key words Flashcards
act utilitarianism
weighs up what to do in each individual occassion
active euthanasia
a deliberate action performed by a third party to kill a person, for example by lethal injection. active euthanasia is illegal in the uk
aetion
an explanatory factor, a reason or cause for something
agape love
unconditional love, the only ethical norm in situationism
analogy
a comparison between one thing and another in attempt to clarify meaning
antinormian ethics
antinormian ethics do not recognise the role of law in morality (‘nomos’ is greek for ‘law’)
a posteriori arguments
arguments which draw conclusions based on observation through experience
a priori arguments
arguments which draw conclusions through the use of reason
autonomy and the right to die
the idea that human freedom should extend to decide the time and manner of death
beatific vision
a face-to-face encounter with god
bible/scripture
the collection or canon of books in the bible which contain the revelation of god
capitalism
an economics system based on the private ownership of how things are made and sold, in which businesses compete freely with each other to make profits
caritas
‘generous love’, a love of others and of the virtues; the latin equivalent of the greek word agape
categorical imperative
an unconditional moral obligation that is always binding irrespective of a person’s inclination or purpose
category error
a problem of language that arises when things are talked about as if they belong to one category when in fact they belong to another
cheap grace
grace that is offered freely, but is received without any change in the recipient, and is ultimately false as it does not save
church tradtition
the traditions of how christian life in community works, in worship, practical moral life and prayer, and the teaching and reflection of the church handed down across time
concordia
human friendship
concupiscience
uncontrollable desire for physical pleasures and material things
conscience
the term ‘conscience’ ay variously be used to refer to a faculty within us, a process of moral reasoning insights from god or it may be understood in psychological terms. fletcher described it as a function rather than a faculty
consciousness
awareness or perception
consequentialism
ethical theories that see morality as driven by the consequences, rather than actions or character of those concerned
consumerism
a set of social beliefs that put high value on acquiring material things
contingent
depending on other things
conversion experience
an experience which produces a radical change in someone’s belief system
corporate religious experience
religious experiences which happen to a group of people ‘as a body’
corporate social responsibility
a sense that businesses have wider responsibilities than simply to their shareholders including the communities they live and work in and to the environment
cosmological
to do with the universe
costly grace
grace followed by obedience to gods command and discipleship
cupiditas
‘selfish love’, a love of worldly things and of selfish desire
deontological
from the latin for ‘duty’, ethics focused on the intrinsic rightness and wrongness of actions
dignity
the worth or quality of life, which can be linked to sanctity or freedom
discipleship
following the life, example and teaching of jesus
disembodied existence
existing without a physical body
dualism
the belief that reality can be divided into two distinct parts, such as good and evil, or physical and non-physical
duty
duties are created by moral law, to follow it is our duty. the word deontological means duty based
ecclesia
heavenly society, in contrast with earthly society
election (in a theological sense)
predestination, chosen by god for heaven or hell
empricism
a way of knowing that depends on the five senses
empiricist
someone who thinks that the primary source of knowledge is gained through the five senses
epistemic distance
a distance in knowledge and understanding
eudaimonia
living well, as an ultimate end in life which all other actions should lead towards
extrinsically good
good defined with reference to the end rather than good in and of itself. fletcher argued only love was intrinsically good
faith
involuntary commitment to a belief without the need for complete evidence to support it
the fall
the biblical event in which adam and eve disobeyed god’s command and ate the fruit from the forbidden tree in the garden of eden; also used to refer to the imperfect state of humanity
forms
a name plato gave to ideal concepts
free will
the ability to make independent choices between real options
good will
a person of good will is a person who makes decisions according to the moral law
globalisation
the integration of economies, industries, markets, cultures and policymaking around the world
grace
in theological terms, god’s free and undeserved love for humanity, epitomised in the sacrifice of jesus on the cross
grace of god
god’s unconditional and undeserved gifts
hedonic calculus
the system for calculating the amount of pain or pleasure generated
hedonistic
pleasure-driven
homoousios
of the same substance or of the same being
hypostatic union
the belief that christ is both fully god and fully human, indivisible, two natures united in one person
hypothetical imperative
a moral obligation that applies only if one desires the implied goal
immediate revelation
where someone is given direct knowledge of god
incarnation
god born as a human being in jesus christ
inconsistent triad
the omnibenevolence an omnipotence of god, and the existence of evil in the world are said to be mutually incompatible
involuntary euthanasia
where a person is killed against their wishes, for example when disabled people were killed by nazi doctors
justice
justice ordinarily refers to notions of fair distribution of benefits for all. fletcher specifically sees justice as a kind of tough love; love applied to the world
kingdom of ends
an imagined future in which all people act in accordance to the moral law, the categorical imperative imperative
legalistic ethics
law-based moral decision-making
liberator
a general term for someone who frees a people or group
limited election
the view that god chooses only a small number of people for heaven
logical fallacy
reasoning that has a flaw in its nature
materialism
the belief that only physical matter exists, and that the mind can be explained in physical terms as chemical activity in the brain
maxims
another word for moral rules, determined by reason
mediate revelation
where someone gains knowledge of god in a secondary, non-direct way
messiah
in christianity the word is associated with jesus christ, who is believed to be the son of god and the saviour. in judaism the word is associated with individuals who rose up against oppression, the people of israel
moral evil
the evil done and suffering caused by deliberate misuse of human free will
moral law
binding moral obligations
mystical experience
experiences of god or of the supernatural which go beyond everyday sense experience
natural evil
evil and suffering caused by non-human agencies
natural law
a deontological theory based on behaviour that accords with given laws or moral rules (e.g. given by god) that exist independently of human societies and systems
natural theology
