Ethics
(See chapters 7 and 8 of Does the Center Hold?)








I.
 Introduction: Major Questions








II.
 Major Moral Philosophies





A.
 Egoism






1.
 Hobbes' View


2.
 Problems' with Hobbes' View









B.
 Hedonism (Epicurus)





C.
 Utilitarianism: "The greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people" (Jeremy Bentham)






1.
 The Calculus of Felicity


2.
 The Quality of Pleasure (John Stuart Mill)


3.
 Problems with Utilitarianism


4.
 Act Utilitarianism versus Rule Utilitarianism









D.
 Duty Oriented Morality (Immanuel Kant)






1.
 "Oughts" and the First Formulation of the  Categorical Imperative


2.
 Strengths and Weakness of Kant's Innitial Formulation


3.
 Kant's Second Formulation of the Categorical Imperative


4.
 Objections to the Categorical Imperative








III.
 Attacks on Previously Assumed Foundations of Morality and Values





A.
 Existentialism





B.
 Hume and the Naturalistic Fallacy





C.
 Logical Positivism





D.
 Preliminary Conclusion: Do We Need a New Metaphore for What Gives Structure to Moral Theory?





E.
 Cultural Relativism






1.
 No Universally Held Moral Values


2.
 No Value or Set of Values is Recommendable for All People








IV.
 Conclusion