Recap from Previous Lesson
My Endeavours Gain? Or Pain?
MaskNegative to Positive
ThoughtsPig and Cow story
-> giving and receiving
EPICURUS’ HAPPINESS
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ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
EUDAIMONIA (you-dee-mo-nea)
Happiness FulfillmentSatisfactionWell-being
(the ultimate goal in living; makes life worth living )
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
What is the ultimate goal that makes
life worth living?1) Attained for it’s own sake, not for the sake
of something else2) Independent (nothing else can be added to
make it better)3) The end that justifies all prior actions to be
good eg. assuring your parents, maintaining friendship
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
In shortA good end is one that
once you have it you don’t need more of it &
you don’t attain it to get something else.
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICSPLANTS Take in
food and grow
ANIMALS Take in food and grow
Respond with instincts
Human Beings
Take in food and grow
Respond with instincts Use
Reason
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
Arête(ah-rer-tey) or Virtue or Excellence of a thing
= giftedness = capabilities
= function
2 kinds of Human arête:
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
Virtues of Intellect
• Person is good at problem-solving, inference, interpretation, or reasoning concerning either
theoretical or practical matters.• These include wisdom, prudence, and
comprehension.• Develop skills like baking, financial
management, athletics etc.
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
Virtues of Character
Display desirable quality of behaviour such as courage, benevolence, generosity etc.
Aristotle believes that anything T is good at being that kind of thing T if and only if it is
good at achieving its purpose.
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
Purpose• Use
reason
Arete (capabilities)• Enable them to
blossom
Repeat• Become
Virtuous (abilities actualised to max)
Eudaimonia• Life worth living
and lived well
ARISTOTLE On HAPPINESS
HAPPINESS
Good Character
Good Habits (constant practise “we are what we repeatedly do”)
Good Actions
Good Thoughts
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICS
GOLDEN MEANThe right balance between two extremes, the
extreme of excess and the extreme of deficiency
Moderation in emotions, attitudes and behaviour
Subjected to individual’s abilities and needs (eg. A labourer’s amt of food intake vs a typist’s)
Not applicable for vices
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICSSphere of
Existence
Deficiency Mean Excess
Underlying passion confidence
Cowardice Courage Rashness
Attitude towards the (mis)fortunes of
others
Spite, gloating
Righteous indignation
envy
Attitude toward self
ServilitySelf-deprecation
Proper Self-Love
Proper PrideSelf-Respect
ArroganceConceitEgoism
NarcissismVanity
Attitude towardoffenses of others
Ignoring them
Being a Doormat
AngerForgiveness
Understanding
RevengeGrudge
Resentment
Attitude toward good
deeds of others
SuspicionEnvy
Ignoring them
GratitudeAdmiration
Over indebtedness
Attitude toward our
own offenses
IndifferenceRemorselessness
Downplaying
Agent RegretRemorse
Making AmendsLearning from them
Self-Forgiveness
Toxic GuiltScrupulosity
Shame
Attitude towardour friends
Indifference Loyalty Obsequiousness
DEONTOLOGY
• Fulfil moral duties and obligations regardless of end results. • It is the motives that determine
if an action is morally right or wrong, not the consequences.
DEONTOLOGY
• Consider the statement “He didn’t do what was expected.”•Motives : a) “I don’t want to.”
b) “I don’t know how to.” c) “I can’t.”
Eg. Parents’ Maintenance Act, Absent parents, Giving up seat, hiding truth
KANTIAN ETHICSDEONTOLOGICAL / NON-
CONSEQUENTIALIST
Based On Reason And Will
Requires Discipline And Self Control
Requires Doing The Right Thing For The Right Reason
ETHICS IS NOT CONTINGENT UPON ONE’S FEELINGS NOR UPON THE CULTURE;
RATHER, IT IS ABSOLUTE (CATEGORICAL)
KANTIAN ETHICS3 Characteristics of
Kant’s Categorical Imperative:• Act only according to that maxim by which you can
also will that it would become a universal law.• 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.
• Act as though you were, through your maxims, a law-making member of a kingdom of ends (an ideal world of self-directed individuals).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deontological_ethics
QUESTIONS OF A DEONTOLOGIST
•What would I do if everyone were to follow my example?
• Would I be using the person as a means or as an end?
Kant’s Example # 1
A man reduced to despair contemplates suicide:
Is suicide universalizable? No!
Does it treat oneself as a means or as an end? As a means.
Therefore, the categorical imperative dictates that suicide is morally wrong.
Kant’s Example # 2
A man in need of money thinks about borrowing money and realizes he will
have to promise to repay it even though he knows he cannot.
Is such behavior universalizable?Would he be using the person as a
means or as an end?
Kant’s Example # 3
A person has a talent which he could develop to benefit himself and others, but he prefers not to work to improve the talent.
Is such behavior universalizable?Would he be using himself as a means or
as an end?
Kant’s Example # 4
A prosperous person is asked for charitable help. He considers not helping.
Is such behavior universalizable?Would he be using the person as a means
or as an end?
DEONTOLOGICAL QUOTES
• Act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world. ~Immanuel KantRead more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/i/immanuel_kant.html#ixzz1Js5nYDJL
• In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so. ~Immanuel Kant Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/i/immanuel_kant.html#ixzz1Js6UdEPe
Buddhism’s Point of View
The gratification of desires is not happiness.
Genuine happiness can only be achieved when we transform our way of life from the unthinking pursuit of pleasure to one
committed to enriching our inner lives, when we focus on “being more” rather than simply
having more.~Buddhist Philosopher Daisaku Ikeda
http://www.ikedaquotes.org/happiness.html
Christianity’s Point Of ViewSt Augustine’s City of God
Like Plato’s Ideal Form in Republic, our experiences are ideas of what an ideal would be.
Our experience of happiness on earth are just reflections of the ultimate goodness, illusions and not real.
Relying our happiness on earthly things will bring us suffering, emptiness and disillusionment.
Earth is not the place for us to hope for permanent happiness. Has to be found in ideal, that is God , who is
LOVE.
Christianity’s Point Of View“If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but
do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
HAPPY ENDING…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5ezrZScCow&feature=related