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66 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Normative ethics
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The study of the values and guidelines by which we live
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Applied ethics
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The application of normative ethics to actual cases
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Theoretical ethics (aka Metaethics)
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The justification of these values and guidelines. These justifications involve skill in moral reasoning and critical thinking.
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Metaphysics (aka ontology)
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The nature of reality or being
* What is real? * What is reality? * Does God exist? |
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Epistemology
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The theory of knowledge
* What is knowledge? * How is it diff from opinion? * What can we know? |
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Logic
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A purely formal (like truth) discipline
* What forms of arguments are valid? * Which are sound? |
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Axiology
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The study of value(s)
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Ethics
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The study of moral value
* What ought humans to be? * Are moral values abolute or relative? |
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Aesthetics
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The study of artistic value
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Ethics fits into what group?
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Axiology
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Every good moral theory should have?
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1) Moral reasoning
2) Impartiality |
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Two kinds of statements are?
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Descriptinve and prescriptive
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What kind of statement tells us what "is" (a fact)
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Descriptive statements
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What kind of statement tells us what "ought" to be (a value)
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Prescriptive statements
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Argument
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Made up of two or more propositions, one of which is supported by the
others. |
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Proposition
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In logic, is a statement that expresses a complete thought; it can be true or false, and the same proposition can be stated in different ways.
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Conclusion
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The proposition that is affirmed or denied on the basis of the other propositions.
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Premise
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The proposition that provides reasons or support for the conclusion. An argument can have more than one premise.
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Inference.
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The process by which we move from the premise to the conclusion
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Rhetoric
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A means of defending a particular worldview or opinion rather than analyzing it.
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Moral dilemma
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A situation in which we have a conflict between moral values. In a moral dilemma, no matter what conclusion we draw or what solution we choose, it will involve doing something wrong in order to do what is right.
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The conclusion is often, though not always, preceded by words or phrases
known as conclusion indicators, such as: |
* therefore
* which shows that * hence * for these reasons * thus * consequently |
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Premises are often, though not always, preceded by words or phrases
known as premise indicators, such as: |
* because
* may be inferred that * for * the reason is that * since * as shown by |
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What are the two main types of moral theories?
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Ethical relativism and Universal subjectivism
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Ethical relativism
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States that morality is different for different people
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Universalism
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State that there are fundamental, objective moral principles and values that are universally true for all people, independent of their personal beliefs or culture.
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Cultural relativism
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The theory that morality is relative to societal norms
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What are the two types of ethical relativism?
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Ethical subjectivism and Cultural relativism.
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Ethical subjectivism
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Claims that individual people create their own morality
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Why is Cultural Relativism not the same as Sociological Relativism
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Cultural relativism is a moral theory about what ought to be. Sociological relativism is a descriptive rather than normative theory.
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Naturalist fallacy
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Draws a conclusion about what ought to be, based on what is.
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Person (personhood)
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Having value
Being a part of the moral community |
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Why are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism mutually exclusive
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A person cannot consistently believe both that morality is created by individuals and that morality is a cultural creation.
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Preconventional (aka egoism)
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Avoid punishment, satisfy one's own needs
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Conventional
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Help others, earn approval
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Postconventional
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Social contracts, universal principles (principlism/justice/equality)
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Praxis
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Moral action
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Divine commmand theory
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Something is moral merely because God approves of it.
If we accept the divine command theory, the only way to resolve a moral issue such as cloning or affirmative action, or to decide if we should kill someone, would be to wait for God to speak to us. There are no other criteria for deciding right from wrong. |
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Natural law theorists
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Disagree with the divine command theory. They maintain that God commands something because it is moral, not the other way around.
Reject cultural relativism. If a law is unjust, we may have a moral obligation to disobey it. |
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Who is responsible for modern Utilitarian theory?
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Jeremy Bentham
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Who focused more on the quality of happiness?
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John Stuart Mills
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Pinciple of Utility (aka greatest happiness principle)
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Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness
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Sentient beings
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Those beings who are capable of feeling pleasure and pain
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Utilitarianism
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Those traits that promote happiness have the greatest utility and the only source of political obligation for the state; it is utility alone that proved the test of what a law ought to be and which laws ought to be obeyed.
Strong focus on the consequences of actions. |
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Who is the best known deontologiest
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Immanuel Kant
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Duty
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Doing what is right
for its own sake |
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Most fundamental moral principle for a deontologist?
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Catagorical imperative
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Catagorical imperiative #1
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Only do something if you wish it to be universalized
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Catagorical imperiative #2
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Always treat humans as an ends in themselves, never as a means only
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Good will
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Desire to do moral duty, not for reward or any other motivation
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Hypothetical imperative
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A command that applies only conditionally: if A, then B, where A is a condition or goal, and B is an action
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Prima facie duties
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Moral duties that may on occasion be overridden by stronger moral claims.
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Who came up with the Prima facie duties theory?
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W.D. Ross
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What are the two types of justice?
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retributive justice and distributive justice
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Retributive justice
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Requires punishment for wrong doing in proportion to the magnitude of the crime.
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Distributive justice
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Refers to the fair distribution of benefits and burdens in a society.
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Where do natural rights come from (according to Locke)?
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God given
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Who talked about natural rights?
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John Locke
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Rights-Based ethics
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Moral rights are not the same as legal rights, although in a just society the two would overlap. Moral rights instead are generally seen as either (1) natural and existing independently or (2) derived from duties.
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What are the two kinds of moral rights?
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Welfare rights and liberty rights
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Welfare rights
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The right to receive certain social goods such as education, medical care, and police protection.
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Liberty rights
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The right to be left alone to pursue our legitimate interests without interference from the government or other people.
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Autonomy
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The freedom to make our own decisions
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Virtue ethics
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Emphasizes right being over right action. (who should I be rather than what should I do)
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Virtue
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An admirable character trait or disposition to habitually act in a manner that benefits ourselves and other
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Aristotle and virtue ethics
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Humans need community in order to be virtuous. The purpose of the state is to promote the virtuous or good life.
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