Ethics Midterm Flashcards by Amber Escamilla

Philosophy

the attempt to think carefully and critically about some of life’s most important questions

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3 Main Areas of Philosophy:
Applied Ethics (miss A)

are actions MORALLY PERMISSIBLE?

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3 Main Areas of Philosophy:
Normative Ethics

what makes RIGHT ACTIONS RIGHT & WRONG ACTIONS WRONG

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3 Main Areas of Philosophy:
Meta Ethics (meta is fun!)

what is the FUNDAMENTAL NATURE of morality?

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Argument

a set of claims which are used to provide rational support for another claim

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Parts of an Argument:
Premises

reasons in support of one’s conclusion

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Parts of an Argument:
Conclusion

the claim one aims to defend

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Normative Ethics –> Mill Utilitarianism ( U = happy)

an act is right if it promotes happiness and wrong if it promotes pain (opposite of happiness)

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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

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Normative Ethics –>
Virtue Ethics Aristotle (aRistotle - viRtuous)

an act is right is it is virtuous and wrong if it is vicious

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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

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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

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Mill Utilitarianism Method

ask lots of people and rely on their collective judgement

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Kant Duty Ethics Method

analyze what is ‘good’ and what is our ‘duty’

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Aristotle Virtue Ethics Method (how does this thing work?

determine the function of that thing and how well it performs it’s function

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Aquinas Natural Law Ethics Method ( a ver natural things)

apply proper reasoning to facts about human nature/examine natural inclinations

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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