Values, Self & Knowledge: Lecture 4

1. The Supreme Moral Principle Values, Self & Knowledge: Lecture 4

2. The blissful next 3 hours Kantian Ethics • Categorical Imperative • Prostitution Morality of Lying

3. How do you tell what is right/wrong in a specific situation?

4. Applied ethical theory Applied Ethical Issues Applied Ethical Theory: The foundational moral principle • Joining queues • Abortion • Eating meat • The death penalty • Causal sex • …

5. Testing a theory Theory Hypothesis/Prediction Theory-neutral Reflection Compare

6. The Golden Rule “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.”

7. Consequentialism: Keys ideas The morally right action is what maximises good consequences. What counts as good consequences? Howto maximise good consequences?

8. Reason & Duty

9. 2Kantian ideas • How should I live? • Moral worth of actions • What are my duties? • Categorical imperative

10. Duty & Inclination Actions have moral worth when done of out duty, not due to mere inclination Not blindly following desire, but rationally choosing your action

11. Revelation @Hospital • I am caring for you because I feel like doing so. • I am caring for you although I didn’t feel like doing. • I acted out of my duty to care for you. More praiseworthy?

12. 2Kantian ideas • How should I live? • Moral worth of actions • What are my duties? • Categorical imperative

13. 2 Formulas “… common human reason, with this compass in hand, knows very well how to distinguish in every case what is good and what is evil, what conforms with duty or is contrary to duty.”

14. Imperatives • Hypothetical Imperative • Do this if you want that… • Depends on what you want • Categorical Imperative • Do this. • Independent of what you want

15. The Categorical Imperative 1 “Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should be a universal law.” Equality of persons: No arbitrary privileges

16. The Universalisability Test “It is wrong to act on any principle of which it is true that, if everyone accepted and acted upon this principle, or everyone believed that it was permissible to act upon it, that would make it impossible for anyone successfully to act upon it.”

17. Can it be universalised? • State the principle of action • Consider what would happen if everyone follows that principle • If it results in the impossibility of following that principle, then the action is not universalisable. Test of unfair privilege

18. Keeping promises • I wish to borrow $1000 from you. • You ask that I promise to return it. • I consider promising while intending to break the promise

19. Universalisable? Principle: Promise but intend to break it If everyone promises but intends to break her promise. No one will believe promises anymore Cannot be universalised

20. Application: False Promises Kant: “the universality of a law that everyone . . . could promise whatever he pleases with the intention of not keeping it would make the promise . . . impossible, since no one would believe what was promised him but would laugh at all such expressions as vain pretenses.”

21. Crafty liar Principle: Making false promises only when not under suspicion What if everyone makes false promises only when not under suspicion? People will continue to believe promises Can be universalised?

22. Humanity Kant: “I say that man, and in general every rational being, exists as an end in himself, not merely as a means for arbitrary use by this or that will.”

23. The Categorical Imperative 2 Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.

24. Value & Respect What’s a rational being? ? Intrinsic & Instrumental value • Unconditional worth of rational beings • Grounds for unconditional respect • NOT: Liking or sympathy How to respect?

25. Kantian puzzles Suicide Organ trading

26. Prostitution

27. Systematic analysis Is it wrong in itself? No Yes Is it wrong because of external considerations? Is it also wrong because of external considerations? No Yes No Yes

28. Is prostitution intrinsically immoral? Assume • Adults • Informed consent • No physical harm • No extra-marital complication

29. Prostitution • Prostitution is demeaning a person. • It is morally wrong to demean a person. • Therefore, prostitution is morally wrong. • This is an X. • It is wrong to X. • Therefore, this is wrong.

30. “Demeaning a person” • How does prostitution demean a person? • The sexual organs of the prostitute is used as a tool for someone else’s pleasure. A person’s body should not be treated as a tool.

31. Against human dignity “To allow one’s person for [the sake of] profit to be used by another for the satisfaction of sexual desire, to make of oneself an object of demand, is to…make of oneself a thing on which another satisfies his appetite, just as he satisfies his hunger upon a steak.” Immanuel Kant

32. Labourers • Paid to use their body to achieve some goal. • E.g. construction workers, taxi-drivers, assembly-line workers, etc Is paid labour demeaning?

33. Compare Prostitute Labourer Use of body Use of body House Sexual pleasure

34. Prostitution • It is morally wrong to demean a person. • Prostitution is demeaning a person. • Therefore, prostitution is morally wrong. ?

35. Means & Ends Disrespectful Inconsiderate Unfair Respectful Considerate Fair As a means Merely as a means Would the formula allow everything as long as it is done with the right attitude?

36. Kantian ideas: Summary • How should I live? • Moral worth of actions • What are my duties? • Categorical imperative

37. Categorical Imperative Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end. Humanity as an End Universalisability Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should be a universal law.

38. Kantian Heaven Good Wills Deserved Happiness

39. Two approaches to moral principles Utilitarians: Kant: The ideal situation Moral Principles Moral Principles The ideal situation

40. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) • We have a duty to respect the rights of others (?) • “the Declaration was the first global statement of what we now take for granted - the inherent dignity and equality of all human beings." Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, 2008.

41. Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 1. • All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 3. • Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. • No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

42. Review • Kantian critique of Utilitarianism • Moral worth of actions • Duty & inclination • Derivation of duties • Categorical Imperative • Universalisability, Humanity as an End

43. Lies

44. Clinton on trial Congressman: “Did he lie to the American people when he said ‘I never had sex with that woman’”? Clinton: “I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me…I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Lewinsky.”

45. What is a Lie? • Telling falsehoods? • One may sincerely believe what is actually false • Tentative definition • Intentionally presenting as truth what one believes is falsehood

46. Upside down “Since I am a Utilitarian, lying is wrong when it doesn’t maximise utility.” ??? Utilitarianism Dinosaur theory Wrongness of Lying Fossils

47. The moral status of Lying Lying is always wrong Lying is sometimes wrong Lying is never wrong List of scenarios When? Principle

48. Unity “Lying is wrong on Monday, but not wrong on Tuesday.” Same principle of wrongness should apply on Monday & Tuesday Inconsistent

49. Overview of process Current view Abstraction Distinction Thought experiments

50. Abstraction Why is Lying wrong? Lie #1 Lie #2 Lie #3 Lie #4 Lie #5 Lie #N Tentative Principle Thought experiment Reflection