Notes on Recording of Lecture of 08/31/2022

Below are some questions posed by the video lecture, answers I agree with from the lecture, as well as my own answers to these questions:

Q: What are some examples of good character traits? What makes someone ethical in the Virtue Ethics theory?

A: Honesty, being respectable, showing kindness, being perceptive, being empathetic, showing generosity, behaving altruistically. It can be summed up as "Do to others as you would want done to you." Differing cultures could cause varying standards of ethics when using the Virtue Ethics theory, as it comes from one's own moral compass.

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Q: Suppose an out-of-control train is hurtling down the tracks, you happen to be at the switch, and if you operate the switch it will hit one person but if not it will hit five. What is the more ethical choice?

A: For me, answering this question is simple regardless of if I view it using the Utilitarian theory or the Deontological theory. A utilitarian would simply pull the switch, as saving five people is more ethical than only saving one. A deontologist could argue that making a choice to kill the one would be an act of murder, which is true. However, one can not properly argue that it is ethical to sit idly by while injustice, crime, or abuse are going on while one has the means to do something about it. In the court of law if person A is simply with person B who kills someone, person A is then an accessory to murder unless they turn person B in. Guilt by association is common throughout the criminal justice system. I would argue that choosing not to act is in fact an action, as the word choosing is a verb. Inaction only occurs once the possibility of choice has been removed, like when someone is comatose. Thus, a choice must be made and the more ethical choice is to save five people rather than one. Inaction when a choice is present is not an ethical course of action.

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Q: Do you lean more toward utilitarianism or deontology?

A: I lean more towards utilitarianism, but I utilize a deontological point of view to ensure I am not behaving immorally just to gain results. Ultimately, the results are more important than the journey so that is why I say I lean more towards utilitarianism, but if the journey is gruesome then maybe the results and the process to get there should be re-examined. When choice is taken away like the previous question then it becomes a coerced situation and there truly is no entirely ethical outcome. When one cannot be entirely ethical then they must be as ethical as possible.

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Q: Is the following more utilitarian or deontological in nature:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

A: In my opinion, the Declaration of Independence is deontological in nature. It doesn't concern itself with the result of the statement it is making, rather it is far more concerned with ensuring that all men are given the right to a free and happy journey to whatever the result is.

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Feel free to comment below with anything you might like to add or to pose opposing points of view!