MODERN MUSLIM WORLD
Module A
Foundation of the Muslim World
Topic No. 2
Ethical Theories
o Aamir Yazdani
o University of Central Punjab
o Whatsapp: +92 3 33 42 36 501
o Email: [email protected]
o Blog : www.aamiryazdani.blogspot.com
o YouTube: www.youtube.com/aamiryazdani
PURPOSE OF ETHICAL THEORIES
An ethical theory provides a comprehensive perspective on morality that clarifies,
organizes, and guides moral reflection.
They illuminate connections
between business ethics and
everyday morality, that is, the
justified moral values that play a role
in all areas of life.
Five types of influential Ethical theories (and traditions)
1. rights ethics
2. duty ethics
3. utilitarianism
4. virtue ethics
5. self-realization ethics
None of these theories has won a consensus, although each has proven attractive to
many people. At least in some of their versions, they widely agree in their practical
implications.
1. RIGHTS ETHICS
Rights ethics says respect human rights.
Rights are moral entitlements that impose duties on other people.
To make legitimate moral
demands on others to
respect our choices and
vice versa.
Respecting the inherent dignity and worth of individuals as they exercise their
liberty.
In addition to human rights, there are special moral rights.
Within businesses special
moral rights: For instance
the term ‘fine print’
should be avoided.
Rights ethics: which kinds of rights exist only
liberty rights, or also welfare rights?
Welfare rights are rights to
Liberty rights are rights to
benefits needed for a decent
exercise our liberty, and
human life, when we cannot
they place duties on other
earn those benefits. Perhaps
people not to interfere with
someone is handicapped,
our freedom.
and the community can help
2. DUTY ETHICS
Right actions to respect the liberty or autonomy (self-determination) of
individuals.
Following list of important duties:
Do not kill.
Do not cause pain.
Do not disable.
Do not deprive of freedom.
Do not deprive of pleasure.
Do not deceive.
Keep your promises.
Do not cheat.
Obey the law.
Do your duty [referring to work, family, and other
special responsibilities].”
Question: How do we know that these are our duties?
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804): all such
specific duties derive from one
fundamental duty:
to respect persons.
Persons deserve respect because they are moral agents - capable of recognizing
and voluntarily responding to moral.
Kant said we have a duty to ourselves:
not to commit suicide / duties to develop our talents / avoid harmful drugs
Morality is not a matter that “If you
want to prosper, be honest.”
A businessperson who is honest
solely because honesty pays—in
terms of profits from customers who
return and recommend their services,
as well as from avoiding jail for
dishonesty—fails to fully meet the
requirements of morality
Utilitarianism says there is only
one general moral requirement:
Produce the most good for the
3. UTILITARIANISM
most people, giving equal
consideration to everyone affected.
(the doctrine that actions are right if
they are useful for the benefit of a
majority)
Utilitarian standard seems simple.
Surely morality involves producing
good consequences - especially in
business ethics.
Classical, nineteenth-century utilitarians such as John Stuart Mill believed that
happiness was the only intrinsic good.
He understood utilitarianism as the requirement to produce the
greatest amount of happiness.
Mill: What is happiness?
• a life rich in pleasures -the
“higher” pleasures of
friendship, love, and
intellectual endeavors,
(some inevitable pains),
• a pattern of activities and
relationships as the way we
want our lives to be.
Mill believed in three forms of utilitarianism:
i. act-utilitarianism: Right now, should you continue
reading this chapter? You might
A particular action is right if it is likely instead take a break. The right action
to produce the most good for the most is the one that produces the most
people in a given situation, compared overall good, taking into account
with alternative options available. everyone affected.
According to this view, right
actions are those required by rules
that produce the most good for the
most people.
ii. Such difficulties lead utilitarians
to rule-utilitarianism.
We seek to discover and act on an
optimal moral code—that set of
rules which maximizes the public
good.
Rule-utilitarians also applies to rules stated in business or engineering codes of
ethics.
A code of ethics has people abide by it even when an exception might happen to
be beneficial.
rule utilitarianism:
if codified rules forbidding bribes are
justified, then even if a particular bribe
is beneficial in some situations, one
should still refrain from them
Question:
Can utilitarianism provide a moral justification for business graduates who work
for tobacco companies, for example, in designing cigarette- making machinery?
