basic principles of ethics Flashcards
What are the categories in principalism?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
What is mechanistic materialism?
This refers to the concept of the mind being just a complex machine, and is not responsible for any causation of action, conscience or free will. It accepts determinism which refers to the fact that all events are determined by our genes and environmental factors, not by our own mind.
What is moral absolutism?
This is an ethical stance in which things are intrinsically right or wrong, e.g. stealing is always immoral, regardless of if it is done for the benefit of others.
What is moral relativism?
This is the idea that everyone is entitled to their own opinion on things and we cannot say someone is right or wrong based on their preference.
What is Pyrrhonian moral scepticism?
This is a stance which lies in between, e.g. people are entitled to their own opinion however there are some instances where there should be no acceptable alternative, e.g. it is not okay to kill someone, you should go to jail.
What do we use to come to moral ethical conclusions?
Logic - this ensures non-contradiction, e.g. our stance follows the core principles that we believe in and we are consistent with our moral beliefs.
Thought experiments - these are imaginary cases which are used to shed light on how to decide the real decision
What is consequentialism?
This assumes that something is ethically correct if it produces good consequences
What is deontology?
This assumes something is ethically correct if there are good intentions of the action.
What is virtue theory?
This assumes something is ethically correct if it emphasises virtues or positive moral character, rather than the consequences or actions associated with the decision.
What is ‘ontology’
Ontology is the ways of looking at general features of the universe and can influence our ethics. Our ethics may also influence our ontologies.
What is Panexperientialism?
This is an ontology which believes that increasing levels of mental complexity comes with increasing levels of material. It assumes that everything experiences therefore everything has a mind
What is dualism?
This is the view that reality is composed of 2 fundamentally distinct things: material things and mental things. Material things are objects which have no self-determination and are governed by mechanistic forces. Mental things are subjects with a capacity to act or determine themselves, e.g. internal forces.
