ethical reasoning Flashcards
What is Moral Absolutism or Dogmatism?
Moral Absolutism claims that certain actions are universally right or wrong, independent of individual opinions.
The belief that X is right or wrong, and anyone who disagrees is considered wrong.
There is no room for relativistic views or exceptions.
What is Moral Relativism?
The belief that statements like “X is right or wrong” are relative to the agent making the judgment.
These statements are synonymous with the statement that an agent approves or disapproves of X.
No issue with accepting diverse moral perspectives.
What is Pyrrhonian Moral Scepticism?
In Pyrrhonian Scepticism, an individual may believe that X is right or wrong, but suspends judgment when encountering radically different moral perspectives.
The approach suggests withholding final judgment on moral questions, especially when conflicting views exist.
Why do we need ethics?
To justify behavior: Ethics help explain and justify our own actions from a subjective standpoint.
To explain why behavior is unacceptable: Ethics provide principles for determining and explaining what makes actions wrong.
Moral consideration: Ethics offer an objective framework to consider the worth of actions and individuals in terms of moral significance.
What is Principlism?
A framework for ethics based on four key principles:
Autonomy: Respecting individuals’ rights to make their own choices.
Beneficence: The duty to promote the well-being of others.
Non-maleficence: The duty to avoid causing harm.
Justice: The fair distribution of benefits and burdens.
What is Consequentialism?
A theory where the rightness or wrongness of actions depends on their outcomes or consequences.
The best action is the one that leads to the greatest overall good or least harm.
What is Deontology?
An ethical theory that asserts the rightness or wrongness of actions is determined by rules, duties, or principles, not by their outcomes.
Actions are morally required or prohibited regardless of their consequences.
What is Virtue Ethics?
An ethical theory focused on developing good character traits or virtues, such as courage, honesty, and kindness.
The emphasis is on cultivating moral character and the habit of acting virtuously rather than following strict rules or evaluating outcomes.
What is Care Ethics?
A theory emphasizing the importance of relationships, empathy, and compassion in moral decision-making.
It focuses on the need to care for others, particularly in contexts where dependence and vulnerability are present.
Often models behavior on those who adopt a caring, relational approach to others.
How are axiologies (theories of value) connected to ontologies (theories of being)?
The types of entities we believe deserve moral consideration and the moral significance we attribute to them depend on our ontology.
For example, kicking a stone may not be considered as morally significant as kicking a horse because they are perceived as fundamentally different kinds of entities.
What is the difference between Intrinsic Value and Instrumental Value?
Intrinsic Value: Something has value in itself, for its own sake (e.g., happiness, life).
Instrumental Value: Something is valuable because it helps achieve something else (e.g., money, tools).
How do different axiologies lead to different moral conclusions?
Strong/Weak Speciesism: The belief that humans are inherently superior or inferior to other species.
Animal Egalitarianism: The belief that all sentient beings (humans and animals) should be treated equally.
Radical Biocentrism: The belief that all living organisms have intrinsic value and deserve moral consideration.
Ecocentrism: The belief that ecosystems or the environment as a whole deserve moral consideration.
What is Mechanistic Materialism in philosophy?
Mechanistic Materialism posits that reality is composed of physical matter that operates in a machine-like fashion.
Mental phenomena and consciousness are explained entirely by material components.
This view denies free will and embraces determinism (the idea that everything is causally determined).
What is Dualism in philosophy?
Dualism asserts that reality consists of two fundamentally distinct types of things:
Things with minds (e.g., humans, animals).
Things without minds (e.g., physical objects, rocks).
This view allows for the existence of mental properties (such as consciousness) that are distinct from the physical world.
What is Panexperientialism?
Panexperientialism suggests that everything in the universe has some form of experience or subjectivity.
It claims that all entities (e.g., subatomic particles, atoms, cells) possess varying levels of experience or agency.
These entities can be either aggregates (e.g., a chair) or compound individuals (e.g., a conscious organism).
For instance, a chair is an aggregate of particles that lacks consciousness, but the particles themselves might have basic experiences.
