Chapter 6: Road King Travel
Laczniak (1983) Overview

Four possible frameworks for thinking about ethics are available.

The utilitarian approach looks for the decision alternative which produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

The prima facie duties framework, proposed by David Ross, assumes there is a set of duties which consitute inherent moral obligations. Here are the duties:

Fidelity - telling the truth and keeping contracts.

Gratitude - honoring special obligations between partners or associates.

Justice - ensuring that rewards and punishment are doled out according to merit or lack thereof.

Beneficience - you have the duty to improve the intelligence, virtue, or happiness of others if you have the opportunity.

Self-Improvement - actions should be taken to improve your own personal virtue, intelligence or happiness.

Nonmaleficence - the duty not to injure others.

The proportionality framework, proposed by Thomas Garrett, considers the intention, the means, and the ends for a decision. Negative unintended consequences may be risked only if the means and ends are good, and there is a proportionate reason for taking the risk. In no case, however, can a negative unintended consequence result in a "major evil" (the loss of some capacity that an individual or an organization needs in order to function).

Finally, the social justice framework, developed by John Rawls, asks that we judge an action from a neutral point of view, as if you hadn't been born yet, and therefore did not have any conflicts of interest. Decisions should offer the most liberty possible and should include protection for the most disadvantaged members of society.