Ethics Exam Study Guide

Question 1

the important questions of ethics and if it is first order/metaethics

Answer 1

which actions are right and wrong? - 1st order
what makes actions righ tor wrong? - 1st order
is there such a thing as right and wrong? - meta

Question 2

what is metaethics and 1st order ethics

Answer 2

1st order = at face value
metaethics = asks if questions are even valid

Question 3

the point of ethical theories

Answer 3

gives a decision procedure, one can do x if x is permitted by the ethical theory, when faced with hard moral decision then consult theory that is true

Question 4

method for deciding which ethical theory is correct

Answer 4

judge to see if it comes to intuitively correct result in certain moral dilemmas like bystander case

Question 5

why the issue of how moral judgements are formed is important

Answer 5

they guide behavior so to judge them is praise/blame

Question 6

challenges we face when forming moral judgements

Answer 6

there may be morally irrelevant factor contaminating, may not know why we make the moral judgement

Question 7

main contrast of deontolgy and utilitarianism

Answer 7

utilititarianism is only need to know consequences, deontology is only need to know the type of action

Question 8

general view of utilitarianism

Answer 8

action is right if it leaves the most people best off, cares about consequences of action

Question 9

how utilitarianism relates to consequentialism

Answer 9

it is a type of consequentialism - which is that an action is right only if it has the best consequences

Question 10

great happiness principle

Answer 10

right action makes greatest happiness for greatest number, so greatest hedons (measure of pleasure/displeasure), JS Mills, under utilitarianism

Question 11

how utilitarianism is universalist and impartialist

Answer 11

it takes everyone’s welfare into account equally

Question 12

general view of deontology and what Kant considered to be forbidden

Answer 12

action is right if doesn’t violate moral laws, some things are wrong no matter what (murder, lying, stealing)

Question 13

doctrine of double effect

Answer 13

acceptable harm as side effect of causing a good end - but cannot use harm as means for making good end, deontology adopted the concept

Question 14

bystander case

Answer 14

utilitarianism says flip the switch and deontology says don’t, utilitarianism wins, so deontology made doctrine of double effect

Question 15

footbridge case

Answer 15

utilitarianism says push, deontology says no push, deontology wins, and utilitarianism says emotion is just getting in the way

Question 16

medical sacrifice case

Answer 16

harvest organs of one to save another, utilitarianism says do, deontology says don’t, healthy person wouldn’t want it so utilitarianism makes rule utilitarianism where the rule is to not do because then people wouldn’t go to hospitals which is worse

Question 17

case og outweigh moral law

Answer 17

torture a terrorist, hide a Jew in the attic

Question 18

moral pluralism

Answer 18

correct ethical theory is made of prima facie duties (fidelity, gratitude), and use moral judgement to tell which one to follow when conflict - in utilitarianism

Question 19

threshold deontology

Answer 19

when faced with very bad consequences, resort to consequentialism

Question 20

rule utilitarianism

Answer 20

in some situations, way to maximize good is to have rules that everyone follows

Question 21

how fMRI works

Answer 21

BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent), track blood going to brain, measure spike in activity from more oxygen so more blood so more activity

Question 22

prefrontal cortex - uses

Answer 22

executive functioning, connection to all major cortical areas

Question 23

limbic system

Answer 23

deeply located subcortical structures that are locus of emotion processing

Question 24

amydala

Answer 24

fear processing

Question 25

hypothalamus

Answer 25

memory processing

Question 26

vmPFC

Answer 26

ventromedial, integrates emotion into decision and judgement

Question 27

dlPFC

Answer 27

dorsolateral, does working memory, cognition

Question 28

result of vmPFC damage and cases

Answer 28

make decision making hard, paralysis by analysis, Phinease Gage got mean, Elliot (EV) got tumor removed then irrational and no forethought - intelectual ability preseved but blunt, less disappointment, lack of galvanic skin response

Question 29

vmPFC damage and iowa gambling task

Answer 29

normal subjects 20 tries to learn, vmPFC took longer if at all, no galvanic skin response until see consequences

Question 30

dual process argument

Answer 30

neuroscience shows that deontology comes from emotion not reason

Question 31

personal and impersonal harms

Answer 31

push makes emotional because is personal harm in way that doesn't deflect harm of another, hardwired, impersonal harm is indirect harm like tax fraud

Question 32

personal and impersonal harm with evolution

Answer 32

natural selection, social animals so have aversion to antisocial behavior, gets bystander and footbridge right

Question 33

automaticity

Answer 33

moral judgements are products of automatic system and is driven by emotion

Question 34

system 1 and system 2

Answer 34

system 1 is deontological, haid intuitionalist says system 1 responsible for all moral judgement, is fast and effortless, emotion and no attention, system 2 is slower process, effortful needs attention

Question 35

link between cognition and consequentialism and emotion and deontology

Answer 35

deontology is from emotional prcess, and conseuqnetialist judgement is from cognitive process

Question 36

greene's argument of dual process argument

Answer 36

consequentialism is determined by goodness of action

Question 37

neuroscientific evidence of greene's argument with consequentialism

Answer 37

personal harm envokes more emotional response than impersonal, consequentialist uses more cognitive parts, saw more personal harm dilemma problems in emotional areas, gave fMRI to confirm, vmPFC damage associated with utilitariam moral judgement

Question 38

rationalism

Answer 38

where one can know principles of morality using reason only, can be done a priori, no emotion needed

Question 39

sentimentalism

Answer 39

emotion is necessary to moral judgement though reasoning may be involved

Question 40

kohlberg's theory of psychological rationalism with evidence

Answer 40

moral judement is result of reason, emotions can play a role but not subsidary to reason, site reasons for opposed to abortion, cognitive process

Question 41

turiel's harm hypothesis and evidence

Answer 41

moral rules involve someone harmed or right violated, which is more serious than conventional rules, kids understand rules and moral responses

Question 42

moral and conventional distinction and evidence

Answer 42

moral rule is universal and objective and independent of authority, kids know to wear a dress to school is conventional but no punching is moral

Question 42

evidence contradicting kohlberg's rationalism and harm hypothesis

Answer 42

chicken abuse and toilet cleaning study - gives personal and impersonal harm examples, rationally not causing harm and not personal harm but still wrong

Question 43

moral dumbfounding

Answer 43

participants knew was wrong but couldn't explain why, gave stories and asked why wrong, contradict harm hypothesis and rationalism because not personal harm and couldn't explain conscious process

Question 44

moral reasoning vs. moral intuition

Answer 44

moral judgement is quick and intuition, moral reasoning is afterward if at all and is to convince others that judgement is right

Question 45

social intuitionism main idea and function

Answer 45

people come to quick moral judgement based on emotion only pissibly using reason later to justify

Question 46

view of intuitionism

Answer 46

one doesn't grasp moral truths through reason but rather through something that is like perception

Question 47

system 1 and system 2 in social intuitionism

Answer 47

moral judgement is formed as philisophical intuitionism so is system 1 output

Question 48

disgust and moral judgement with evolution

Answer 48

evolutionary natural selection because want to survive, social specials

Question 49

2 studies taht support there being this link and general details

Answer 49

fart spray study rate moral example worse, hypnotize to be disgusted rate fine action as more immoral