At the first stage, the goal of using the Act Ethically framework is to identify key features of the situation under consideration and generate options for action. In general, there is no particular order these questions must be addressed in, though we recommend beginning this stage with “What are the facts of the situation?” and… Read More »Using the Framework: Understand the Situation
Courses of study in philosophy typically require classes in Logic and Critical Thinking. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, and sometimes they are used to refer to quite different things. Any distinction is not important for our purposes here, so we can lump them together. Logic and critical thinking focus on the rules of good… Read More »Logic and Critical Thinking
Below you will see the Act Ethically framework designed for use for students. This image can currently be downloaded as a full-color 18″x24″ poster and a full-color 8.5″x11″ document. If you would like to request other formats, contact us. Long-term we would like to have the framework imagery professionally re-designed. If you have ideas or… Read More »Act Ethically Framework (images, downloads)
Summary: Students generate lists of “obviously good” and “obviously bad” things. They then engage in giving reasons why the things on their lists are good and bad. Activity time: 20-40 mins (est)
Virtue ethics is a variety of ethical theory with a very long history, extending back to 6th-4th century BCE Greece and China. Nonetheless, in contemporary ethical theorizing, virtue ethics is considered a relative newcomer alongside consequentialist theories and deontological theories. This is because virtue ethics had a long dormant period in western ethics, and contemporary… Read More »Introduction to Virtue Ethics
‘Deontological‘ is a term used to describe a variety of moral theories that all put limitations on maximizing good outcomes. Kantian ethics – named for philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) – is one of the most commonly discussed deontological theories. In fact, the association is so close that you may find the terms ‘Kantianism’ and ‘deontology’… Read More »Introduction to Deontology
Why a framework? We frequently are faced with the question “What is the right thing to do?” No science experiment or empirical investigation will answer this type of question. How should we go about answering this question when it arises? There are a lot of potential traps we could fall into. We could try consulting… Read More »A Framework for Moral Reasoning
Utilitarianism is one of the several moral theories most commonly taught in ethics courses. It is a specific version of a broader family of theories that go by the name “consequentialism.” Consequentialist theories maintain that the right action is the one that produces the best consequences. In other words, when judging an action’s rightness, only… Read More »Introduction to Utilitarianism
