Morals

Front 1

being guided by reason is very different from following one's feelings. when we have strong feelings, we may be tempted to ignore reason and go with the feelings. but in doing so, we would be opting out of moral thinking all together.

Back 1

Rachels, Subjectivism in Ethics

Front 2

if the sources of pleasure were precisely the same to human beings and to swine the rule of life which is good enough for the one would be good enough for the other

Back 2

Mill, Utilitarianism

Front 3

civilian life and property should not be subjected to military force; military force must be directed only at military objectives

Back 3

Lackey, Ethics of war and peace

Front 4

what rules should we follow if happiness is to be maximized? individual acts are then judged right or wrong according to whether they are acceptable or unacceptable by these rules.

Back 4

Rachels, Debate over Utilitarianism.

Front 5

excellence seems to come to those who possess it as a gift from the gods. we will only have clear knowledge of this when, before asking how it comes to humans, we first inquire into what excellence is in itself.

Back 5

Plato, Meno

Front 6

God could have given different commands just as easily. he could have commanded us to be liars and then lying and not truthfulness would be right ( you may be tempted to reply: "but god would never command us to lie" but why not? if he did endorse lying, god would not be commanding us to do wrong because his command would make it right)

Back 6

Rachels, does Morality Depend on Religion

Front 7

if we want to do what is best for people we should not adopt so called altruistic policies of behavior. on the contrary, if each person looks after his or her own interests, it is more likely that everyone will be better off.

Back 7

Rachels, Ethical Egoism

Front 8

rational persons...believing that their country may well be involved in a war at some time, would prefer rules of war that would maximize expectable utility

Back 8

Brandt, Utilitarianism and the rules of war

Front 9

the "laws of nature" not only describe how things are, the specify how things ought to be as well. things are as they ought to be when they are serving their natural purposes. When they do not, or cannot, serve those purposes things have gone wrong.

Back 9

Rachels, Does Morality depend on religion

Front 10

Pleasure and freedom from pain are the only things desirable as ends; and all desirable things are desirable either for pleasure inherent in themselves or as a means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain

Back 10

Mill, Utilitarianism

Front 11

what matters is not whether an individual has a soul, is rational, or any of the rest. all that matters is whether it is capable of experiencing happiness and unhappiness, pleasure and pain. if an individual is capable of sufering, then we have a duty to take that into account when we are deciding what to do

Back 11

Rachels, The Utilitarian Approach

Front 12

there are two types of laws: there are just laws and there are unjust laws. i would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

Back 12

MLK, Letter from a birmingham city jail

Front 13

to talk every day about virtue and those other things about which you hear me discussing and examining myself and others is the best thing a person can do, for the unexamined life is not worth living

Back 13

Plato, Apology

Front 14

we should not think so much of what the majority will say about us, but what the person who understands justice and injustice will say about us

Back 14

Plato, Crito

Front 15

right actions are those that produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over unhappiness

Back 15

Rachels, Debate over Utilitarianism

Front 16

when they are tied down, in the first place they turn into knowledge and secondly they remain in place. that is why knowledge is prized more than correct opinion knowledge differs from correct opinion in that it is tied down

Back 16

Plato, Meno

Front 17

Does it follow; from the mere fact that they disagreed, that there is no objective truth in the matter? no, it does not follow; for it could be that the practice was objectively right or wrong and that one or the other of them was simply mistaken

Back 17

Rachels, Cultural Relativism

Front 18

the happiness which forms the utilitarian standard is not the agent's own happiness but that of all concerned. as between his own happiness and that of others, utilitarianism requires him to be as strictly impartial as a disinterested and benevolent spectator

Back 18

Mill, Utilitarianism

Front 19

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.

Back 19

MLK, Letter from a Birmingham City Jail

Front 20

Substantial destruction of lives and property of enemy civilians is permissible only when there is good evidence that it will significantly enhance the prospect of victory

Back 20

Brandt, Utilitarianism and the rules of war

Front 21

Morality is, at the very least, the effort to guide one's conduct by reason-that is, to do what there are the best reasons for doing--while giving equal weight to the interests of each individual who will be affected by what one does

Back 21

Rachels, What is Morality?