- Moral philosophy defined
- Instrumental and intrinsic goodness
- Teleology


[SLIDE 1]

Philosophy is often thought of as being a general system of values that people live by. Moral philosophy, however, is something different. Moral philosophy refers to a specific set of principles or values people use to determine right and wrong. Moral philosophies are different from business ethics. The primary distinction is whether it is referring to an individual or group. Moral philosophies are specific to individuals. Business ethics, on the other hand, refers to group decisions that affect an organization.

Economic value orientation is a theory that states that an act is ethical if it produces more economic value for its effort.

Idealism is a moral philosophy that values ideas and ideals as products of the mind. Idealism refers to efforts required to account for all objects in nature and experience and to assign to them a higher order of existence.


[SLIDE 2]

There are many different perspectives on the idea of goodness.

Monists are those who believe only one thing is intrinsically good.

Pluralists are those who believe no one thing is intrinsically good. Rather, they believe that two or more things are intrinsically good.

Hedonism is the belief that pleasure is the ultimate good. Monists are often hedonists, but not always. What constitutes moral behavior in hedonism is that which maximizes personal pleasure.

Quantitative hedonists are those who believe that more pleasure is better.


[SLIDE 3]

Qualitative hedonists are those who believe it's possible to get too much of a good thing.

Instrumentalists are those who reject the idea that ends can be separated from the means that produce them and that the outcomes, purposes, and ends are intrinsically good in and of themselves.

Goodness theories focus on the end result of actions and the goodness or happiness they create.

Obligations theories emphasize the motives and means that justify actions. They are divided into two categories: teleology and deontology.


[SLIDE 4]

Teleology is a moral philosophy where an act is considered morally right if it produces a desired result, like wealth, pleasure, knowledge, or fame.

Consequentialism is a theory where the moral worth of a behavior is assessed based on its consequences.

Egoism is a theory that frames acceptable or right behavior in terms of how it affects an individual. Egoists believe that the decisions they make should benefit their self-interests.

Enlightened egoism is a teleological philosophy that focuses on self-interests but also considers the well-being of others. An example of enlightened egoism is when someone reports unethical behavior to a government agency to receive a reward.


[SLIDE 5]

Utilitarianism involves those who seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people. They believe the decisions they make should benefit as many people as possible. Utilitarians consider the consequences of each decision option and then select the option that results in the greatest benefit.

Rule utilitarians are those who determine morality based on principles or rules designed to promote the greatest utility. An example of a rule or principle is "theft is wrong."

Act utilitarians are those who look at actions instead of rules to determine if they will result in the greatest utility. For act utilitarians, rules are only general guidelines. For example, a construction manager might decide to bribe a local government official if he determines he will have to lay off 50 workers if he does not offer the bribe and the contract goes to another company. An act utilitarian would justify the bribe because he is saving 50 jobs.