1. Ethics:
A Brief Introduction
Our objective:
Understand the nature of ethics and acquaint ourselves with
several ethical theories
Learn to distinguish between moral and non-moral issues
Learn to reason and evaluate issues from an ethical perspectie
Ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned
with questions of right and wrong:
What makes an action morally good, right?
Where do ethics come from?
2. How do we distinguish between moral and non-moral
actions?
Is ethics simply human creation, or is there some non-
human basis?
Are there situations in which one can disregard one’s
commitment to moral obligations-not to lie or cheat, keep
one’s promise?
Ethical theories:
Consequentialism Non-Consequentialism
Utilitarianism Duty ethics (Kant)
Virtue ethics (Aristotle)
Care ethics (feminist
approaches)
Social Contract Theory: “Morality consists in the set of rules,
governing behavior, that rational people will accept, on the
condition that others accept them as well.”
Utilitarianism
4. 8
Greatest Happiness Principle:
This principle holds that "actions are right in proportion as they
tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the
reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the
absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of
pleasure."
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Bentham
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832); social reformer under an extreme
English legal system.
To Bentham, the measure of right and wrong is discovered by
assessing the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
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Bentham
Bentham believed:
that we should look to the total amount of human happiness
generated by any human project,
that we all count equally,
6. Act and Rule Utilitarianism
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Act utilitarians believe that whenever we are deciding what to
do, we should perform the action that will create the greatest
net utility. In their view, the principle of utility—do whatever
will produce the best overall results—should be applied on a
case by case basis. The right action in any situation is the one
that yields more utility than other available actions.
Act Utilitarians
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Rule utilitarians adopt a two part view that stresses the
importance of moral rules. According to rule utilitarians, a) a
specific action is morally justified if it conforms to a justified
moral rule; and b) a moral rule is justified if its inclusion into
our moral code would create more utility than other possible
rules (or no rule at all). According to this perspective, we
should judge the morality of individual actions by reference to
general moral rules, and we should judge particular moral rules
by seeing whether their acceptance into our moral code would
produce more well-being than other possible rules.
Rule Utilitarians
7. Peter Singer
Peter Singer (1946- ); a leading proponent of preference
utilitarianism.
Singer believes that the ethical project has to begin with the
belief that we cannot favor ourselves and that our interests are
inevitably linked with those of others.
As a result, we must take into account how our actions affect
everyone potentially affected by them.
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Challenges to Utilitarianism
Problems with calculation
Autonomy
Impartiality
Probabilities
Defining Happiness
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Summary
Several advantages to adopting a utilitarian approach:
Gives us the possibility of coming to definitive answers to
moral questions;
It is straightforward and clear;
8. It relies on results that are open to public scrutiny.
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Summary
However, because it relies on outcomes, it is only as strong as
the methods we have to judge them.
There is difficulty in calculating utility functions and trying to
weigh them.
Because they are based on consequences, utilitarian theories
require us to justify acts and thus provide a strong basis for
individual choice and social policy.
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Welfare System - Help for US Citizens
Federally funded and governed US welfare began in the 1930's
during the Great Depression. The US government responded to
the overwhelming number of families and individuals in need of
aid by creating a welfare program that would give assistance to
those who had little or no income.
9. 21
Case Study:
Ethical dilemma surrounding Edward Snowden’s actions.
Did Edward Snowden act ethically when he leaked NSA secrets
to the press?
Did he have an overarching duty towards the security of the
United States or to defend our civil liberties, as he claims (some
may disagree with the premise that he is defending civil
liberties at all)? Is leaking an ethical way to defend civil
liberties? If not, what are other ways?
Abdelaal 1
Yazeed Abdelaal
A Case Study on Serial Killer Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert Bundy was responsible for the murders of at
least thirty women during his lifetime. Bundy was executed by
electric chair on January 24, 1989 at Florida State Prison. Ted
Bundy grew up in an average American home and did very well
in school. He was considered a good student who was active at
his church, and was a boy scout. Traits that most would never
10. associate with a psychopathic serial killer. Bundy’s mother
Eleanor Louse Cowell was a typical mother who had some past
secrets she kept from Ted. For example, his birth certificate
lists his father as a “Lloyd Marshall, but Bundy’s family did not
believe this story. Many of her family members voiced
suspicion toward Louise’s violent father, Samuel Cowell that
Lloyd Marshall was not the father. Another tragic secret that
Ted’s mother kept was that while growing up Bundy did not
know that Louise was his mother. He was told growing up that
Louise was his older sister.
Later it was believed he learned the truth that Louise was his
mother not his sister sometime in his high school years. A few
years before he learned of who his mother was Ted’s mother
married a man named Johnny Bundy. Shortly after the marriage
Johnny tried to bond with his step-son, but Ted remained
emotionally detached from him. Tragically, Bundy struggled
with an addiction to pornography and violence in his childhood.
