Ethics Flashcards
What is ethics?
Philosphical study of morality
What are some categories of professional ethics?
Medical
Legal
Accounting
Engineering
Computing
What is morality?
A system of rules for guiding human conduct and principles for evaluating those rules
What are the typical three moral views?
Religious view - stealing is wrong cause it offends god
Legal view- stealing is wrong because it’s illegal
Philosophical view - stealing is wrong because it’s wrong
What does behaving ethically involve?
Being honest
Keeping promises
Doing your job well
Not stealing
What are 4 ethical frameworks?
Consequence based
Duty based
Contract based
Character based
What does consequence based ethics strive to do?
Increase utility for the most people possible
Consider the consequences for all affected people
What does deontological mean?
Ethical position that judges actions based on their adherence to a set of rules
Rules apply to everyone
Emphasises duty and absolute rules
What is Kant’s Categorical Imperative?
Uses logic or reason to determine what is good
Not concerned with happiness
“don’t use and abuse people”
What is contract based ethics?
derived from the “nature of humanity”
focus on interactions between people “social contract”
Respect fundamental rights of others including life, liberty and property
In contract based ethics, what are negative rights?
what are positive rights?
Liberties - the right to act without coercive interference
Claim-rights - impose an obligation on some people to provide certain things
What is virtue ethics?
Ignores the role that consequences duties and social contracts play in moral systems
Focuses on individuals acquring good character traits
4 cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, courage, justice
What is the advantage and disadvantage of consequence based ethics theory?
+Promotion of happiness and utility
-Ignores concerns of justice for the minority
What is the advantage and disadvantage of duty based ethics theory?
+Stresses the role of duty and respect for persons
- Underestimates the importance of happiness and social utility
What is the advantage and disadvantage of contract-based ethics theory?
+Provides a motivation for morality
-Offers only a minimal morality
What is the advantage and disadvantage of character-based ethics theory?
+Stresses moral development and education
-Depends on homogenous community standards
Who developed the Just Consequentialism framework?
James Moor (2009)
What two viewpoints does Just Consequentialism encompass?
Deontology (Justice)
Utilitarianism (consequences)
What are the two stages in Just Consequentialism?
1) Deliberate over policies from impartial point of view to determine if they meet criteria for being ethical policies. Ethical if - does not cause unnecessary harm to any group (utilitarianism), and supports individual rights, fulfilling of duties etc (Deontological)
2) Select the best policy from the set of just policies by ranking in terms of benefits and harms
What is the difference between ethically obligatory, ethically prohibited and ethically acceptable?
Obligatory - must do it - e.g. giving first aid to an injured person
Prohibited - must not do it - e.g. stealing
Acceptable - can do it - e.g. saving in tax free isa
What type of ethics did Hobbes and Rousseau concern themselves with?
Contract Based (they are the ones that talk about “the social contract”
What sort of ethics is Kant concerned with?
Rule based - deontological - Kant’s categorical imperative
Who made utilitarianism?
Bentham, Mill
