Quotes About Ethics

To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves.

Never mind your happiness; do your duty.

The greatest question of our time is not communism vs. individualism, not Europe vs. America, not even the East vs. the West; it is whether men can bear to live without God.

If the content of a screen saver on an irrelevant computer can affect your willingness to help strangers without your being aware of it, how free are you?

However, when the subjects were placed in a positive mood—induced by watching a five-minute video segment—they became three times more likely to say that they would push the man off the bridge. Whether we regard "Thou shalt not kill" as an absolute principle or are willing to kill one stranger to save five should reflect our deepest values. Yet our choice seems to depend on what video clip we have just watched.

In contrast, Meehl and other proponents of algorithms have argued strongly that it is unethical to rely on intuitive judgments for important decisions if an algorithm is available that will make fewer mistakes.

we are statistically punished for being nice

A basic rule of fairness, we found, is that the exploitation of market power to impose losses on others is unacceptable. The

Furthermore, merely thinking about stabbing a coworker in the back leaves people more inclined to buy soap, disinfectant, or detergent than batteries, juice, or candy bars.

Meehl and other proponents of algorithms have argued strongly that it is unethical to rely on intuitive judgments for important decisions if an algorithm is available that will make fewer mistakes.

Two men, neither of whom had a criminal record, were convicted for cashing counterfeit checks in the amounts of $58.40 and $35.20, respectively. The first man was sentenced to fifteen years, the second to 30 days.

For embezzlement actions that were similar to one another, one man was sentenced to 117 days in prison, while another was sentenced to 20 years.

If you want to deter misconduct, you should tolerate some noise.

Pitao sam se da li bi ljudi koji tako rado govore o dostojanstvu u ovakvoj situaciji mogli sa?uvati red i pristojnost. Što se mene ti?e, ja sam ostao na tepihu ose?aju?i da živim trenutak u kome mi je sve potaman, u kome nisam pocepan, u kome sam u sebi jedinstven i spokojan. A onda mi je u deli?u sekunde na pamet pala misao da i u ovoj sobi možda postoji kamera, a sa njom se odmah pojavio i Laurin lik i ose?aj krivice što je varam i stalno lažem.

How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibilty, who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes—how such people think nothing of abusing a man with low intelligence.

Whereas Epicurus would have us rein in our desires and aspirations so that we can get the most pleasure out of what is right in front of us, Aristippus urges us to actively manipulate what is in front of us in order to maximize our pleasure.

Epistemology: The study of knowledge. It basically asks, What is a rational test for knowability? How can we know for certain what is real? How can we know which propositions are true and which are not? What are basic principles of certainty? Epistemology attempts to lay down the line between knowledge and mere belief. It is one of the main topics of philosophy, along with logic, ethics, and metaphysics.

Humanism: The stance that the good of humankind is of prime importance. In modern times, humanism means that pursuing this good has nothing to do with a god; doing good works for other humans is a value in itself, not the fulfillment of a duty to a god.

Logical Positivism: An early-twentieth-century school of philosophy that limits the scope of philosophy to the scientific method (empirical verification) and logic. Everything else philosophy once considered, such as metaphysics and ethics and theology, is tossed out the window as unverifiable and therefore meaningless.

Utilitarianism: A moral and political philosophy that proposes the doctrine of the greatest good/happiness for the greatest number of people. According to one of Utilitarianism's chief architects, Jeremy Bentham, the basic idea is to find a balance between the individual's happiness and the happiness of the community, "each counting in an equal way." In positing happiness as its aim, Utilitarianism is a type of hedonism.

Utilitarianism is a type of hedonism.

Are good and evil of importance to the universe or only to man?

If a person did not have free will, how could he be held accountable for the bad things he did?

Men do not value a good deed unless it brings a reward.