Ethics Flashcards
What is meant by “ethics”
The study of right and wrong
What is an ethical theory?
A theory that explains why something is right or wrong
What makes a good ethical theory?
The theory must be able to successfully explain why something is right or wrong
What is the trolley problem and who created it?
Created by Phillipa Foot, the trolley problem presents a situation with a train on a track on course to run over five people. You can pull a lever to change the course of the train and run over 1 person instead of 5.
What is a teleological theory?
A theory that focuses on the “telos” (consequence) of a scenario or action, and judges whether it is right or wrong based on the result
What is the aim of a teleological ethics / theories?
They aim to make the world a better and happier place
What makes teleological theories good?
They are content-sensitive and prove that some actions that are generally considered bad, can be excused in outstanding situations
What is the Riot Case and who created it?
Created by Phillipa Foot, the Riot case presents the situation that 5 people will be killed in violent Rio; as a judge, you can frame and imprison 1 person to prevent the riot and save the 5 people who would be killed
What does deontology focus on?
Deontology focuses on the inherent action itself when judging the morality, rather than just the consequences
What is Utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes
Who was Jeremy Bentham? (5)
He was a Philosopher who wrote around the times of American and French revolutionists (inspired by them)
He wanted to reform society to make it fairer and better
He wanted to have a principle by which to judge the morality of a law
He was very progressive (feminist who supported LGBTQ and animal rights)
He created Utilitarianism and the Hedonic calculus
What is the definition of Utility?
How much pleasure is created and pain prevented
What is the principle of Utility?
An action is good if it has the most utility (if it causes the most pleasure and prevents the most pain for animals and humans)
What is the hedonic calculus
Bentham’s attempt at creating a tool to calculate utility
