Unit 1: Introduction to Ethics

Unit One: Introduction to Ethics

Unit Information

3

Unit Overview

3

Unit Aims

3

Unit Learning Outcomes

3

Unit Interdependencies

3

Key Readings

4

Further Readings

5

References

6

Multimedia

7

1.0 Why study ethics?

8

Section Overview

8

Section Learning Outcomes

8

1.1 What is `philosophy'?

8

1.2 What is `ethics'?

11

1.3 Moral intuitions and critical reasoning

13

1.4 Environmental and development ethics

16

Section 1 Self Assessment Questions

20

2.0 Normative ethical traditions: identifying right and wrong

21

Section Overview

21

Section Learning Outcomes

21

2.1 Western ethical theories

21

2.2 Deontological ethics

23

2.3 Teleological ethics

26

2.4 Limitations of traditional normative theories

29

Section 2 Self Assessment Questions

30

3.0 Key ethical issues: whose arguments count?

31

Section Overview

31

Section Learning Outcomes

31

3.1 Meta-ethics

31

3.2 Ethical monism, relativism and pluralism

32

Section 3 Self Assessment Questions

38

Unit Summary

39

Unit Self Assessment Questions

40

Key Terms and Concepts

41

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Ethics for Environment and Development

Unit 1

UNIT INFORMATION

Unit Overview

This unit provides an introduction to the study of ethics and a brief overview of some of the main branches of philosophical thought about ethics. As well as introducing the central ideas that relate to environmental and development ethics and how these two areas of ethical study are interrelated, this unit shows why ethics as a discipline can provide useful tools for clarifying arguments, for understanding a range of viewpoints in a debate, and for justifying one's own ethical positions more clearly. Key conceptual frameworks and some key terms are introduced and explained.

Unit Aims

? To introduce some key terms relating to the study of ethics. ? To introduce some key ethical ideas, principles and frameworks. ? To explain the rationale for studying environmental and development ethics

and to examine how these areas of study are interrelated.

Unit Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, students should be able to: ? define the terms `philosophy', `ethics', and `morality' ? outline the rationale for studying ethics, particularly in relation to environmental and development concerns ? explain the difference between deontological and teleological ethics ? define and briefly explain some of the key terms relating to ethical monism, relativism and pluralism

Unit Interdependencies

This unit provides a concise introduction to the study of ethics. It introduces key ethical terms and concepts that recur throughout the other units of the module. Therefore it is recommended that you study this unit before attempting the other units, as it provides useful knowledge and understanding of those key terms and concepts.

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Ethics for Environment and Development

Unit 1

KEY READINGS

Section 1

Traer R (2013) Moral philosophy: an adventure in reasoning. In: Doing Environmental Ethics, 2nd edn. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 3?20.

This chapter introduces the field of moral philosophy, from which much scholarly knowledge and understanding of ethics derives. It explains that ethics answers the question, `How should we live?' The chapter considers some fundamental themes, including ideas about what is `right' and `good', and it examines ways of reasoning critically about our feelings. The field of environmental ethics is introduced, but the account presented in this chapter is also relevant to the theme of development ethics. A variety of key terms are introduced and defined in this chapter.

Section 2

Wolf S (1982) Moral saints. Journal of Philosophy 79(8) 419?439. In this thought-provoking article, Susan Wolf argues that moral perfection, in the sense of moral `saintliness', is not a particularly rational, good or desirable model of personal well-being toward which people should strive. In doing so, she presents a range of interesting and provocative ideas about normative ethics. In particular, she argues that, at some point, `we must be willing to raise normative questions from a perspective that is unattached to a commitment to any particular well-ordered system of values.'

Section 3

Traer R (2013) Ethics and science: moral consideration. In: Doing Environmental Ethics, 2nd edn. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 21?39.

This chapter considers the relation between ethics and science, focusing on the evolution of scientific knowledge. The problematic area of valuing nature is introduced. The chapter shows that, far from being detached from questions of values and ethics, science plays a key role in those questions, because what we value depends on what we believe and that, in turn, is heavily influenced by science.

