Introductory Topics Flashcards
What is Philosophy?
Philosophy is a broad and complex field of inquiry that explores fundamental questions about the nature of reality, knowledge, existence, ethics, and more. It is an intellectual discipline that seeks to understand and analyze the fundamental principles that govern various aspects of human experience and the world. Philosophy often involves critical thinking, logical reasoning, and the examination of fundamental assumptions.
There are several branches of philosophy, including metaphysics (dealing with the nature of reality), epistemology (studying the nature of knowledge), ethics (examining questions of morality and values), aesthetics (exploring questions of beauty and art), and logic (analyzing the principles of valid reasoning), among others.
What is Ethics?
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that focuses on moral principles, values, and the study of what is right and wrong in human conduct. It explores questions related to morality, ethics, and how individuals and societies should make ethical decisions.
Ethics is concerned with examining the principles that guide human behavior and the criteria used to determine what actions are morally right or wrong.
Central topics in ethics include:
Virtue Ethics: Identifies a set of virtues or morally desirable character traits that individuals should cultivate.
Normative Ethics: Normative ethics aims to establish moral norms or principles that guide ethical decision-making. It includes different ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and consequentialism.
Applied Ethics: Applied ethics focuses on the application of ethical principles to specific real-world issues, such as medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, and bioethics.
Moral Psychology: This area explores the psychological aspects of moral reasoning and behavior, investigating questions like “How do individuals develop their moral beliefs?” and “What influences moral decision-making?”
What are some of the central questions in ethics?
Ethics grapples with a wide range of questions, but some central and enduring questions include:
What is the nature of morality? This question addresses the fundamental nature of right and wrong and whether moral values are objective or subjective.
How should we determine what is morally right or wrong? This question involves exploring different ethical theories and principles for making moral judgments.
What are our moral obligations to others? Ethics examines the duties and responsibilities individuals and societies have toward one another, including issues of justice, rights, and fairness.
