Phil 231 Exam 1

Front 1

What is philosophy (Discipline)

Back 1

tries to solve (or improve our understanding) of certain intellectual problems that resist an easy solution.

Front 2

What is philosophy (Activity of)

Back 2

Radical: questions ALL beliefs
Reflective: open-minded search for the truth.

Front 3

What is ethics?

Back 3

the philosophical study of morality

Front 4

What serves as the data which ethical theories seek to explain?

Back 4

philosophical theories

Front 5

Moral skepticism

Back 5

view that no moral standards are morally justified; no moral standards can be known to be true.

Front 6

Ethical nihilism

Back 6

view that there are no correct moral standards; there is no right/wrong.

Front 7

Moral dogmatism

Back 7

uncritical, unreflective, unquestioning acceptance of the moral beliefs one has been taught.

Front 8

Ethical absolutism

Back 8

view that there are objective facts in ethics.

Front 9

Divine Command Theory

Back 9

Act X is right because God commands us to do X.

Hint 9

what makes an action right is that God commands it. (God creates morality)

Front 10

Infallible Guide Theory

Back 10

God commands us to do act X because X is right.

Hint 10

God commands an action because it is right. (Morality already in place)

Front 11

Individual Relativism

Back 11

Act X is right for person S iff X conforms to the standards of behavior which S accepts.

Hint 11

Normative prescriptive theory that correct moral standards vary from person to person. (Action is right if a person thinks it is right)

Front 12

Cultural Relativism

Back 12

factual descriptive theory that maintains different moral standards are accepted by different social groups.

Front 13

Ethical Relativism

Back 13

Axt X is right for person S iff X conforms to the standards of behavior generally accepted by the social group to which S belongs.

Front 14

Ethnocentrism

Back 14

view that your groups standards are correct and other groups standards are wrong.

Hint 14

Dad

Front 15

Utilitarianism

Back 15

actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to promote the reverse of happiness

Front 16

Hedonistic Utilitarian

Back 16

Act X is right for person S iff of all the actions available to S, act X maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain for all those affected by the action

Front 17

Subjectively Right

Back 17

Act x is right for S iff given everything S has to go on, act X has the greatest expected utility for affected.

Front 18

Morally right

Back 18

actions that produce the greatest net pleasure.

Front 19

Objectively right

Back 19

Act X is right for person S iff out of all the actions available to S, act X is the action that in fact has the best consequences for all affected.

Front 20

Good will

Back 20

a person who does what is right because it is right and for no other reason.

Front 21

Merely right

Back 21

an action merely done in accordance with duty.

Front 22

Morally good

Back 22

-an action done from duty.
-done intentionally

Front 23

Categorical Imperative

Back 23

commands you to do X whether you want to or not.

Front 24

Hypothetical Imperative

Back 24

commands you to do something, to get something else, but only if you want the end result.

Front 25

Universal Law Forumla

Back 25

Act only on those maxims which you could will to be universal law.
Ex:
-Making promises you don't intend to keep
-Refusing to help people in dire need.

Front 26

Respect for Persons Formulation

Back 26

Always treat persons as ends in themselves and never as means merely.

Front 27

Perfect duties

Back 27

once duty is filled responsibility is done.

Front 28

Imperfect Duties

Back 28

duty continues

Front 29

Consequentialism approach to ethics

Back 29

the right action is the action with the best consequences.

Front 30

Argument

Back 30

group of statements where conclusion is said to follow from the others, the premise.

Front 31

Statement

Back 31

Sentance that is either true or false.

Front 32

Premise

Back 32

Reasons for thinking the conclusion is true.

Front 33

Conclusion

Back 33

Statement you are trying to prove

Front 34

Valid

Back 34

logically impossible for the premises to be true and conclusion to be false.

Front 35

Soundness

Back 35

argument is sound iff it is valid, and it has true premises.

Front 36

Noncomparitive Injustice

Back 36

Involves treating an individual in a way no individual deserves to be treated.

Front 37

Comparitive Injustice

Back 37

Involves treating an individual unfairly compared to others.

Front 38

Formal principal of Comparative Justice

Back 38

Always treat equally those who are equal in the relevant respects.

Front 39

Principal of Absolute Equality

Back 39

Because there are no relevant differences between humans, all beings deserve an exactly equal share of economic wealth.

Front 40

Principal of Need

Back 40

From each according to his abilities to each according to his needs

Front 41

Principal of Achievement

Back 41

Reward people on basis of what they actually produce.

Front 42

Principal of Effort

Back 42

Reward people on the basis of how hard they actually try not on what they accomplish

Front 43

Normative ethics

Back 43

Seeks to provide a theory of right and wrong

Front 44

Applied ethics

Back 44

Critical evaluation of ones own moral judgements.

Front 45

Conservative defines a right to life as:

Back 45

X has a right to life. So it would be wrong to kill an innocent X.

Front 46

Liberal account

Back 46

X is conscious, has beliefs and desires, self-consciously aware and is rational.

Front 47

Retributivist Theory of Punishment

Back 47

Backward looking. Punishment should fit the crime.

Front 48

Conservative argument against abortion

Back 48

1. Every human being has a right to life. 2. Fetus is a human. 3. Fetus has a right to life. 4. It is wrong to kill the fetus.

Front 49

Biological & Moral sense

Back 49

Bio: x is a human means x is a member of the group homo sapien.

Moral: x is a person with a serious right to life and some persons are not homo sapiens.

Front 50

Ethical humanism

Back 50

View that all and only human beings deserve moral consideration.

Front 51

Humane moralism

Back 51

All and only sentient beings deserve moral consideration.

Front 52

Land ethic

Back 52

Holistic ethic. Eco-holes have intrinsic value, ecosystems have inherent value, individuals have only instrumental value.

Front 53

Aldo Leopold environmental ethic.

Back 53

A thing is only right when it tends to promote the beauty, stability, integrity of the biotic community.

Front 54

Fundamental principle of morality

Back 54

Front 55

Albert Schweitzer

Back 55