Ethical Theories - Different types of Ethical Theories -.pptx

Ethical Theories

1. Ethical Theories TOK: Knowledge & the Knower

2. 1) Consequentialism Core

3. 1) Consequentialism - Real‑World Examples

4. 2) Deontology (Duty‑Based) Core idea: Morality is based on rules, duties, and rights regardless of outcomes. Key thinker: Immanuel Kant Categorical Imperative: 1. act only on maxims you can will as universal; Act only on rules (maxims) that you could will for  everyone . Example: If you lie to escape trouble, imagine if  everyone  lied. Promises and truth-telling would collapse — contradiction. So, lying cannot be universalized → it’s morally wrong. 2. never treat people merely as means.Example : Exploiting workers in unsafe conditions to maximize profit treats them as  tools , not as people with dignity. That fails Kant’s test. Strengths Protects rights, respects dignity, gives clear rules. Weaknesses Can be rigid; may produce harmful outcomes in exceptional cases.

5. 2) Deontology - Real‑World Examples

6. 3) Virtue Ethics — Core Core idea: Focus on the character of the agent, not rules or outcomes. Key thinker: Aristotle Eudaimonia (flourishing): cultivate virtues (courage, prudence, generosity, honesty). Golden Mean: virtue lies between vices (e.g., courage between cowardice and recklessness). Strengths Human‑ centered , flexible, focuses on moral growth. Weaknesses Vague guidelines; depends on cultural ideas of virtue.

7. 3) Virtue Ethics Real‑World Examples

8. 4) Care Ethics - Core Core idea: Morality is about relationships, empathy, and care for the vulnerable. Key thinkers: Carol Gilligan, Nel Noddings Strengths Attends to context, emotions, and interdependence. Weaknesses Can seem partial; less clear universal standards.

9. 4) Care Ethics - Real‑World Examples Healthcare: a nurse/doctor giving extra time to a frightened child patient. Education: a teacher adapting lessons to support an anxious student. Disaster relief: prioritizing elderly and children during floods.

10. 5) Rights‑Based & Contractualism - Core Core idea: Morality is grounded in rights (life, liberty, privacy, education) or social agreements none can reasonably reject. Key thinkers: John Locke (natural rights), John Rawls (justice as fairness), T. M. Scanlon (contractualism) Strengths Strong protection of individuals against majority. Weaknesses Rights may conflict; deciding priorities is tricky.

11. 5) Rights‑Based & Contractualism Real‑World Examples Digital privacy: WhatsApp/Telegram encryption vs government security demands. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): rights to life, liberty, education, etc. Rawls’ ‘veil of ignorance’: fair distribution imagined without knowing your social position.

12. 6) Pragmatism - Core Core idea: Ethical decisions should be practical, experimental, and revisable. Key thinkers: John Dewey, William James Strengths Flexible, adaptive, evidence‑based. Weaknesses Lacks firm principles; risks moral drift or relativism.

13. 6) Pragmatism - Real‑World Examples

14. 7) Moral Absolutism Core Core idea: Some actions are always right or always wrong, universally and unchanging. Strengths Provides clarity and consistency. Weaknesses Too rigid; ignores context and consequences.

15. 7) Moral Absolutism Real‑World Examples Torture: held always unethical, even to save lives. Murder: deliberate killing of innocents is always wrong across most moral systems. Truth‑telling: some hold lying is never justified, even to save a life.

16. 8) Moral Relativism - Core Core idea: Morality is relative to culture, community, or context; no universal standards. Strengths Respects diversity; sensitive to context. Weaknesses Risks ‘anything goes’; harder to condemn harmful practices.

17. 8) Moral Relativism - Real‑World Examples

18. TOK Connections Personal vs Shared Knowledge: personal intuition vs community norms. Ways of Knowing Reason → duties/logic Emotion → care/relationships Language → framing of rights/duties Imagination → predicting consequences Knowledge decisions: publish/withhold/share when evidence is uncertain?

19. Knowledge Questions To what extent are ethical judgments objective? Should ethical decisions in knowledge (science, media) follow universal rules or local norms? How does uncertainty of evidence affect ethical responsibility?