exam 1

Question 1

descriptive ethics

Answer 1

scientific study of morality

Question 2

3 major divisions in ethics

Answer 2

Metaethics
Normative
Applied

Question 3

definition of meta ethics and a brief explanation

Answer 3

study of the meaning and justification of basic moral belief.

questions what makes a action or a person good.
questions the origins of the words good/bad and various ethical systems

Question 4

definition of normative ethics and a brief explanation

Answer 4

search for and justify moral standards or norms.

how to act and what course of action should be taken.
generates most ethical theories.

Question 5

define applied ethics and briefly explain

Answer 5

use moral norms and concepts to resolve practical moral issues.

goes beyond theory and step into real world ethical practice. questions like whether or not abortion is correct.

Question 6

normative judgement

Answer 6

study of how people should behave.

aimed at sorting out what behaviors would be best

Question 7

descriptive judgement

Answer 7

study of people do behave and how they think they should behave.

look at people as they are and not as they should be

Question 8

naturalistic fallacy

Answer 8

argument that derives what it ought to be done from what it is

informal logical fallacy which argues that is something is natural it must be good.

Question 9

two main types of ethical theories

Answer 9

consequentialist/ teleological moral theories

non-consequentialist/ deontological moral theories

Question 10

consequentialist/ teleological moral theories

Answer 10

base moral judgement on consequences

producing results

Question 11

non-consequentialist/ deontological moral theories

Answer 11

actions can be right or wrong regardless of consequences

duty based

don’t care about suffering just results

Question 12

4 main elements of ethics

Answer 12

preeminence of reason
universal perspective
principle of impartiality
dominance of moral norms

Question 13

intrinsic value

Answer 13

value something has in itself

Question 14

instrumental value

Answer 14

value something has because it helps us to get or achieve some other thing

Question 15

moral agent

Answer 15

beings who can make and act upon moral judgements.

have rights only if one is a full member of the moral community with duties and responsibilities

Question 16

moral patient

Answer 16

object of moral concern

matters morally and has value to us

are extended certain rights and protections but do not have correlation

Question 17

premise

Answer 17

statement supporting the conclusion

Question 18

conclusion

Answer 18

statement being supported

Question 19

two types of common arguments in reasoning

Answer 19

deductive arguments

inductive arguments

Question 20

deductive arguments

Answer 20

give logically conclusive support to conclusion so the premise is true.
conclusion must be true
has proper logical structure that’s valid
doesn’t have proper logical structure to be valid

Question 21

inductive argument

Answer 21

give probable support to conclusion.
establish that premise is true then the conclusion is probably true.
succeed in lending probable support support to strong conclusion.
if they fail to provide probable support then its a weak argument.

Question 22

what’s needed to have a good deductive argument

Answer 22

a valid logical structure

Question 23

to have a good inductive argument you need

Answer 23

strong probable support for their conclusion.

strong arguments with a true premise must have a true conclusion

Question 24

good moral arguments have

Answer 24

at least one moral premise and at least one non moral premise

Question 25

straw man fallacy

Answer 25

misrepresenting a persons views so they can be more easily attacked or dismissed

Question 26

appeal to the person fallacy

Answer 26

reject a statement on the grounds that it comes from a particular person, not because the statement itself is false or dubious

Question 27

appeal to popularity fallacy

Answer 27

arguing that aa claim must be true not because it s beached by good reason but simply because many people believe it

Question 28

appeal to ignorance

Answer 28

argue either that a claim is true because it hasn’t been proven false or a claim is false because it hasn’t been proven true

Question 29

false dilemma fallacy

Answer 29

arguing erroneously that since there are only two alternatives to choose from, and one is unacceptable, the other must be true

Question 30

begging the question fallacy

Answer 30

try to prove a conclusion by using the same conclusion as support

Question 31

slippery slope fallacy

Answer 31

arguing erroneously that a particular action should not be taken because it will lead inevitable to other actions resulting in dire outcomes

Question 32

moral statement/ claims

Answer 32

affirm that action is right or wrong or that a persons character or motive is good or bad

Question 33

nonmoral statement/ claim

Answer 33

statement that does not affirm that an action is right or wrong that a person is a good or bad

Question 34

subjective/ individual rleativism

Answer 34

view that an action is right if one approves it.

are a matter of preference

Question 35

cultural relativism

Answer 35

view that an action is right if ones culture approves of it moral rightness and wrongness are relative to cultures

differ from culture to culture and there are no objective moral principles

Question 36

reasons supporting ethical relativism **

Answer 36

moral diversity: there is no agreement on basic moral principles.

moral uncertainty: we do not know what is right or if anything is right or wrong

situational differences: times and places are different, one moral code could not possibly be right for all

Question 37

reasons against ethical relativism **

Answer 37

moral diversity: disagreement doesn’t not prove there is no truth.

moral uncertainty: maybe we don’t know yet, may be unsure if we can know, but not knowing does not prove we can’t know.

situational differences: maybe same underlying values, just expresses differently

Question 38

descriptive ethical relativism

Answer 38

in different cultures the variant is the sense of morality: the mores, customs, and ethical principles vary from one culture to another

Question 39

moral objectivism

Answer 39

the idea that at least some moral standard are objective

can be absolutists about moral principles

position that moral truths exist independently from opinion

Question 40

moral theory

Answer 40

explanation of what makes an action right or what makes a person or thing good.

focus is not on rightness or goodness but the nature or rightness or goodness itself

need to weighed against our considered moral judgements

Question 41

two types of consequentialist theories

Answer 41

utilitarianism

ethical egoism

Question 42

ultilitariantisn

Answer 42

morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil; EVERYONE CONSIDERED

can be act- ( directly produces gates overall good) or rule- (a genial rule produces the greatest overall good)

Question 43

ethical egoism

Answer 43

morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil for ONESELF

Question 44

types of nonconsequentialist theories

Answer 44

Kants theory - action is right if its done in accordance with the categorical imperative

natural law theory - action is morally right if it follows the dictates of nature