The document discusses ethics and values, specifically act-centered ethics versus agent-centered ethics. It provides examples of different approaches within act-centered ethics, including deontology (duty ethics) and teleology (ethics of consequences). Deontology focuses on duties and obligations, and can be act-based or rule-based. Teleology assesses the potential outcomes of actions and aims for the most good. The document also introduces the Values Exchange, an online tool for collaborative, values-based decision making through exploring issues, principles, and comparing viewpoints.

1. Monday, March 9, 2009

2. Ethics and Values
in Practice
Monday, March 9, 2009

3. Morality is concerned with right and
wrong, how we behave and how we ought
to behave.
Ethics is the systematic analysis of morality.
Values are the ideas, norms and
expectations that we hold in everyday life.
They are at the heart of our thinking about
right and wrong, good and bad.
Values are socially contingent, they arise
from our life experiences.
Monday, March 9, 2009

4. Act Centred and Agent Centred Ethics
• Act Centred ethics focus on the action that is or will be taken
•The aim is to identify or develop procedures for determining
moral obligations
•The motivation to be moral is found either in moral duties
themselves, or in our desire to bring about good outcomes.
• Agent Centred ethics focus on the ‘ virtues’ of the person taking
the action.
• The motivation for moral behaviour is the desire to be
virtuous. For example, to be:
• courageous, just, prudent, liberal, honest....
Monday, March 9, 2009

5. In this session we are looking at Act Centred
ethics.
The two main approaches are
1. Deontology- Duty Ethics
2. Teleology- Ethics of Consequences
Monday, March 9, 2009

6. Types of Deontology
• Act Deontology
• Principles and duties not defined before the act which is being judged
• Opposed to rules in principle because each situation is unique.
• Moral Duty= BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
• Rule Deontology
• Rules are set based on explicit duties which must be applied in
relevant circumstances
• For example Pacifism, non-judgementalism, or confidentiality in some
models of counselling
• Duties might include- “always tell the truth”, “do no harm” “ serve
needs before wants”......
Monday, March 9, 2009

7. Types of Teleology
Monday, March 9, 2009

8. Types of Teleology
• Act Consequentialism
• assess potential outcomes in each case and act
to produce the most good
• General Consequentialism
• What if everyone were to do what I wish to do?
• Rule Consequentialism
• What rules can be derived from calculating likely
benefits of typical actions which will produce the
greatest good?
Monday, March 9, 2009

9. Types of Deontology
• Act Deontology
• assess duites arising in each case and act in accordance with the
primary duty
• General Deontology
• What are the essential duties we should follow?
• Rule Deontology
• What rules can be applied to help us determine our duties I
specific situations?
Monday, March 9, 2009

10. Values Based Decision Making
The Values Exchange
(David Seedhouse)
www.cumbria-values.exchange.co.uk
Monday, March 9, 2009

11. The Values Exchange (VX) is an online resource
for collaborative values based decision making.
It was developed by Professor David Seedhouse,
Auckland University of Technology, New
Zealand.
Participants respond to proposals for action
using a systematic approach to decision making.
VX can be used for teaching, research and
collaborative decision making in a wide range of
topic areas.
Monday, March 9, 2009

12. How to use the Values Exchange
Choose a case proposal and make an initial
decision to agree or disagree with the proposal.
Work through the VX pages to Justify your
decision by systematic appraisal of key issues.
The first stage is to explore and establish the
relevance and importance of basic issues.
Monday, March 9, 2009

13. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

14. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

15. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

16. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

17. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

18. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

19. The Rings of Confidence
What is
important? Justice
Social Benefit Dignity
The Law Human Rights
Primary Risk
How confident
are you?
Monday, March 9, 2009

20. Monday, March 9, 2009

21. Select relevant principles from a 16 item grid,
working through these to help to clarify and
justify your opinions.
Monday, March 9, 2009

22. Individual
Effectiveness Evidence
Risk Norms
Principles
The Equality
Support Group
Public
Liberty
Law Inquiry
Justice Culture
Oneself
Monday, March 9, 2009

23. Comparing viewpoints
• When you submit your response you will
be able to use the reports facility to see
how your views compare with other
respondents.
• The next stage is to discuss the group’s
views, differences of opinion and values the
next time you meet in the classroom.
Monday, March 9, 2009