Chapter 1 Flashcards
Branch of philosophy that seeks to understand the nature, purposes, justifications, and found principles of moral rules and systems the compromise
Ethics
An individual’s view of what is right or wrong based on one’s personal life teachings, traditions, and experiences
Microethics
Involves a more global view of what is right and wrong
Macroethics
What are 3 ways that ethics is used?
Philosophical, general patter or way of life, set of rules of conduct or moral code
Addresses issues such as the nature of life and death, what constitutes murder, how we should treat people
Bioethics
Why do we study ethics?
Make sound judgements, good decisions, and right choices
Describes a class of rules held by society to govern the conduct of its individual members
Morality
Ideas about what is right and what is wrong
Morals
Prescribes the standards of conduct, states principles expressing responsibilities, defines the rules expressing duties of professionals to whom they apply
Code of conduct
Used to guide human conduct by stating desirable traits to be exhibited and undesirable ones
Standards
Describe responsibilities that do not specify what the required conduct should be
Principles
Specify specific conduct; they do not allow for individual professional judgement
Rules
Judgements concerned with what an individual or group believes to be the right or proper behavior in a given situation
Moral judgement
Study of the origin and meaning of ethical concepts
Metaethics
Attempts to determine what moral standards should be followed so that human behavior and conduct may be morally right
Normative ethics
Study of what people believe to be right and wrong and why they believe it
Descriptive ethics
Application of normative theories to practical moral problems such as abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide
Applied ethics
Emphasizes that the morally right action is whatever action leads to the maximum balance of good over evil
Consequential ethics theory
Moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall usefulness
Utilitarian ethics theory
Focuses on one’s duties to theories and others’ rights such as keeping the truth and keeping promises
Deontological ethics
Denies that the consequence of an action are the only criteria for determining the morality of an action; right or wrong depends on the intention not the outcome
Non-consequential ethics
Right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced
Ethical relativism
Universal rules of conduct derived from ethical theories that provide a practical basis for identifying what kinds of actions, intentions, and motives are valued
Ethical principles
Right of a person to makes one’s own decisions
Autonomy
Describes the principle of doing good, demonstrating kindness, showing compassion and helping others
Beneficence
Someone may believe that they know what is best for another person and make decisions that they believe are in that person’s best interest
Paternalism
Making decisions for their patients even though they are capable of making their own choices
Medical paternalism
What is an example of paternalism?
Witholding information from someone because they believe it is of best interest for that person
What is an example of medical paternalism?
Telling a patient what they believe is best for them based on personal beliefs
Employer recognizes and considers employee rights when making decisions in the workplace
Employment related paternalism
