As educators, we would like to believe that we can influence the ethical growth of our students. If we are to do this, it seems worthwhile to first understand what ethical decision-making is and how it happens. For millennia, ethical decision-making has fallen within the domain of philosophy. However, recent evidence suggests that the average person does not consider ethical dilemmas in the abs...

Decisions must be justified. In medical ethics various grounds are given to justify decisions, but ultimate justification seems illusory and little considered. The philosopher Wittgenstein discusses the problem of ultimate justification in the context of general philosophy. His comments, nevertheless, are pertinent to ethics. From a discussion of Wittgensteinian notions, such as 'bedrock', the ...

The approach to teaching employed in the Dictionary of Medical Ethics (1) provides a model which might be adopted in other media. Most of the 150 authors were medical, but many represented other disciplines, and they wrote for similar professionals and for the general public. Medical ethics is derived from medical science and practice, moral philosophy, sociology, theology, the law and other di...

This paper argues that many of Adam Smith’s insights, particularly those in his Theory of moral sentiments, have a relevance to contemporary thought about economics and ethics that is currently underappreciated. In economics, for example, Smith was concerned not only with the sufficiency of self-interest at the moment of exchange but also with the wider moral motivations and institutions requir...

This paper argues that many of Adam Smith’s insights, particularly those in his Theory of moral sentiments, have a relevance to contemporary thought about economics and ethics that is currently underappreciated. In economics, for example, Smith was concerned not only with the sufficiency of self-interest at the moment of exchange but also with the wider moral motivations and institutions requir...

Discussions and practices for biodiversity the environment are associated predominantly with duty ethics, which spell out do’s don’ts of good behavior. Virtue ethics offer an alternative that is much more inspirational, provided we do not reduce it to a mere enumeration environmental virtues. Moreover, virtue ethic truly humanistic, in builds on inborn human capacities rather than external sour...

Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to examine the early stages of a research project aimed at evaluating the pedagogic effectiveness of a teaching module in computing ethics. Design/methodology/approach – Scores of students’ cognitive capabilities to make moral judgements were measured before and after they had taken the module by means of the “Defining Issues Test” (DIT). This is ...

In this session a health care ethicist defines ethics and moral integrity and leads participants in an exploration of how everyday decision making honors or compromises moral integrity — individual and corporate. The links between institutional integrity, ethical leadership, and trustworthiness will be explored. Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to define ethics, moral ...

Session I 9:30 – 10:45 AM Andrew Miles: Roanoke College Department of Philosophy Good, Evil and Well-being: Sam Harris’ Scientific Approach to Ethics One of the most controversial debates in ethics is how to define Good and Evil. Do “good” actions necessarily adhere to commandments set by a God? Or are there many different, equally valid definitions based on cultural norms? Neuroscientist and a...

A set of arguments shows that either the Repugnant Conclusion and its variants are true or the better-than relation isn't transitive. Which is it? This is the most important question in population ethics. The answer will point the way to Parfit's elusive Theory X. In many ways, Derek Parfit's Reasons and Persons is the natural successor to Henry Sidgwick's The Methods of Ethics. Sidgwick's book...