Ethics Midterm

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Ethics

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study of value based decisions

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Normative Ethics

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explains the essence of moral relations with one another. different theories to make ethical choices

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Applied Ethics

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applying theories to specific ethical questions

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Metaethics

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ranks theories. asks about the status of ethical claims, rather than the content.

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Descriptive Morality

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describes moral actions/values/beliefs as they are without judgement

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Optional Acts

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It's not wrong or obligatory to do, it's not your duty or required

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Obligatory Acts

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An act that morality required you to do

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Supererogatory act

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not required, exceeds what morality required, goes beyond the call of duty.

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Ethical Monism

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There is one supreme rule that serves as the basis of all morality

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Ethical Pluralism

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A family of views that holds that there are many different fundamental moral rules.

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Ethnocentrism

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sees moral world through your own cultural ethics lens, unable to see outside of it, prioritizes outside of it.

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Multi-culturalism

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appreciative of ethical differences among cultures

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Define Ethical Relativism

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The view that correct moral standards are relative to individual or cultural commitments.

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Define Cultural Relativism

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correct moral standards are relative to cultural commitments.

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Ethical or Moral Skepticism

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Can’t know right or wrong with any degree of certainty. Not that there is no right or wrong, but that you simply can’t know for certain what it is.

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Moral Nihilism

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There isn't such a thing as right or wrong

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Ethical Subjectivism

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individual decides right/wrong

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Moral Objectivism

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there are laws that apply to everyone, they belong to the fabric of reality

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Moral Absolutism

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Laws are absolute, regardless of situation. moral laws that are concrete an apply to everyone

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Natural Law Theory

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The normative ethical view that says that actions are right if and good to the extent that they fulfill their true nature, bad insofar as they do not.

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DDE

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Doctrine of Double Effect. The view that if your goal is worthwhile, you are sometimes permitted to act in ways that foreseeably cause certain harms, though you must never intend to cause those harms. 4 Conditions
1) Nature of the act condition - action must be morally good or indifferent
2) Means end condition - bad effect must not be the means by which one has good effect
3) Right intention condition - bad effect must be unintentional side effect
4) Proportionality condition - the good effect must equal bad effect

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Ethical Situationalism

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correct action determined by situation

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Intrinsic Goods

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a good that is good in and of itself. Goodness is an inherent quality the thing possesses.

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Instrumental Goods

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something that is used to get to a good, even though it doesn’t have goodness as an inherent quality. Something used “in order to...”

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Hedonism

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The goal is to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. There are two kinds of hedonism: sensual and satisfactionism.

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Sensualism

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refers to the kind of hedonism associated with the body, sensuality, and carnal things - gives pleasure.

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Satisfactionism

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referst to the type of hedonism that is intellectual, social, or attitudinal - gives a peace of mind, gives higher order pleasures

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Paradox of Hedonism

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you cannot be happy by constantly and exclusively pursuing pleasure. Direct pursual of happiness can and will undermine it. Happiness pursued directly is often missed. (must be pursued indirectly).

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Hedonic calculus/hedons

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assigned happiness points

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Eudaimonia

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aristotle, hedonists, “happiness is the greatest good”

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Define Virtue Ethics

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an action is morally right just because it would be done by a virtuous person acting in character

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Define Prima Fascie Duty

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A permanent, excellent but non absolute reason to do (or refrain from) a certain type of action. William Ross

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What are the Prima Fascie Duties?

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Fidelity, Reparations, Gratitude, Justice, Beneficence, Self-improvement, Non-maleficence. William Ross

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Define Divine Command Theory

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an act is moral or immoral only because God said it is.

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The theistic "independence thesis"

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What is right/wrong is indpendent of God's will. God is good because He perfectly follows the laws that are already established

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David Hume's beliefs about morality

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pictures God as an immoral tyrant. doesn't like that one pleases God by rituals and not by being moral

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Bertrand Russel's beliefs about morality

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Religion has made no useful contribution to society. more suffering than good. belief in God is unnecessary to live a moral life.

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Stoics

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Stoic ethics taught freedom from passion by following reason.

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Aristippus

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Like other Greek ethical thinkers, Aristippus’ ethics are centered around the question of what the ‘end’ is; that is, what goal our actions aim at and what is valuable for its own sake. Aristippus identified the end as pleasure. This identification of pleasure as the end makes Aristippus a hedonist. Most of the pleasures that Aristippus is depicted as pursuing have to do with sensual gratification, such as sleeping with courtesans and enjoying fine food and old wines. Father of sensualism.

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Epicurus

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Hedonist. Satisfactionism, meaning that he sought joy by engaging in intellectual and educational activities for life-fulfillment. Did not believe jot from sensualism. Father of satisfactionism.

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Plato

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objective goods. Cardinal virtues - wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice

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Aristotle

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virtue ethics, focus on being rather than doing. intellectual virtues/ moral virtues

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Thomas Aquinas

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DDE Natural law, actions rather than consequences

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David Hume

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critic of religion in ethics, no moral truths, beliefs alone aren’t enough, thought that religious practices themselves were immoral.

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William Ross

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Prima Fascie duties, Pluralist

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Jeremy Bentham

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Sensualist/Hedonist; invented Hedonic calculus.

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JS Mill

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Satisfactionist; believed in intellectual pleasures. Opponent of Benthum.

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Bertrand Russel

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Atheist who made arguments against religion. He said religion has made no useful contributions, rather, it is a disease born of fear. In his opinion religion is detrimental to the moral life. He said morality has no need of God - it is independent of God. According to him, we can be happy without God.

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What are the weaknesses of Cultural Relativism?

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contradictions are common and unresolvable. What if killing is honorable in one culture, but illegal in another? Which is right?

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What are the strengths of Cultural Relativism?

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helps people to be more tolerant. Justifies all actions people make. Let’s people “off the hook.” Has great explanatory power of all differing opinions.