However, it is believe that Bundy’s actions likely coincided
with his mental condition more than his addiction. Many have
argued that his mental condition was partly brought on by the
fact he learned who his real mother was and that he never really
recovered from the shock of learning that who he thought was
his sister was in fact his own mother.
Ted fell in love with his girlfriend and tried hard to impress her
to the point of grossly exaggerating his own accomplishments.
He tried to gain her approval with a summer scholarship to
Stamford, but the result was less than impressive. By 1968 she
decided Bundy lacked any real future and was not husband
material. She ended the relationship and broke Bundy's heart
and his obsession toward her haunted him for years.
Shortly after his traumatic love experience some of the traits
demonstrated by Bundy included a lack of emotional attachment
to his step-father. Also Bundy stopped developing socially in
high school, he was quoted saying, “I don’t know what made
things tick.” He also said that he did not know what made
people attracted to one another. Many question whether Ted
11. Bundy was a psychopath. A psychopath is a mental disorder
with symptoms such as immoral behavior, antisocial behavior,
and lack of the ability to love, unable to establish meaningful
relationships, extreme self-centeredness and failure to learn
from experience.
After the murders Bundy admitted to a lack of guilt on his part.
He said that “guilt doesn’t solve anything”. He also said, “I
guess I am in the enviable position of not having to deal with
guilt.” Which is one of the most common psychological
diagnoses of Bundy is Antisocial Personality Disorder. People
with this disorder tend to disregard rights and boundaries of
others. Something that was clearly apart of Bundy’s personality.
Bundy at first was a peeping tom. He would often late at night
sneak outside young girls houses and watch them from through
their windows. Eventually he started to sneak in their homes
and attack them. After a while he started to murder the girls he
was stalking.
Bundy was extradited from the Utah prison to Colorado for the
trial. Serving as his own lawyer allowed him to appear in court
without leg irons, plus it gave him an opportunity to move
freely from the courtroom to the law library inside the
courthouse. In an interview, while in the role as his own
attorney, Bundy said,
"More than ever, I am convinced of my own innocence."
In June 1977 during a pre-trial hearing he escaped by jumping
out of the law library window. He was captured a week later.
On December 30 Bundy escaped again from prison and made his
way to Tallahassee, Florida where he rented an apartment near
Florida
State University under the name Chris Hagen. College life was
something Bundy was familiar with and one he enjoyed. He
managed to buy food and pay his way at local college bars with
stolen credit cards. It was just a matter of time before the
monster inside Bundy would resurface.
12. The symptoms of this disorder include the ability to act witty
and charming. The person will have flattery skills and the
ability to manipulate others. Often they repeatedly break the
law and have a disregard for the safety of self and others. In
many cases they have problems with substance abuse such as
alcohol. They often have a habit of lying and stealing, and later
have a lack of guilt or remorse. Lastly, people who suffer from
this disorder often are arrogant and have strong anger issues.
On Saturday, January 14, Bundy broke into Florida State
University's Chi Omega sorority house and bludgeoned and
strangled to death two women, raping one of them and brutally
biting her on her buttocks and one nipple. He beat two others
over the head with a log. They survived which investigators
attribute to fellow roommate Nita Neary, who came home and
interrupted Bundy before he was able to kill the other two
victims. Nita Neary came home around 3 a.m. and noticed the
front door to the house was ajar. As she entered she heard
hurried footsteps above going toward the stairway. She hid in a
doorway and watched as a man wearing a blue cap and carrying
a log left the house. Upstairs she found her roommates. Two
were dead, two others severely wounded. That same night
another woman was attacked and the police found a mask on her
floor identical to one found later in Bundy’s car
It is clear to many that Ted Bundy indeed suffered from
Antisocial Personality Disorder. Many will argue that he also
suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Ted Bundy
before his execution made comments that proved he was indeed
suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder. For example he
stated:
"There are lots of other kids playing in streets around this
country today who are going to be dead tomorrow, and the next
day, and the next day and month, because other young people
are reading the kinds of things and seeing the kinds of things
13. that are available in the media today."
“You feel the last bit of breath leaving their body. You're
looking into their eyes. A person in that situation is God!”
"Sometimes I feel like a vampire."
Many will argue that it was clear that Ted Bundy indeed
suffered from this mental condition, however it is debatable on
what exactly brought on his illness. Some will argue that his
addiction to porn and violent media help him to develop the
illness while others will claim that his personality regardless of
addictions would have been the same and the he was programed
to be who he was.
When Ted was asked why he murdered he often stated it was
about possession. He was fascinated by having the control over
the women he murdered. For him this was not an act of passion
but an act of control over others. He was in essence addicted to
murdering young girls and controlling their last moments of
life.
