Ethics

Front 1

Morality

Back 1

Effort to understand the nature of morality and what it requires of us

Front 2

Socrate's definition of morality

Back 2

how we ought to live

Front 3

Minimum conception of morality

Back 3

core that every moral theory should accept

Front 4

Anencephalic

Back 4

Missing certain brain parts, ie cerebellum and crebrum but not brain stem

Front 5

Baby Theresa History

Back 5

Missing parts of brain, parents wanted to donate

Front 6

Benefits of Baby Theresa Story

Back 6

Her organs could be transplanted to help other children. Quality of Life is not the same as simply being alive

Front 7

Baby T- using people argument

Back 7

Using people as a means to other people's ends is wrong.

Front 8

Definition of "Using" someone

Back 8

Violating someone's autonomy

Front 9

Definition of autonomy

Back 9

People's ability to decide for themselves how to life their life.

Front 10

Baby T- Wrongness of Killing

Back 10

Wrong to kill to save another.

Front 11

Jodie and Mary History

Back 11

Spines were fused, conjoined twins. Had 1 heart and 1 pair of lungs. Jodie was "stronger" because she provided blood for her sister. Were expected to die within 6 months.

Front 12

Parent's stand on mary and jodie

Back 12

devout catholics- wanted nature to take its course. God's will.

Front 13

Doctor's position on Mary and Jodie

Back 13

Wanted to separate them, used a court order to save Jodie.

Front 14

Saving as many as possible

Back 14

people would rather 1 child die than both Mary and Jodie

Front 15

Sanctity of Human Life

Back 15

Parents loved both of their children and thought it would be wrong to kill one to save another. This is the idea that all life, regardless of life, age, ethnicity is sacred.

Front 16

Argument from sanctity of llife

Back 16

The innocent human has no future because they will die soon. The innocent human has no wish to further life, or no wishes at all. The killing will save others who can go on and live full lives.

Front 17

Tracy Latimer History

Back 17

Had cerebral palsy- killed by her father. Functioned at 3 month old level. Weighed less than 40 lbs and was killed by exhaust fumes.

Front 18

Wrongness of Discriminating against Disabled

Back 18

Disabled people have just as much worth of life as others.

Front 19

Tracy Latimer's Father Stand

Back 19

Tracy was not killed b/c of her condition but more to relieve her of torture.

Front 20

Moral Reasoning

Back 20

Collecting factual information and using reasoning to come with a conclusion- cannot let feelings or preconceptions take over.

Front 21

Impartiality

Back 21

Everyone's interests are equally important, none can get special treatment.

Front 22

Minimum Conception of Morality

Back 22

Morality is the effort to guide one's conduct by reason- to do what there are best reasons for doing- while giving equal weight to the interests of each individual affected by ones decision.

Front 23

Cultural Relativism

Back 23

Diff Cultures have DIff Moral codes. There is no universal moral code. Once within a cultural bound, must obey the rules in that culture. No truth in morality, only opinions.

Front 24

Cultural Relativism argument

Back 24

If premise is true, conclusion can still be false. People thought that the world was flat, but that obviously wasnt true even if it was culturally accepted.

Front 25

Ethical Subjectivism

Back 25

Moral opinions are based on our feelings and nothing more, and therefore cannot be right or wrong.

Front 26

David Hume

Back 26

Said morality is based on sentiment

Front 27

Simple Subjectivism

Back 27

Approve/Disapprove

Front 28

Why Simple Subj is wrong

Back 28

people cannot 'disagree' in Simple subj, because they are only opinions, even though they clearly do.

Front 29

Simple Subjectivism always assumes were right

Back 29

This is because everything we say is an approval and cannot be wrong, however people still make moral mistakes

Front 30

Emotivism

Back 30

Everything is a command and does not carry a "wrong/right"

Front 31

Utilitarianism

Back 31

Right is based on how happy something makes you as opposed to how much pain it causes

Front 32

Hedonism

Back 32

Pleasure is ultimate good and pain is ultimate evil

Front 33

Utilitarianism is incompatible with..

Back 33

Justice, you can bear false witness and lie so long as it produces more happiness than harm

Rights- rights could be violated if they produced more happiness than harm

Backward-looking reasons- ultil only cares about consequences but obligations are also important

Front 34

supererogatory

Back 34

people who go above and beyond the call of their moral duties

Front 35

Utilit Charge-Demands

Back 35

Would require you to keep giving things up until you become the needy yourself due to the joy you would bring as opposed to the small pains you suffer from donating/helping/etc

Front 36

Util Charge- Personal Relationship Disruption

Back 36

Cannot have intimate relationships- because it is not impartial

Front 37

Util Defense-Consequences

Back 37

People who say that util causes pain in some people assume certain things really do have the best consequences, but that may not be so.. the assumptions may be wrong so the critics may be wrong

Front 38

Util Defense- Rule guide not act guide

Back 38

Rule Util creates rules for general behavior

However: making case by case exceptions to rules would be the same as Act-Util

Changing the rules would also give no substantial weight to the rules in the first place

True Util's dont care about the rules, just the consequences- being a "rule-slave" doesnt help

Front 39

Classical Util is aka

Back 39

Act-Util

Front 40

Util Defense- Common Sense

Back 40

Common Sense is wrong. There are deeper meanings to the consequences of bad actions other than common sense, and they carry with them lessened happiness

Nothing is "wrong in itself" i.e. lying, its just the pain/suffering it causes that makes it wrong

Front 41

Divine Command

Back 41

it is right because God commands it

Front 42

Theory of Natural Law

Back 42

it is right because it is natural or meant for a purpose

Front 43

Anscombe

Back 43

Philisopher who was a devout catholic

Front 44

Categorical Imperative

Back 44

Basically stated that moral obligations should be followed no matter what.

Front 45

Hypothetical Imperatives

Back 45

If you want A. Then you do B.

Front 46

Inquiring Murderer

Back 46

should you lie, you save a life. should you tell the truth, you kill someone- is this an exception to categorical imperative?