History of Ethics Flashcards
Metaethics
The foundation of modern ethics
Moral Realism
Belief that there are moral facts that are like scientific facts
Moral Absolutism
The belief in moral standards that don’t change
Moral Relativism
More than one moral position on a given topic can be correct
Cultural Relativism
Belief that everyones moral beliefs change depending on culture
Moral Antirealism
Belief that there are no moral facts
Moral Subjectivism
Moral facts can be both right and wrong but they refer to people’s attitudes rather than their actions
Unexamined Life - Scorates
Not having a fulfilling life/not reaching someone’s full potential. To question everything, to reflect and to take several steps back to see where you are and where you’ve been.
Inductive Reasoning
Making a general statement based on a number of observations (looking for a pattern)
Deductive Reasoning
Using known facts, definitions and accepted properties in logical order to reach a conclusion or to show that a statement is true (proving makes a rule)
Good Life - Plato
Plato’s idea for living a fulfilled life was to think more and be aware of the popular opinion (doxa), let your lover/friends change you, they should have qualities that you lack ‘true love is admiration’. Decode the message, beautiful objects can be therapeutic, and make us live better lives. He wanted to reform society to make more people fulfilled with their life.
Doxa
Doxa is the popular opinion or the consensus
The Enlightenment
An intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries with global influences and effects.
Induction
Using past experience to make future predictions
Abduction
Drawing a conclusion based on the explanation that best explains a state of events, rather than from evidence provided by the premises
Ubermensch/Superhuman
Ubermensche is according to Nietzsche - the best person you can be.
How did Nietzsche affect WWII/Hitler?
Nietzsche had ideas of the master and slave morality that are ‘possessed by noble persons’, which is where you believe that you are great, which Hitler used to justify his genocide of lesser races (non-Aryan). Slave morality needs a violent and hostile world to work.
What is Eudaimonia?
Eudaimonia is a term relating to the state you live in, normally in a state of happiness or satisfaction.
What is an Echochamber?
An environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own
How does the Allegory of the Cave reflect modern life?
Social media. Echo chambers affect society as people will be very divided with their opinions, as all they listen to or see is information confirming their already existing biases.
The good life - Plato
- Valued virtue rather than material wealth
- Happiness can be achieved
- Being happy means becoming an excellent human being
- A good person enjoys an inner harmony
The good life - Aristotle
- Valued virtue rather than material wealth
- Happiness can be achieved
- Being happy means becoming an excellent human being
- A good life is a happy life
- To live a good life one must be a morally good person
- Objectivist rather than subjectivist
The good life - Nietzsche
- Live authentically and powerfully
- Create one’s own values and goals
- Live without fear of gods or a higher power
- Face life and the universe with courage
- ‘Life is suffering, but love it’
- Amor fati - love your fate
