what is
‘good’
Religious Ethics Most religions have an ethical component, often coming from a purposeful supernatural revelation or guidance. According to Simon Blackburn, “For many people, ethics is not only tied up with religion, but is completely settled by it. Such people do not need to think too much about ethics, because there is an authoritative code of instructions, a handbook of how to live.� Some assert that religion is necessary to live ethically...
Key What is the name given to the followers ? Where did it originate ? When did it begin ? How long ago ? How many followers are there currently ? Where was it first written ? Where do they practice ? Who is there Supernatural Leader Key Founder
Contents Christianity Islam Hinduism Buddhism
1-4 5-8 9-12 13-16
Christianity Christian Jerusalem, Israel 2,000 years ago 2,000,000,000 The Bible A Church God St Augustine
Global Distribution: Countries with the most amount of Christians: 1.Vatican City 100% 2.Pitcairn Islands 100% 3.Samoa ~99% 4.Romania 99% 5.American Samoa 98.3% 6.Malta 98.1% 7.Venezuela 98% 8.Greece 98% 9.Marshall Islands 97.2% 10.Tonga 97.2%
Ethics in Religion
1
Redemption
The ultimate motive to be and do good is to receive the love of God. Redemption is... The Kingdom of God. A righteous society where all live in peace and harmony with God and nature. All Christian ethical behavior is centered around the motive to achieve redemption. St Augustine developed the initial framework for Christian ethics he saw life as a punishment for Adam’s original sin, and thought that Christians could achieve redemption by overcoming their natural inclination to sin, by following and listening to God. He emphasized the significance of motives over actions.
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Ethics in Religion
wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, gluttony. Sin:
All ethical teachings are based within the bible, Christian ethics are founded upon the concept of grace which transforms a person’s life and enables one to choose and act righteously. As sin is both individual and social, so is grace applied to both the individual and society. The notion of inherent sinfulness is the reason why Christians developed their own morals when it comes to ethics. Sin is against God’s will, and it is applied to both the individual and society. There are several different models of vice and virtue (good and bad). The Seven Deadly Sins is one type of these models. To commit a sin is to be ethically immoral.
Ethics in Religion
3
Key Christian Virtues:
Faith Love Hope
4
Ethics in Religion
Islam Muslim Saudi Arabia 1,400 years ago 1,600,000,000 The Qur’an Mosque Allah Muhammad
Global Distribution: Countries with the most amount of Muslims: 1.Saudi Arabia 100 % 2.Maldives 100% 3.Mauritania 100% 4.Turkey 99.8% 5.Somalia 99.8% 6.Afghanistan 99% 7.Yemen 99.1% 8.Morocco 98.7% 9.Algeria 98.3% 10.Iran 98%
Ethics in Religion
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Reflection
The ultimate belief that God is reality, and the meaning of life. Reflection is... Muslims search of understanding of mankind, and the meaning of existence.
Regardless of their environment, humans are believed to have a moral responsibility to submit to God’s will and to follow Islam. This natural inclination, according to the Qur’an is undermined by man’s focus on material success, it first is innocent presenting itself in the form of the need for survival or security, but then it manifests itself into material success, and so the focus on materialism results in a state of jahiliyya or ‘ignorance’.
6
Ethics in Religion
control, no vanity, god in the heart, morality, selflessness, no bad habits. Muhammad, like other prophets in Islam, was sent by God (Allah) to remind human beings of their moral responsibility, and challenge those ideas in society which opposed submission to God. The challenges revolve in society and the Muslim belief, world view and hierarchy of values. The five characteristics set by Muhammad are to be followed, the more they are lived by and lived by the better the person is morally. Muslims not only be morally healthy, but they must contribute to the moral health of society as a whole. They must refrain from evil and vice, and forbid it.
Ethics in Religion
7
Key Muslim Values:
Piety Humility
8
Ethics in Religion
Hinduism Hindu Gurjurat/ Punjar, India 4,000 years ago 1,000,000,000 Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Purnas
Puja Brahaham Brahaham
Global Distribution: Countries with the most amount of Hindus: 1.Nepal 81.3% 2.India 80.5% 3.Mauritius 54% 4.Fiji 33.7% 5.Guyana 28% 6.Bhutan 25% 7.Suriname 20% 8.Trinidad and Tobago 18.2% 9.United Arab Emirates 15% 10.Sri Lanka 12.6%
Ethics in Religion
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Reincarnation The underlying principle of Hinduism is karma. Reincarnation is... The concept that the soul or spirit, after biological death, begins a new life in a new body that may be human, animal or spiritual depending on the moral quality of the previous life’s actions. Hinduism expresses the need for reciprocity (a mutual exchange), as they believe one may end up in ones shoes, intention is seen as very important. Therefore selfless action for the benefit of only others is seen as good karma, which is an important rule within Hinduism. The more acts of good a Hindu commits, the better his or her karma will be, which in turn offers a better/ higher life in the next incarnation.
