Ethical Theories

Front 1

Ethical Egoism:

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 1

Striving after personal duty is an ethical duty. If everyone acts after his own personal interests, there will be happiness for all. Whether this is immediate gratification or most personal satisfaction in the long run depends on the situation.

Front 2

Divine Command Theory

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 2

The theory that says we ought to be moral because God commanded us to do so.

Front 3

Ethical Contractarianism:

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 3

agents have agreed to accept the obligation and thus are morally obligated to follow it. Can agree (a) directly through personal or commercial contract (b) through participation in society (c) indirectly by voting or accepting the benefits from gov't.
As long as you're not forced to accept contract, must follow it.

Hint 3

Contemporary contractarianism has to do with ethical distribution of powers and privleges, benefits and burdens. (sometimes its ok to be unequally distributed)

Front 4

Virtue Ethics:

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 4

To cultivate excellence, identify the character and principles one should follow. What kind of person ought I to be? (this tells me what acts to do).
We are virtuous when we follow the mean btwn two extremes (says Aristotle)-- showing the right virtue at the right time. MODERATION is root virtue.

Front 5

Utilitarianism:

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 5

One ought always to do that act or support that social policy which produces the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness for all concerned.

Hint 5

The act that is best for everyone, more people are happy than unhappy. Looks at consequences of the action.
"the greatest good for the greatest number"

Front 6

Kantian Deontology:

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 6

One has a duty to do a particular action just because the action itself is inherently right and not through calculation of consequences.

Hint 6

Kant's 2 formulas (derived from categorical command):

1. Universal law: In the process of universalizing the maxim, you can see if the maxim is logically coherent or not.

2. Respect principle: always act so to treat persons (yourself and another) as ends in themselves and never as means only. To do this need reciprocity and consent (other's interest carries as much moral weight as your own).

Front 7

Boylan's analysis of the Moral Right to Basic Goods of Agency

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 7

There's a hierarchy of claims to goods that may be ranked according to their proximity to action. (we all wish to act before anything else because without action we cannot become good).The first level are goods that are biologically related to acting at all. The second level of goods provides the agent with the goods necessary to be an effective actor within society.

Hint 7

Argument: All people desire to be good. In order to be good, one must be able to act. So we all need basic goods to live and thus to act in a good way.

Everyone has a moral right to basic goods of agency and others in society have a duty to provide those goods to all.

Front 8

Ethical Relativism

fundemental principles
(and in own words)

Back 8

Defines ethics as the perceived or recognized right and wrong in human action. It allows for different ethical standards to legitimately arise in different socio-geographical-historical contexts.

Hint 8

perceived right or wrong, depending on culture.
if this is right, then no country can criticize another.

If you can control the political climate, then you are right. "right" means what is anthropologically accepted due to conditions of social and political power dynamics.

Front 9

Ethical egoism:

illustrate theory through application to concrete examples

Back 9

olympics. do you do what could hurt you later in life if it helps you now?

most personal satisfaction in the long run?

Front 10

Divine Command Theory:

illustrate theory through application to concrete examples

Back 10

10 commandments...

Front 11

Ethical Contractarianism:

illustrate theory through application to concrete examples

Back 11

contract with gov't

Front 12

Utilitarianism:

illustrate theory through application to concrete examples

Back 12

need greatest happiness over unhappiness, so whatever decision i make (morally) must follow this.

Front 13

Kantian Deontology:

illustrate theory through application to concrete examples

Back 13

in regards to the 2 formulas:
universalize something to see if it is a moral law (like lying)
i have a duty to treat others with respect..

Front 14

ethical relativism:

illustrate theory through application to concrete examples

Back 14

female circumcision..

there's voluntary consent and has longstanding tradition. is it then ok?

Front 15

Ethical Egoism:

Explain main criticisms

Back 15

altruism. acting from a principle rather than out of personal interests.

since one is obliged only to maximize own self interests, then don't need to consider oneself within a social environment. Why would the community worldview matter? altruists say its the awareness of social environment that makes altruists.

is it ethical to use others to help yourself (which ethical egoists might say to do)?

Front 16

Divine command theory:

Explain main criticisms

Back 16

Is something good because God commands it or does God command it because it is good?
If a person just has to do what God says, this diminishes the agent's autonomy. moral agent is a mere servant to another- undermines very foundations of ethics. no free will? (people say you have the free will to choose to follow God)
Prophets have to interpret God's commands. the "prophet" can embellish or lie. Who is a prophet or just crazy?

Front 17

Ethical contractarianism:

Explain main criticisms

Back 17

contracts come out of agreement and consent - but does that make it right?
if hitler agrees with someone else to kill jews, is it right?
if i and someone else consent to euthanasia, is it right?
what if two people agree to something that is evil?

Hint 17

Criticism of Rawls:
The thought experiment (veil of ignorace) is impossible and thus has no proper application to real life.
What about those who wouldn't choose to have inequalities benefit the poor? Amish (want simple life) and gamblers (would risk having inequalities in case they were the rich ones).
libertarians would also want a smaller gov't than what he's suggesting.