Philip Morris do much
good by employing >
150,000 people and pay >
$4 billion taxes.
Cigarettes kill > 400,000
Americans each year. This
is > than combined deaths
by alcohol, drug abuse, car
accidents, homicide,
suicide.
Most new users of
cigarettes in the USA are
teenagers (less than 18
years of age).
4. VIRTUE ETHICS
Virtue ethics focuses on good character.
Virtue Ethics says that good character is
central to morality.
Character is the pattern of virtues (morally
desirable features) and vices (morally
undesirable features) in persons.
4. VIRTUE ETHICS
Virtue ethics focuses on good character.
Words
Words for for specific
specific virtues,
virtues,
remain
remain familiar,
familiar, both
both in
in Words
Words for for specific
specific vices
vices are
are
business
business (as (as in
in graduates)
graduates) and
and also
also familiar:
familiar:
in
in everyday
everyday life:
life: •• incompetence,
incompetence,
•• competence,
competence, •• dishonesty,
dishonesty,
•• honesty,
honesty, •• cowardice,
cowardice,
•• courage,
courage, •• unfairness,
unfairness,
•• fairness,
fairness, •• disloyalty,
disloyalty, and
and
•• loyalty,
loyalty, and
and •• arrogance.
arrogance.
•• humility.
humility.
The most general proficiency virtue is:
Proficiency virtues 1. competence: being well prepared
for the jobs
The virtues of mastery of one’s 2. diligence: avoiding the deficiency
profession, in particular mastery of of laziness and being workaholic.
the technical skills that characterize 3. Creativity: within a rapidly
good business practice. changing techno- logical society
Self-governance virtues are those
necessary in exercising moral
responsibility—what Aristotle calls Teamwork virtues are especially
practical wisdom. important in enabling professionals to
For example: work successfully with other people.
• courage, They include
• self-discipline, • cooperativeness,
• conscientiousness, • loyalty, and
• fidelity to commitments, • respect for legitimate authority.
• self-respect, and
• integrity.
Honesty falls into both groups of self-governance virtues, for it implies both
truthfulness in speech and belief and trustworthiness in commitments.
Individuals vary greatly in what they desire
most strongly, and also in their talents and
virtues.
Self-realization ethics points to the highly
5. SELF REALIZATION ETHICS
personal commitments that motivate, guide,
and give meaning to the work of business
graduates and other professionals. These
commitments enter into the core of an
individual’s character.
SELF REALIZATION ETHICS
For many business entreprenuers, moral motivation and commitments are
interwoven with spiritual and religious ones.
Spiritual attitudes seek ways to
allow aspects of the sacred into
technology, to find ways for
technology to make human life
more interconnected etc.
1. Rights ethics says we have rights to pursue our
legitimate interests;
2. Duty ethics says we have duties to ourselves;
3. Virtue ethics links our personal good with
participating in communities and social practices
4. Utilitarianism says that self-interest should enter
into our calculations of the overall good;
5. Self realization ethics says individuals vary greatly
in what they desire most strongly, and also in their
talents and virtues.
WHICH ETHICAL THEORY IS BEST?
Some versions of rule-utilitarianism, rights ethics, duty ethics, virtue ethics, and self-
realization ethics all satisfy the criteria in high degrees.
We find ourselves more
impressed by the
similarities and
connections, rather than
the differences, among
the general types of
theories.
Question?
With regard to the following cases first discuss what morality requires and then
what self-interest requires. Is the answer the same or different?
Long before H. G. Wells wrote The Invisible Man, Plato (428– 348 BC), in The
Republic, described a shepherd named Gyges who, according to a Greek legend,
discovers a ring that enables him to become invisible when he turns its
bezel. Gyges uses his magical powers to seduce the queen, kill the king, and take
over an empire.
If we have similar powers, why should we feel bound by
moral constraints? In particular, if professionals are sufficiently powerful to
pursue their desires without being caught, why should they care about the good of
the wider public?
Would we still be “Moral” if we remain
invisible and no one knows about our
identity?
