Ethics Exam 3 Study Guide Part 2

Front 1

consequentialist

Back 1

ethical theory that the consequences of our actions are more important than our intentions.

Front 2

Utilitarianism

Back 2

metaethical theory that actions producing the most pleasure are good and those that promote pain are bad

Front 3

greatest happiness principle

Back 3

actions are right in proportion to how much they tend to promote happiness and wrong when they tend to produce unhappiness, also known as principle of utility.

Front 4

sentient beings

Back 4

beings with capacity to experience pain and pleasure

Front 5

key claims

Back 5

~desire for happiness is self evident and universal

~pleasure brings happiness, pain brings unhappiness

~rightness or wrongness determined solely by consequence

~action is morally right to the extent that it promotes happiness of all affected by it.

~action is wrong to the extent that it causes unhappiness of all affected by it

~moral community consists of all sentient beings.

Front 6

Utilitarian calculus

Back 6

process of weighing costs and benefits to determine which action is morally preferable.

Front 7

speciesism

Back 7

prejudice or bias against certain beings simply because of their membership to a particular group.

Front 8

euthanasia

Back 8

painlessly bringing about death of a person who is suffering from a terminal or incurable disease.

Front 9

Bentham

Back 9

advocated utilitarianism primarily as a tool of social reform.

argued all pleasures are equal.

came up with utilitarian calculus

Front 10

7 factors of utilitarian calculus

Back 10

intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent.

Front 11

John Stewart Mill

Back 11

~disagreed with Bentham

~all pleasures are not equal

~pleasures of being human are greater because pleasure of intellect is superior to pleasures of the body.

~protecting autonomy or liberty rights is best way of maximizing happiness.

Front 12

No Harm Principle

Back 12

principle of non maleficence prohibits individuals and governments from interfering with someones actions except to prevent harm.

Front 13

Mo Tzu

Back 13

chinese philosopher promoted utilitarianism as alternative to confucianism. Taught that hate is the primary cause of harm in the world and universal love is the source of happiness.

Front 14

Rule Utilitarianism

Back 14

we should follow the rule that brings about the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Front 15

Act Utilitarianism

Back 15

The morality of each action should be judged by it's utility.

Front 16

All Sentient beings in Moral Community

Back 16

Not granting the same consideration to non-humans is speciesism.

Front 17

Human Life has no intrinsic worth

Back 17

When suffering outweighs pleasure, death may be morally permissible.