This document provides an overview and introduction to a course in philosophical ethics. It discusses different approaches to ethics, including descriptive ethics, normative ethics, and meta-ethics. Descriptive ethics examines how people actually respond to ethical dilemmas. Normative ethics considers how people should respond based on justifications for moral claims. Meta-ethics analyzes the nature of ethical statements and thinking. The document also presents two examples of ethical dilemmas - the runaway boxcar dilemma and a variation involving pushing a large person in front of the boxcar. It notes how people typically respond differently to these cases despite the consequences being the same. Finally, it outlines the basic elements of philosophical ethics, including appeals to reason

1. Philosophical Ethics
an introduction to the course
George Matthews
Fall 2015
Caspar David Freidrich, “Gebirge”

2. an ethical dilemma

3. an ethical dilemma
the runaway boxcar
You are standing next to a switch on a railroad track when a
runaway boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You
notice five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear
you. If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. If
you throw the switch, the boxcar will not hit the children but will
hit and kill one man working on the other track.

4. an ethical dilemma
the runaway boxcar
You are standing next to a switch on a railroad track when a
runaway boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You
notice five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear
you. If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. If
you throw the switch, the boxcar will not hit the children but will
hit and kill one man working on the other track.
" What would you do?

5. an ethical dilemma
the runaway boxcar
You are standing next to a switch on a railroad track when a
runaway boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You
notice five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear
you. If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. If
you throw the switch, the boxcar will not hit the children but will
hit and kill one man working on the other track.
" What would you do?
" What should you do?

6. an ethical dilemma
the runaway boxcar
You are standing next to a switch on a railroad track when a
runaway boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You
notice five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear
you. If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. If
you throw the switch, the boxcar will not hit the children but will
hit and kill one man working on the other track.
" What would you do?
" What should you do?
! Why?

7. approaches to ethics, 1

8. approaches to ethics, 1
descriptive ethics
! How do people actually respond to ethical
problems?
! What psychological and sociological explanations
account for our ethical thinking and behavior?
! How does ethical thinking and behavior change with
individual development, education, cultural
background?

9. approaches to ethics, 1
descriptive ethics
! How do people actually respond to ethical
problems?
! What psychological and sociological explanations
account for our ethical thinking and behavior?
! How does ethical thinking and behavior change with
individual development, education, cultural
background?
" Cases like the runaway boxcar dilemma have been
studied extensively by moral psychologists.

10. approaches to ethics, 1
descriptive ethics
! How do people actually respond to ethical
problems?
! What psychological and sociological explanations
account for our ethical thinking and behavior?
! How does ethical thinking and behavior change with
individual development, education, cultural
background?
" Cases like the runaway boxcar dilemma have been
studied extensively by moral psychologists.
" One result: most people say they would throw the
switch.

11. approaches to ethics, 2

12. approaches to ethics, 2
normative ethics
! How should we respond to ethical dilemmas and
problems?
! What justifications are there for our moral claims
and assumptions?
! How can we use critical rationality to establish
ethical norms?

13. approaches to ethics, 2
normative ethics
! How should we respond to ethical dilemmas and
problems?
! What justifications are there for our moral claims
and assumptions?
! How can we use critical rationality to establish
ethical norms?
" Many of us assume that the consequences of our actions
determine their rightness or wrongness.

14. approaches to ethics, 2
normative ethics
! How should we respond to ethical dilemmas and
problems?
! What justifications are there for our moral claims
and assumptions?
! How can we use critical rationality to establish
ethical norms?
" Many of us assume that the consequences of our actions
determine their rightness or wrongness.
" Is this a correct assumption – do better consequences
really make an act morally right?

15. variation on a dilemma

16. variation on a dilemma
another runaway boxcar
You are standing on a bridge over a railroad track when a runaway
boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You notice
five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear you.
If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. There is a
rather large person next to you and if you push that person off the
bridge in front of the boxcar the car will derail and the children will
be saved, but he will be killed.

