Ethics Midterm Flashcards
Philosophy
the attempt to think carefully and critically about some of life’s most important questions
3 Main Areas of Philosophy:
Applied Ethics (miss A)
are actions MORALLY PERMISSIBLE?
3 Main Areas of Philosophy:
Normative Ethics
what makes RIGHT ACTIONS RIGHT & WRONG ACTIONS WRONG
3 Main Areas of Philosophy:
Meta Ethics (meta is fun!)
what is the FUNDAMENTAL NATURE of morality?
Argument
a set of claims which are used to provide rational support for another claim
Parts of an Argument:
Premises
reasons in support of one’s conclusion
Parts of an Argument:
Conclusion
the claim one aims to defend
Normative Ethics –> Mill Utilitarianism ( U = happy)
an act is right if it promotes happiness and wrong if it promotes pain (opposite of happiness)
Normative Ethics –> Duty Ethics Kant (Kant duty)
an act is right if it is done from duty and wrong if it violates the categorical imperative
Normative Ethics –>
Virtue Ethics Aristotle (aRistotle - viRtuous)
an act is right is it is virtuous and wrong if it is vicious
Normative Ethics –> Natural Law Ethics Aquinas (Aqua = Natural)
an act is right if it follows the natural law & wrong if it violates the natural law
Normative Ethics –> Value Pluralism W.D. Ross (ross is important!)
an act is right when it accords with the most important duty and wrong when it violates that duty
Mill Utilitarianism Method
ask lots of people and rely on their collective judgement
Kant Duty Ethics Method
analyze what is ‘good’ and what is our ‘duty’
Aristotle Virtue Ethics Method (how does this thing work?
determine the function of that thing and how well it performs it’s function
Aquinas Natural Law Ethics Method ( a ver natural things)
apply proper reasoning to facts about human nature/examine natural inclinations
W.D. Ross Value Pluralism Ethics Method
rely on what smart people say and the circumstances of the situation
Mill (Utilitarianism)
Happiness v Contentment
Happiness - higher/superior pleasures, only smart people have these
Contentment - “lower” pleasures, pleasures that dumb people can have
Happiness v Contentment: How to Tell the Difference
Happiness requires intellect, while contentment does not
Categorical Imperative (Kant):
Universal Law
if you do an action in a certain scenario, EVERYONE must do that action in that same scenario
Categorical Imperative (Kant):
Humanity Formulas (human rights)
we must respect our and everyone else’s autonomy
Kant: Why is the only thing that is good in an unqualified sense a good will?
good things will become bad in a person IF THE PERSON HAS A BAD WILL
Kant: Hypothetical v Categorical Imperative
Hypothetical: a rule that is conditional (depend on circumstances)
Categorical: a rule that ALWAYS APPLIES
Aristotle - Virtue (very well)
an emotional, behavioral, volitional/intellectual quality that ENABLES US TO FUNCTION WELL IN SOCIETY
Aristotle - Vice
opposite of virtue, something that HINDERS OUR ABILITY TO FUNCTION IN SOCIETY
Aristotle - Continence
CONSISTENCY between thinking and action (ie beliefs and actions MATCH)
Aristotle - Incontinence
INCONSISTENCY between thinking and action (ie beliefs and actions DO NOT MATCH)
Aristotle: WHY is true happiness “an activity of the soul in accordance with reason”?
because humans have a function (unique to humans) and a soul
Aquinas: Why is law something that pertains to reason?
humans have speculative reasons, which helps us figure out what to believe, and we have practical reasons, which helps us figure out what to do
Aquinas: Why should all true laws promote the common good?
because people are part of the community, so the true laws should promote each person to do things that promote the common good
Aquinas: 3 Natural Inclinations of Humans
1) self preservation
2) procreate
3) learn & live in a stable society
Aquinas: the Precepts of the 3 Natural Inclinations of Humans
1) (self preservation) –> actions that preserve human life belong to the natural law
2) (procreate) –> whatever promotes procreation/nuture/education of offspring belongs to the natural law
3) (learn & live in stable society) –> whatever increases human knowledge/promotes stable society belongs to the natural law
W.D. Ross: Prima Facie Duty
conditional duty that sometimes overrides another duty
W.D. Ross: 3 out of 7 Prima Facie Duties
1) reparation - make it right
2) gratitude - be grateful
3) justice - give what’s deserved
W.D. Ross: Why does he think his method is correct? Explain ‘Reflective Common Sense’
He thinks his method is correct because 1) we can only access facts by thinking about them, 2) reflecting on our moral code proves the existence of 7 PF duties, and 3) some situations have conflicting duties.* Reflective common sense* consists of reviewing what well-educated people have said AND reviewing the situation’s circumstances
Justice:
What is Justice?
the act of giving someone what they deserve
Theories of Justice:
Libertarian v Socialist
Libertarian: free from government intrusion
Socialist: equality of outcome, all equal
Rawl’s Theory of Justice
libertarian mixed with socialist. unbiased, rational, something that free people would choose
Rawl: The Veil of Ignorance
no knowledge of someone’s social standing, abilities, etc –> default version. Rawl argues that we should use the Veil of Ignorance to serve justice because he believes justice should be free from bias
Rawl’s 2 Principles of Justice
1) each person has an equal right to basic liberty
2) socioeconomic inequalities come from social positions in which they are open to all and everyone benefits from them
William Marty’s criticism of Rawl’s Veil of Ignorance
the veil of ignorance takes away all of the important factors that determine justice, such as contribution, effort, risk, and responsibility
