Ethics - Concepts

Question 1

Vincible ignorance

Answer 1

Ignorance that can be blamed for lack of trying and thus morally wrong

Question 2

Invincible ignorance

Answer 2

Ignorance that is independant of the person and thus meaning they can have done no moral wrong.

Question 3

Sexual Ethics - Paul

Answer 3

• Paul against homosexuality. Man and wife

- Possibly against “Fornication” -> Greek orgies as an example.

Question 4

Sexual Ethics - Augustine

Answer 4

• Was a player during university age
• Possibly felt guilty on sex
• Original Sin from sex
• Viewed sex as blinding and ungodly.

Question 5

Sexual Ethics - Sex is good, religion is bad (4)

Answer 5

• Church is biased since Augustine was a player + felt guilty
• Patriarchal society tries to repress + hold power over women
• Cultural tradition is the ones enforcing sex as bad
• Secular society is more open and accepting

Question 6

Sexual Ethics - Religion is good, sex is bad (6)

Answer 6

• Gods laws are for protection
• There would less problems if Religious teaching were followed
• Healthier families from religious traditions, cohabiting psychologically weakens ect..
• Individualism is dangerous.
• Jesus was progressive for the time, and was a radical reformer for the time. Much more lenient than realised.
• Sex inside marriage is much healthier

Question 7

Sexual Ethics - Tim Keller

Answer 7

Covenental vs consumerist society
-> people are seeing each other as commodities vs commitments. People need to focus more on marriage + loving beyond dry spells.

Question 8

Sexual Ethics - Catholic Church (3)

Answer 8

• Sex is not okay outside of marriage, but not the end of the world (forgiveness)
• No homosexual acts are allowed
• Unitive + Procreative

Question 9

Sexual Ethics - Kant (5)

Answer 9

• Marriage is the only place two can have sex and keep their dignity
• Cannot use people
• Extra Marital + Pre Marital is not allowed. Using / used more than the other and broken promise of marriage.
• Needed for procreation
• Cannot universalise homosexuality. Doesn’t make sense.

Question 10

Sexual Ethics - Kant evaluation (3)

Answer 10

• Does not rely on religion (works in secular society)
• Can universalise homosexuality
• Divorce rates are increasing

Question 11

Sexual Ethics - Simone De Beavouir

Answer 11

Women are enslaved in marriage.

Question 12

Sexual Ethics - Utilitarianism (6)

Answer 12

• Bentham, “two sovereign masters, pleasure and pain.”
• one night of pleasure is not worth pain.
• Premarital is fine as long as it’s done with no risk of Conception, Detection and no risk of Infection (STI’s)
• Love affairs adds greater pleasure that’s rare. As long as not caught it’s fine.
• No-harm principle. If it doesn’t hurt anyone it’s fine.
• Mill campaigned for more contraception (act is not issue. It’s consequences)

Question 13

Sexual Ethics - Peter Singer

Answer 13

Driving a car is more of a moral issue than sex.

Question 14

Meta Ethics - Alaster Mackintyre (After Virtue (book))

Answer 14

• Ever since enlightenment, they distance right and wrong into an academic exercise, and thus remove themselves from the practical life. It is a distraction from the real issues people face. Intuitionism + Emotivism are a waste. Naturalism is the only way.

Question 15

Sexual Ethics - Michael Foucault

Answer 15

We are no longer required to look at things through the lens of normal and abnormal.

Question 16

Euthanasia - Glover (2)

Answer 16

• People would often prefer death to coma / permanent unconsciousness.
• No intrinsic value for people who are unable to respond to stimuli

Question 17

Euthanasia - Hot and Cold cognition

Answer 17

Difficulty in predicting our wants when our moods shift.

Question 18

Case Study - Tony Bland

Answer 18

Suffered PVS after accident in 1989 at Hilsborough stadium. Died after 4 years by passive euthanasia. (14 days to death, by starvation)

Question 19

Euthanasia - Quality of Life

Answer 19

Developed by Nobel Prize winner peter singer, it provides a potentially better method of adjusting life. Similar to NICE’s QALY.
- Determines a life’s quality by their potential to do things, and respects their choice to di.e

Question 20

Euthanasia - Jack Kevorkian

Answer 20

The right to die must be protected as modern medicine is capable of saving majority of people who can be saved.

Question 21

Case Study - Dr Jack Vorking

Answer 21

Dr Death, argued that you should kill based on how medicine is using extreme bounds to keep people alive.

Question 22

Catholic Church rule on Euthanasia

Answer 22

One not need strife officiously to keep one alive.

Question 23

Slippery slope

Answer 23

• Idea that once something is permitted it snowballs easily out of control
• Countered by popper in Netherlands where there is no evidence of slippery slope.

Question 24

Sexual Ethics / Euthanasia - Non harm principle

Answer 24

J.S Mill, idea that people can do what they want as long as it doesn’t hurt others.

Question 25

Euthanasia - Rachels

Answer 25

Death by omission may be crueler than active, as it prolongs suffering.
Example of inheritance on death of nephew. Smith arranges drowning, Jones doesn’t act. Both equally guilty, despite society saying Smith is worse.

Question 26

Euthanasia - Netherlands

Answer 26

Peter Singer noted of 48,000 euthanised, only 2 were supposedly killed without their consent.