drawing conclusions about the nature and activity of god by using reason and observing the world
naturalistic explanation
an explanation referring to natural rather than supernatural causes
necessary existence
existence that does not depend on anything else
neoplatonism
philosophical thinking arising from the ideas of plato
neurophysiology
an area of science which studies the brain and nervous system
non-voluntary euthanasia
this applies when a person is unable to express their wish to die but there are reasonable grounds for ending their life painlessly, for example if a person cannot communicate but is in extreme pain
non treatment decision
the decision medical professionals make to withhold or withdraw medical treatment or life support that is keeping a person alive because they are not going to get better, or because the person asks them to. controversially it is also sometimes called passive euthanasia
numinous experience
an indescribable experience which invokes feelings of awe, worship and fascination
omnibenevolent
all-good and all-loving
omnipotent
all-powerful
omniscient
all-knowing
ontological
to do with the nature of existence
original sin
a state of wrongdoing in which people are born (according to christians) because of the sin of adam and eve
palliative care
end-of-life care to make the person’s remaining moments of life as comfortable as possible
parable
a story told to highlight a moral message
parousia
used in christianity to refer to the second coming of christ
particular judgement
judgement for each person at the point of death
passion
jesus’ sufferings at the end of his life
personalism
ethics centred on people, rather than laws or objects
personhood
the quality of human life that makes it worthy - usually linked to certain higher capacities
positivism
proposes something as true or good without demonstrating it. fletcher posits love as good
practical reason
the tool which makes moral decisions
pragmatism
acting, in moral situations, in a way that is practical, rather than purely ideologically
predicate
a term which describes a distinctive characteristic of something
primary precepts
the most important rules in life: to protect life, to reproduce, to live in community, to teach the young and to believe in god
prime mover
aristotle’s concept of the ultimate cause of movement and change in the universe
principle of credulity
swinburne’s principle that we should usually believe what our senses tell us we are perceiving
principle of sufficient reason
the principle that everything must have a reason to explain it
principle of testemony
swinburne’s principle that we should usually trust that other people are always telling us the truth
principle of utility/greatest happiness
the idea that the choice that brings about the greatest good for the greatest number is the right choice
privatio boni
a phrase used by augustine to mean and absence of goodness
protestantism
a form of christianity which rejects the authority of the catholic church and places greater emphasis on the bible and on personal faith
purgatory
a place where people go, temporarily, after death to be cleansed of sin before they are fit to live with god
qualitative
focused on quality (what kind of thing)
quality of life
a way of weighing the extrinsic experience of life, that affects or justifies whether or not it is worth continuing life
quantitaive
focused on quantity (how many, hob big, etc.)
rabbi
a jewish teacher, often associated with having followers
rationalist
someone who thinks that the primary source of knowledge is reason
reason
using logical steps and thought processes in order to reach conclusions
redeemed
in theological, ‘saved’ from sine by the sacrifice of christ
redemption
the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil
reductive materialism
otherwise known as identity theory - the view that mental events are identical with physical occurrences in the brain
relativism
the rejection of absolute moral standards, such as laws or rights. good and bad are relative to an individual or a community or, in fletcher’s case, to love
resurrection
living on after death in a glorified physical form in a new realm
revelation
‘uncovering’. in theological terms, this is when god chooses to let himself be known
rule utilitarian
weighs up what to do in principle in all occasions of a certain kind
sacred tradition
the idea that the revelation of jesus christ is communicated in two ways. in addition to scripture, it is communicated through the apostolic and authoritative teaching of the church councils and the pope
sanctity of life
the idea that life is intrinsically sacred or has such worth that it is not considered within the power of a human being
sceptic
someone who will not accept what others say without questioning and challenging
scepticism
a questioning approach which does not take assumptions for granted
secondary precepts
the laws which follow from primary precepts
shareholder
a person who has invested money in a business in return for a share of the profits
sin
disobeying the will and commands of god
situational ethics
another term for situation ethics, ethics focused on the situation, rather than fixed rules
socratic method
the method of philosophical reasoning which involves critical questioning
solidarity
an altruistic commitment to stand alongside and be with those less fortunate, the oppressed, those who suffer
son of god
a term for jesus that emphasises he is god incarnate, on of the three persons of the trinity
soul
often, but not always, understood to be the non-physical essence of a person
stakeholder
a person who is affected by or involved in some form of relationship with a business
substance
a subject which has different properties attributed to it
substance dualism
the belief that the mind and the body both exist as two distinct and separate realities
summum bonum
the highest, most supreme good
synderesis
to follow the good and avoid the evil, the rule which all precepts follow
teleological
looking to the end results (telos) in order to draw a conclusion about what is right or wrong
teleological ethics
moral goodness is determined by the end or result
telos
the end, or purpose, of something
theist
someone who believes in god or gods
theodicy
an attempt to justify god in the face of evil in the world
transcendent
being beyond this world and outside the realms of ordinary experience
universalism
the view that all people will be saved
unlimited election
the view that all people are called to salvation but only a few will be saved
voluntary euthanasia
this applies when a person’s life is ended painlessly at their own request
whistle-blowing
when an employee discloses wrongdoing to the employer or the public
will
the part of human nature that makes free choices
wisdom literature
a genre of writing from the ancient world, teaching about wisdom and virtue. in the bible, books such as proverbs and job are classified as wisdom literature
word
from the greek logos, another name for the second person of the trinity, used at the beginning of john’s gospel to describe the incarnation which existed from the beginning, of one substance with and equal to god the father
zealot
a member of the jewish political/military movement that fought against rome in the first century ad
