Moral Philosophy Flashcards
What is Ethics?
The study of how we should live our lives.
What is moral Absolutism?
Sticking rigidly to principals when making decisions in any situation.
What is moral Consequentialism?
Using the predicted consequences of actions when deciding what to do.
What is moral Relativism?
Moral truth is defined by culture/people.
What is Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is the philosophy that are decisions should be based on what creates the most happiness for the most people. A guide called the Hedonic Calculus is used for working this out.
What are the parts of the Hedonic Calculus?
Duration, Certainty, Purity, Remoteness, Intensity, Chance of Succession and the Extent.
What are the strengths of Utilitarianism?
It helps to analyse a situation and reach a conclusion quickly, and it also it a good way to ensure that most people are happy.
What are the weaknesses of Utilitarianism?
It can be affected by biases, it uses induction which can be inaccurate, it doesn’t protect minorities and doesn’t incorporate duty.
What is Kantianism?
This is the philosophy that actions only have moral worth if they are done through duty and not with a motive. Categorical Imperatives give no motive whilst Hypothetical imperatives do give motives. A moral statement must pass through three laws in order for you to do something.
What are the three laws in Kantianism?
Any action that you make should be able to become a universal law of nature.
Never treat humanity as a means in order to get to an end.
Act as if you were creating the laws and following the laws and if you’d be happy to do so.
What are the strengths of Kantianism?
It incorporates the idea of duty. Many of the laws work if everyone obeys them, and laws often go with common sense.
What are the weaknesses of Kantianism?
The decisions can go against common sense, and decisions can do more harm than good.
What is Intuitionism?
Intuitionism is choosing the option with the most goodness, which is an objective thing. It is quick and eliminates problems in other philosophies, but it is opinionated and there is no practical guide.
What are Virtue Ethics?
This is where you make the decision which will bring you closest to being a flourishing person. A flourishing person is your own balance of values. It is once again very opinionated, but it can stop you being influenced and put you on the path you want to be on.
What are the arguments for non-human Animals having rights?
There is no moral distinction between an animal and a human
They are rational and emotional
They have a greater ability to suffer than a baby.
