Edexcel - Ethics Revision Bullet Summery's.

Ethics

Utilitarianism and Situation ethics.

• Utilitarianism - greatest happiness for greatest number

• No moral absolutes moral solutions flexible for situations

• Recent versions of negative and preference

• Act - morally right if happiness created - Bentham

• Rule - based on an action known to create most happiness - Mill

• Hedonic calculus

• Critics

• Too simple and ignores the minority, can allow morally wrong actions too.

• Situation ethics based on love, formed in the 1960’s. - Fletcher

• Based on the actions of Jesus and agape.

• Reflects nature and purpose

• Critics-

• Too simple, hard to predict outcome.

War and Peace

• Dilemmas of religious belief and war. Situations must be judged in context

• Holy war, is religious war

• Physical, spiritual wars, spiritual is supported by religious teachings.

• Pacifism based on non violence such as Jesus and Gandhi.

• Originated from Plato.

• Jus ad bellum: the conditions under which the use of military force is justified.

• Jus in bello: how to conduct a war in an ethical manner.

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