Ethics

Question 1

What is ethics?

Answer 1

Philosphical study of morality

Question 2

What are some categories of professional ethics?

Answer 2

Medical

Legal

Accounting

Engineering

Computing

Question 3

What is morality?

Answer 3

A system of rules for guiding human conduct and principles for evaluating those rules

Question 4

What are the typical three moral views?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What does behaving ethically involve?

Answer 5

Being honest

Keeping promises

Doing your job well

Not stealing

Question 6

What are 4 ethical frameworks?

Answer 6

Consequence based

Duty based

Contract based

Character based

Question 7

What does consequence based ethics strive to do?

Answer 7

Increase utility for the most people possible

Consider the consequences for all affected people

Question 8

What does deontological mean?

Answer 8

Ethical position that judges actions based on their adherence to a set of rules

Rules apply to everyone

Emphasises duty and absolute rules

Question 9

What is Kant’s Categorical Imperative?

Answer 9

Uses logic or reason to determine what is good

Not concerned with happiness

“don’t use and abuse people”

Question 10

What is contract based ethics?

Answer 10

derived from the “nature of humanity”

focus on interactions between people “social contract”

Respect fundamental rights of others including life, liberty and property

Question 11

In contract based ethics, what are negative rights?

what are positive rights?

Answer 11

Liberties - the right to act without coercive interference

Claim-rights - impose an obligation on some people to provide certain things

Question 12

What is virtue ethics?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What is the advantage and disadvantage of consequence based ethics theory?

Answer 13

+Promotion of happiness and utility

-Ignores concerns of justice for the minority

Question 14

What is the advantage and disadvantage of duty based ethics theory?

Answer 14

+Stresses the role of duty and respect for persons

• Underestimates the importance of happiness and social utility

Question 15

What is the advantage and disadvantage of contract-based ethics theory?

Answer 15

+Provides a motivation for morality

-Offers only a minimal morality

Question 16

What is the advantage and disadvantage of character-based ethics theory?

Answer 16

+Stresses moral development and education

-Depends on homogenous community standards

Question 17

Who developed the Just Consequentialism framework?

Answer 17

James Moor (2009)

Question 18

What two viewpoints does Just Consequentialism encompass?

Answer 18

Deontology (Justice)

Utilitarianism (consequences)

Question 19

What are the two stages in Just Consequentialism?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What is the difference between ethically obligatory, ethically prohibited and ethically acceptable?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What type of ethics did Hobbes and Rousseau concern themselves with?

Answer 21

Contract Based (they are the ones that talk about “the social contract”

Question 22

What sort of ethics is Kant concerned with?

Answer 22

Rule based - deontological - Kant’s categorical imperative

Question 23

Who made utilitarianism?

Answer 23

Bentham, Mill