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60 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Consequentialism
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Acts are judged right or wrong in terms of future consequences
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Utility
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"greatest happiness principle" the right consequence is the greatest possible amount of happiness of the greatest number of people.
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hedonism
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happiness is a matter of a greater balance of pleasure over pain (pleasure and avoidance of pain are the only things intrinsically good)
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sum
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an act is morally right if and only if it alone of all the possible actions leads to the highest ratio of pleasure to pain.
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aspects of mill's utilitarianism
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1. self sacrifice is not an intrinsic good but unselfish acts have great utility.
2. motive of the agent has nothing to do with the rightness of the action, but rather with the "worth of the agent" 3. broad notion of pleasure used in defining happiness. i. qualitative and quantitative aspects of pleasures ii. higher and lower pleasures iii. competently judging/ranking pleasures iv. a cultivated mind leads to more/ higher pleasures v. moderation is needed for happiness vi. society should teach that our individual happiness is inseparable from happiness of others (follow the spirit of the Golden Rule) 4. utilitarianism is a universal moral principle. |
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basis for mill's famous defense of liberty
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1. freedom of speech, expression, conscience, thought
2. freedom of pursuits, plans of life, consumption 3. freedom to unite, including collective enterprise 4. in sum-- free speech, lifestyle, market and enterprise |
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bernard williams critique of utilitarianism
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1. util uses wrongs "sorts of consideration" in deciding these issues: overlooks integrity
a. makes integrity mere squeamishness that should not be given much weight. b. the sense of integrity comes from a different ethical view than utiitarianism. thus, utilitarians relinquish an important aspect of moral identity. 2. utilitarianism tends to focus too much of blame in wrong place; burden us with negative responsibility 3. consciously pursuing happiness does not lead to happiness a. thus advocating utilitarianism may not produce the best consequences. b. what is needed is deep commitments beyond seeking pleasure and pain c. deep commitments provide personal integrity. |
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le guin critique of utilitarianism
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util conflicts with our intuitions about justice.
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nozick are we really hedonists?
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is pleasure the fundamental human drive?
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deontological
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that which is binding (duty based ethics)
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known a priori
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apart from experience, by reason alone.
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intrinsically good
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good in itself not instrumentally good (good for the sake of something else)
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universal
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applies to all rational beings
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objective
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knowable by all rational beings
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necessary
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cannot be denied by a rational being
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implications of kantian characteristics
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1. we do not decide, but rather, through reason, we discover our duty.
2. the determining factor in whether we will be good is our will, not our reason. |
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how reason tells us our duty
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1. by applying logic to the principles behind our actions
2. our actions should never contradict themselves. |
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versions of the categorical imperative (these principles will produce the same rules)
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the golden rule
ends principle act by that maxim |
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the golden rule
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do unto others as you would have them do unto you
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ends principle
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always treat all persons (including yourself) as an end and never merely as a means. [why do this? because rational beings are moral agents-objective ends- with absolute worth]
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act by that maxim cat imperative rule
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an act is morally right if and only if i can will the maxim behind it to become a universal law (it is universalizable)
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Interpretations of the Golden Rule
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1. an erroneous interpretation
2. a negative interpretation "inflexible duty" 3. a positive interpretation "meritorious duty" |
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evaluating and applying the ends principle
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1. expresses many traditional ethical values
2. conflict of ends. 3. kingdom of ends |
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the only unqualifiably good thing is a good will
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usefulness adds nothing to its value
fruitlessness detracts nothing from its value |
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four kinds of people according to Kant
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1. Evil: deliberately go against the categorical imperative
2. prudent/selfish: follow the ci because it benefits themselves 3. natural rule-followers: follow the ci from habit/inclination good people: follow the ci only for the sake of doing their duty. |
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possible criticisms of kant
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too legalistic, rationality more important than feeling, no benevolence, too abstract.... but come on. kant is amazing
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kant's morally necessary beliefs
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1. freedom of will
2. immortality the moral law commands that we become perfect we can only move toward perfection in this finite life. we need an infinite lifetime to keep seeking this goal 3. the existence of god 4. the highest role of reason is to instruct the will |
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conventional/cultural moral relativism:
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all moral judgments are relative to cultures or societies (thus there is no universal moral standard)
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subjective moral relativism (moral subjectivism)
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all moral judgements are relative to individuals (thus no universal moral standards)
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moral absolutism (moral objectivism)
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there is at least one universal (absolute and objective) moral principle by which we can judge our actions
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ethnocentrism
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the unreasoned (uncritically accepted) belief that your own culture is morally right (or is the most morally right, the best culture)
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why moral relativism is widely accepted
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nietzsche's call for individuality and to strive for greatness
the rejection of ethnocentrism (moral relativism seems to produce tolerance) it seems to be based upon the scientific fact of cultural diversity concerning moral principles (many cultures and individuals do not agree on what is right or wrong.) |
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the basic argument for moral relativism (ruth benedict)
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because of culture conditioning there is no way to distinguish between what is thought to be moral and what actually is moral.
thus good really means normal or habitual or widely accepted thus there is no universal moral principle |
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hedonism
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pleasure is the only intrinsic good and pain is the only intrinsic evil.
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epicurus' view of reality
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1. much like modern science, everything is made up of various uniform combinations of atoms
2. everything results from the accidental/random collision of atoms 3. this implies that a. there are no absolute moral laws b. the gods are benevolent if they exist c. that we cease to exist at death d. we are not bound by fate |
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wise hedonosm leads to
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serenity
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epicurus . best life maximises and minimizes
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max pleasure
min pain |
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epicurus. you want === pleasures not === pleasures
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you want longest enduring pleasures not intense pleasures
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epicurus two kinds of pleasures
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active pleasures (gratify specific desires)
passive pleasures (absence of pain and desire) |
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epicurus we need to - our desires and live -
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control our desires and live simply
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epicurus. ultimate goal is
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serenity
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practice of philosophy epciurus
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the means to acheiving serenity.
produces prudence removes fears meditation and conversation is the greatest pleasure |
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browne . we all want = the only difference is how we seek it
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happiness
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browne . putting others happiness before our own is a
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trap
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browne. if we were all unselfish
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no one would be happy
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browne. trying to be unselfish leads to
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negative choices
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browne. instead of being selfish we should seek
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mutually beneficial "exchanges"
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rachels
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egoism and moral skepticism
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psychological egoism
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everyone always acts out of self-interest.
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ethical egoism
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it is morally justified (we ought to) always act out of self interest
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arguments against psych egoism
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the object of what we want determines if we are selfish or not
selfishness is not the same as self interest. selfish people ignore the needs of others when they ought not be ignored |
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arguments against ethical egoism
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the universalization is contradictory
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underlying issues that plato argues against
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1. moral relativism: might makes (decides) what is right.
2. hedonism: we all seek only pleasure, it is the only good. |
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plato . just state. three virtuous classes
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rulers (philosopher kings) -wisdom
auxiliaries (administrators and soldiers)- courage everyone else: temperance (self control) |
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plato-the just soul/personality: three virtuous parts make a whole
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reason-wisdom
spirit-courage desire-temperance harmony-unity |
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virtue (plato)
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a characteristic that enables one to fulfill a function excellently
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the just state and the just individual exhibit the classical ideal of ---- as a harmonious whole
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beauty
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both just state and just soul exhibit --- and --- and leads to a life that works well on a practical level.
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goodness and truth
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the nature of reality is (plato)
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GOOD
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plato said the universe is --- not just mechanically ---
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noble-admirable-grand-majestic
flawless-perfectly operating |