TOK CLASS/OCTOBER 4, 2013
You will have forty-five minutes to explore (write
about) these knowledge issues, by yourself, in a Google doc that you create and
share with everyone in the group. Please read this entire page before doing
anything.
How should
we determine what our responsibilities to animals are?
What kinds of rights might animals have?
To what degree should our treatment of animals be based on rights?
·
We have briefly looked at four systems of
ethical systems: 1) Utilitarian (look at the consequences); 2) Deontological
(look to a universal rule of morality); 3) Relativism (let cultures make their
own decisions); and 4) Subjectivism (let moral decisions be a matter of
personal choice). Consider the three knowledge issues with these ethical systems
in mind.
·
Feel free to write questions, as many as you
want, about the knowledge issues.
·
Feel free to consult whatever information on
animal rights is on the blog. You do not need to use these today, but you are
of course welcome to use anything on the blog.
·
Do not merely write about your feelings.
The point is to reason, to think about these questions in some logical way,
keeping the ethical systems that we have looked at in mind. Why do
you think what you think?
·
You are not
being asked to write an essay. You are not
being asked to put your thoughts in one coherent argument. You do not
have to address all the questions; you may focus on any that you wish. You are not
even being asked to “finish” your writing.
Instead, are being asked to engage with the issues, to think about why you think what you think,
about the reasons for your thinking.
·
After forty-five minutes or so, you’ll share
(orally) some of your thoughts with the rest of us, while we are looking at
your Google doc. This will continue into the next class.
ETHICS: HOW SHOULD WE ACT IN THE WORLD?
Utilitarianism (a subset of consequentialism)
Associated with the English philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
Morality is about producing good consequences; it is not about intentions. The purpose of morality is to make the world a better place, and we should do whatever will bring the most intrinsic value to humanity. The good consequences can be measured in terms of maximizing:
· Pleasure (Bentham)
· Happiness (Mill)
· Good or Values (Moore)
· Preferences (Arrow)
In all cases pain and suffering must be avoided or reduced.
Deontology
Associated with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant
The foundation of ethics must be duty or moral obligation. That duty must be internal, not based on particular conditions, and freely chosen--not forced from outside. Duty must be fair and able to be understood as a universal rule. In other words, the universal rule must apply to everyone. This is what Kant called the categorical imperative.
Relativism:
“We don’t have sufficient knowledge and understanding of other cultures and therefore we should treat their traditions with respect and leave them to decide how best to conduct their own affairs.”
The slideshow will help you understand why this is attractive to many and what its problems are.
Subjectivism:
“Each person has the right to personal decisions in all matters relating to belief, ethics and conduct so long as these do not hurt others.”
The slideshow will help you understand why this is attractive to many and what its problems are.
