Ethics- 3 markers Flashcards
lie
A statement made by one who does not believe it with the intention that someone else shall be led to believe it.
simulated killing
The enactment of a dramatisation of a killing within a fictional context.
stealing
To take something that someone else owns with no intention of returning it and without their permission (or without the legal right to do so).
(moral) error theory (Mackie)
This theory makes two claims: (1) Moral anti-realism: There are no mind-independent moral properties. But (2) Moral cognitivism: moral predicates/concepts contribute to the descriptive/factual meaning of propositions and so can be used to express cognitive belief states. Overall: If, for a proposition to be true, moral properties would have to exist, then that proposition is false.
‘good will’ (Kant)
A person has this if she makes her decisions on the basis of the moral law (i.e. out of duty, rather than merely in accordance with duty).
‘higher’ pleasure (Mill)
A more valuable pleasure (normally a pleasure of the mind). The best test for pleasure A (Pa) being a ___________ than pleasure B (Pb) is that Pa is preferred by someone who has experienced both (a relevant judge). This may be the case even if Pa is accompanied by a greater quantity of (lower) pain, and it may also be the case that Pa wouldn’t be given up for any quantity of Pb.
‘tyranny of the majority’ (Mill)
A situation where the majority (or at least the most active group) oppress a minority (or less active group) through social opinion (“social tyranny”) or law (“legal tyranny”).
(moral) right
An entitlement (not) to perform certain actions, or (not) to be in certain states; or an entitlement that others (not) perform certain actions or (not) be in certain states.
act utilitarianism
The view that an action is right to the extent that it causes an increase in utility.
“acting out of duty (vs) acting (merely) in accordance with duty
(Kant)”
The action is the same, but the motive is different. For the former, you are acting that way only because (through reason) you have worked out that it is your duty (that it is what you ought to do). For the latter, you do what reason would demand of you, but this is not your motivation - your motivation is the fact that it is in your interests or pleases you or fits with your inclinations.
contradiction in conception (Kant)
A maxim leads to a contradiction if acting on that maxim is not conceivable (/possible) in a world in which all people acted as you propose to act.
a contradiction in will (Kant)
“A maxim leads to a contradiction if acting on that maxim would conflict with other things that you must rationally will
in a world in which all people acted as you propose to act.”
deontological theories
Ethical theories that are based on the idea of duty, what is right, or rights. They focus on acts (and sometimes, in addition, motives) conforming to certain rules.
doctrine of the mean’ (Aristotle)
The idea that virtues can (often) be placed between a cice of deficiency and a vice of excess. This can apply to actions and to feelings.
Eudaimonia (Aristotle)
The ‘highest/final end/good’ that we are all striving for, desirable as an end in itself and not for the sake of anything else.. It is best translated as “flourishing”, living/doing well.
hedonistic utilitarianism
An action is right to the extent that [we can reasonably expect/predict that] performing it causes an increases in sensations of pleasure.
hypothetical imperative (vs) categorical imperative
The former is (1) an imperative - i.e. a statement commanding a course of action; it is a statement about what one ought to do; it is a command; and (2) is hypothetical - i.e. it applies to agents on the condition that they have (in Kant’s wording, that they “will”) specific ends/goals. The latter is (1) an imperative - i.e. a statement commanding a course of action; it is a statement about what one ought to do; it is a command; and (2) is categorical - i.e. it applies to all agents regardless of their specific ends/goals.
involuntary action (Aristiotle)
An action that is (1) not voluntary (either because it is done under compulsion (so fails to meet the “control condition”) or because it is the result of ignorance (so fails to meet the “epistemic condition”) and is regretted
maxim (Kant)
The intentions that guide us in choosing our actions. Specifying a maxim involves specifying the type of intended action, the circumstances / conditions in which it will be performed and the end / aim / purpose of this action.
non-hedonistic utilitarianism
An action is right to the extent that [we can reasonably expect/predict that] performing it causes an increase in utility (where utility is NOT understood in terms of sensations of pleasure).
non-voluntary action (Aristotle)
An action that is (1) not voluntary (either because it is done under compulsion (so fails to meet the “control condition”) or because it is the result of ignorance (so fails to meet the “epistemic condition”)) and not regretted (the thing that marks a non-voluntary act from an involuntary act is that the moral agent does not regret what happened)
preference utilitarianism
An action is right to the extent that [we can reasonably expect/predict that] performing it causes an increase in desire satisfaction / preference fulfillment (regardless of whether the act causes sensations of pleasure).
qualitative hedonistic utilitarianism (Mill)
An action is right to the extent that [we can reasonably expect/predict that] performing it causes an increase in sensations of higher (quality) pleasure.
quantitative hedonistic utilitarianism (Bentham)
An action is right to the extent that [we can reasonably expect/predict that] performing it causes an increase in sensations of pleasure.