One of the reason that Ted was so difficult to capture was that
he was studying how the police would investigate him. He was
also very good at changing his appearance. The only reason he
was originally arrested was because he was arrested for
suspicion of beggarly. After a deeper investigation he was
found to have killed someone in another state and was sent to
prison for 15 years. However, he escaped prison one New
Year’s eve. After his escape he immediately started killing
again. He changed his appearance and moved to Florida and
stared murdering girls on campus. His very last murder was
the murder of a 12 year old girl who he assaulted and then
murdered.
Once he was arrested he represented himself in court. After
months of trial he was found guilty and sentenced to death. For
nine years he filed motions to delay his death, however in 1989
his luck ran out and he was executed by electric chair on
January 24, 1989. Up until his last day Ted Bundy thought he
could beat the system and avoid his death.
14. He was attractive, smart, and had a future in politics. He was
also one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. Ted
Bundy screamed his innocence until his death in the electric
chair became imminent, then he tried to use his victims one
more time to keep himself alive. His plan failed and the world
got a glimpse of the true evil inside him.
Throughout his years in high school and college, Bundy
suffered from acute shyness that resulted in his appearing
socially awkward. He rarely dated and kept to himself. But in
1967 Bundy met the woman of his dreams. She was pretty,
wealthy, and sophisticated. They both shared a skill and passion
for skiing and spent many weekends on the ski slopes.
Bundy went on trial in Florida on June 25, 1979 for the murders
of the sorority women. The trial was televised and Bundy
played up to the media when on occasion he acted as his own
attorney. Bundy was found guilty on both murder charges and
given two death sentences by means of the electric chair
. On January 7, 1980, Bundy went on trial for killing
Kimberly Leach. This time he allowed his attorney's to
represent him. They decided on an insanity plea, the only
defense possible with the amount of evidence the state had
against him. Bundy's behavior was much different during this
trial than the previous one. He displayed fits of anger, slouched
in his chair, and his collegiate look was sometimes replaced
with a haunting glare. Bundy was found guilty and received a
third death sentence.
During the sentencing phase, Bundy surprised everyone by
calling Carol Boone as a character witness and marrying her
while she was on the witness stand. Boone was convinced of
Bundy's innocence. She later gave birth to Bundy's child, a little
girl who Bundy adored. In time Boone divorced Bundy after
realizing he was guilty of the horrific crimes.
Bundy, still thinking he could beat a guilty verdict, turned down
a plea bargain whereby he would plead guilty to killing the two
sorority women and Kimberly LaFouche in exchange for three
15. 25 year sentences Bundy was forced by court order to give a
dental impression. Forensic dentist Richard Souviron declared
the outline of Bundy's front teeth, which were chipped and
misaligned, an exact match to the pattern on the transparent
overlay. This proved to be a major piece of evidence for the
prosecution
Bundy went on trial in Florida on June 25, 1979 for the murders
of the sorority women. The trial was televised and Bundy
played up to the media when on occasion he acted as his own
attorney. Bundy was found guilty on both murder charges and
given two death sentences by means of the electric chair. On
January 7, 1980, Bundy went on trial for killing Kimberly
Leach. This time he allowed his attorney's to represent him.
They decided on an insanity plea, the only defense possible with
the amount of evidence the state had against him.
Bundy's behavior was much different during this trial than the
previous one. He displayed fits of anger, slouched in his chair,
and his collegiate look was sometimes replaced with a haunting
glare. Bundy was found guilty and received a third death
sentence. During the sentencing phase, Bundy surprised
everyone by calling Carol Boone as a character witness and
marrying her while she was on the witness stand.
Boone was convinced of Bundy's innocence. She later gave birth
to Bundy's child, a little girl who Bundy adored. In time Boone
divorced Bundy after realizing he was guilty of the horrific
crimes.
After endless appeals Bundy's last stay of execution was on
January 17, 1989. Prior to being put to death Bundy gave the
details of more than fifty women he had murdered to
Washington State Attorney General's chief investigator, Dr. Bob
Keppel. He also confessed to keeping the heads of some of his
victims at his home plus to engaging in necrophilia. In his final
interview he blamed his exposure to pornography at an
impressionable age as being the stimulant behind his murderous
obsessions. Many directly involved with Bundy believed he
16. murdered at least 100 women
References
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Kuypers, Jim A. "The Press and James Dobson: Contextual
Reconstruction After the Ted Bundy Interview." Florida
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Bundy,%20Ted%20-%202005.pdf>.
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Scott, Shirley L. "What Makes Serial Killers Tick?" TruTV.
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17. “Theodore Robert Bundy #106.” Welcome to the Clark County
Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.
http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/bundy106.htm.
