Test 2 Flashcards
What does Marx mean when he says that “human beings enter into definite relations that are indispensable and independent of their will”?
We must work to live
According to Marx, what is the “real foundation of society”?
Economics
According to Marx, what is the purpose of the superstructure?
That which justifies and supports the economic structure
Does Marx believe people can think for themselves independently of their economic class?
No, our economic interests control every thought we have
What is morality for Marx?
An instrument used by the dominant class to suppress the working class
Marx thought that all systems of thought, including moral reasoning, are produced for the benefit of whom?
The dominant class
What did Marx think of moral philosophers such as Kant and Mill?
They do not realize they are pawns being used by the capitalists.
What is our only means of experiencing anything beyond our own mind?
Our 5 senses
How do we know that organized sensations, that is, ideas, represent anything as it truly is?
We cannot
What is the definition of a skeptic?
One who believes that true knowledge is not possible
Was Hume a skeptic?
Yes
Before Hume, philosophers thought of causality as what?
A necessary condition existing between a cause and its effect
Hume says that what we consider to be causality is in reality what?
A mental habit
What is the origin of morality for Hume?
Feelings and passions
According to Hume - each moral event is a combination of which two things?
An external event and a feeling of approval or disapproval toward it
According to Hume - how is morality just a form of psychological conditioning?
We call something moral or immoral if the action is consistently joined with our feelings of approval or disapproval
What is the definition of the term subjective?
Reality is as it is perceived
Was Hume’s morality subjective? Why or why not?
Yes - morality is based on feelings
What are the two reasons that we all tend to approve and disapprove of the same kinds of actions?
Social Utility
Sympathy
Explain Hume’s concept of social utility
Whatever is useful or good to society is good, and vice versa
Explain Hume’s concept of sympathy pleasure and sympathy pain
We are not entirely self-interested; some of us care genuinely about humanity
What did Kant call things in and of themselves?
Noumena
Why is it we cannot know things in and of themselves?
All we know are sensations
What dose the term a priori mean?
That which is necessary for experience to be possible
What are the three organizing, a priori categories of the mind?
Space, time, and causality
What can we know even with certainty?
Phenomena - our own ideas
What does Kant call the knowing, experiencing subject?
The transcendental ego
What must all things be joined with in order to be good under all circumstances?
Good will - it is the only thing good in and of itself
Is good will good because of the results it achieves? Explain your answer.
No, the motive is what matters
What are the two attributes of duty?
Right in and of itself
Derives moral worth from general law (the two imperatives)
What is Kant’s categorical imperative?
To act as though your action is a model for everyone
Where does the categorical imperative come from?
A priori structure of the will
Is it possible to take actions that could be universalized across time and cultures?
Yes, if we give other people the same infinite worth we give ourselves
What is the practical imperative?
To treat humanity as an end, not a mean
The moral will, the rational will, decides its own law with no other end than to express its own nature: that is, to follow the categorical and practical imperatives? What does Kant mean by this?
In considering an action, the two imperatives in your will are the best advice you can have.
Under what conditions is our will free?
By following the two imperatives
From whom did Bentham get the idea of social utility?
David Hume
Define Utilitarianism
Greatest good for the greatest number
For the utilitarians, what determines whether an action is or is not moral?
The consequence
For the utilitarians, what is irrelevant in determining whether an action is or is not moral?
Motives
What is moral action for Kant?
Action taken because of duty
What is irrelevant for Kant in determining the morality of actions?
Consequences
Who was the founder of utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham
Define individual psychological hedonism
The constant evaluation by each person of the pleasure/pain ratio of courses of action for themselves
For Bentham, is individual psychological hedonism a moral activity? For Mill?
No - it’s simply an observation of how we act
Define universal ethical hedonism
Greatest good for the greatest number
Is universal, ethical hedonism a moral activity for Bentham and Mill?
Yes
What does the term hedonism mean?
Doctrine that happiness or pleasure is the sole or chief good in life
Did Bentham think there are qualitative differences between various pleasures and pains?
No, all pleasures and paints are essentially the same
For Bentham, pleasure and pain can be measured based on which 4 variables?
Duration
Intensity
Likelihood
Fruitfulness
For Bentham, are all pleasures and pain are essentially the same or are some intrinsically different than others?
All pleasures and pains are essentially the same
Give an example of hedonic calculus
..
For what purpose did Bentham intend for universal ethical hedonism to be used?
To guide public policy
What was utilitarianism for John Stuart Mill?
An ethical philosophy that should be used as a standard for individual morality
For Mill, is the difference between all pleasures and pains quantitative? Explain
No, there are also qualitative differences
What are external sanctions?
Something that compels moral action
What compels us to have internal sanctions?
Sympathy for others
Why are both external and internal sanctions effective in leading us to comply with the greatest good principle?
Doing so maximizes our own pleasure and minimizes our own pain
Do internal sanctions have a higher moral value than external sanctions? Explain
No, consequences are all that matter
