Quiz 2 Flashcards
Laws
A system of rules enforced to govern behavior. What we’re allowed to do or prohibited from doing.
Ethics
Deals with questions of moral behavior. It’s often thought of as a rational process applying established principles when two moral obligations collide. The branch of philosophy that deals with the moral component of human life.
A set of principles or a code of moral conduct.
Morals
A way of life/conduct. It’s often associated with religious beliefs and personal behavior.
Consensus About The Value of Studying Ethics
Skeptics believe that children’s moral development is completed before they reach school and learning ethics in class won’t necessarily ensure that you’ll be more ethical.
Metaethics
Attempts to assign meaning to the abstract language of moral philosophy.
Concerned with the study of the characteristics, or nature, of ethics.
Metaethics is not concerned with making moral judgements but instead attempts to distinguish ethical values from those that involve merely matters of taste or attitude.
Normative Ethics
Provides the foundation for decision making through the development of general rules and principles of moral conduct.
Concerned with developing general theories, rules, and principles of moral conduct.
Applied Ethics
Concerned with using these theoretical norms to solve ethical problems in the real world.
Problem-solving branch of moral philosophy. It uses insights derived from metaethics and the general principles and rules of normative ethics in addressing specific ethical issues and concrete cases.
The vital link between theory and practice.
Egoism
Belief that self-interest should always be the primary determinant in choosing which course of action to follow.
Jayson Blair
He was a New York Times reporter who designed and they later wrote an article about his deception and the journalistic fraud he committed in at least half of the articles he produced.
Civility
“First principle” of morality because it encompasses an attitude of self-sacrificed and respect for others.
Credibility
To be believable and worthy of trust.
Integrity
Discerning what is right and wrong, acting on what you discerned, even at a personal cost, saying openly that you’re acting on your understanding of right from wrong, and willingness to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions.
Which flows from which?
Credibility because without it the other virtues have no meaning.
Heintz Dilemmas
Heintz has a terminally ill wife with cancer and he’s trying to buy a $2000 drug, but only has $1000. The druggist refuses to extend him credit. Should he steal the drug or risk her life?
