Midterm 2 - Essay Question Flashcards
Paragraph 1: Introduction
-introduce 3 ideologies
-emphasize that each have their flaws
-bring up examples that will be aligned with all examples (ex: lying, cheating)
Paragraph 2: Utilitarianism
-explain utilitarianism: (John Stuart Mill) suggests that an action is morally acceptable if it provides the maximum amount of happiness for the most amount of people as a result
-act utilitarianism: focuses on the consequences of an action to determine morality
-rule utilitarianism: focuses on rules/principles that determine morality once enforced, and that those rules provide the most amount of happiness
-how it would be applied in this situation
*act utilitarians: would say lying is okay if lying will result in the most amount of happiness
*rule utilitarians: would say you should always tell the truth, but if the truth causes harm then no
-why this could be a flaw - utilitarianism has a major flaw with the fact that it can lead to justification of poor actions just because they provide the most amount of happiness for certain individuals. Doesn’t take into consideration that not everyone shares the same amount of happiness as a result of something. Kind of unrealistic because there is really no way to truly measure happiness.
Paragraph 3: Kantian Deontology
-explain Kantian Deontology – (Immanuel Kant) focuses on moral duty and principles and argues that actions are morally right/wrong based on whether or not they follow moral principles and not on the consequences of those actions
-Categorical Imperative:
*universality- only perform acts that can be universally applied
*humanity - should not use others as a mean to an end but rather as ends in themselves
-How it would be applied in this situation: would rule lying as immoral and therefore you should not do it because it violates the categorical imperative
-Mention Charles Mills as an opposition of this theory- Charles mills in “Black Kantian Radicalism” expresses the blinds spot in Kantian deontology and how it does not take racial injustices and oppression into account, it should be revised and applied to take these experiences into account.
Paragraph 4: Natural Law
-explain natural law and how it is teleological
-state of equality & state of freedom
-explain why this can be a flaw in the situation
Paragraph 5: Best normative theory
-Propose that Kantian Deontology is the most logical choice
-Mention that it is flawed (Charles Mills) and that it can be subject to criticism
-Kantian Deontology at face value