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Ethics for Environment and Development

Unit 1

FURTHER READINGS

Crocker D (1996) International Development Ethics. Available from:

Gasper D (2009) Development Ethics and Human Development. HD Insights, HDR Networks Issue 24, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Available from:

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Ethics for Environment and Development

Unit 1

REFERENCES

Callicott JB (1990) The case against moral pluralism. Environmental Ethics 12(2) 99? 124.

Crane A, Matten D (2007) Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

DesJardins J (2006) Business, Ethics and the Environment: Imagining a Sustainable Future. Pearson, Harlow.

FAO (2004) The Ethics of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification. FAO Ethics Series 3, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome.

Gasper D (2004) The Ethics of Development. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

LSULife (2007) What is Ethics? Video. Duration 1.36 minutes. Available from: [Accessed 05 August 2013] NatureServe (2010) Biodiversity Insights: Ten Reasons to Save the Diversity of Life. Available from: [Accessed 05 August 2013] Popkin RH, Stroll A (1969) Philosophy Made Simple. WH Allen, London.

Smith MJ, Pangsapa P (2008) Environment and Citizenship: Integrating Justice, Responsibility and Civic Engagement. Zed Books, London.

Traer R (2009) Doing Environmental Ethics. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado.

Traer R (2013) Doing Environmental Ethics, 2nd edn. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado.

UN (2012) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Available from: [Accessed 05 August 2013] Worldwatch Institute (2012) State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity. Worldwatch Institute, Washington DC.

Wraight CD (2011) Ethics of Trade and Aid: Development, Charity or Waste? Continuum, London.

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Ethics for Environment and Development

Unit 1

MULTIMEDIA

Carnegie Council (2009) Joel Rosenthal: Pluralism & Ethics. Video. Duration 4.12 minutes. Available from: This video clip, featuring the President of the Carnegie Council, Joel Rosenthal, focuses on ethical pluralism. It addresses the question, `Where do we draw the line when deciding whose ethics are legitimate?'

LSULife (2007) What is Ethics? Video. Duration 1.36 minutes. Available from: This short video clip shows a selection of university students attempting to define the term `ethics'.

TED (2009) Gordon Brown on Global Ethic vs. National Interest. Video. Duration 17.03 minutes. Available from: est.html This video clip shows the former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, answering questions about the `global ethic' he called for. The video addresses the question of whether the interests of an individual nation can be reconciled with the greater good of humanity.

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Ethics for Environment and Development

Unit 1

1.0 WHY STUDY ETHICS?

Section Overview

The study of ethics belongs primarily within the discipline of philosophy, in the subdiscipline of `moral philosophy', and so our account begins there. Philosophical study concerns the systematic and rational consideration of human systems of belief. The process of asking and answering questions about belief systems is therefore fundamental to philosophical study ? it is not sufficient merely to `learn' the answers that have been proposed by other philosophers! The branch of philosophy called `ethics' is concerned with questions concerning how human beings ought to live their lives, and about what is `right' or `wrong'. In this section we look at how philosophers attempt to answer such questions in a systematic and rational way. This section also introduces the fields of environmental and development ethics, and consider how these two fields of study are interrelated.

Section Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, students should be able to:

? define the terms `philosophy', `ethics', and `morality'

? outline the rationale for studying ethics, particularly in relation to environmental and development concerns

1.1 What is `philosophy'?

What do philosophers do?

What do you think philosophers do? How do they spend their time?

Spend a few minutes thinking about what you know about philosophers past and present; if possible, try to identify some of the advances in knowledge that they have made. Try to write a brief definition of philosophy. What is the purpose of `doing' philosophy?

As human beings live their lives, they acquire a wealth of information about the world around them that they use to build up a collection of ideas about the world and their place within it. Those ideas come from a variety of sources. They may come from scientific discoveries, personal experience, traditional beliefs commonly held by people in the society in which they live, and so on. Much of the time people accept those ideas without questioning them; they are relatively `unconsidered' or `unexamined'. A philosopher, however, will attempt to scrutinise such ideas about the world to see if they are based on sound evidence. Instead of having a collection of unorganised beliefs and opinions that may be incoherent and self-contradictory, the philosopher believes that a person's views should be carefully considered and organised into a coherent, meaningful, rationally defensible system.

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