Philosophy 104

Front 1

The thesis advanced by the argument is called its...

Back 1

conclusion

Front 2

The reasons cited in favor of that conclusion are called its...

Back 2

premises

Front 3

Rhetorical force:

Back 3

power to persuade

Front 4

Literary merrit:

Back 4

is the argument clearly stated

Front 5

Rational strength:

Back 5

what philosophers consider. does the argument make you believe that the conclusion is true

Front 6

4 basic principles of argument reconstruction

Back 6

completeness-charity-economy-clarity

Front 7

The argument is deductively valid if..

Back 7

the truth of the premises would gurantee the truth of the conclusion

Front 8

Non deductive arguement

Back 8

the conclusion ventures beyond the information contained in the premises

Front 9

Inductive arguments..

Back 9

are stronger or weaker according to the sample size and the unbiasedness of the sample

Front 10

An argument is sound iff...

Back 10

it is deductively valid and all of its premises are true

Front 11

Affirming the consequent

Back 11

concluding that the conclusion is true because the premise is

Front 12

Fallacious argument

Back 12

is flawed in its logic (premise) or form (structured form)

Front 13

Informal fallacy

Back 13

may have a valid logical form but is wrong due to mistake in its reasoning

Front 14

Formal fallacy

Back 14

arguments that are falacious due to an error in their form or technical structure

Front 15

An inductive conclusion is either...

Back 15

a generalization or a prediction about a future case

Front 16

An argument is inductively strong iff...

Back 16

the truth of the premises would make the truth of the conclusion probable but not definite

Front 17

Factors affecting inductive strength

Back 17

sample size and bias

Front 18

Hedonism:

Back 18

the doctrine that pleasure and pleasure alone is good. pleasure is the most important pursuite of mankind. all actions can be measured on the basis of how much pleasure and how little pain.

Front 19

Utilitarianism and the principle of utility

Back 19

the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome. an act is right iff there is no other action that the agent could have done which had higher utility than the action performed

Front 20

Benthams rule of utility

Back 20

good is whatever brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people

Front 21

Greatest happiness principle:

Back 21

one must always act so as to produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

Front 22

Benthams measures of pleasure: intensity

Back 22

how strong is the pleasure

Front 23

Duration

Back 23

how long will the pleasure last

Front 24

Certainty

Back 24

how likely is it that the pleasure will occur

Front 25

Propinquity

Back 25

how soon will the pleasure occur

Front 26

Fecundity

Back 26

probability that the action will be followed by sensations of the same kind

Front 27

Purity

Back 27

probability that the pleasure will be followed by sensations of the opposite kind

Front 28

Extent

Back 28

how many people will be affected

Front 29

Qualitative pleasure (mill)

Back 29

there is not one universal pleasure. pleasures can be higher or lower. those who have experienced both tend to prefer one over the other

Front 30

Mills test of competent judges

Back 30

1. judges are those who have experienced both types of pleasure. 2. they would prefer x over y even if y were to be given at a higher frequency. 3. this x preference is shared by the majority of the judges. 4. if all these are true then x is the more desirable pleasure and is the best worth having.

Front 31

Objection to Mills view

Back 31

the swine objection: the utilitarian doctrine is unfit for humans because it recognizes no higher purpose to life than the mere pursuit of pleasure

Front 32

Nozicks argument against hedonism

Back 32

if hedonism is true then the best life would be a life lived entirely in the experience machine. but life lived in the EM is not the best life. therefore hedonism is not true

Front 33

Act utilitarianism

Back 33

judge actions in terms of the goodness of their consequences without reference to rules of action

Front 34

Rule utilitarianism

Back 34

moral actions are those which conform to the rules which lead to the greatest good

Front 35

Desire satisfaction view

Back 35

interest is a generic term covering many types of desires and preferences