
UtilitarianismQuestion 1: I do not care what motivates other
people; I judge them solely on the basis of what they do. Strongly agreeAgreeNeutral/undecidedDisagreeStrongly disagree
Question 2: When I am trying to decide what the right thing to do is, I look at the consequences of the various alternatives open to me. Strongly agreeAgreeNeutral/undecidedDisagreeStrongly disagree
UtilitarianismQuestion 3: The right thing to do is whatever
is best for everyone. Strongly agreeAgreeNeutral/undecidedDisagreeStrongly disagree
Question 4: We should look at the overall consequences of our actions in each and every case. Strongly agreeAgreeNeutral/undecidedDisagreeStrongly disagree
UtilitarianismQuestion 5: If someone tries to do the right
thing but it works out badly, they still deserve moral credit for trying. Strongly agreeAgreeNeutral/undecidedDisagreeStrongly disagree
Question 6: What is the most important thing in life? PleasureHappinessIdeals such as truth and beautyHaving your preferences satisfied
Philosophical Ethics Teleological
Results oriented Actions have no intrinsic ethical
character (acquire moral status from their consequences) or
Deontological Act oriented Actions are inherently right or wrong
(e.g., lying, cheating, stealing)
Philosophically Based Ethics (another perspective)
Utilitarianism (Bentham & Mills)
Ethics of consequences Deontology (Kant)
Ethics of Duty (Ethical laws) Principles willed into Universal laws Treat people as ends (not means)
Virtues (Aristotle)
Ethics of Character
Bentham’s Hedonistic Calculus
Bentham (not originally called Utilitarianism) Moral science (vs. ascetic religious)
Quantifying pleasure Pleasure good, pain bad Hedonistic calculus (7 aspects)
1. Intensity (Intrinsic strength of the pleasurable or painful feelings produced.)
2. Duration (how long they last)3. Certainty / Uncertainty (likelihood of sensations
being produced by given action.4. Propinquity / Remoteness (how soon they will
be felt)5. Fecundity (whether actions lead to pleasure)6. Purity (whether actions lead to pain)7. Extent (number of people affected)
Open, public, objective, fair Mill’s types of pleasure (quality vs. quantity)
Basic Insights of Utilitarianism
The purpose of morality is to make the world a better place.
Morality is about producing good consequences, not having good intentions
We should do whatever will bring the most benefit (i.e., intrinsic value) to all of humanity.
The Purpose of Morality
The utilitarian has a very simple answer to the question of why morality exists at all:
The purpose of morality is to guide people’s actions in such a way as to produce a better world.
Consequently, the emphasis in utilitarianism is on consequences, not intentions.
Fundamental Imperative The fundamental imperative of
utilitarianism is:Always act in the way that will produce
the greatest overall amount of good in the world.
The emphasis is clearly on consequences, not intentions.
The Emphasis on the Overall Good
We often speak of “utilitarian” solutions in a disparaging tone, but in fact utilitarianism is a demanding moral position that often asks us to put aside self-interest for the sake of the whole.
Utilitarianism is a morally demanding position for two reasons:
It always asks us to do the most, to maximize utility, not to do the minimum.
It asks us to set aside personal interest.
The Dream of Utilitarianism:Bringing Scientific Certainty to
Ethics Utilitarianism offers us a powerful
vision of the moral life, one that promises to reduce or eliminate moral disagreement.
If we can agree that the purpose of morality is to make the world a better place; and
If we can scientifically assess various possible courses of action to determine which will have the greatest positive effect on the world; then
We can provide a scientific answer to the question of what we ought to do.
Intrinsic Value
Many things have instrumental value, that is, they have value as means to an end.
However, there must be some things which are not merely instrumental, but have value in themselves. This is what we call intrinsic value.
What has intrinsic value? Four principal candidates:
Pleasure Jeremy Bentham
Happiness John Stuart Mill
Ideals G. E. Moore
Preferences Kenneth Arrow
Pleasure Definition: The
enjoyable feeling we experience when a state of deprivation is replaced by fulfillment.
Advantages Easy to quantify Short duration Bodily
Criticisms Came to be known
as “the pig’s philosophy”
Ignores higher values
Could justify living on a pleasure machine
Happiness Advantages
A higher standard, more specific to humans
About realization of goals
Disadvantages More difficult to
measure Competing
conceptions of happiness
The Utilitarian Calculus
Math and ethics finally merge: all consequences must be measured and weighed.
Units of measurement: Hedons: positive Dolors: negative
What do we calculate?
Hedons/dolors may be defined in terms of
Pleasure Happiness Ideals Preferences
For any given action, we must calculate: How many people will be affected, negatively
(dolors) as well as positively (hedons) How intensely they will be affected Similar calculations for all available alternatives Choose the action that produces the greatest
overall amount of utility (hedons minus dolors)