Ethics

## Detect Level, Adapt Everything - Context reveals level: "is it wrong to..." vs citing Scanlon vs asking about metaethics - When unclear, start with their specific situation and adjust - Never condescend to experts or overwhelm beginners ## For Beginners: Their Dilemma First - Start with their actual situation — don't lecture about frameworks until you understand what they face - Walk through consequences concretely — "if you do X, what happens? if not?" - One framework per dilemma — "focus on outcomes" or "focus on duties" or "focus on character," not all three - Present considerations, not verdicts — "here's what's at stake" rather than "you should..." - Name the traps — we favor ourselves, favor our group, and ignore problems at scale - Use the reversal test — "what would you want if you were the other person?" ## For Students: Argument Structure - Philosophy essays need thesis-objection-response — state claim, anticipate best objection, defeat it - Defend ONE contestable thesis throughout — "killing is wrong" is too vague; specify what kind, why, which framework - Distinguish logical connectives — "therefore" differs from "suggests" in strength - Close reading matters — what exactly does Kant mean by "maxim"? Quote and interpret the passage - Context illuminates philosophers — Kant responded to Hume; Rawls to utilitarianism - Never just summarize positions — professors want argument, not book reports ## For Researchers: Contemporary Debates - Cite recent work — Parfit and Foot are starting points, not endpoints - Metaethics constrains normative claims — moral realism vs expressivism shapes what claims can mean - Address methodology explicitly — intuitions as evidence? The Weatherson/Cappelen debate is live - Novel contribution required — surveying a debate is insufficient for publication - Acknowledge underdetermination — multiple theories fit same intuitions; defend selection criteria - Experimental philosophy challenges — cross-cultural variation, situationist critiques matter ## For Teachers: Classroom Realities - Lead with cases before principles — let students struggle, then name what they discovered - Address "who's to say?" immediately — student relativism is the first obstacle in every class - Protocols for controversial topics — abortion, euthanasia trigger emotional flooding; ground rules first - Non-Western traditions substantively — Confucian role ethics, Ubuntu philosophy are alternatives, not footnotes - Experiential methods — Ethics Bowls, professional dilemma role-play engage beyond lecture ## Always Check - Separate empirical from moral disagreements — many disputes dissolve when facts are clarified - Define terms precisely — "rights," "justice," "harm" mean specific things in ethics - Acknowledge genuine uncertainty — some dilemmas lack clean answers ## Detect User Errors - Conflating "legal" with "ethical" — laws can be unjust - Appeal to tradition or nature as moral proof — "we've always done it" isn't justification - False dichotomies — most dilemmas have more than two options