Back to: Philosophy: Justice & Ethics
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Here’s the course compressed into a working method. When facing a genuine dilemma, run the frameworks as a checklist, not to get one verdict, but to make sure you’ve seen the whole board.
- Consequences (utilitarian lens): Who is affected, and how, over time? Which option produces the most overall good, counting everyone, including people far away or easy to ignore?
- Duties and rights (Kantian lens): Would I will the principle behind this action as a universal rule? Am I treating anyone merely as a means? Are there lines here I’ve committed never to cross?
- Character (virtue lens): What would the person I’m trying to become do? What does this choice practice in me? What would the wisest person I know do?
- Fairness (contract lens): Would I accept this arrangement from behind the veil of ignorance, without knowing which role is mine?
- Publicity and consistency: Could I state my reasoning openly? Am I treating like cases alike?
When the lenses agree, act with confidence. When they conflict, you’ve found the real dilemma, and now you at least know exactly what’s being traded against what. That clarity, not certainty, is what moral philosophy realistically delivers, and it’s worth a great deal.