KEY POINTS FROM LECTURES Flashcards
a type of platonic irony
name irony (ex. glaucon ‘grey eyed0 (owl), owl is wise, he is not wise, name has opp. meaning)
what is socratic elenchus?
socratic questioning, presenting a theory, then discussing and testing
what are groundless pleasures?
unnatural, unnecessary, (ex. desire for money, fame)
what are natural desires?
natural and necessary, lead to eudaimonia, (ex. food)
what is meant by ‘living in harmony with nature?’
the universe deals you a hand and you must play it, cannot control what you are dealt.
deontological ethical theories evaluate moral worth based on ________
actions and intentions rather than consequences
what are hypothetical imperatives?
conditional prescriptions: “if you want to achieve x, you should do y”
what are categorical imperatives?
necessary prescriptions, “you should do y”, strict universal imperative
what is aporia?
“lack of knowledge”, question remains unanswered but all bad answers are rejected
what is the definition of justice?
living up to one’s legal obligations and being honest, “the advantage of the stronger”
what is a relativist?
sees that there are different views; adheres to own view; believes there is no objective truth of the matter
what is an absolutist?
sees that there are different views; adheres to own view, believes that there is a absolute truth of the matter
what is an intrinsic good?
something that is desirable for its own sake, it is good in itself, (ex. happiness)
what is an extrinsic good?
something that is not good in itself, good for other things, (ex. money, fame)
for _____ happiness or pleasure is the end to which we all aim
utilitarians
how do we measure happiness?
the hedonic calculus
what is the hedonic calculus made up of?
Intensity, Duration, Certainty, Spatial relation, Actions ability , Purity, Extent… of pain/pleasure
what is Bentham’s calculus?
for any act, the determination of the amount of pleasure it will immediately produce, Then the amount of pain. Then determine fecundity of pleasure. Then determine fecundity of pain. Then sum the results for the individual. Then consider the number of persons affected in this way. Then do the overall sum.
what is consequentialism?
actions deemed right or wrong relative to consequences of the action(s)
what is impartiality?
all parties affected by an action must receive impartial consideration (equality)
what is the principle of utility?
maximize the good or valuable
what is act utilitarianism?
justifies particular actions by direct appeal to principle of utility
what is rule utilitarianism?
actions justified by appeal to rules, which in turn are justified by appeal to the principle of utility
what is the tragic world view?
no objective moral truth, no right or wrong, no happiness/meaning, bad people flourish and good people suffer.
what is rhetoric?
“art of persuasion”, a source of belief without knowledge
poetry is a species of _____
rhetoric
is poetry a knack or a craft
knack
in the Phaedo, socrates claims that philosophy is a preparation for what?
death
what is eudaimonia?
human flourishing/well-being, the highest good, what all humans are seeking
what is happiness?
can be answered by asking what is the function of a human being?
what is the function of a human being?
life of nutrition and growth, sensation/perception, rationality
true or false: happiness, virtue, excellence, and the pleasant are inextricably linked
true
how do we achieve happiness/eudaimonia?
by being virtuous
what is the golden mean?
the perfect middle ground between two concepts
being virtuous requires:
knowledge, choice, and expression of a formed and stable character
what is virtue?
passions (emotions), faculties (to feel them), states of character (to be judges neg/pos)
true or false: virtue is a habit or trained faculty in which we observe the mean or moderation
true
what are positive rights?
right to well-being (right to receive goods and services)
what are negative rights?
rights to liberty (right to not be interfered with)
what are the four liberty limiting principles?
harm principle, principle of paternalism, principle of legal moralism, offence principle
what is the harm principle?
person’s liberty justifiably restricted to prevent harm to others caused by that person
what is the principle of paternalism?
person’s liberty justifiably restricted to prevent harm to self-caused by that person
what is the principle of legal moralism?
person’s liberty justifiably restricted to prevent that person’s immoral behaviour
what is the offence principle?
person’s liberty justifiably restricted to prevent offence to others caused by that person
what is the social contract?
the liberty of each person to preserve themselves and do what’s good for them
what is the nature law theory?
true law is right reason in agreement with nature
what is Locke’s state of nature?
involves men living together according to reason, with no-one on earth who stands above them all and has authority to judge between them.
what is bourgeoisie?
modern capitalists/owners of means of production, employer
what is proletariat?
modern wage labourers/the employee who sells labour
what is the alienation of labour?
the process whereby the worker is made to feel foreign to the products of their own labour
