Bioethics Midterm Flashcards
Types of Deductive Arguments
Valid: affirming the antecedent, denying the consequent.
Invalid: affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent.
Types of Inductive Arguments
Generalization, Analogies, Inference to the best explanation.
Valid - affirming the antecedent
If P, then Q. P. So, Q.
Valid - denying the consequent
If P, then Q. Not Q. Thus, not P.
Invalid - affirming the consequent
If P, then Q. Q. So, P.
Invalid - denying the antecedent
If P, then Q. Not P. So, not Q.
Generalization
making an inference from a sample to a larger population.
How do you determine the strength of a generalization?
Must have a sufficient sample size, a representative sample, and a margin of error (prediction/range).
Analogies
arguments based on similarities. (ex: X has a, b, c, and d. Y has a, b, and c. So, probably Y has d too.)
Analogies - how to determine if argument is strong/weak?
The more relevant similarities are, the stronger the argument. The more relevant differences the weaker the argument.
Inference to the best explanation
The hypothesis that best explains an observation is the most likely cause of that observation.
Criteria - Inference to the best explanation
- scope - the more a hypothesis explains the stronger the hypothesis.
- simplicity - the fewer ad-hoc or when necessary assumptions of a hypothesis the stronger the hypothesis.
Fallacies
Bad arguments that often look good.
Types of fallacies
Straw man, appeal to the person, appeal to ignorance, begging the question, slippery slope.
Straw Man fallacy
distorting your opponent’s argument to attack it more easily.
Appeal to the person fallacy
appeal to the person attacking the person rather than the argument.
Appeal to ignorance fallacy
you can’t prove something is false so it must be true.
Begging the question fallacy
Arguing in a circle. The conclusion is assumed as one of the premises.
Slippery slope fallacy
Claiming a chain reaction will occur when really there is not good reason to believe it will.
General moral principles/theories (13 of them)
Ethics is the law, Golden Rule, Subjective Relativism, Cultural Relativism, Ethics is Religion, the Five Common Principles in Bioethics, Ethical Egoism, Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, Kant, Virtue Ethics, Feminist Ethics, and Natural Law Theory.
Ethics is the law
an act is right if it is legal and wrong if it is illegal.
criticism: many legal acts are immoral, and many illegal acts are moral.
Golden Rule
treat people the way you want to be treated.
advantage: it does require to consider others.
criticism: we should punish people even if we wouldn’t want to be punished. Others often don’t want to be treated as I do.
Subjective Relativism
an act is right for you if you believe it is right.
criticism: if true, then reasons don’t matter. It’s what you believe. If true, then no one could be mistaken in their moral beliefs. If true, then murder would be acceptable if you think it is.
Cultural Relativism
an act is right for you if your culture approves of the act.
advantages: if seems to support tolerance and it would say that individuals could be mistaken in their moral beliefs.
criticism: moral reformers would necessarily be wrong. what is one’s true culture? if true, then cultures could not be mistaken. if true, then reasons don’t matter.