Slides Flashcards
What is Eudaimonia?
Often translated as happiness, flourishing, well-being, welfare
What is the highest good according to Aristotle (name 4 points)?
- is self-sufficient,
- is desirable for itself,
- is not desirable for the sake of some other good, and
- all other goods are desirable for its sake
What is Logos?
Speech, structured thought, reason, ratio
What is Arete?
Excellence, virtue
What are the similarities between Aristotle and Kant?
- Both philosophers put reason at the core of ethics;
- Both philosophers try and give some (reason-based) guidelines as to what to strive for when evaluating ethical behavior;
- Both philosophers pivot on the notion of human beings’ autonomy in ethical decision-making, again in close relation with reason.
What are the differences between Aristotle and Kant?
• Aristotle sees ethics as a practical science, whereas for Kant, ethics
is a priori (we will see next what this means);
• For Aristotle, ethics is about (training) virtue; for Kant, ethics is about (finding out and complying with what is your) duty.
What does a priori mean?
The expression ‘a priori’ (= from the former) is used in e.g. ‘a priori truth’ or ‘a priori knowledge’ or ‘a priori statement’ to indicate a truth/piece of knowledge/statement that does not require any empirical procedure in order to be ascertained.
What is the ultimate end of human endeavor, the Highest Good, and its relationship to the moral life? (What is Kant’s answer?)
the Highest Good for humanity is complete moral virtue together with complete happiness, the former being the condition for deserving the latter.
What is are critisisms of Kant?
Kant’s views on ethics are grounded on a highly idealized view of human nature and human reason. For instance:
• Do we all agree about what is right and what is wrong as much as Kant assumes?
• Do we really find moral requirements as binding as Kant assumes?
• Are we really as autonomous/rational as Kant assumes?
What is the natural law?
system of law based on values intrinsic to human nature. According to it, all people have inherent rights (natural rights), conferred not by act of legislation but by “God, nature, or reason”.
What is positive law?
(Latin: ius positum) The law that applies at a certain place and time, obliging or specifying an action. The law actually and specifically enacted or adopted by proper authority for the government of an organized society.
What does Roussau argue?
- Rousseau argues that humans are dependent on each other on a material and psychological level.
- The main concern that dominates his work is the reconciliation of individual freedom with the authority of the state.
- Rousseau views natural freedom as weak and fickle.
What is Normative ethics?
the study of how people ought to behave. It aims at identifying the best rules for behaviour
What is Descriptive ethics?
the study of how people do behave, and how
they think they should behave. It is grounded in observation — looking at people as they are
What is the difference between descriptive and normative?
- A normative statement or claim is a statement about what should be the norm (independently of whether this norm is actually implemented in practice): “Killing is wrong”, “The liberal vision is the best possible political ideal”.
- A descriptive statement is a statement that describes what is the case: “It is raining”, “There are popular dictatorships in the world”.
