ethical theories Flashcards
“duty driven ethics”
deontology
ultimate goal in life is to reason
deontology
“free will produces more misery than all natural disasters combined”
deontology
universal good will is the basis of all morality
deontology
courage, intelligence, and self-control are morally neutral because they can be used for good or for evil
deontology
testing the goodness of an act:
- what if everyone did this?
- do unto others as you would want to have done unto you
- one may not do evil so that good may result (the end does not justify the means)
deontology
“a person has good will if he or she chooses to obey moral laws for the sake of moral law itself” (doing good simply because it is the right thing to do)
deontology
“moral acts are only praiseworthy purely because they are the right thing to do, not because we may gain from it, not because we want to, and not because it feels good to do it”
deontology
morally wrong = bad
morally neutral = never had opportunity, or simply wanting to do the right thing, or not having a desire to do bad
morally good = doing something because you know it is right
deontology
never look at the consequences because we have no control over them; our only duty is to do the right thing at all times
deontology
people have intrinsic value
deontology
John Stuart Mill
utilitarianism
looks only at the consequences of the act; the consequences alone decide whether the act is good or evil
utilitarianism
the purpose of morality is to make the world a better place
utilitarianism
“morality is about producing good consequences, not having good intentions”
utilitarianism
do whatever will bring the most benefit
utilitarianism
Church warns against this ethical theory because it looks only at the consequences and ignores the act itself
utilitarianism
the principle of utility = the right choice is the one that results in the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people
utilitarianism
in order to be fair, when looking at the consequences of an action, you must be selfless; the good of many > the good of few…even if you are one of the few
utilitarianism
“making moral decisions is a mathematical process of weighing probable positive and negative consequences”
utilitarianism
the end justifies the means
utilitarianism
“no act is evil if the good that results is sufficiently greater”
utilitarianism
wrongly assumes that:
- we have no bias or blindspots
- we aren’t affected by any negative cultural values
- we never rationalize our actions so that we can do what we want
- we have nothing left to learn
- as can see all of the short term and long term effects of our actions on ourselves and society
- we are omniscient and all-knowing
utilitarianism
Aristotle
virtue ethics
focuses on the process of becoming rather than every individual act
virtue ethics
final goal = telos
virtue ethics
happiness is our telos; anything that anyone does is to make them happy (or so they believe)
virtue ethics
subjective happiness: varies from person to person (ex. fishing fun for one person but not for another)
virtue ethics
objective happiness: makes all human beings happy…living a virtuous life
virtue ethics
people have a set character, disposition, or personality
virtue ethics
non-rational part of the brain: appetitive nature, passions, emotions, desires, feelings (can bring joy or misery)
virtue ethics
rational part of the brain: thinks, deliberates, knows right from wrong
virtue ethics
“a person’s character is determined by the relationship between the rational and appetitive parts”
virtue ethics
form good habits so that our rational brain can control our appetitive nature
virtue ethics
virtuous: becomes second nature; we are in control of our passions and thus are free to choose our behavior
virtue ethics
vice: become slaves to our habits of vice
virtue ethics
being virtuous = doing virtuous things = liking one’s self = happiness
virtue ethics
pride - humility anger - kindness greed - generosity envy - love gluttony - temperance lust - self control sloth - zeal
virtue ethics
“seek the opposite virtue for your vice”
virtue ethics
Immanuel Kant
deontology
