James Rachels and Midgley Flashcards
Ethics
Study of how to live or act/right and wrong
Ethical Arguments
an argument with a conclusion that claims some action is right/wrong good/bad or that we should/should not do something
Normative Premise
makes a claim about how things should be or something being good or bad
Descriptive Premise
describes facts about the world
Is-Ought Fallacy
when a conclusion expresses what ought to be, solely based on what is true of the world
Slippery Slope Fallacy
suggests that if you allow a certain thing to happen, a chain of undesirable events will necessarily follow
Sophistry
use of fallacious reasoning and deceptive arguments
Moral Skepticism
philosophical position that suggest that there can be no moral knowledge (they’re just a matter of cushions or arbitrary opinions)
Psychological Egoism
the view that people are selfish in everything they do
Ethical Egoism
people are only ever morally obligated to act in their own self interest (and they SHOULD only act in their own self interest)
False Dichotomy Fallacy
suggesting there are only two choices when there are actually more (my way or the highway)
Altruism
acting in the best interest of other people
Moral Isolationism
respecting other people’s cultures means never taking up a critical position on practices that are foreign to you
Universalism
some moral principles can apply universally ex) don’t kill innocent people
Relativism
moral principles are always relative
