Ethics

Front 1

three main branches of philosophy

Back 1

Metaphysics and ontology, epistemology and ethics

Front 2

basic reasons that Ayn Rand thinks philosophy is important

Back 2

You will be able to understand what is real and what is fake, as well as be able to achieve your goals more efficiently.

Front 3

consequences of ignoring philosophy

Back 3

Ignorance skepticism and cedeing authority to others all lead to others controlling your life.

Front 4

external-world skepticism

Back 4

Withhold any conclusions about the existence of the outside world. No way to be sure how long anything has existed.

Front 5

solipsism

Back 5

you are the only thing that exists. (your mind) no other minds, may you don’t even have a body.

Front 6

deductive arguments: valid and sound

Back 6

The strongest form of argument because if it’s successful then there is no way for it to be false. Valid means good or acceptable. A deductive argument is valid when the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion. Sound is when the premises are true, but the conclusion does not follow the set of premesies.

Front 7

how inductive argument are different from deductive

Back 7

Inductive reasoning involves generalizing or making predictions based on evidence.

Front 8

Divine Command Theory

Back 8

The natural world is devoid of ethical direction, everything is god’s will.

Front 9

one potential problem of Divine Command theory

Back 9

there isn’t a way to tell the difference between conforming to purpose vs. not conforming to purpose.

Front 10

brief description of Cultural Relativism

Back 10

You can only judge a culture from inside that culture.

Front 11

one potential problem of cultural relativism

Back 11

No way to criticize bad practices of people in other cultures.

Front 12

Consequentialism vs. Deontology

Back 12

Consequentialism deals with identifying the things we want minimized and maximized. VERSUS deontology the idea that we should identify those actions that are good and those that are bad and do the good things and not the bad things.

Front 13

Utilitarianism
- basic description and one potential problem

Back 13

Moral worth is defined by it’s contribution to overall utility, it’s measured by the overall number of people that benefit from something. . That has consequences on the individual level.

Front 14

- Duty/Rights-based theory
- basic description and one potential problem

Back 14

The idea that people have certain duties they must always follow such as not lying. Problem:if lying is absolutely impermissible, but to save a life you might need to lie, but duty based theory says you can’t do that, also two conflicting views

Front 15

Contractarianism
- basic description

Back 15

Ethical guidelines are whatever rational people agree on

Front 16

Rawls’ idea of the “original position”

Back 16

that if people all got together to make decisions about how things should be run in the world in regards to who would be discriminated against and had no idea of what kind of position they would be placed into, everyone would make it an even playing field for everyone with no hierarchies.

Front 17

Existentialism
- basic description and one potential problem

Back 17

We have the ability to shape our lives, stay true to yourself and be the best you can be. Problem? Be the best murder you can be?

Front 18

Ross’ view
- basic duties

Back 18

Doesn’t believe in absolute duties. They are things we should be paying attention to but it’s about using our best judgment. Vague theory, doesn’t have absolutist ideas.

Front 19

Peter Singer’s basic argument in favor of giving money to the poor

Back 19

If we can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing something of comparable moral worth than we should do it.

Front 20

John Arthur’s argument for balancing donations with entitlements

Back 20

There are positive and negative rights. The positive is the right to be given benefits from someone else the negative right to non-interference from other people

Front 21

Peter Singer’s basic argument in favor of vegetarianism

Back 21

We should always do what will maximize happiness and minimize suffering from the greatest number of people. This applies to anything that can feel…. Including animals.

Front 22

Tom Regan’s basic argument in favor of vegetarianism

Back 22

Humans have the right not to be used as a means and treated with respect. The basis for human right to life is present in many animals. Therefore these animals have the right to life.

Front 23

James Rachels’s basic argument that there is not a difference between killing and letting die

Back 23

Either killing or allowing someone to die because you believe it is best for them is the same. Rachels needs us to know that there is no real moral difference between killing and letting die. Consider drowning a child to get the inheritance, vs. Allowing a child to drown to get the inheritance.

Front 24

Philipa Foot’s basic argument that there is a difference between killing and letting die

Back 24

Active euthanasia seems as though it might always be an act of injustice since it is always an act of killing; But if a patient wants to die, passive euthanasia may sometimes be an act of injustice, sometimes not, depending on the circumstances. Some argue that while it is wrong to interfere in the course of events, it is not wrong either to refrain from interfering.

Front 25

- Rachels’s basic argument in favor of active euthanasia over passive.

Back 25

The idea of active euthanasia is that you don’t want to prolong suffering unnecessarily and gives the victim of the disease what they want.

Front 26

Judith Jarvis Thomson’s basic argument in favor of limited permissibility

Back 26

A fetus is a person with a right to life. A mother has a right to use her own body as she wishes. A fetus’ right to life doesn’t automatically override a mothers right to her resources

Front 27

- Don Marquis’s basic argument against permissibility

Back 27

Murder is wrong because it depreives the victim of any possible future of value. A future like ours, and an embryo has a future like ours, therefore killing an embryo is murder

Front 28

Henry Shue’s criteria for justified interrogational torture

Back 28

Killing is worse than torture, killing is justified in warfare, therefore torture must be justified in warfare.

Front 29

determinism

Back 29

All events are determined by past events and laws of nature, we are a part of the universe and are subject to the laws of nature, therefore we do not have freewill, everything is determined.

Front 30

determinism's impact on ethics

Back 30

ethics is pointless if we cannot change events… it doesn’t matter what we do or what we plan to do because nothing matters, it’s already determined.

Front 31

Elliot Sober’s problems for environmentalism

Back 31

the idea that species and ecosystmes ought to be preserved for reasons additional to their known value as resources for humans, so even more reason than their help to our ecosystem. For their aesthetic value.

Front 32

basic arguments for corporate responsibility

Back 32

They are a private entity that is responsible for millions of people

Front 33

basic arguments for and against foreign “sweatshop” labor

Back 33

For: It’s cheap for us, it gives them better jobs than they had originally. Against: Poor working conditions, takes away jobs in the united states.

Front 34

difference between regular laws and paternalistic laws

Back 34

Paternalistic laws are laws that attempt to set an example or help change future behavior such

Front 35

basic arguments for and against capital punishment

Back 35

for: an eye for an eye… it’s cheaper than life imprisonment, used as a deterrent. Even if it is really small. Against: we can’t rape a rapist, we don’t necessarily want to punish everyone with the exact same crime they committed. If you mess up, there is no rectification for the situation…. They’d be dead.