Chapter 1 Key Terms

Question 1

This refers to actual beliefs, customs, principles, and practices of people and cultures.

Answer 1

Descriptive Morality

Question 2

This refers to the systematic effort to understand moral concepts and justify moral principles and theories.

Answer 2

Moral Philosophy (Ethical Theory)

Question 3

This deals with controversial moral problems.

Examples include abortion, premarital sex, capital punishment, euthanasia, and civil disobedience.

Answer 3

Applied Ethics

Question 4

The larger study of ethics draws on all three of these subdivisions.

Answer 4

Descriptive Morality
Moral Philosophy (Ethical Theory)
Applied Ethics

Question 5

This is the commanding aspect of morality.

Answer 5

Prescriptivity

Question 6

Moral principles must apply to all people who are in a relevantly similar situation.

Answer 6

Universalizability

Question 7

Moral principles have predominant authority and override other kinds of principles.

Answer 7

Overridingness

Question 8

Moral principles must be made public in order to guide our actions.

Answer 8

Publicity

Question 9

A moral principle must be workable and its rules must not lay a heavy burden on us when we follow them.

Answer 9

Practicability

Question 10

Although there is no universal agreement on the characteristics a moral principle must have, there is a wide consensus about five features:

Answer 10

Prescriptivity
Universalizability
Overridingness 
Publicity
Practicability

Question 11

This is one that morality requires you to do; it is not permissible for you to refrain from doing it.

Answer 11

Obligatory Act

Question 12

This is one that is neither obligatory nor wrong to do. It is not you duty to do it, nor is it your duty not to do it. Neither do it nor not doing it would be wrong.

Answer 12

Optional Act