Ethics Vocab

Front 1

An action is morally right just in case it will produce on balance the
greatest amount of utility.

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Act Utilitarianism

Front 2

Literally: giving laws to yourself; self-governing or self-determining.

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Autonomy

Front 3

An ethical theory that defines moral rightness in terms of the
consequences of an action. Utilitarianism is a brand of consequentialism.

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Consequentialism

Front 4

An act is morally right whenever it is approved by the culture in
which it is performed. (Morality is defined by a particular culture's opinions.)

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Cultural Relativism:

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1) Moral theories that make duties fundamental to ethics.
Kantian Ethics is often characterized as a deontological ethic. 2) Moral theories that
define the morality of an action in terms of an action's intrinsic or internal properties and
not its relations to other things.

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Deontological Ethics:

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The study of rights or duties.

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Deontology:

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An act is morally right whenever God commands or wants
it. (Note: This says more than God commands what is morally right. It says that the
morality of an action is defined by God's will.)

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Divine Command Theory:

Front 8

An act is morally right whenever it is in my self-interest. (Morality is
defined by what is good for me. Do not confuse Ethical Egoism with Psychological
Egoism.)

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Ethical Egoism:

Front 9

There is no such thing as moral rightness or wrongness; there are no
moral values.

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Ethical Nihilism:

Front 10

The view that we do not know what is morally right or wrong, or
what the nature of morality is.

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Ethical Skepticism:

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The systematic study of how human beings ought to act and be and the nature
of moral rightness and wrongness.

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Ethics:

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An action is morally right just in case it is done out of love or caring.

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Ethics of Care:

Front 13

A Greek term used by Aristotle to refer to human well-being or flourishing.

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Eudaimonia:

Front 14

An act is morally right whenever a) it is done out of respect for the
Categorical Imperatives and b) it accords with the Categorical Imperatives.

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Kantian Morality:

Front 15

action is morally right just in case it is done in accordance with
a rule whose adoption produces on balance the greatest amount of utility.

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Rule Utilitarianism: An

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An act is morally right whenever I think it is right or feel that it is
right. (Morality is defined by each individual's opinions or emotions.)

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Moral Subjectivism:

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1) An ethic that focuses on the nature of the good life and how to
achieve it. 2) Applied to moral duty: An action is morally right just in case the act is an
expression of a virtue.

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Virtue Ethics:

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A character trait of something that characterizes its flourishing or well-being.
Some human virtues are health, honesty, or courage. Other things, especially living
things, e.g. animals and plants, also have virtues.

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Virtue: