ETHICSPL 360 NON-CONSEQUENTIALIST THEORIES DEONTOLOGY, DIVINE COMMAND THEORY, AND NATURAL LAW What do Non-Consequentialist Theories Have in Common? Objective Basis for Morality Deontology: Alignment with reason Divine Command Theory: God’s Commands Natural Law Theory: Alignment with the natural law Deontology: “Let justice reign, though the world perish.” Ethics is a matter of duty. Categorical Imperative: Will one’s actions in accordance with the principles of reason Two Formulations of the Categorical Imperative 1. Principle of Universalizability: Actions must be willed universally without exception. 2. Principle of Dignity: Treat others as having their own ends; never reduce them to a mere means to an end. Good Will It’s not enough to do the right thing; one must do the right thing for the right reasons. One should do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. It’s never right to do wrong. SUMMARY OF DEONTOLOGY Pros and Cons Pros Grants dignity to people (views them as having their own ends) Moral laws are universally applicable. Cons Doesn’t grant that all people full equality Doesn’t provide a way to address competing duties Divine Command Theory An action is morally justified because God commands it. Euthyphyro’s Criticism If an action is justified because the deity commands it then: On the one hand, the deity could command anything, and the action would be ethical. On the other hand, if the deity only commands what is ethical according to reason, then the deity is not the source of morality. Contemporary Criticism How do we know what God commands, or put another way, how do we know which divine commands are universally binding? Natural Law Theory Actions that are in alignment with natural law are morally justified. Human Beings Must examine the structure of nature to discern the law that governs it. Like Deontology, Natural Law Theory Actions are right or wrong in and of themselves. A moral action is either in keeping with the natural law or it is not. Like Virtue Theory, Natural Law Theory Natural law has a teleological import. A moral action, which is in keeping with the natural law, aims to construct a particular kind of character or person. Pros and Cons Pros Moral laws are universally applicable. Moral laws can be discerned through reason and are therefore knowable to all persons. Cons No commonly accepted definition of “human nature” Leads to absolutist moral judgments that may fall short of common sense (See Vaughn, p. 136). Image Credits 1. Slide 1: http://www.emtecinc.com/blog/wp- content/uploads/2014/07/shutterstock_207916873.jpg 2. Slide 3: http://oll.libertyfund.org/media/W1siZiIsInBlb3BsZS8zNzc5L0ltbWF udWVsX0thbnRfJTI4cGFpbnRlZF9wb3J0cmFpdCUyOS5qcGciXV0/ Immanuel_Kant_%2528painted_portrait%2529.jpg?sha=c098c42cf fe92f07 3. Slide 9: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ogyWXNsKt3I/Rvsnj92 ...

1. ETHICSPL 360
NON-CONSEQUENTIALIST THEORIES
DEONTOLOGY, DIVINE COMMAND THEORY, AND
NATURAL LAW
What do Non-Consequentialist
Theories Have in Common?
Objective
Basis for
Morality
Deontology:
Alignment with
reason
Divine Command
Theory:
God’s Commands
Natural Law
Theory:
Alignment with
the natural law

2. Deontology: “Let justice reign,
though the world perish.”
Ethics is a matter of duty.
Categorical Imperative: Will
one’s actions in accordance
with the principles of reason
Two Formulations of the
Categorical Imperative
1. Principle of Universalizability: Actions must be
willed universally without exception.
2. Principle of Dignity: Treat others as having their
own ends; never reduce them to a mere means to
an end.
Good Will
It’s not enough to do the right thing; one must do
the right thing for the right reasons.
One should do the right thing because it is the right
thing to do.
It’s never right to do wrong.

3. SUMMARY OF DEONTOLOGY
Pros and Cons
Pros
Grants dignity to people
(views them as having their
own ends)
Moral laws are universally
applicable.
Cons
Doesn’t grant that all people
full equality
Doesn’t provide a way to
address competing duties
Divine Command Theory
An action is morally
justified because God
commands it.
Euthyphyro’s Criticism
If an action is justified because
the deity commands it then:

4. On the one hand, the deity
could command anything,
and the action would be
ethical.
On the other hand, if the deity
only commands what is
ethical according to reason,
then the deity is not the
source of morality.
Contemporary Criticism
How do we know what God commands, or put
another way, how do we know which divine
commands are universally binding?
Natural Law Theory
Actions that are in alignment
with natural law are morally
justified.
Human Beings
Must examine the structure of nature to discern the
law that governs it.

