meta ethics Flashcards
What’s the Eurythphro Dilemma?
Is smth good bc God commands it? OR
Does God command it bc it’s good?
Which theory believes smth is good bc God commands it?
Divine command theory - morality dependant on God
Who were divine command theorists?
John Calvin + Karl Barth
What does Divine command theory believe?
God has been nice enough to command us w scriptures + teachings
Reaffirms Gods love, power etc
What’s an issue w DCT?
It’s meant to be timeless but what about biblical references to homophobia, women, slavery etc
What would God commanding smth bc its good imply?
God merely recognises morality
Limits his omnipotence
Goes against scripture
What did John Calvin believe?
The will of God is the supreme rule of righteousness; everything he wills must be righteous
What does Karl Barth believe?
Christians have scripture + Gods commands to make moral decisions
What are strengths of DCT?
- Moral maxims are universally; apply at all time
- Offers a means of proof concerning what’s right + wrong
- Offers sense of justice; God sees everything
- Offers a motive
- Reaffirms God’s attributes
What are weaknesses of DCT?
- Existence of God isn’t certain
- What is God’s will
- How do we interpret the holy book?
- What about the other horn of the Eurythpro Dilemma
Which theories are ethical naturalism?
Utilitarianism, situation ethics, virtue ethics + natural moral law
Which theories are ethical non-naturalism?
Intuitionism + divine command theory
What is ethical naturalism?
Moral values can be described in terms of natural properties; objective part of the universe
Why are ethical naturalist theories naturalist?
They exist + can be described, so its possible to discover + understand them
What are 2 ethical naturalist theories? Who are the scholars?
Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism
Jon Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism
What is Bentham’s utilitarianism focused w?
Observation that human lives focus on maximising pleasure + minimising pain
What does Bentham say human action should be aimed at?
Greatest good for the greatest number
What did Bentham devise to help calculate the max. happiness?
The hedonic calculus
What are the 7 criteria in the hedonic calculus?
Intensity, duration, certainty, proximity, productiveness, purity + extent
What did the hedonic calculus mean for Bentham?
Bentham thought pain could be measured
What is Bentham’s utilitarianism known as? Why?
Act utilitarianism
Focus on actions, not moral rules
What is the diff between Bentham + Mill?
Mill didn’t believe all pleasures are equal + can be measured
What did Mill believe?
Quality of life over pleasure
Higher + lower pleasures
How did Mill see moral rules?
Moral rules had been developed bc they’re seen to result in the greatest benefits for society
What is a criticism of naturalism? Who said this?
It commits the naturalistic fallacy
G.E. Moore
What did Moore say?
You can’t derive ought from is
Can’t move from facts to values
Can’t move from knowledge to ethics
What did Moore say you can’t do?
You can’t make the leap from a factual claim to an ethical claim from looking at facts around us
What example can we use of the naturalistic fallacy?
Meat eaters say our teeth are designed for eating meat so we OUGHT to;
Moore may say we OUGHT to, doesn’t mean we SHOULD
What are 2 strengths of ethical naturalism?
- Factual + empirical nature of propositions
- Objective nature of right/wrong enables us to assess our actions
Is intuitionism naturalist or non-naturalist?
Non-naturalist
What is intuitionism?
Standalone, self evident beliefs
Morality is objective
Who is the scholar for intuitionism?
G.E. Moore
What does intuitionism believe about morality?
Moral truths are self evident (gut instinct)
What example can we use for intuitionism?
We instinctively know good, like how we instinctively know yellow
We rec. yellow but can’t define yellow
We know what’s good but can’t define it
What is the quote from Moore about good?
“Good is good + that is the end of the matter”
Which scholar goes w prima facie duties?
W.D. Ross
What did W.D. Ross accept?
In some cases, there might be conflicting duties where it’s not always obv. which takes priorities
What are Ross’ 6 prima facie duties?
- Keeping promises
- Pay back harm done to others
- Not injure others
- Return favours
- Not harming innocent ppl
- Look after parents
What’s an example of a situation where duties might conflict?
Do you lie to the gunman to protect intended innocent victim?
What are prima facie duties?
Conditional, not absolute + may change depending on situation
What’s an example of the conditionality of prima facie duties?
A 5 yr old may lie bc their intuition isn’t fully developed
What are 3 strengths of intuitionism?
- Objective nature of morality helps us assess actions + give guidelines
- Overcomes prob of disagreement w eth. nat. as to what’s right + wrong
- Universal experience of moral intuition
What are 3 weaknesses of intuitionism?
- Morality cons. of sub. statements of approval
- Where does intuition come from?
