Midterm 1 Flashcards
What is meant by “no harm, no foul”?
It is wrong to punish a person for a simple mistake if no harm was done.
(Comes from recreational basketball)
Define “ethics”
Ethics is a set of morally permissible standards of a group that each member of the group (at their rational best) wants ever other member to follow, even if their doing so would mean that they must do the same.
Define “morality”.
Morality is the set of standards everyone (every rational person at their rational best) wants everyone else to follow even if their following them means having to do the same.
What is the goal of a moral theory?
To answer the questions:
- How do I know that X is good?
- Why is X good?
What is the divine command theory?
It is a moral theory that holds that X is good because God commands it, and for no other reason.
Who first introduced the idea of the divine command theory?
Plato
What is cultural relativism?
It is based on two premises:
- You must morally judge someone based on the standards of their culture.
- There is no rational way to compare cultures with respect to morality.
Thus, there can be no universal human morality.
What are the positives of cultural relativism?
It promotes tolerance and respect for differences in human culture and values. It claims that there is never any justification for the wishes of one culture to override another.
What are the negatives of cultural relativism?
- It doesn’t offer a universal moral standard for all humans to live by.
- Things that can be considered moral atrocities can be considered moral in cultural relativism.
Who is virtue theory associated with?
Plato and Aristotle
What is virtue theory?
It is a moral theory that attempts to answer two questions:
- What does it mean to be “good”?
- How does one become “good”?
How did Aristotle attempt to answer, “What does it mean to be ‘good’”?
He listed the virtues (characteristics) of a “good” person.
What did Aristotle use to define a virtue?
The ideal mean between two extremes of a human characteristic.
How did Aristotle answer the question, “How does one become good”?
- One acquires intellectual virtues through education
- One acquires character virtues by mimicking virtuous behaviour until it becomes habitual
How does one make a moral decision in virtue theory?
By asking the question, “What would a good person do in this situation?”
How does virtue theory differ from the other theories we’ve studied?
It is agent-centered as opposed to act-centered
What is utilitarianism?
It is a consequentialist moral theory that says that the right decision is the one that causes the most happiness.
Who is considered the father of utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham
Who is considered the strongest proponent of utilitarianism?
John Stuart Mill
How does utilitarianism define happiness?
According to Mill, “happiness is… pleasure and the absence of pain.”
