Rob Colquhoun

Consequentialism- good produced rather than the inherent rightness of action. Maximum happiness utility calculation of consequences Bentham Prinicples of morals and legislation 1789. humans seek pleasure avoid pain. Criteria- how measured. Ethics in quantative terms. Mill U 1861.- quantity- quality. Maximum benefit from min resources. Duration/intensity/certainty. John Austin (province of jurisprudence, 1832) –good when persued by all community.

+common sense, consequences, not transcendent/rel needed. Egalitarian/ public method, practical decision making. Maximising results determines morals.

-calculation inaccurate.goods incommensurable. Goods ambiguous- who decides? Pluralism no moral boundaries. Ignores acting person. No duty, obligation, mutual bonds closeness.

 

Virtue – Gk excellence nicoethics. Anscombe modern mphil 1958. ignore character feelings. Practice pleasure teacher right feelings. Virtues help happy life. All round wellbeing. Peter Geach Virtues 1977 need for things in life control guide passions. Hume passions needed useful to possessor, society.

+ Emhpasize person, moral education, treats life as whole, no principle to base decisions.

- virtue leads to unhappiness, attractive vice, good effects of vice, cultural relativism, good evil missing. Less concentration on objectivity of act concentration on person making decision.

 

Natural law: complete well being, perfection. What we should seek. Reason, nature, how we shall live. Experience base. CICERO de repulice ‘True law is right reason in agreement with nature. Applied universally and unchanging everlasting. Aq –participate divine law. Moral code naturally inclination.

+unity personal ethics law. Combination of best.virtue and values. Rational multicultural debate. Objective, moral absolutes.

- disagree principles implications. Nature ideology not imposition. Outdated theistic cosmology. Happiness Xn morality.transcendent horizon.