TASK 4 - ETHICS + RHETORIC Flashcards
ethics
= moral philosophy = systematising, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behaviour
- three general subject areas:
1. metaethics
2. normative ethics
3. applied ethics - lines are often blurry
- metaehtics
= where our ethical principles come from and what they mean
- psychological basis of our moral judgments –> what motivates us to be moral
- metaethics
- egoism vs. altruism
- psychological egoism = self-oriented interests ultimately motivate all human actions
- psychological hedonism = pleasure is the specific driving force behind all of our actions
- psychological altruism = at least some of our actions are motivated by instinctive benevolence
- metaehtics
- emotion vs. reason
- Hume: emotivist and prescriptivist theories = we need distinctly emotional reaction in order to make a moral pronouncement, reason is giving the relevant data
- emotive element + prescriptive element - Kant: true moral action is motivated only by reason when it is free from emotions and desires
- Baier: rationalist approach = all of our moral choices are/can be backed by some reason or justification –> proper moral decision making involves giving the best reasons in support of one course of action
- normative ethics
= establish single/set of foundational principles against which we judge all actions
- single principle: Golden Rule = we should do others what we would want others to do to us
- only one ultimate criterion of moral conduct (single or set)
- normative ethics
- virtue theories
= we should develop good habits of character (= virtues) + avoid acquiring bad character traits (= vices)
- emphasis on moral education
- virtues are grounded and emerge from within social traditions
- normative ethics
- consequentialist theories
= correct moral conduct is determined solely by a cost-benefit analysis of an action’s consequences
- tally good and bad consequences of an action
- determine whether the total good consequences outweigh the total bad consequences
- -> morally right = consequences of action more favourable than unfavourable
1) ethical egoism = consequences are more favourable than unfavourable to AGENT
2) ethical altruism = consequences are more favourable than unfavourable to EVERYONE EXCEPT THE AGENT
3) utilitarianism = consequences are more favourable than unfavourable to EVERYONE
- act-utilitarianism = determine case by case for each action whether it is morally right/wrong
- hedonistic utilitarianism = pleasure vs. pain caused by actions
- normative ethics
- duty theories
= base morality on specific, foundational principles of obligation; there are clear obligation
1) Pufendorf: duties to God, duties to oneself, duties to others
2) Locke: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness
3) Kant: categorical imperative = simply mandates action, irrespective of one’s personal desires
- -> treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end (dignity)
- applied ethics
= examining and resolving specific controversial issues by using tools of metaethics and normative ethics
rhetoric
= figures of speech = words and constructions you can employ to make your argument more attractive
- place emphasis
- create an impression
- build tension
- introduce surprise/ bewilderment
- enhance persuasive power
repetitio
= word/phrase is repeated almost verbatim a number of times
–> hammering it home to the audience
anaphora
= repetitio at the start of a number of sentences
the rule of three
= three is a quantity that sticks
chiasmus
= two related sentences/phrases are each other’s syntactical mirror image
rhetorical question
= definite statement in the shape of a question; not meant to be answered
metaphor
= call something by another name directly
–> comparing that which you really mean with that which you call it
tautology
= concept is repeated using different word that has (roughly) the same meaning
–> both words belong to same lexical category
pleonasm
= obvious quality of an object/concept is repeated
–> words belong to two different lexical categories
hyperbole
= more or less appropriate exaggeration
–> often comical effect
enumeration
= number of names, facts, arguments follow each other up
–> give each element an empathetic and convincing ring
paradox
= apparent contradiction
–> upon closer reading, phrase turns out to be correct after all
understatement
= intentional trivialisation
euphemism
= term which sounds too harsh/unkind is replaced with another, less direct term
–> fear of calling something by its real name
oxymoron
= combination of two contradictory terms
litotes
= special kind of understatement; something is strongly emphasised by denying the opposite
