COMMENSAL ISSUE 102

NOTE : this paper was delivered at the PDG Conference, Braziers Park, May 2000.

A theory of ethics is important because people disagree on what they and others ought to do - not just disagreements over the facts that drive action, but on the principles of right action itself. People must be challenged to state why they think they (and others, or society, or governments) ought to act as they think they ought. A reason for this is because societies and the opportunities they afford for action are always changing so we need to continually review the guide / procedure / rationale we have for our policies.

Ethical theories divide into several categories :-

• Aristotelian (virtue-based)
• Kantian (deontological; duty-based; categorical imperative; universalisability)
• Religious (but Plato’s Euthyphro - is an action good because God says so or is God good because his actions are good ?)
• Consequentialist (eg. Utilitarian - positive & negative; act & rule)
• Naturalistic (inc. Naturalistic Fallacy & the fact/value, is/ought, distinction)
• Relativist
• Existentialist
• Emotivist

I recommend a hybrid approach :-

• Broadly consequentialist.
• Rule-based as a short cut, but not bound by rules.
• We have to think more widely than the immediate consequences.
• We need some form of discounting of more remote consequences - whether remote in time or remote in space / responsibility.
• Fundamentally relativist - societies decide how they want to conduct themselves & need force to impose their will.
• Can change over time - the law is always out of date.
• Naturalistic in the sense that some moral systems don’t and can’t lead to fruitful societies.
• Ethical theories should be outward looking - ie. not virtue based (where the focus on the actor) but based on the consequences for both the actor and the others affected.
• Focus is on universal freedom rather than duty.
• Emotions are important - we must do good for the right motives (empathy), else the full benefits to ourselves & others will not be realised

Theo Todman