17. variation on a dilemma
another runaway boxcar
You are standing on a bridge over a railroad track when a runaway
boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You notice
five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear you.
If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. There is a
rather large person next to you and if you push that person off the
bridge in front of the boxcar the car will derail and the children will
be saved, but he will be killed.
" Most people would NOT push the person off the bridge to save the
children.

18. variation on a dilemma
another runaway boxcar
You are standing on a bridge over a railroad track when a runaway
boxcar is speeding down the tracks in your direction. You notice
five children playing on the track ahead, too far away to hear you.
If you do nothing they will be hit by the train and killed. There is a
rather large person next to you and if you push that person off the
bridge in front of the boxcar the car will derail and the children will
be saved, but he will be killed.
" Most people would NOT push the person off the bridge to save the
children.
" Why not, given that the consequences in each case are the same?

19. approaches to ethics, 3

20. approaches to ethics, 3
meta-ethics
! How do ethical language and ethical thinking differ
from other ways of speaking or thinking?
! Are ethical statements statements about reality,
expressions of our feelings, something else entirely?
! Is there any hope for rationally settling conflicting
ethical claims?

21. approaches to ethics, 3
meta-ethics
! How do ethical language and ethical thinking differ
from other ways of speaking or thinking?
! Are ethical statements statements about reality,
expressions of our feelings, something else entirely?
! Is there any hope for rationally settling conflicting
ethical claims?
" When we claim that it is acceptable to throw the switch,
but not to push the large person off the bridge are we
making a statement about a fact?

22. approaches to ethics, 3
meta-ethics
! How do ethical language and ethical thinking differ
from other ways of speaking or thinking?
! Are ethical statements statements about reality,
expressions of our feelings, something else entirely?
! Is there any hope for rationally settling conflicting
ethical claims?
" When we claim that it is acceptable to throw the switch,
but not to push the large person off the bridge are we
making a statement about a fact?
" Or are we merely expressing our personal feelings about
these scenarios?

23. basic elements of philosophical ethics

24. basic elements of philosophical ethics
1. appeal to reason
2. universality
3. impartiality
4. overriding character of ethical principles

25. basic elements of philosophical ethics
1. appeal to reason
2. universality
3. impartiality
4. overriding character of ethical principles
Philosophers trust reason as a method of discovering the
truth about ethics and for producing genuine conviction.

26. basic elements of philosophical ethics
1. appeal to reason
2. universality
3. impartiality
4. overriding character of ethical principles
Ethics aspires to find principles that transcend individual
cases and apply to all relevantly similar situations.

27. basic elements of philosophical ethics
1. appeal to reason
2. universality
3. impartiality
4. overriding character of ethical principles
Right and wrong do not depend on who you are. We are
all presumed equally worthy of consideration.

28. basic elements of philosophical ethics
1. appeal to reason
2. universality
3. impartiality
4. overriding character of ethical principles
Since ethics is concerned with what is fundamentally
right and wrong, its principles override considerations of
personal preference, customary behavior, law, etc.

29. basic elements of philosophical ethics
1. appeal to reason
2. universality
3. impartiality
4. overriding character of ethical principles
Yes, all of these claims are subject to debate – that is
part of what philosophical ethics does, it examines its
own assumptions about ethics and ethical thinking.

30. our plan of attack

31. our plan of attack
logic
First we will look at what is involved in justifying any claim at all,
whether it has to do with ethics or not.

32. our plan of attack
logic
First we will look at what is involved in justifying any claim at all,
whether it has to do with ethics or not.
ethical theory
Next we will take a tour of various theories of ethics that have been
advanced to try to answer the question of right and wrong in
general.

33. our plan of attack
logic
First we will look at what is involved in justifying any claim at all,
whether it has to do with ethics or not.
ethical theory
Next we will take a tour of various theories of ethics that have been
advanced to try to answer the question of right and wrong in
general.
applied ethics
Finally we will see how this all plays out in the real world.

34. something to think about
What counts as a good
reason to believe or to do
something?