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humorist-workshop
Ethics?
I noticed your advice page, and saw that you'd answer questions about ethics, so I decided to ask you.
I'm 15, and in school I have one Ethics lesson per week.
Just had my first year of ethics, but I don't understand it.
What exactly is the point of ethics? Is it good?
I feel like I've just wasted a year discussing things about other religions.
(Because that's what we did in class)
Can you help me here?
Thank you in advance.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
Hey there. Beware, this will be long. So long in fact I decided to give it headings, so you know what’s what (and can ignore parts of it if you want).
What is ethics?
Ethics essentially is the attempt to understand what makes an action right or wrong. Studying ethics is all about understanding and improving the parameters which we use to make decisions. It emphasises consistency and logic, and it challenges the very foundation of our decision making process.
Religious morality vs ethics
I am surprised you used up a year debating religions. Normally religious morality is not really a very important part of the philosophy of ethics. Sure, religions offer their own philosophies, but they do not allow them to be challenged.
To philosophers a true theory must provide a scenario where it can be disproved. For example, if I say "all things fall when dropped", I can be disproved whenever something does not fall. Religious arguments are circular, and therefore worthless to philosophers. No matter what happens, whether good or evil or in between, it is the will of God.
To quote one of the most eminent philosophers of our time, Peter Singer, "Ethics has no necessary connection with any particular religion, nor with religion in general... We have no need to postulate gods who hand down commandments to us, because we understand ethics as a natural phenomenon that arises in the course of the evolution of social, intelligent, long- lived mammals who posses the capacity to recognise each other and to remember the past behaviour of others." ("Ethics", edited by Peter Singer, 1994).
How does ethics improve our lives?
The thing about ethics is that it really is more of a process than a concrete goal. You continuously refine your thoughts and beliefs, you challenge yourself with theoretical scenarios, and in the process you become a better person. Suddenly you have concrete tools with which to tackle moral dilemmas in every day life. You no longer wing it, you know where you stand and you know how to approach a problem. Your decisions therefore become wiser and more consistent.
An example of one of the oldest ethical debates
I thought I would give you a very brief intro into one of the most fundamental questions in ethics, as an example of the sort of thinking that is involved. If you already talked of this in class, then just skip it :)
One of the oldest questions in ethics is "do consequences matter when determining whether an action is right or wrong?"
There are two broad schools of thought here, namely the consequentialists and the non consequentialists.
The former argue that ethics depends entirely on the outcome of the action. If I am about to do something, I must ask myself how my actions affect the people around me. I then tally up the positive and the negative, and if the action is largely positive, it is ethically correct (for both of these there are many different approaches, but I will just keep it basic for now).
The latter argue that consequences are irrelevant. An action is right or wrong based on a predetermined set of ideals. For example, Kant argued that before performing any action, you should ask yourself how this would fare if it were a universal law. If everyone always acted this way, how would the world look? If the answer is positive then its a good action. If it is negative then it is a wrong action.
Lets take an example. You borrowed money from a person promising to pay him back. When the time comes you have the money but you are able to do something else with it, essentially breaking the promise. Should you do it?
Consequentialists would ask "what are you going to do with it?" If the benefits outweigh the negative impact of breaking a promise then its ok (how you determine this varies... maybe you really really want that new car, or maybe you have a unique chance to rescue starving children).
On the other hand Kant would argue that it is always wrong. His universal law approach would lead us to envision a world where no one would trust anyone, because the value of the promise itself would be lost. Therefore, because you gave your word, the action is fundamentally wrong, irrespective of what you want to do with the money.
Ok, I admit this barely scratched the surface, and you have many many sub groups under consequentialists and non consequentialists. Everything from hedonistic utilitarianism to contract ethics. I do hope however that I have at least conveyed some of the mental challenges that one will face in ethics.
Conclusion
Ethics is all about finding where you stand and continuously challenging your position. It influences personal thought, your interaction with others, and the laws by which we govern our society. Ethics is always one step ahead of the law, and philosophers are always pushing to improve the system. Ethical thought has played an important role throughout history, and it has helped fight racism, sexism, and now speciesm. In every era it has challenged the status quo, bringing radical new approaches and ways of thinking.
If any of this seems even remotely interesting to you, I strongly encourage you to have a look at some texts. You may never think the same way again :)
Good luck, and sorry this went on for as long as it did.
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