Ethics Structures Flashcards
Virtue ethics AO2
- holistic approach/ cultural relativism
- realistic bc can make mistakes - one swallow doesn’t make spring/ conflicting virtues
- flexible what the mean is/ circular
Virtue ethics AO1
- eudaimonia
- function argument and heirarchy of souls
- rational and non-rational virtues
- golden mean and virtues
- sup and sub aims
NML AO2
- Objective rules/ not following jesus
- double effect justifying anything/ doesnt judge the action anymore
- places value on life/ immoral outcomes
NML AO1
- practical reason
- prim and sec principles
- apparent goods and real goods
- proportionalism or double effect
Situation ethics AO2
- 6 fundemental helps complex scenarios/ justify anythingterm-4
- gives actions purpose and aim/daunting to do good
- follows agape love/ rejects other christian teachings
DCT AO1
- good is acting to reflect Gods will
- creation means we share morality
- sola scriptura
- new testament
- calvin - causation
- Barth - obedience
Situation ethics AO1
- intro
- agape love
- 4 presuppositions 2 examples
- 6 fundemental principles 2 examples
Determinism AO1
- determinism and reductionism - spinoza, trauma, factors
- scientific determinism
- psychological determinism
- theological determinism
Free will is an illusion AO2
- cognitive research for determinism/ Libet also disproved it
- libertarians hold a positive approach/ Baruch Spinoza
- compatibilism and paralysis of freedom/ but pointless
Libertarianism AO1
- non-causal, morally free decision
- dualist beliefs
- moderate libertarians say theres limited free will
- paralysis of freedom
- folk psychology
Compatibilism AO1
- free will and determinism can work
- liberty of spontaneity
- constant conjunction
- ^ in humanity
- liberty and necessity
Determinism on punishment AO1
- pointless
- sin is predetermined
- heaven/hell is predetermined
- should recondition people like skinner said
Intuitionism AO1
- good cant be defined
- good is good and thats the end of the matter
- comes from intuition
- trolley problem
- conflicting prima facie
-mental maturity
Utilitarianism AO1
- 2 sovereign masters
- maximise pleasure min pain
- pleasure measured by intensity duration and purity etc
- consequentialist
- MILL
- not all pleasures =
- higher and lower pleasures
- some generally beneficial rules
- refinement of Bentham
Religion on conscience AO1
- butler - balance between ego and prud
- aquinas god given faculty of reason
- Augustine - literal voice of God
- Schleiermacher its direct revelation from god
- fletcher - its something we do while making a decision
Secular ideas on conscience AO1
- freud - id, ego, superego, parents
- durkheim - loyalty to society
- kholberg - 6 stages of conscience
Lying and conscience AO1
- fletcher - agree if its most loving
- aquinas said its wrong - NML
- freud doesnt think its a moral issue
Adultery and conscience AO1
- Aquinas - NML
- Augustine - no - adultery against 10 commandments
- durkheim - only society disapproves of it
DCT AO2
- clear system of thought BUT immoral comands eg slavery
- reward for good behaviour BUT autonomy
- God is an impartial judge BUT euthyphro
intuitionism AO2
- everyone has intuitions so common idea BUT Why do we have intuitions
- avoids the fallacy of ethical naturalism BUT hard to debate beyond “the vibes are just off”
- prima facie may say why we struggle with decisions BUT what if its just society’s influence on our right and wrong
bentham’s utilitarianism - bentham and kant
- motivation - - hedonistic pleasures - sovereign masters
- principle of utility - usefulness of the action - measured by the hedonic calculus
- Dr Price - duration, remoteness, purity, richness, intensity, certainty and extent
- act utilitarian - every ACTion must follow the principle of utility for it to be moral
- consequence will determinne whether the action was moral or not - teleological approach
Bentham AO2 strengths and weaknesses
- doesnt try to prioritise certain pleasures over others BUT commits the naturalistic fallacy because cant bridge the is-ought to gap
- saw the value in animals - modern - because they felt pleasure/pain BUT ignores the rights of minorities in favour of majorities
- pragmatic - uk uses it in the justice system therefore its shown to work effectively BUT puts too much emphasis on consequences - killing is still killing regardless of if it does help people
Bentham AO2 strengths and weaknesses
- doesnt try to prioritise certain pleasures over others BUT commits the naturalistic fallacy because cant bridge the is-ought to gap
- saw the value in animals - modern - because they felt pleasure/pain BUT ignores the rights of minorities in favour of majorities
- pragmatic - uk uses it in the justice system therefore its shown to work effectively BUT puts too much emphasis on consequences - killing is still killing regardless of if it does help people
is bentham compatible with religion?
