Ethics Final Flashcards
Peter Singer (world poverty): it is wrong NOT to donate to charitable organizations BECAUSE
it is wrong to NOT donate to charitable organizations because we can donate without risking something nearly as important as keeping someone alive
Peter Singer (world poverty): Marginal Utility
“The level at which, by giving more, I would cause as much suffering to myself or my dependents as I would relieve by my gift” ie –> if giving to someone in need does NOT hurt yourself/people who depend on you, you SHOULD give
Garrett Hardin (world poverty): Problems with helping the world’s poor
1) 2/3 (majority) of world population is poor
2) each nation has a limited carrying capacity
3) poorer nations reproduce 4x faster
4) helping poorer countries prevents them from learning from their mistakes/being self sufficient
5) help –> no motivation for change –> more poverty
6) leads to tragedy of the commons, ie societal collapse
Garrett Hardin (world poverty): Tragedy of the Commons
the tragedy of the commons is the collapse of the entire societal system due to overhelping everyone in need. Hardin argues that the tragedy of the commons will happen if wealthy nations donate to poor nations, thus, wealthy nations should NOT donate to poor nations
John Arthur (world poverty): What are moral rules supposed to do?
Moral rules are supposed to promote the welfare of oneself/friends/family/anyone who can be harmed
John Arthur (world poverty): What does it mean to say that the ideal moral code must be able to be supported by almost everyone? What can/cannot it assume about people?
The ideal moral code must be supported by everyone, meaning it CANNOT assume that people are more objective/selfless than they really are
John Arthur (world poverty): Why would the moral code include rights/entitlements, and not just an emphasis on human happiness/basic equality?
The moral code would include rights/entitlements because most people would NOT accept a code that forced them to ALWAYS give away their extra money/organs to help a stranger
Onora O’Neil (world poverty): what does it mean to treat someone as an end in itself?
Treating someone as an end in itself means treating them as a rational, autonomous being (they can do what they want)
Onora O’Neil (world poverty): 2 Limits of Autonomy
1) humans have a finite amount of knowledge of possible actions & their effects
2) humans have limited autonomy/we depend on others
Onora O’Neil (world poverty): How does the fact that humans have limits inform our duty of beneficence (good) to others, especially the poor?
famine and severe poverty restrict one’s autonomy, (and famine/poverty is out of their hands) therefore it is our duty to help the poor
Abortion: Philosopher’s View
1) Mary Anne Warren
✅ abortion IS permissible and any laws that restrict a woman from having an abortion are unjust violations of her moral rights
Abortion: Philosopher’s View
2) Patrick Lee & Robert George
⛔ abortion is NOT permissible EXCEPT when the woman’s live is in danger due to the pregnancy
Abortion: Philosopher’s View
3) Judith Jarvis Thomson
✅ abortion IS permissible when precautions have been Taken or carrying the child to Term would require large sacrifices
Abortion: Philosopher’s View
4) Rosalind Hursthouse (hurt = vicious)
🟡 abortion IS permissible only when NO VICIOUS MOTIVES led to pregnancy and NO VICIOUS MOTIVES are involved in the abortion decision (wrong to SOME DEGREE)
Abortion:
Mary Anne Warren:
Where does a being’s right to life come from?
a being’s right to life comes from HOW DEVELOPED it is
Abortion:
Mary Anne Warren:
5 Criteria for Personhood
1) consciousness
2) reasoning
3) self motivated activity
4) communicate
5) self awareness
Abortion:
Mary Anne Warren:
How does she use the 5 Criteria for Personhood to argue for a pro-choice position?
Warren claims that a fetus is NOT a person because it does not have ALL 5 of the criteria for personhood. Thus, abortion IS morally permissible because a fetus is not a person
Abortion:
Patrick Lee & Robert George:
a) Where does a being’s right to life come from?
b) What do they think is problematic about Warren’s view of where moral rights come from?
a) a being’s right to life comes from what KIND OF BEING they are
b) a development based theory (warren) makes determining moral rights & worth unreliable/unpredictable/random
Abortion:
Patrick Lee and Robert George:
WHY is abortion wrong, DESPITE it being hard to carry a child to term and both the mother/fetus have a right to life?
the burden of pregnancy is LESS than the harm the fetus would suffer by being aborted
Abortion:
Judith Thomson:
What determines whether an abortion is morally permissible or not?
whether the woman CONSENTS to being pregnant or not. we have NO RESPONSIBILITY to keep someone else alive if we have not consented to do so.
Abortion:
Judith Thomson:
What does the famous violinist scenario supposed to demonstrate about the RIGHT TO LIFE?
the right to life exists in the right to NOT be UNJUSTLY KILLED (meaning abortions are fair)
Abortion:
Judith Thomson:
How is the famous violinist scenario supposed to be relevant to the abortion debate?
the famous violinist scenario is the hypothetical scenario in which a terminally ill violinist who needs a kidney is plugged into you, without your consent, and if you unplug him, he will die. is it immoral to unplug him? –>
it shows that NOT all abortions are unjust killings
Abortion:
Rosalind Hursthouse:
What reasons does she give for thinking that a woman who opts NOT to be a mother via abortion may be Manifesting a flawed grasp of what her life should be about?
a woman who opts NOT to be a mother via abortion may be manifesting a flawed grasp of what her life should be about because MOTHERHOOD/having kids is a WORTHWHILE/VALUABLE part of a FLOURISHING life
Abortion:
Rosalind Hursthouse:
What VICE(S) does she think are shown if a woman disregards the fact that abortion ends a new human life?
she thinks not taking abortion seriously is vicious. she thinks it shows a lack of self confidence and self responsibility