Front 18

Virtue ethics:

Explain main criticisms

Back 18

Virtue ethics depends on intuitionism.

The virtues are too broad and thus aren't action guiding. (what counts as courage?)

It emphasizes development of character, but doesn't say what specific action should be performed.

Front 19

Utilitarianism:

Explain main criticisms

Back 19

1. the rights of minorities

2. the connection btwn pleasure and good (in utilitarianism good is defined as that which maximizes pleasure). why is pleasure good?

Front 20

Kantian Deontology

Explain main criticisms

Back 20

Duty is too thin a concept to base a moral theory. Duty to do what?

Some say Kant doesn't account for concrete reality and it cannot be applied to real life.

Front 21

Ethical relativism:

Explain main criticisms

Back 21

What constitutes a culture?

A society can do bad things and it would be considered "right" if it is accepted by society.

So the nazis would be considered right in killing the jews because it was accepted.

if everythings relative and there are no absolute principles, its hard to create national laws, no absolute standard.

Front 22

Theories of human nature.
(how basically good or bad are we?)

Back 22

BAD
1. psychological egoists- for survival, act in own self interest
2. Thomas Hobbes (we're competitive but limited goods)
3. religious thinkers (original sin)

Hint 22

GOOD
1. altruists
2. Locke (people are naturally good but they can still do bad things)
3. religious thinkers (God creates us, god is good, so we are good)

Front 23

Difficulties in relating ethics and religion

Back 23

Theists would say an ethical theory is incomplete if it doesn't include God. Critics don't think a theory that is already complete needs religion. Atheists don't believe in religion. There are many religions, hard to incorporate them all into a single ethical theory. People view God in very different ways (loving or demanding god?). Theists would say God must be a part of all theories because he created everything.

Front 24

Feminist Ethical Critiques

Back 24

Men and women have different linguistic strategies and this suggests substantial differences in personal worldview.
Gilligan says woman express "care"- emphasizing relationships and sympathy. this is a legit moral point of view. contrasts with men's justice viewpoint of abstract principles.

Hint 24

criticisms:
but men express care too? like male teachers..

also, can you really separate care and justice? if you neglected justice and principles, you would be leaning towards ethical relativism.
If you cared about someone, wouldn't you wish justice for that person?
and what is justice without care? they must be practiced together.

Front 25

Concept of an Ethically responsible personal worldview

Back 25

What you value. point of view. (in literature it is the voice).
"all people must develop a single, comprehensive and internally coherent worldview that is good and that we strive to act out in our daily lives"

Hint 25

personal worldview imperative:
1. comprehensiveness (completeness found through goodwill)
2. coherence (be consistent)
3. connection to a theory of the good (need to have reasons- a theory- for what you do)
4. a requirement of personal action (actually do it)

Front 26

concept of an Ethically responsible community worldview

Back 26

"each agent must contribute to a common body of knowledge that supports the creation of a shared community worldview (that is itself complete, coherent, and good) through which social institutions and their resulting policies might flourish within the constraints of the essential core commonly held values"

Hint 26

general agreement of acceptable values and principles. institutions must be framed within these accepted core values.

Front 27

Socratic contractarianism

Back 27

Socrates' Argument:
1. Cannot return harm for harm.
2. He has made a just agreement to either obey the laws or persuade them that he is right.
3. It harms the laws if he breaks his just agreement (denying the law's power)
4. Socrates ought to obey and having failed to persuade, he must obey.

Hint 27

Since there was an implicit contract, he felt obliged to accept the judgment of Athens. Even though they are wrong, he will not harm the laws just because the state wronged him. He must obey the rules he consented to.

It is okay to break law if you accept the consequences (civil disobedience)

Front 28

Difference btwn Hobbes and Locke in regards to contractarianism.

Back 28

Hobbes:

If it wasn't for contracts, we would have no obligation.
Because we are all equal, the economic competition would result in war. Need gov't and social contracts for peace.

Hint 28

Locke:

Contracts explain powers and rules but we have obligations to others (with or without contract).
Go into social contracts not to avoid war but for enhancement.

Front 29

John Rawls and contractarianism in the social sphere.

Back 29

Everyone wants fairness, so if a group decides the rules of justice behind a veil of ignorance, they will choose the 2 principles of justice:
1. equal right to basic liberties (this liberty is the same for all)
2. social and economic inequaltities are to be arranged so they are to everyones advantage (especially the poor) and attached to offices open to all.

Front 30

rule utilitarianism versus act utilitarianism

Back 30

rule utilitarianism:

one ought always to follow that rule which produces the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness for all concerned.

Hint 30

act utilitarianism:

one ought always to do that act which produces the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness for all concerned.

Front 31

Kant's perfect and imperfect duties?

Back 31

Perfect duties:

follow directly from application of 1st formula-universalization.
absolute principles.
(do not coerce, manipulate. don't commit suicide..)

Hint 31

imperfect duties:

permissible. still a duty, but have some leeway in how its practiced in real life. follow indirectly from universalization formula, have to consider human nature. depends on your skills, prior commitments, situation.
(duty to care about others, but limited by situation. develop own talents)