How does one do ethics?

The second step is to be clear about what the "right relationship" is in the situation that you are considering. If you think you need a review of "right relationship" click on this page.

Third, one needs to identify the relvant questions that should be asked before making any decision. In thinking about the questions to be asked, one needs to identify relvant ethical concepts. You may find it helpful study concepts in ethics by consulting the glossary from Ethics Updates and the concepts page of the On-line Ethics Center for science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University. These pages will take time to read. It is worth spending time on them. I suggest that you book mark them and study them everyday for at least two weeks. This study is important. Without it you will not have the concepts or the vocablulary for doing health care ethics.

Finally one makes a decision. Some ethicians make their decisions as teleologists, others as deontologists and others as consequentialists and others according to an ethics of care.

• TELEOLOGY Perhaps the most famous teleologist is Aristotle.
  Read the first 2 sections of Book I of the Nichomachean Ethics [If that site is not working, use this one.]

  NOTE: The first section talks about the aim. If we use teleology in health care ethics, we need to answer the question:
  What is the aim [or goal] of health care?

  Think about this. What do you think is the goal of health care? Put your answer into words and bring it to the next class.

  A teleologist holds that those actions that are in accord with the telos [aim] are right and those that go against the telos are wrong.

• CONSEQUENTIALISM A consequentialist says that you decide if an action is good or bad by looking at the consequences of the action.

  If the consequence is good or beneficial, then the action is good. If the consequence is bad, then the actions is bad. There are several forms of consequentialism and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a clear explanation of the three main forms.

• DEONTOLOGY A deontologist says that right or wrong comes from following some moral rules; doing one's duty. The Ten Commandments are deontological, as is the Golden Rule. Here is a background article on deontology in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

• The Ethics of Care is a more recent development in philosophical ethics. Many claim that the work of Carol Gilligan set the foundation and Nell Noddings is its clear proponent. Here is a selection by Nodding that talks about the ethics of care in teaching and it is easy to see how it would apply to health care.

• TELEOLOGY:
  1. A short essaythat gives an introduction to how to do ethics which is different from mine..but which is very good. See if you can read and understand this text - only 2 screens long.
  2. Richard Hooker's glossary. Read this short piece slowly and think about what it is saying and you wil have real insight into teleology. Note: you need to scroll down to get the text.

• CONSEQUENTIALISM:
  1. Consequentialism-Utilitarianism

• DEONTOLOGY:
  1. Deontology and Immanuel Kant
  2. A chapter from Moral Philosophy: Etics, Deontology and Natural Law by J. Rickabey

• ETHICS OF CARE:
  1. A solid background outline of the Ethics of Care by Rachels.
  2. A selection by Nell Noddings that talks of the Care for teachers.