Germany Jahrgangsstufe 12 Ethics
Chapters: 2
1. Action theory and moral judgement in applied ethics
Theory of action and virtue ethics · Moral judgement in applied ethics
- Virtue Ethics: Becoming a Good Person – Virtue ethics asks "What kind of person should I be?" rather than only "Which rule should I follow?". An action has an intention, means, the act and consequences. Socrates taught that virtue is knowledge. Plato linked the three parts of the soul (reason, spirit, desire) to four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. Aristotle said every aim points to a final end, eudaimonia (living well), and that each moral virtue is a golden mean between two vices, learned by habit and guided by practical wisdom.
- Applied Ethics: Using Moral Ideas on Real-Life Problems – Applied ethics takes big moral ideas and uses them on real cases: honesty and friendship in personal life, privacy and AI in technology, gene editing in medicine, how we treat animals and nature, and fairness in property and work. Three lenses help: consequences (what results?), duty (what rules and rights?), and character (what would a good person do?). A clear method turns opinions into a reasoned judgement: get the facts, list stakeholders, find options, test them against principles, then decide and explain.
2. Epistemology, freedom and determinism
Epistemology, free will and determinism
- Free Will, Determinism and Freedom – Free will is the power to choose our actions ourselves. Determinism says every event, including every choice, is fixed by earlier causes. Hard determinists say free will is an illusion; libertarians say some choices are not fixed; compatibilists say a choice is free when it comes from your own reasons and no one forces you. Aristotle separated voluntary from forced acts, and noticed weakness of will. Kant linked freedom to autonomy: obeying a rational law you give yourself. In society, freedom needs laws so that each person's freedom fits with everyone else's.