5. Like Deontology, Natural
Law Theory
Actions are right or wrong in and of themselves.
A moral action is either in keeping with the
natural law or it is not.
Like Virtue Theory, Natural
Law Theory
Natural law has a teleological import.
A moral action, which is in keeping with the
natural law, aims to construct a particular kind of
character or person.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Moral laws are universally
applicable.
Moral laws can be discerned
through reason and are
therefore knowable to all
persons.
Cons

6. No commonly accepted
definition of “human nature”
Leads to absolutist moral
judgments that may fall short
of common sense (See
Vaughn, p. 136).
Image Credits
1. Slide 1: http://www.emtecinc.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/07/shutterstock_207916873.jpg
2. Slide 3:
http://oll.libertyfund.org/media/W1siZiIsInBlb3BsZS8zNzc5L0l
tbWF
udWVsX0thbnRfJTI4cGFpbnRlZF9wb3J0cmFpdCUyOS5qcGci
XV0/
Immanuel_Kant_%2528painted_portrait%2529.jpg?sha=c098c42
cf
fe92f07
3. Slide 9:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ogyWXNsKt3I/Rvsnj920ikI/AAAAA
AAAA
V4/D5zAbStVYSI/s400/euthyphro.gif
4. Slide 11:
https://renresearch.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/leonardo-
vitruvian-man.jpg

7. Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics
PL 360
Ethics as Practical Philosophy
Aristotle distinguished the study of ethics from other theoretical
disciplines.
Theoretical Disciplines, like metaphysics, were cognitive and
primarily concerned with the acquisition of intellectual virtue
(knowledge).
Practical disciplines concerned themselves with “human
affairs” (Aristotle, 1962, p. 157).
Ethics was a practical discipline because it entailed the
cultivation of moral virtue through practice.
Starting Assumption:
To be ethical, one had to
be habituated into the
good as a child.
Teleological Ethical System
Ultimate telos or purpose
of life:
Happiness

8. or Eudaimonia
Actions/Habits
Ethics is a matter of practicing actions that
put one on the path to the telos.
What is Happiness?
Happiness as an Ultimate or Final End
Happiness as an “activity of the soul in
accordance with complete excellence [or
virtue]” (Aristotle, 1894/1995), p. 1741).
Two Types of Virtue
Intellectual: Requires sophia or theoretical
wisdom. One learns and then applies the
knowledge.
Moral: Requires phronesis or practical
wisdom. One is habituated into the good and
draws on that experience to make ethical
judgments.
Moral Excellence/Virtue as the
Golden Mean
Excellence:
The Mean Between Two

9. Opposing VicesVice of
Excess
Vice of
Deficiency
Moral excellence “is a mean between two vices, the one
involving
excess, the other deficiency, and that is such because its
character is
to aim at what is intermediate in passions and in actions”
(Aristotle,
1894/1995, p. 1751).
“[I]t is no easy task to be good. For in everything it is no easy
task to find
the middle…that is why goodness is both rare and laudable and
notable”
(Aristotle, 1894/1995), p. 1751).
Practical Wisdon
Finding the golden mean requires phronesis,”
a practical reasoning that involves drawing on
experience to determine the proper course of
action (Aristotle, 1894/1748, p. 1803).
Example

10. Excellence:
Courage
Vice of
Excess:
Cowardice
Vice of
Deficiency:
Recklessness
Once the proper course of action
is determined, one practices the
action until it becomes a virtue or
one’s second nature.
“A habit, friend, is of long practice born and
practice ends in fashioning man’s nature”
(Aristotle, 1962, p. 202).
Photo Credits & References
Slide 1:
http://news.wfu.edu/files/2012/12/620x350.20121207.virtue-
460x260.jp g 3: http://www.mom-
psych.com/Images/MoralIntelligence.jpg

11. Slide 2: Aristotle, (1962). Nicomachean ethics. M. Ostwald,
(Trans.), Nicomachean ethics. New York, NY:
MacMillan Publishing, Co.
Slide 3: http://www.mom-
psych.com/Images/MoralIntelligence.jpg
Slide 5: Aristotle. (1894/1005). Nicomachean ethics. In J.
Barnes, (ed.), The complete works of Aristotle, v. 2.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Slide 6: Aristotle. (1894/1005). Nicomachean ethics. In J.
Barnes, (ed.), The complete works of Aristotle, v. 2.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Slide 7: Aristotle. (1894/1005). Nicomachean ethics. In J.
Barnes, (ed.), The complete works of Aristotle, v. 2.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
8: http://therecordingrevolution.com/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2013/10/balance-300x199.jpg and
Aristotle. (1894/1005). Nicomachean ethics. In J. Barnes, (ed.),
The complete works of Aristotle, v. 2.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Slide 10: http://topendsports.com/sport/archery/images/target-
practice.gif
Slide 12:Aristotle, (1962). Nicomachean ethics. M. Ostwald,
(Trans.), Nicomachean ethics. New York, NY:
MacMillan Publishing, Co.
http://news.wfu.edu/files/2012/12/620x350.20121207.virtue-
460x260.jp
http://www.mom-psych.com/Images/MoralIntelligence.jpg

12. http://www.mom-psych.com/Images/MoralIntelligence.jpg
http://therecordingrevolution.com/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2013/10/balance-300x199.jpg
http://topendsports.com/sport/archery/images/target-practice.gif
Develop and deliver a 10 – 15 minute presentation that meets
the following criteria: 1)
Explain your moral problem
2) Utilize one theory of ethics used in
class to make a moral judgment about
the problem. Be sure to make the moral
logic clear. 3) What objections might be
raised about this judgment? 4) Respond
to Q & A after your presentation