- yes - jesus said people are supposed to be judged on how they react to people in need eg good samaritan - avoiding pain is also in Bentham thought BUT formed without God so inconsistent
- jesus acts situationally and so does the utilitarian so similar to SE BUT the church follows NML and that is v dissimilar to NML so inconsistent with traditional church teachings
- both aknowledge the value of self-love, we are driven by self love or love of others according to Bentham - jesus - love thy neighbour as yourself -BUT religion emphasises an afterlife whereas for Bentham emphasises the importance of daily moral deeds
Kant AO1
- duty is innate, needed because it provides a good will- good will isn’t desire, emotion, demands moral seriousness
- categorical imp is moral rules we MUST follow - has 3 formulations:
- universal law - do what you would have done to you - you cant be the contradiction or the exception to the rule
- humanity - you have to treat people like people - self governed, and have absolute moral worth
- kingdom of ends - need to act as if your actions will become the rules in a kingdom of free agents
- summum bonum - highest good - being worthy of happiness through being virtuous underpinned by 3 postulates:
- the world is fair and so will be rewarded but not in this life
- must be an afterlife, which can only be provided by God
- we have to have free will for our actions to be moral
strengths and weaknesses of Kant
- simple to follow, even kids understand it BUT its no more believable than DCT since both are non-naturalist so both commit the naturalistic fallacy
- doesnt excuse morally wrong actions eg murder for a good cause is still murder BUT if consequence is good, isnt action at least partially good? killing 1 to save 100?
- ## kant favours reason over emotion - emotion promotes favouritism, immoral so overall good BUT unrealistic - hume shows its impossible to not be influenced by emotion because moral sentiment motivates us to act so unrealistic to expect people to use it
Kant’s ethical theory is compatible with religion AO2
- yes - sense of reason telling you whats moral is similar to NML BUT Kant makes no appeal to specific scripture and only briefly mentions God at all - largely secular
- yes - beatific vision is a similar goal to summum bonum - both are provided by God and involve eternal happiness BUT Kant rejects NML/DCT because its only following commandments not autonomous decision
- universalisability rule is similar to the Golden rule in Mark 12 BUT his use of religion is sparse and weakens his argument so clearly its better as a secular theory
- conclude - yes somewhat bc golden rule, but kan rejects DCT and religion because not autonomous
Euthenasia and situation ethics
loving is not liking, relativism, personalism, love is the only norm
Euthanasia and virtue ethics
eudaimonia, courage in death vs suffering, charity and love
Euthanasia and NML
protection of life, ordered society, worshipping God, proportionalism
Abortion and situation ethics
agapeic calculus, relativism, personalism, love is the only norm
Abortion and virtue ethics
“before life and sense have begun”, dependent on woman, courage and compassion
Abortion and NML
reproduction, protection of life, worshipping God, double effect- ectopic pregnancy but not rape
Embryo research and SE
pragmatic, agape love, fletcher- we are makers and creators
Embryo research and virtue ethics
compassion, cloned soldier aggressiveness, eudaimonia = human growth achieved by science, cant reach eudaimonia if have HIV/ cancer
Embryo research and NML
reproduction, changing God’s creation, breakdown of marriage, Jeremiah 1:5 “before I formed you in the womb I knew you”
Lying and SE
love is justice- syphalis, lie by reassurance- pragmatic, personalism
Lying and VE
truth is a plain dealer- not overselling or underselling, truth is a synergy of virtues, lie only if it develops other virtues eg compassion or courage
Lying and NML
worship God 10 commandments, ordered society, not to save a life, lying by omission is okay
Theft and Se
pragmatism, personalism, agape love, food yes but books no
Theft and VE
base actions- some are just always bad, justice in law/fairness, distributional justice might allow it
Theft and NML
Ordered society, would accept if dying, proportionalism value vs disvalue
Capital punishment and SE
pacifism in jesus, pragmatic, agapeic calculus, relativism
Capital punishment and VE
justice in both senses, virtuous people follow law, eudaimonia, one swallow doesn’t make spring - one bad act doesn’t make you a bad person,
Capital punishment and NML
Law of talion, an eye for an eye, ordered society, protection of life, worship God- jesus was a pacifist
Intensive farming and SE
795 million undernourished people, pragmatism, short term and maximises misery agapeic calculus
Intensive farming and VE
function argument, compassion, justice, practical reason, eudaimonia
Intensive farming and NML
heirarchy of souls, man is specl, dominion - genesis 6
Animals in scientific procedures and SE
agape, pragmatism, relativism, loving is not liking
Animals in scientific procedures and VE
compatible with eudaimonia, intellectual virtues, compassion to man
Animals in scientific procedures and NML
preserve human life, mutation and worshipping God, must be kind, “may do the same to men”
Blood sports and SE
desensitising to pain/suffering, love is the only norm, fox hunting to save sheep is okay but dog fighting is different.
Blood sports and VE
common greek passtime, justice, courage against bull, calculated courage, compassion
Blood sports and NML
dominion, sport is a legitimate use, catechism states we should be kind to animals, ordered society
Animal Organ transplants and SE
agapeic calculus, donors should be dead or consenting if sentient, personalism, God gives knowledge for us to use it
Animal organ transplants and VE
eudaimonia, compassion, callousness as animals are seen as expendable
Organ transplants and NML
agrees with it to save life, worship God - don’t change genetics, proportionalism