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Ethics in Religion
vegetarianism, ‘satyagraha’- truth, rejection of cowardice.
More emphasis is placed on empathy than in any other traditions, and women are sometimes upheld as great moral examples but also as great gurus. Creative female energy plays a major role in the Hindu ethos. Hinduism strives to approach the truth especially through forms of art. However emphasis on domestic life and the joys of household and village may make Hindu ethics slightly more conservative than others on matters of family and sex. Ethical traditions have been influenced by people such as Mohandas Gandhi, who emphasized the above traditions shared in all Indian faiths.
Ethics in Religion
11
Key Hindu Values:
Kindness Hospitality
12
Ethics in Religion
Buddhism Buddhist Nepal 2,500 years ago 376,000,000 Tipitaka Temples Buddha Siddahartha Gautama
Global Distribution: Countries with the most amount of Buddhists: 1.Cambodia 97% 2.Japan 96% 3.Thailand 95% 4.Taiwan 93% 5.Mongolia 93% 6.Myanmar 90% 7.Hong Kong 90% 8.Bhutan 84% 9.Macau 80% 10.Vietnam 75%
Ethics in Religion
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Nirvana
The ultimate principle behind Buddhism is enlightenment. Nirvana is... The state in which a person is liberated from a permanent cycle of pain and suffering. It is characterized by a sense calmness and a complete lack of desires. Buddha means ‘the awakened one’. It is claimed that Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) reached this state after many years of study and travel. An important aspect of his teachings is the idea of selflessness. It is believed in following these teachings a Buddhist will and can achieve Nirvana.
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Ethics in Religion
no killing, no lying, no sexual misconduct, no intoxicants.
Pancasila:
The foundation of Buddhist ethics is in the Pancasila. In becoming Buddhist, you are encouraged to vow to abstain from these negative actions. Buddhist monks and nuns take hundreds more vows. The Buddha provided some basic guidelines for acceptable behavior that are part of the Noble Eightfold path. The initial concept is non-injury or nonviolence to all creatures, from insects to humans. The Buddha also proposes other ethical codes defining definitive positive virtues.
Ethics in Religion
15
Key Buddhist Attitudes: Known as the ‘immeasurables’:
Loving Kindness Compassion Sympathetic Joy Equanimity 16
Ethics in Religion
‘go what
Religious Ethics So what are Ethics ? “a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures” A major branch of philosophy They encompass the right conduct and good life. It is significantly broader than the common conception of analyzing right and wrong. A central aspect of ethics is “the good life”, the life worth living or life that is simply satisfying.
“commonly used interchangeably with ‘morality’ ... and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group or individual.” Paul and Elder state that, “most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs and the law”, and don’t treat ethics as a standalone concept. The word ethics can mean several things. It can refer to philosophical ethics—a project that attempts to use reason in order to answer various kinds of ethical questions. It can also be used to describe a particular person’s own, idiosyncratic
od’ is
principles or habits. Ethics covers a large range of important topics e.g. social and environmental issues. Depending on whether you are fundamentally religious or not religious you will have a different view upon the world and human beings. What is right, and what is wrong is an almost indefinable principle, but there are commonalities shown through both sides of the argument as to why we should be ethical. For instance all the religions mentioned strive for fairness and truth, they stress emphasis on not only us as an individual but our effect upon
Secular Ethics society, and this is done throughout all of the secular theories too. The main difference of the two sides is the reason as to why we are moral and why we think about ethics. Another similarity that everyone across all areas understand as unethical and wrong is cruelty towards one another, murder for instance is wrong. It could be said that to be ethical you need to understand everyones opinions and listen to others, you yourself can decide what you want to abide by and why, but everyone, religious or not can strive and work towards ‘good’.
“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do‌ By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever according to the tendency it appears to have to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question: or, what is the same thing in other words to promote or to oppose that happiness. I say of every action whatsoever, and therefore not only of every action of a private individual, but of every measure of government.â€? -Jeremy Bentham Ethics in Religion
16
Consequentialism The end result is fundamental in utilitarianism. Consequetialism is... that the consequences of one’s conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. Thus, from a morally right act (is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. Utilitarianism prescribes the quantitative maximization (a measurement of the highest degree) of good consequences for a population, this is a form of consequentialism. This ‘good’ is maximized by happiness, pleasure or preference satisfaction. These consequences usually have something to do with the welfare of people (and animals). Utilitarianism is often associated with the term welfarist.
15
Secular Ethics
ideal, act and rule, two-level , preference, negative, motive.
-types of utilitarianism The End Result:
(as opposed to Kantian ethics) In Utilitarianism it is irrelevant whether, for example a person is giving money to charity because they have been told to or whether they wanted to, just the fact that they have done so is classified by utilitarians as a morally good act.
