Intro To Ethics Test 2

Front 1

Consequentialism

Back 1

Acts are judged right or wrong in terms of future consequences

Front 2

Utility

Back 2

"greatest happiness principle" the right consequence is the greatest possible amount of happiness of the greatest number of people.

Front 3

hedonism

Back 3

happiness is a matter of a greater balance of pleasure over pain (pleasure and avoidance of pain are the only things intrinsically good)

Front 4

sum

Back 4

an act is morally right if and only if it alone of all the possible actions leads to the highest ratio of pleasure to pain.

Front 5

aspects of mill's utilitarianism

Back 5

1. self sacrifice is not an intrinsic good but unselfish acts have great utility.
2. motive of the agent has nothing to do with the rightness of the action, but rather with the "worth of the agent"
3. broad notion of pleasure used in defining happiness.
i. qualitative and quantitative aspects of pleasures
ii. higher and lower pleasures
iii. competently judging/ranking pleasures
iv. a cultivated mind leads to more/ higher pleasures
v. moderation is needed for happiness
vi. society should teach that our individual happiness is inseparable from happiness of others (follow the spirit of the Golden Rule)
4. utilitarianism is a universal moral principle.

Front 6

basis for mill's famous defense of liberty

Back 6

1. freedom of speech, expression, conscience, thought
2. freedom of pursuits, plans of life, consumption
3. freedom to unite, including collective enterprise
4. in sum-- free speech, lifestyle, market and enterprise

Front 7

bernard williams critique of utilitarianism

Back 7

1. util uses wrongs "sorts of consideration" in deciding these issues: overlooks integrity
a. makes integrity mere squeamishness that should not be given much weight.
b. the sense of integrity comes from a different ethical view than utiitarianism. thus, utilitarians relinquish an important aspect of moral identity.
2. utilitarianism tends to focus too much of blame in wrong place; burden us with negative responsibility
3. consciously pursuing happiness does not lead to happiness
a. thus advocating utilitarianism may not produce the best consequences.
b. what is needed is deep commitments beyond seeking pleasure and pain
c. deep commitments provide personal integrity.

Front 8

le guin critique of utilitarianism

Back 8

util conflicts with our intuitions about justice.

Front 9

nozick are we really hedonists?

Back 9

is pleasure the fundamental human drive?

Front 10

deontological

Back 10

that which is binding (duty based ethics)

Front 11

known a priori

Back 11

apart from experience, by reason alone.

Front 12

intrinsically good

Back 12

good in itself not instrumentally good (good for the sake of something else)

Front 13

universal

Back 13

applies to all rational beings

Front 14

objective

Back 14

knowable by all rational beings

Front 15

necessary

Back 15

cannot be denied by a rational being

Front 16

implications of kantian characteristics

Back 16

1. we do not decide, but rather, through reason, we discover our duty.
2. the determining factor in whether we will be good is our will, not our reason.

Front 17

how reason tells us our duty

Back 17

1. by applying logic to the principles behind our actions
2. our actions should never contradict themselves.

Front 18

versions of the categorical imperative (these principles will produce the same rules)

Back 18

the golden rule
ends principle
act by that maxim

Front 19

the golden rule

Back 19

do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Front 20

ends principle

Back 20

always treat all persons (including yourself) as an end and never merely as a means. [why do this? because rational beings are moral agents-objective ends- with absolute worth]

Front 21

act by that maxim cat imperative rule

Back 21

an act is morally right if and only if i can will the maxim behind it to become a universal law (it is universalizable)

Front 22

Interpretations of the Golden Rule

Back 22

1. an erroneous interpretation
2. a negative interpretation "inflexible duty"
3. a positive interpretation "meritorious duty"

Front 23

evaluating and applying the ends principle

Back 23

1. expresses many traditional ethical values
2. conflict of ends.
3. kingdom of ends

Front 24

the only unqualifiably good thing is a good will

Back 24

usefulness adds nothing to its value
fruitlessness detracts nothing from its value

Front 25

four kinds of people according to Kant

Back 25

1. Evil: deliberately go against the categorical imperative
2. prudent/selfish: follow the ci because it benefits themselves
3. natural rule-followers: follow the ci from habit/inclination
good people: follow the ci only for the sake of doing their duty.

