AS Ethics - Main Paper

Here's an overview of what you need to know for the main Ethics paper:

Kant and the Categorical Imperative
- Immanuel Kant (Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, 1785)
- The moral law
- Good will and duty
- The Imperatives (Categorical and Hypothetical)
- The Kingdom of Ends
- Strengths and Weaknesses
- Position on Medical Ethics (abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, embryology, right to a child)

Utilitarianism

- Jeremy Bentham (Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1789)
- Principle of Utility
- Teleological ... consequences
- Humans seek pleasure and try to avoid pain.
- An action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number.
- The Hedonic Calculus: intensity, duration, certainty, closeness, followed by similar sensations, purity, extent.

- John Stuart Mill (Utilitarianism, 1863)
- If quantitative pleasure, nothing would stop one's pleasure being extinguished for the sake of the minority.
- Therefore: qualitative pleasures are better.
- Higher pleasures (of the mind) and lower pleasures (of the body)

- Act Utilitarianism
- each individual situation
- flexible
- could justify virtually any act

- Rule Utilitarianism
- best overall rule which if followed by whole community leads to greatest result
- JSM: I must obey the rule even if it does not lead to the greatest pleasure for me in this situation
- could still permit morally unacceptable practices eg slavery

- Strengths and Weaknesses of each position
- Position on Medical Ethics

Absolute and Relative Morality
- Know the difference between the two
- Know examples of Ethical Theories that fit into each
- Know Philosophers attached to each
- Know strengths and weaknesses of each
- Know the position of each on Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics
- You will be asked questions about the positions of various ethical theories on the following areas of medical ethics:
- Abortion
- Euthanasia
- Genetic Engineering (in particular, cloning)
- Embryology
- The right to a child (not to be confused with the right to life!)
- You should know the strengths and weaknesses of each of the theories when dealing with these issues.
- You should know some key facts and issues that should be addressed in each issue.

As you can see, we still have a lot to revise ... watch this space for more help, suggestions and exam questions!

GCSE Podcasts

I'm all for new technology, and I know that many of you have iPods or mp3 players, so you may find the resources at GCSE Podcast helpful. I found a couple of podcasts on euthanasia (free) and abortion (£1.50). These sound very useful for revision purposes. Check them out!

Legal Battle over "Right to Die"

Right to die? Read this article, and watch the clip, to find out more about Kelly Taylor's battle to force doctors to end her life.

Listen to Kelly's story ... should she be allowed to be helped to die? Or is it right that euthanasia remains illegal in the UK?

Piergiorgio Welby ... Italian man allowed to die

I recommend listening to Radio 4 ... you learn so much, and often the programmes focus on religious or ethical issues. There were two such stories on the PM news tonight.

The first story is about a man called Piergiorgio Welby who suffered from muscular dystrohy. "A doctor has admitted switching off the life support machine of a terminally ill Italian man who had lost a legal battle for the right to die", reads the BBC article. Italy is a predominantly Catholic country, and, as you know, euthanasia is not allowed in Catholicism (other than in cases where the Doctrine of Double Effect comes into place). However, Mr Welby's doctor denies that this is euthanasia, and instead has argued that he had fulfilled the patient's legal right to refuse treatment. There is a lot of debate about this in Italy.

Look up more details on the link below.

BBC News: Welby