Ethical traditions

Aristotle - the Golden Mean

"Moral virtue is the appropriate location between two extremes."

The Greeks valued equilibrium and harmony, temperance

The ethical is "the mean between excess and defect."
The mean is not "half way between." It is the minimum flaws of either extreme.

Steps/test:

identify the (two) extremes
determine the harms of each.
use judgment to seek the minimum harms

This tradition is especially useful in dealing with two legitimate rights or values which are in conflict. (e.g. reporter disclosure rules vs privacy rights)

This tradition is SITUATIONAL.

Kant's Deontic (duty) Ethics - the Categorical (unconditional) Imperative.

"Act on that maxim which you will to become universal law."

This is the golden rule philosophically universalized.

It comes from Kant's "Critique of Practical Reason" and "Metaphysic of Morals." - moral law should be like natural law.

Test your ethical principle by determining if you want it applied universally - no extenuating circumstances.

This can be understood as making ethics based on what must occur for societies to survive. (e.g. truth telling)

Some actions are always wrong: cheating, stealing, hurting others for personal gain. Some are always right: truth telling, benevolence, keeping promises.

This tradition is UNIVERSAL

Utilitarian Ethics (J. Bentham and J.S.Mill) [hedonistic]

"Seek" the greatest happiness for the greatest number."

Test: Does the action maximize the happiness (good) of the largest number of human beings.

Steps:

produce the most good (utility)
distribute it as widely as possible

OR

calculate all the consequences of an act for good or harm

choose the best "cost/benefit" ratio.

examples: inflation vs unemployment, mandatory vaccinations (Robin Hood)

Are "good" and "happiness" the same thing? What is "good?"

preventing pain and promoting pleasure (Mill and Bentham)?
(others add) health, knowledge, wealth, friendship, self actualization, self esteem.

Types of utility:

act utility - the good in a specific case.

rule utility - procedures which produce the most general welfare typically.

Problems:

How can we predict good (or unintended consequences) in advance?
This approach needs a "fair to all" good (minority rights issues: e.g. the draft, )

This tradition is SITUATIONAL.

Communication Ethics (Habermas, Deetz, Arnett) [Dialogic Ethics]

"Act to keep the (authentic) conversation going."

Humans are formed through communication and accountable through it, thus its priority.

This tradition presupposes that self and other are intelligent, unique individuals each with their own legitimate purposes and the ablility to express them.

Ethics should protect the essential functions of authentic communication

Test/parts:

participants must be sincere (yeilding trust) to self and others

participants have an equal chance to select and employ communication acts (access)

messages must be intelligible

interaction must be free of coercion - limited power differentials

mutually negotiated norms must be in effect

This tradition has good elements of BOTH universal and situational ethics.

"Christian" Ethics (and Jewish, Taoist, etc.)

"Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Persons are ends (for themselves) not means (for others)
This is like the golden rule plus love.
It depends on recognizing the common humanity of others who have unique goals and views

This tradition is SITUATIONAL

Karl Wallace Guidelines

Search for truth. (the Dialectic) Develop a thorough knowledge of what you will communicate
Do justice. select facts, opinion, arguments fairly and honestly.
Prefer the public to the private interest.
Respect dissent (others).

This tradition tends toward UNIVERSALITY.