Module 3: Key Terms

Question 1

Ethics

Answer 1

branch of philosophy that studies morality, or right and wrong behaviour

Question 2

Metaethics

Answer 2

studies the foundations of morality itself; what is morality? what is nature of morality?

Question 3

Relativism (Normative Cultural Relativism)

Answer 3

it’s not your beliefs, but moral facts themselves that differ from culture to culture

Question 4

Descriptive Relativism (Descriptive Cultural Relativism)

Answer 4

people’s moral beliefs differ from culture to culture

Question 5

Flaws of Relativism

Answer 5

• if every culture is the sole arbiter of what’s right for it, that means no culture can actually be wrong
• if true then concept of moral progress is wrong

Question 6

Moral Progress

Answer 6

• if what everyone is doing right now is right, relative to their own culture, then there’s never any reason to change anything

Question 7

Moral Absolutism (Absolutism)

Answer 7

absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged

Question 8

Moral Subjectivism (Subjectivism)

Answer 8

• Moral statements can be true and false– right or wrong– but they refer only to people’s attitudes, rather than their actions
• it is a preference which are keys into personal attitudes, but not into actual objective moral facts

Question 9

Utilitarianism

Answer 9

• all beings share a common desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain
• focuses on results, or consequences, of our actions, and treats intentions as irrelevant

Question 10

Kantian Deontology (Kantianism)

Answer 10

• moral rules to distinguish right and wrong

Question 11

Hedonism

Answer 11

good = pleasant (we pursue pleasure and happiness, and work to avoid pain)

Question 12

What does utilitarianism suggests you to do when making decisions?

Answer 12

• make moral decisions from position of disinterested spectator
• to have disposition of good will and is not emotionally invested

Question 13

Act Utilitarianism (Classical Act Utilitarianism)

Answer 13

• in any situation, you should choose the action that produces the greatest good for the great number

Question 14

Rule Utilitarianism

Answer 14

• version of the theory that says we ought to live by rules that in central are likely to lead to the greatest good for the great number

Question 15

What did Kant pointed out?

Answer 15

• most of the time whether or not we ought to do something isn’t really a moral choice– instead, it’s just contingent on our desires

Question 16

Hypothetical imperatives

Answer 16

• commands you follow if you want something
• it’s about prudence instead of morality
• if you want money, you ought to get a job
• if you want to get an A, you ought to study

Question 17

Categorical Imperatives

Answer 17

• commands you must follow, regardless of your desires
• moral obligations are derived from pure reason
• doesn’t matter whether you want to be moral or not– the moral law is binding on all of us

Question 18

Kant’s Categorical Imperative can be understood in terms of various formulations

Answer 18

• basically different ways of phrasing or looking at the same essential idea
• 4 formulations but we shall look only 2

Question 19

Maxim

Answer 19

a rule or principle of action

Question 20

Universal Law

Answer 20

something that must always be done in similar situations

Question 21

Universal Law version of Kant’s Categorical Imperative: “Act only on those maxims that you can can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law without contradiction”

Answer 21

• when acting, think about maxim and if u can universalize the law or not

Question 22

As Kantian, always ask what’s the maxim of my action? General rule that stands behind the particular action I’m considering? Banana example

Answer 22

• very hungry to decides to steal
• is it okay morally to do this?
• the action to consider (taking something from merchant without paying = stealing)
• if you approve of the maxim of stealing (which u r doing whether u admit it or not)- then what you’re actually doing is universalizing that action: everyone should always steal
• this leads to contradiction and moral actions cannot bring contradiction (against rule)

Question 23

What is the contradiction in the banana example? And what is Kant really trying to say?

Answer 23

• no one would say that everyone should steal all the time cus then everyone always steal and never end and nobody would eat it so stealing isn’t universalizable
• not fair to make exceptions for yourself

Question 24

Kant’s view can be counterintuitive

Answer 24

• absolute no lying, even if life is on line (lying to a killer)

Question 25

Kant’s formulation 2: Humanity Version of Kant’s Categorical Imperative: “Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a mere means”

Answer 25

• treat others like how u would treat urself

- never use others as mere means

Question 26

Mere means

Answer 26

to use it only for your own benefit, with no thought to the interests or benefit to the thing you’re using

Question 27

Ends in ourselves

Answer 27

• we are not mere objects that exist to be used by others

- we are rational and autonomous and have ability to set our own goals and work toward them

Question 28

End in herself

Answer 28

• to recognize humanity that person u r encountering and realize she has goals interests of her own and keep in mind

Question 29

Cannot use others as MERE MEANS because…?

Answer 29

• of autonomy as unlike other things in the world, we’re self-governed
• able to set our own ends to make our own free decisions based on our rational wills

Question 30

Autonomy basically gives us…?

Answer 30

moral worth meaning we shouldn’t be manipulated or manipulate other autonomous agents for our own benefit

Question 31

Why is lying and deception not okay with Kant’s C2?

Answer 31

• if is deceived, can’t make an autonomous decision about how to act, cus decision is based on false info
• agree to loan $ to buy books for school and not for xbox and that robs the other person’s ability to autonomously decide to help you
• treated me as a mere means to accomplish ur goals with no thought to my own goals and interests and thats a violation of kant’s second categorical imperative

Question 32

What does Kant think about proper, rational application of categorical imperative will do?

Answer 32

• will lead us to moral truth that is fixed and applicable to all moral agents