Ethics

Question 1

What is ethics?

Answer 1

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that examines the moral standards of individuals or society and how they apply to our lives and whether these are resonable or unreasonable

Question 2

What is the ultimate source of law according to Justice Homes?

Answer 2

Moral judgment of society (changing mores)

Question 3

What is morality?

Answer 3

Refers to the standards that an individual or group has about what is right or wrong conduct, good and evil, and the values embedded, fostered or pursued in the act

Question 4

What are moral standards?

Answer 4

Standards dealing with matters that can seriously injure or benefit human beings, like theft, fraud, and murder.

Question 5

What is the Divine Command Theory?

Answer 5

The theory that moral standards are based on the commands of a divine being.

Question 6

What is the definition of teleogical ethics?

Answer 6

An approach to ethics focusing on the rightness or wrongness of actions by examining its consequences

Question 7

What are the consequences of teleological ethics?

Answer 7

A consequentialist theory as moral right or moral wrong is dependent on the outcome of an action

Question 8

What is the weakness of teleological ethics?

Answer 8

Not always possible to predict the consequences of an action

Question 9

What is the definition of deontoligical ethics?

Answer 9

Approach to ethics focusing on rightness or wrongess of actions themselves, without any other considerations

Question 10

What are the consequences of deontoligcal ethics?

Answer 10

Non-consequentialist theory as moral right or moral wrong is not dependent on the outcome of an action

Question 11

What is the weakness of deontological ethics?

Answer 11

Rigid and objective

Question 12

What is Kant’s Categorical Imperative (1st formulation)?

Answer 12

I ought never to act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law

Question 13

What do you mean by the 1st formulation of Kant’s Categorical imperative?

Answer 13

It means that an action is morally right for a person in a certain situation, if and only if, the person’s reason for carrying out the action is a reason that he or she would be willing to have every person act on, in any similar situation

Question 14

What is Kant’s Categorical Imperative (2nd formulation)?

Answer 14

Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end

Question 15

What do you mean by the 2nd formulation of Kant’s Categorical imperative?

Answer 15

It means that an action is morally right for a person, if and only if, in performing the action, the person does not use others merely as a means for advancing his or her own interest, but also both respects and develops their capacity to choose freely for themselves

Question 16

Notable thinker of Kant’s Categorical Imperative

Answer 16

Immanuel Kant - Foundation for modtern deontological ethics

Question 17

What are the key concepts of Kant’s Categorical Imperative? (2)

Answer 17

1. Categorical imperative - Act according to maxims that could be universally applied
2. Moral duty - Actions are right if they align with duty, regardless of outcomes

Question 18

What are the two criteria for Kant’s Categorical Imperative?

Answer 18

1. Universalizability
2. Reversibility (similar to the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you).

Question 19

What is utilitarianism?

Answer 19

An action is right if it produces the greatest amount of benefit for the greatest number of people.

Question 20

What are the key concepts of Utilarianism? (2)

Answer 20

1. Hedonism - Pleasure or happiness as the highest good
2. Consequentialism - Moral rightness determined by outcomes

Question 21

What are two limitations of utilitarianism? (2)

Answer 21

1. Difficulty in measuring values quantitatively.
2. It ignores individual rights and justice in the distribution of benefits and burdens.

Question 22

Notable thinkers of Utilitarianism (2)

Answer 22

1. Jeremy Bentham - “Greatest happiness principle”
2. John Stuart Mill - Distinction between higher and lower pleasures

Question 23

What is virtue ethics?

Answer 23

Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the person and the virtues they exhibit, rather than the morality of individual actions.

Question 24

The two extremes in Aristotle’s golden mean (2)

Answer 24

1. Extreme of excess
2. Extreme of lack

Question 25

When is an action morally right in virtue ethics?

Answer 25

An action is morally right if in carrying out the action the agent exercises, exhibits, or develops a morally virtuous character, and it is morally wrong to the extent that by carrying out the action the agent exercises, exhibits, or develops a morally vicous character

Question 26

What is Aristotle’s Golden Mean?

Answer 26

The idea that moral virtue lies between the extremes of deficiency and excess.

Question 27

What are the three categories of justice?

Answer 27

1. Compensatory Justice
2. Retributive Justice
3. Distributive Justice.

Question 28

What is compensatory justice?

Answer 28

It concerns the just way of compensating someone for past injustice or harm caused by others.

Question 29

What is retributive justice?

Answer 29

It focuses on the fair imposition of punishment and penalties on those who do wrong. This is related to procedural justice, referring to fair decision procedures, practices, agreements

Question 30

What is distributive justice?

Answer 30

It concerns the fair distribution of benefits and burdens among individuals in a society.

Question 31

What does the principle of distributive justice state?

Answer 31

Individuals who are similar in all respects relevant to the kind of treatment in question should be given similar
benefits and burdens, even if they are dissimilar in other irrelevant respects; and individuals who are dissimilar in
a relevant respect ought to be treated dissimilarly, in proportion to their dissimilarity.

Question 32

What is the ethics of care?

Answer 32

An approach to ethics emphasizing preserving and nurturing relationships and caring for the vulnerable and dependent.

Question 33

What are the two moral demands of the ethics of care?

Answer 33

1. Preserve and nurture valuable relationships.
2. Care for those with whom we are related, attending to their specific needs and well-being.

Question 34

What is the relationship between law and morality according to Justice Holmes?

Answer 34

He argued that the moral judgment of society is the ultimate source of law, rejecting natural law and viewing morality as social generalizations.

Question 35

What is the distinction between moral standards and amoral standards?

Answer 35

Moral standards deal with serious matters like theft, fraud, or murder, while amoral standards do not affect human well-being.

Question 36

What are the foundations of ethics?

Answer 36

They include questions about what makes an action moral or immoral, and what makes a moral standard reasonable.

Question 37

What is the principle of treating equals equally and unequals unequally?

Answer 37

This principle of justice states that those who are equal should be treated equally, while those who are unequal in relevant respects should be treated differently.

Question 38

What is the main criticism of moral relativism?

Answer 38

It implies that the morality of actions is purely dependent on cultural norms, preventing criticism of harmful societal practices.

Question 39

What is ‘communitarian ethics’ in the context of the ethics of care?

Answer 39

It is an approach to ethics that considers the larger system of relationships within a community, encouraging a collective approach to care and well-being.

Question 40

What is the ‘mean’ in Aristotle’s Golden Mean?

Answer 40

It is the balance between two extremes—excess and deficiency—in moral virtue.

Question 41

What is procedural justice?

Answer 41

It refers to the fairness of the processes and methods used to make decisions and resolve disputes.