philosophy final exam

Question 1

what are the 3 branches of moral philosophy?

Answer 1

-meta-ethics (investigates the big picture)
-normative ethic (focuses on providing a framework for deciding what is right and wrong)
- applied ethics (addresses specific, practical issues of moral importance, such as war, capital punishment, or challenges people face such as abortion, etc.,

Question 1

Moral philosophy

Answer 1

Moral philosophy is the branch of philosophy that contemplates what is right and wrong.

Question 2

Theoretical ethics

Answer 2

the study of the value judgments we apply to human choices and human behavior

Question 3

ethics

Answer 3

theory or system dealing with values relating to human conduct, in the right and wrong of their actions.

Question 4

Metaphysics of morality

Answer 4

The “above” or “beyond” the physical and historically, metaphysical issues with higher realms of existence.

Question 5

-Physical realm
-non-physical realm

Answer 5

-rocks, plants, animals, human bodies, and works of humans.
- God, other non-physical entities, such as abstract realm objects.

Question 6

Objectivism

Answer 6

tendency to stress on the objective or external elements of cognition. Deal with external things to the mind rather than with thoughts or feelings.

Question 7

relativism

Answer 7

the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.

Question 8

cultural relativism

Answer 8

maintains human societies, and not individual people, create society.

Question 9

Natural law theory

Answer 9

Someone in a higher position than us, like God, endorses specific moral standards for human beings.

Question 10

egoism

Answer 10

performing or doing something in return for respect or to be liked by others.

Question 11

alturism

Answer 11

doing something, donating to charity to help people, doing it out of kindness.

Question 12

The is-ought problem

Answer 12

concerns whether one can derive a statement of what ought to be the case from statements about the world.

Question 13

telelogical theories

Answer 13

actions are evaluated as moral or immoral depending on whether they help or hinder the achievement of the chosen end. example; egoism, eudaimonism, utilitarianism.

Question 14

moral realism

Answer 14

theory that is mind-independent, moral facts, and true/false claims humans make.

Question 15

moral subjectivism

Answer 15

based on an individual’s perspective of what is right or wrong.

Question 16

virtue theory

Answer 16

places less emphasis on learning rules, and instead stresses the importance of developing good habits of character. (benevolence/charity)

Question 17

“prima facie” duties

Answer 17

each one is morally binding unless a different duty emerges that overrides the first one.

Question 18

moral reasoning

Answer 18

critical analysis of specific events to determine what is right or wrong. and what is ought to be done.

Question 19

deductive reasoning

Answer 19

a logical approach where you progress from general ideas to specific conclusions

Question 20

abductive reasoning

Answer 20

making probable conclusion from what you know.

Question 21

the 6 fallacies

Answer 21

equivocation, red herring, ad hominem, tu quoque, straw man, and emotional appeal.

Question 22

equivocation

Answer 22

using words ambiguously (more than one interpretation; having double meaning) often done with intent to deceive the perpetrator.

Question 23

emotional appeals

Answer 23

the emotions that influence our behavior should not influence our judgment.

Question 24

hominem ad

Answer 24

if you cannot attack the argument, attack the arguer. while an insult itself is not fallacious ( a mistaken belief, especially one based on an unsound argument.) it is made in a way calculated to undermine an opponent’s argument and to encourage an audience.

Question 25

red herring

Answer 25

The fallacy is committed whenever irrelevant material is used to divert people away from the point being made and to proceed toward a different conclusion.

Question 26

the straw man

Answer 26

the straw man is made incredibly easy to knock down. the straw man makes it hard for the opponent to prove you wrong. (ex we should liberalize marijuana. no. any society with unrestricted access to drugs loses its work ethic and goes for gratification.)

Question 27

deductive argument premises

Answer 27

premise 1: all humans are mortal
premise 2: Socrates is a human
premise 3: Socrates is mortal.

Question 27

utilitarianism

Answer 27

relies on the starting assumption that all beings share a common desire to seek pleasure and avoid plan.

Question 27

Tu quoque

Answer 27

tu quoque means “you also”. it’s committed when a case is undermined by the claim that its proponent is himself guilty of what he talks of. It’s a change of subject from a claim made by the proponent to one made against him.

Question 27

objectivist

Answer 27

holds that moral standards are not created by human beings or societies, but are grounded in some facts that are external to people and society.

Question 27

normative culture

Answer 27

its not you’re belief, but moral facts themselves that differ from culture to culture.

Question 28

relativist

Answer 28

holds that moral standards don’t apply universally to all people or social groups, their application depends on human preference.