ATS1263 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: James Rachels
Lecture 1-What is Ethics?
•Ethics is a branch of philosophy.
•Ethics is concerned with issues of values.
-What is right and wrong?
-What is good and bad?
-How should we live our lives?
-What are our duties and obligations?
-What should policy be?
Note: German philosopher Hegel;
-The only way you can determine what something is, is to talk about what it’s
not.
In saying this, we can understand that the only way to understand something is to contrast
it against something else.
E.g Science: What is the case?
vs.
Ethics: What ought to be the case?
•Ethics and the law are related, and somethings are presumably illegal precisely because
they are highly immoral, such as murder. However, the two are distinct because:
-Action can be unethical without being illegal (adultery)
-Action can be illegal without being unethical (jaywalking)
-The law itself can be unethical
•Bioethics is a type of applied/practical ethics in the context of real world problems
involving the life sciences, biomedical sciences, medicine and healthcare. Some
discussion is more abstract or hypothetical than others.
James Rachels:
James Rachels suggests that the way in which we determine what is ‘the right thing’
must be backed by good reasons and should involve ideas of impartiality.
•Morality is not based on a matter of personal feelings or taste. It is based on reasons.
E.g ‘Thats not right, it’s disgusting!’ is a projection of a feeling, and therefore is not a
solid reason to do something as it not based in fact.
•Everyone’s interests are equally important, and different people shouldn’t be treated
separately for arbitrary reasons.
In all theories and approaches to ethics, reasoning and impartiality are common
denominators.
Document Summary
Lecture 1-what is ethics: ethics is a branch of philosophy, ethics is concerned with issues of values. The only way you can determine what something is, is to talk about what it"s not. In saying this, we can understand that the only way to understand something is to contrast it against something else. Ethics: what ought to be the case: ethics and the law are related, and somethings are presumably illegal precisely because they are highly immoral, such as murder. Action can be unethical without being illegal (adultery) Action can be illegal without being unethical (jaywalking) The law itself can be unethical: bioethics is a type of applied/practical ethics in the context of real world problems involving the life sciences, biomedical sciences, medicine and healthcare. Some discussion is more abstract or hypothetical than others.