Secular Ethics
14
Utilitarianism Utilitarian Britain 1780 An Introduction to the Principles of Moral Legislation
John Stuart Mill
13
Ethics in Religion
“Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worth of happiness� -Immanuel Kant
Secular Ethics
12
Categorical Imperative Kant maintained the principle that only good will is morally praiseworthy. The Categorical Imperative is... to act only on motives that you would intend as universal law. Treat others how you would wish to be treated, and act only as if everyone else would do so.
Immanuel Kant identified a single path towards human freedom, rationality and morality. All three could be achieved by following the principle of the categorical imperative. This principle specifies that one must only act upon motives that are of their own and what they would expect everyone else to do; for example the motive ‘I will lie� fails the test, and if everyone acted the same, no one would ever believe one another, and lying would be impossible, and so it is their moral duty not to act upon this motive.
11
Secular Ethics
dignity, respect, no self-harm, no degradation, no lying.
Good Will:
Good will is only morally acceptable according to Kantian ethics. So doing something that appears to be ethical for the wrong reasons is in fact not a morally good act at all. For example if a person was to give money to charity because if they didn’t they where going to be punished etc, the donation would not be a morally good act. A dutiful action must be performed solely out of a sense of duty; any other motivation profanes the act and strips it of its moral quality.
Secular Ethics
10
Kantianism Kants Germany 1785 Groundworks the of Metaphysics of Morals
Immanuel Kant
9
Secular Ethics
“Society does not consist of individuals, but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand.� - Karl Marx
Secular Ethics
8
Alienation
Marx believed that industrialization and social hierarchy caused alienation. Alienation is... Alienation (Entfremdung) is the result of living in a social hierarchy within society, and because of this and being a functional part of a social class alienates a person from his and her humanity. People find themselves in a state of alienation when they are unable to use their essential human capacities. In an ideal situation, people would fulfill their capacities and fully realize themselves. They would thereby become actual things- rather than potential things, in the world, and would see themselves adequately expressed within it.
7
Secular Ethics
anti capitalist, no class divide, identity, fairness.
Self-Realization:
The idea of Marxism is based upon the new found state of modern man living in an industrial age. Marx felt man was condemned to meaningless work, which makes him alienated from his products and himself. The ideal of a human being , is one who overcomes alienation and uses his new capacities to get to a state of self-realization, he then becomes an example and an artist. The work of an artist is pure creativity, and goes beyond the simple satisfaction of needs for food, clothing and shelter. Instead, the artist gives expression to his life and being.
Secular Ethics
6
Marxism Marxist Germany 1844 The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx
5
Secular Ethics
“Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.� -International Humanist and Ethical Union
Secular Ethics
4
Rationalism & Empiricism Humanists values critical thinking and evidence and rejects doctrine and faith. Rationalism and Empiricism is... the emphasis on the value and aid of thinking and evidence. There are three main humanist manifestos; The Girl Scout Law, United States Naval Academy Honor Concept and Minnesota Principle. Humanism is derived from the Latin concept ‘humanitas’. It projects benevolence (good) towards fellow humans. Historians agree that the concept was initially thought of years before the name was used to describe it. Humanism consciously rejects supernatural claims, faith, religion, pseudoscience (un-evidenced science) and superstition.
3
Secular Ethics
honesty, fairness, friendliness, consideration, responsibility, respectful. Manifestos:
The Girl Scout Law: I will do my best to be, honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to, respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, and to make the world a better place, and to be a sister to every Girl Scout. The US Naval Academy Honor Concept states that midshipmen are men of integrity, it emphasizes that they will always tell the truth and let the truth be known. Lastly the Minnesota Principles, proposed in 1992, was designed around business but contained similar principles as the two above.
Secular Ethics
2
Humanism Humanist Europe 600years ago, then developed 200 years ago
(Various) (Various)
1
Secular Ethics
Key What is the name given to the followers ? Where did it originate ? When did it begin ? How long ago ? Where was it first written ? Key Thinker
Contents Humanism Marxism Kantianism Utilitarianism
1-4 5-8 9-12 13-16
Secular Ethics
Secular ethics is a branch of moral philosophy in which ethics is based solely on human faculties such as logic, reason or moral intuition, and not derived from purported supernatural revelation or guidance (which is the source of religious ethics). Secular ethical systems can also vary within the societal and cultural norms of a specific time period. Despite the width and diversity of their philosophical views, secular ethicists generally share one or more principles: Human beings, through their ability to empathize, are capable of determining ethical grounds. Human beings, through logic and reason, are capable of deriving normative principles of behavior. This may lead to a behavior preferable to that propagated or condoned based on religious texts. Alternatively, this may lead to the advocacy of a system of moral principles that a broad group of people, both religious and non-religious, can agree upon. Human beings have the moral responsibility to ensure that societies and individuals act based on these ethical principles...
what is
‘good’