Final Flashcards
What is an intuition
The sense of ‘just knowing’ something is right or wrong, by means of a feeling or hunch
What is cultural relativism
Theory which is sometimes invoked to prevent people from criticizing the practices of particular culturesthe idea that a person’s beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person’s ownculture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another
What are Kohlbergs 6 stages of moral reasoning
Pre- Conventional:
Morality of obedience
Morality of instrumental egoism and exchange
Conventional:
Morality of interpersonal concordance. Be considerate, nice, and kind
Morality of law and duty to the social order
Post- Conventional:
Morality of consensus. You are obligated to the arrangements that are agreed to by due process.
morality of non-arbitrary social cooperation
What is subjective relativism/ moral skepticism
idea that morality is simply a matter of individual opinion or taste, which some have the power to impose on others
What is contractarianism
by thomas hobbes- political theorist
where people are primarily self-interested, and that a rational assessment of the best strategy for attaining the maximization of their self-interest will lead them to act morally
what is utilitarianism
an action is right if it promotes happiness, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principle of conduct
what is hedonist utilitarianism
Equated happiness with pleasure
Physical enjoyment of food, sex and comfort
what is Pluralist Utilitarianism
values such as knowledge, moral excellence, love and friendship, etc. have an intrinsic worth that isn’t reducible to pleasure
what is preference utilitarianism
preference utilitarian makes no judgment but simply tries to maximize everyone’s subjective preferences
what is the difference between an act and rule utilitarian
those who think we should always pursue utility directly, and consider whether each action maximizes happiness, and those who think we should pursue it indirectly, and let ourselves be guided by rules, principles, and virtues that have passed the utilitarian test
who does not agree with utilitarianism
Kantian Deontology Kantians emphasize duty, rules, and universal principles
what is a prima facie duty
Prima Facie Duties - acts that would be one’s duty unless overridden by more important moral obligation. Prima Facie literally means “on the face of it” or “ apparent.”
what are ross’s 7 prima facie duties
Fidelity
Reparation
Gratitude: The duty to show thanks to others for their services
Justice
Beneficence
Self-improvement: The duty to help oneself by improving one’s virtue and intelligence.
Non-maleficence
what is fidelity
The duty to keep promises and fulfil agreements into which one has entered
what is reparation
The duty of restoring. Making amends for past wrongful acts.
what is justice prima facie duty
The duty to distribute rewards or punishments by merit
Beneficence: The duty to “do good” and improve others
what is beneficence prima facie duty
The duty to “do good” and improve the condition of others. Active kindness.
what is non maleficence prima facie duty
Or non-injury. The duty to avoid doing harm or wrong to others.
what are virtues
qualities of character or personality that are useful or admirable both for the person who has them and for others
What are micro ethics
Micro Ethics are “the concepts and values that define individual responsibilities and role behaviour” (personal or role morality
What are macro ethics
Macro Ethics concern “the principles that govern or should govern our overall system” (politics, law, and distributive justice)
What are rights
a justified claim on the part of one person or group against some other person, group, or society. The right of one person or group imposes a corresponding duty or obligation on the part of others
What are negative rights
The right to life, liberty, and property are all negative. They imply that others cannot kill you, or interfere with your freedom, or take away your possessions without due process
What is positive freedom
originated with T.H. Green (1836-1882). He argued that true freedom is not merely a matter of being left alone, but a positive ability to do something
○ Requires that we have the resources to develop our abilities and explore various options
What are positive rights
support positive freedom. Positive rights were championed by welfare liberals and socialists, who believed that the state should provide a social safety net and ensure that people’s basic needs were met
What do Libertarians and Free-Market Capitalists agree with
sanctify Negative Rights, but suspect that Positive Rights are a bogus excuse to tax away the fruits of our labour and infringe on our negative liberty to do what we want
What do Welfare Liberals and Democratic Socialists agree with
uphold both Negative and Positive Rights (as the UN Declaration does). They strongly uphold civil liberties and individual freedom, but are more willing to tax and regulate in the economic sphere for the sake of social welfare, helping the less advantaged, and providing various public goods.
What does right wing justice focus on
free market, merit and negative rights
what is right wing: free market
however the market allocates wealth through free exchange is just, and whatever market value people receive for the fruits of their labour is just even if it is unequal.
what is right wing: merit
those who are smarter, more talented, or more hard working deserve to enjoy a higher standard of living. Some equate merit with market value, while others believe in rewarding other kinds of merit (scholarships for academic achievement, more money for those who work hard and take risks).
what is right wing: negative rights
libertarians uphold negative rights, especially property rights. Conservatives favour tax cuts and less government regulation of business.
what does left wing justice focus on
equality, need and positive rights
what is left wing: equality
each person should receive an equal shares of social benefits and burdens. greater equality of opportunity and more redistribution of wealth. For example, consider have unions prefer to base befits on seniority, which everyone attains, rather than merit.
what is left wing: need
the importance of meeting basic human needs, and helping those who require assistance due to poverty, unemployment, or disability. Karl Marx said that in a perfectly Communist society, the principle would be: “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need”
what is left wing: positive rights
everyone has a right to welfare, education, health care, etc, and public institution should be generously funded to provide these goods.
what is diminishing marginal utility
for money or any good, the amount of utility we gain from each additional unit decreases as the total amount we have increases
what does kai nielsen advocate
focuses on employees control over their condition of work
advocates industrial democracy.
Workers run factories and determine how they will work, what they will work on, and their hours of work. Everyone should have a right to work, a right to the means of life.
what is Milton Friedmans theory
the stockholder theory- the view that managers only have an ethical responsibility to the owners of the company
Serve their interests and maximize profits
What is stakeholder theory
the main alternative to Friedman’s view. It insists that managers have a responsibility to all those who have a stake in the company (Owners, Managers, Employees, Customers, Suppliers, and the Local Community)
what is the hedonic paradox
says that the more we consciously seek happiness, the less likely we are to achieve it.Do things that you enjoy and value, achieve your goals, and happiness will follow
what is the profit- seeking paradox
the more we single-mindedly focus on obtaining profits, the less likely we are the achieve them. The straightforward maximization of profit is ultimately counter-productive if it means finding ways to wring every last cent out of customers and employees.
what is abstract greed
Abstract Greed: greed without desire for what money can buy, but rather a brainwashed sense that one ought to maximize income, not to obtain any particular luxury, but simply as an unquestionable goal
what is the notion of friedmanism
the notion that the one and only purpose of business is to make as much money as possible
what is the notion of eichmannism
the tendency of people in large organizations to abdicate responsibility and simply go along with those in charge milgam experiment (electric chair with increasing voltage)
what are the necessary features in defining professions
Extensive training (they usually require advanced degrees) Provide important services for society Training and skills are largely intellectual, they apply specialized knowledge
What are classic professions
Classic Professions- Medicine, law, clergy
First jobs to be professionalized
what are business professions
Business Professions- engineering, accounting, management
• Reflect as industrial and commercial society in which technology, keeping track of money, and running large organizations are important
why are social responsibility of professions more important
Shaw and Barry:
Society invests heavily in the training of professionals.
Society grants professions a wide area of self-governance.
The state permits professions a monopoly over the provision of certain services.
We invest with a trust that they will watch over the well-being of society
what is laity
a term which originally meant everyone outside the religious clergy, but has come to refer to all non- professionals
From doctor perspective; everyone outside the medical profession is a laity
