R3101 Lecture 2 Religious ethics & ethical theories, Dr.

Margaret Mishra
The belief that human beings are made in the image of God influences moral judgment (Preston, 23) To know God is to do justice The Divine Command theory: the link between religion and belief in God

The golden rule Hinduism: This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you (Mahabharata) Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful (Udana-Varga) Confucianism: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you (Analects) Christianity: And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise (The Holy Bible) Islam: None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself" (Hadiths) 1. Hinduism: some key concepts Reincarnation, karma, dharma, kindness & hospitality, Gandhian ethics 2. Buddhism: main principles Do not take/destroy life Do not take what is not given Do not distort facts Refrain from misuse of the senses Refrain from self-intoxication Nirvana 3. Confucianism Li: ritual & etiquette, the acts of everyday life Hsiao: love within family relationships Chung: loyalty to: family, spouse, ruler/state, & friends Yi: righteousness Xin: honesty and trustworthiness Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others 4. Islam Shariah: the path or the right way of life Jihad: the internal struggle that Muslims undertake to overcome their personal faults, & the struggle to defend the faith globally Core values: submission, virtue & honor, humility, piety Human beings have a moral responsibility to submit to Gods will & to follow Islam

5. Christianity Sources of Christian authority include: authority of the church; authority of the scriptures; faith in God and in Jesus Christ & direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit Sin & forgiveness (ability to forgive those who wrong you) Guided by the 10 commandments (as code of conduct) 1. Ethics of character: Virtue/Aristotelian ethics Virtue: the quality of doing what is right; standard of moral excellence Virtue is an example of a value Virtue ethics asks: What sort of person should I become? What is the best type of person to be? What would a virtuous person do? What habits should I develop? Focuses on the character of a person Some examples of virtues Honesty, respect, compassion, love, loyalty, The golden mean Aristotle describes virtue as a mean (ideal) between two extremes

Example: Bravery on the battlefield deficient ---------MEAN-------excess Cowardliness---BRAVERY---rashness

Ethics of conduct asks: What type of actions should we perform? Shifts from character to actions Two main branches are: a) consequentialism (teleology) b) deontology (non-consequentialism/duty theory) a) Consequentialism where ethical decisions are based on calculating the good in terms of the consequences or the outcomes 1) What will be the end result of my action? 2) Who will benefit from my action? Egoism (me!) & altruism, utilitarianism (others) Duty theory Deontology, non-consequentialism Duties must be obeyed & rights acknowledged regardless of the consequences

Focuses on the intentions or motives Relies on absolute rules - do not kill, do not tell lies, do not break promises