Front 26

possible criticisms of kant

Back 26

too legalistic, rationality more important than feeling, no benevolence, too abstract.... but come on. kant is amazing

Front 27

kant's morally necessary beliefs

Back 27

1. freedom of will
2. immortality
the moral law commands that we become perfect
we can only move toward perfection in this finite life.
we need an infinite lifetime to keep seeking this goal
3. the existence of god
4. the highest role of reason is to instruct the will

Front 28

conventional/cultural moral relativism:

Back 28

all moral judgments are relative to cultures or societies (thus there is no universal moral standard)

Front 29

subjective moral relativism (moral subjectivism)

Back 29

all moral judgements are relative to individuals (thus no universal moral standards)

Front 30

moral absolutism (moral objectivism)

Back 30

there is at least one universal (absolute and objective) moral principle by which we can judge our actions

Front 31

ethnocentrism

Back 31

the unreasoned (uncritically accepted) belief that your own culture is morally right (or is the most morally right, the best culture)

Front 32

why moral relativism is widely accepted

Back 32

nietzsche's call for individuality and to strive for greatness
the rejection of ethnocentrism (moral relativism seems to produce tolerance)
it seems to be based upon the scientific fact of cultural diversity concerning moral principles (many cultures and individuals do not agree on what is right or wrong.)

Front 33

the basic argument for moral relativism (ruth benedict)

Back 33

because of culture conditioning there is no way to distinguish between what is thought to be moral and what actually is moral.

thus good really means normal or habitual or widely accepted

thus there is no universal moral principle

Front 34

hedonism

Back 34

pleasure is the only intrinsic good and pain is the only intrinsic evil.

Front 35

epicurus' view of reality

Back 35

1. much like modern science, everything is made up of various uniform combinations of atoms
2. everything results from the accidental/random collision of atoms
3. this implies that
a. there are no absolute moral laws
b. the gods are benevolent if they exist
c. that we cease to exist at death
d. we are not bound by fate

Front 36

wise hedonosm leads to

Back 36

serenity

Front 37

epicurus . best life maximises and minimizes

Back 37

max pleasure
min pain

Front 38

epicurus. you want === pleasures not === pleasures

Back 38

you want longest enduring pleasures not intense pleasures

Front 39

epicurus two kinds of pleasures

Back 39

active pleasures (gratify specific desires)
passive pleasures (absence of pain and desire)

Front 40

epicurus we need to - our desires and live -

Back 40

control our desires and live simply

Front 41

epicurus. ultimate goal is

Back 41

serenity

Front 42

practice of philosophy epciurus

Back 42

the means to acheiving serenity.
produces prudence
removes fears
meditation and conversation is the greatest pleasure

Front 43

browne . we all want = the only difference is how we seek it

Back 43

happiness

Front 44

browne . putting others happiness before our own is a

Back 44

trap

Front 45

browne. if we were all unselfish

Back 45

no one would be happy

Front 46

browne. trying to be unselfish leads to

Back 46

negative choices

Front 47

browne. instead of being selfish we should seek

Back 47

mutually beneficial "exchanges"

Front 48

rachels

Back 48

egoism and moral skepticism

Front 49

psychological egoism

Back 49

everyone always acts out of self-interest.

Front 50

ethical egoism

Back 50

it is morally justified (we ought to) always act out of self interest

Front 51

arguments against psych egoism

Back 51

the object of what we want determines if we are selfish or not
selfishness is not the same as self interest. selfish people ignore the needs of others when they ought not be ignored

Front 52

arguments against ethical egoism

Back 52

the universalization is contradictory

Front 53

underlying issues that plato argues against

Back 53

1. moral relativism: might makes (decides) what is right.
2. hedonism: we all seek only pleasure, it is the only good.

Front 54

plato . just state. three virtuous classes

Back 54

rulers (philosopher kings) -wisdom
auxiliaries (administrators and soldiers)- courage
everyone else: temperance (self control)

Front 55

plato-the just soul/personality: three virtuous parts make a whole

Back 55

reason-wisdom
spirit-courage
desire-temperance
harmony-unity

Front 56

virtue (plato)

Back 56

a characteristic that enables one to fulfill a function excellently

Front 57

the just state and the just individual exhibit the classical ideal of ---- as a harmonious whole

Back 57

beauty

Front 58

both just state and just soul exhibit --- and --- and leads to a life that works well on a practical level.

Back 58

goodness and truth

Front 59

the nature of reality is (plato)

Back 59

GOOD

Front 60

plato said the universe is --- not just mechanically ---

Back 60

noble-admirable-grand-majestic
flawless-perfectly operating