Definitions Flashcards
Act utilitarian
Weighs up what to do at each individual occasion
Active euthanasia
A deliberate action performed by a third party to kill a person, for example by lethal injection.
Active euthanasia is illegal in the UK
Aetion
An explanatory factor, a reason or cause for something
Agape love
Unconditional love, the only ethical norm in situationism
Analogy
A comparison between one thing and another in an attempt to clarify meaning
Antinomian ethics
Antinomian ethics do not recognize the role of law in morality (‘nomos’ is Greek for ‘law’)
A posteriori arguments
Arguments which draw conclusions based on observation through experience
A priori arguments
Arguments which draw conclusions through the use of reason
Autonomy and the right to die
The idea that human freedom should extend to decide the time and manner of death
Beatific vision
A face-to-face encounter with God
Bible / Scripture
The collection of canon of books in the Bible which contain the revelation of God
Capitalism
An economic system based on the private ownership of how things are made and sold, in which businesses compete freely with each other to make profits
Caritas
‘generous love’, a love of others and of the virtues; the Latin equivalent of the Greek word agape
Categorical imperative
An unconditional moral obligation that is always binding irrespective of a person’s inclination or purpose
Category error
A problem of language that arises when things are talked about as if they belong to one category when in fact they belong to another
Cheap grace
Grace that is offered freely, but is received without any change in the recipient, and ultimately is false as it does not save
Church tradition
The traditions of how Christian life in community works, in worship, practical moral life and prayer, and the teaching and reflection of the Church handed down across time
Concordia
Human friendship
Concupiscence
Uncontrollable desire for physical pleasures and material things
Conscience
The term ‘conscience’ may variously be used to refer to a faculty within us, a process of moral reasoning, insights from God or it may be understood in psychological terms. Fletcher described it as function rather than a faculty
Consciousness
Awareness or perception
Consequentialism
Ethical theories that see morality as driven by the consequences, rather than the actions or character of those concerned
