Defining Ethics Flashcards
What is ethics?
The study of the general nature of morals, moral choices, moral philosophy, and the rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession
Are ethical standards higher than law standards?
Yes
True or False:
An act is only considered unethical if the act breaks the law
False
What are ethical rules?
Unwritten standards and expectations for behavior that are developed for nearly all aspects of our lives
What 2 things play a critical role in an ethical decision?
Values and judgments
What leads us to believe actions are right or wrong?
Our moral philosophies
What is moral philosophy?
The principles or rules that people use to decide what is right or wrong
In business, what do individuals rely on to make decisions?
Their moral philosophies
True or False:
There is no moral philosophy that everyone excepts
True
Divine command theory decisions in ethical dilemmas are made on the basis of what?
Guidance from a divine being
Fill in the Blank:
Egoists believe they should make decisions that maximize their own ________
Self-interest
Who was a philosopher who believed that ethical egoism was the central factor in human decision-making?
Thomas Hobbes
What did Thomas Hobbes believe that we needed to control egoism?
Authoritarianism
Which theory is sometimes referred to as the social contract?
The Contractarians and Justice Theory
What is the Individual Rights Theory also known as?
The Entitlement Theory
Who believes in a time-and-place ethics?
Moral Relativists
True or False:
Moral Relativists do not believe in absolute rule, virtue ethics, and social contracts
True
What do Moral Relativists’ beliefs center on?
The pressure of the moment and whether the pressure justifies the action taken
What theory is also known as the universal rule?
The Categorical Imperative Theory
What must you conduct if you are using the utilitarianism theory?
A cost/benefit analysis
What is a cost/benefit analysis?
It’s when you compare all the alternatives and choose the one that results in the greatest benefit to the most people
What is the trolley problem scenario?
A trolley is heading down the tracks towards multiple workers. You can divert the trolley onto another track, but doing so would cause you to kill the worker that is on the other track
What’s the difference between law and ethics?
Laws are the moral minimum while ethics are the moral maximum
How does the utilitarianism principle relate to trolley problem scenario?
Utilitarianism says that you should sacrifice the one worker to save the 5 workers because you need to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people
