Question

Topic 2 Philosophers Contribution - Reading: Chapter 3(BD) Questions to be attempted and presented/discussed in class: C

Other general Questions on Philosophical Contributions to be attempted:

1. When a business or organisation is economically viable and obeying the law it can be considered to be ethical. Do you agree? Discuss in the context of ethics being based on views about religion, relationships with other people and perception of ourselves.
2. Society can be seen as a voluntary contract among individuals in which some rights are given up in exchange for peace and self-preservation. (B&D p.130). In other words individuals act in their own self-interest. Is this ethical?
   1. Discuss in the context of Adam Smith’s view that a person who promotes their own wealth can improve the wealth of the nation
   2. Discuss in the context of different countries having different laws and penalties
3. Distinguish between utilitarianism and consequentialism and explain why the difference is important.
4. Discuss why the notion of “ the ends justifies the means” is not a legitimate ethical theory

CS: Dealing with Disappointed Apple IPhone Customers ( Learning Resources (B&D p.173)

1. Prepare a chart summarising the different reasoning in utilitarianism, deontology, justice and fairness and virtue ethics which shows where each theory provides arguments against the other.
2. Use your arguments to discuss the marketing strategy of making an attractive offer to new customers but is not available to existing customers.

Answer 1

A business or organisation obeying the law and which is economically feasible can not always be considered as an ethical one as long as the business is biased upon a particular religion. A business should say people of which religion to work in the firm. Saying this makes the business owner a racist which is not ethical. A business might be making differences among people by way of one's physical appearance,.by way of financial differences, by way of caste, religion, race and ethnicity. In this way the differences will be created among the people which is not good for the society. The people who will be in the lower rung of the discrimination ladder will have an inferior attitude towards themselves. This will have m their mental health. The kind of business is not at all ethical.

In the context of Adam Smith a person who promotes their own wealth will promote the wealth of the nation as a whole. Adam Smith said people acts in their own self interest. This thereby gives them money in lieu of doing a work. A person interested in money will be doing a work which gives him more wealth. Thus this will allow tge nation to have more wealth. Therefore, the wealth of the nation will increase likewise.

In the communist countries individuals cannot have their own property or wealth as it belongs to the state. People will be punished for keeping properties under themselves.

Utilitarianism is a theory which states to maximize the output .However, consequentialism is a theory which proposes to act on the basis of ethics. The major difference between these two theories is that the utilitarianism theory states to maximize the utility irrespective of it being choosing the ethical or the unethical way. The consequentialism theory states to proceed in an ethical way always.

The phrase ' the ends justifies the means ' means one can proceed in an unethical way if the end goal is ethical. This is not at all an ethical theory as in the beginning a person is going unethical work this harming the society as a whole. Even if the end result be ethical this should not be cinsiconsi as an ethical outcome. If a person being unethical in the begibbegi and then he became ethical should not be condiconsi as an ethical one. Then the people who remained ethical throughout the life will not be awarded better than the person who was unethical in the beginning and had an ethical outcome in the end.

Utilitarianism is a theory stating to maximize the utility. Deontology states to follow all the ethics of a work throughout and not the end result to be ethical.

Justice means to judge whether a work is ethical or not.

Fairness is to be fair to an ethical work and punish the unethical work.

Virtue ethics is an ethical value on the mind and character.

Making attractive offers to the new customers and not dung the same to the existing customers is not unethical. Although this marketing strategy is not biased upon any religion, caste, nationality, sex, etc. but being biased upon the new customers will make Apple to be less loyal to the existing customers. The existing customers will not like this and there is a greater chance to leave using Apple products. Although this marketing strategy of Apple is not at all unethical as this has not discriminated the people against any religion or anything. The existing customers always have their chances of leaving the market once they see Apple is not being loyal to them.