Ethics in TOK
Ethics or moral philosophy is the branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The term ethics derives from the Ancient Greek word ἠθικός ethikos, which is derived from the word ἦθος ethos (habit, "custom").
The two theories you need to be familiar with are Utilitarianism and Kant's ideas on ethics.
The two theories you need to be familiar with are Utilitarianism and Kant's ideas on ethics.
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Student responses
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kant_what_matters_is_motive.pdf | |
File Size: | 1652 kb |
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kants_categorical_imperative.pdf | |
File Size: | 1905 kb |
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Does the end ever justify the means?
This is the core of the distinction between two main ethical positions: deontology (Kant) and consequentialism (Bentham and Utilitarianism).
Deontology says that whether an action is "good" or "bad" depends on some quality of the action itself. Many believe that certain actions are inherently bad, things like murder, torture, stealing, etc. Some die-hard deontologists, like Kant, believe that lying, for example, is always bad. That is to say, these actions are never justified.
Consequentialism, on the other hand, says that whether an action is "good" or "bad" depends on the outcome. They propose some standard by which to measure the outcome (usually "utility"), and think that the best course of action is the one that maximizes utility. For consequentialists, the ends always justify the means.
This is the core of the distinction between two main ethical positions: deontology (Kant) and consequentialism (Bentham and Utilitarianism).
Deontology says that whether an action is "good" or "bad" depends on some quality of the action itself. Many believe that certain actions are inherently bad, things like murder, torture, stealing, etc. Some die-hard deontologists, like Kant, believe that lying, for example, is always bad. That is to say, these actions are never justified.
Consequentialism, on the other hand, says that whether an action is "good" or "bad" depends on the outcome. They propose some standard by which to measure the outcome (usually "utility"), and think that the best course of action is the one that maximizes utility. For consequentialists, the ends always justify the means.