meta ethics Flashcards
1
Q
what is utilitarianism and who came up with it
A
- bentham
- greatest good for the greatest number
2
Q
what is benthams utilitarianism
A
- sole intrinsic good is happiness
- all human action should aim to fulfil happiness
- hedonic calculus
- every pleasure is equal
- pain could be measured
3
Q
what is john stuart mills utilitarianism
A
- did not agree that all pleasures are equal
- QOL rather than amount of pleasure
- distinguished between higher intellectual and aesthetic pleasures and lower physical pleasures
4
Q
strengths of ethical naturalism
A
- is morally objective
- based on nature which everyone can experience
5
Q
weaknesses of ethical naturalism
A
- allows for genocide
- g e moore intuitionism
- doesnt allow for cultural differences
6
Q
what is intuitionism and who came up with it
A
- g e moore
- moral right and wrong is known through intuition
- cannot prove moral goodness
- compared to the colour yellow
- once yellow objects are pointed out we can immediately recognise it in other objects
7
Q
what does W D Ross think
A
- intuitions may point people in different directions
- in some situations there might be conflicting duties and that it might not be obvious which takes authority
- he listed 6 prima facie duties
8
Q
what are the 6 prima facie duties
A
- keeping promises
- paying back harm done to others
- not injuring others
- returning favours and services that others have given us
- not harming innocent people
- looking after parents
9
Q
what does it mean when a duty is prima facie
A
- duties that should always be fulfilled
10
Q
strengths of intuitionism
A
- self evident objective reality
- fits with the universal experience of having moral intuitions about something
11
Q
weaknesses of intuitionism
A
- not everyone agrees
- where does intuition come from, if we cant observe it maybe it doesnt exist
- no say of distinguishing something actually being right and someone thinking it’s right
12
Q
what is divine command theory
A
- moral commands come from god and can be found in holy books
- claims there is an objective right and wrong
13
Q
strengths of divine command theory
A
- very easy to understand, what god says is right or wrong must be right or wrong
- promise of life after death gives purpose to morality
14
Q
weaknesses of divine command theory
A
- disagreement within religion
- euthyphros dilemma (is something right because god commands it or does god command something because it is right = not omnipotent)
- some moral choices in the bible are questionable
