Moral Arguments Flashcards
Moral Argument Standards
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For an argument to be good, its conclusion must follow logically from its supporting statements and those statements must be true
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There must be a moral premise to make an argument valid
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To check the truth of nonmoral premises, explore empirical or conceptual matters
Moral Theory
explains why an action is right or wrong or why a person or person’s character is good or bad
Moral Theorizing
devising, using, or assessing moral theories or parts of theories
Empirical claim/belief:
can be confirmed by observation or scientific investigation
Conceptual Matters:
The described meaning of terms
prima facie
: correct until proven otherwise
Is/Ought (Fact/Value) Distinction
brought forth by David Hume:
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you can never get a value from a fact as right and wrong is not sensory.
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Those like Philip Devine would say that you can pull values from facts
Support of moral presence can come from
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Moral principles
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Moral theories
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Moral judgments
Moral premises can be questioned using:
Credible theories
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Credible judgments
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Counterexamples of moral premises
Moral premises/theories can be altered to
take counterexamples into account, or by trying to show that the premise is still justified
The Faliciy of the False Dilemma:
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Is there a third option?
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There is more than just two/both options presented
Moral theories are tested by
the consistency of reason
Moral Criteria of Adequacy:
Fruitfulness; whether the theory makes successful predictions of previously unknown penomena
Conservatism: how well a theory fits with established facts that are already known
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Criterion One: Consistency with our considered moral judgments
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Criterion Two: Consistency with the facts of the moral life
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Criterion Three: Resourcefulness in moral problem solving
