unit 1 QUESTIONS

Question 1

Know the 3 ethical theories of Aristotle, Kant, Levinas. What is the drive of each theory?

Question 2

What are Kant’s two maxims? Explain each.

Answer 2

1. Universal Law
2. Treat another as an end, not just as a means

Question 3

What are the 4 ethical experiences?

Answer 3

1. the scream: experience of personal response
2. the beggar: the experience of the other
3. the “i have to”: the experience of obligation
4. this is intolerable: the experience of contrast

Question 4

What are the different dimensions of conscience? (Just list)

Answer 4

1. Capacity
2. Process
3. Judgement

Question 5

What are the symptoms of a misinformed conscience? What is meant by the term Lucifer Effect? What are the two causes for this loss of sense of conscience?

Answer 5

symptoms:
-Rationalization: Stealing may be wrong sometimes, but large stores can afford it because they are making huge profits.
-Trivialization: It’s no big deal- everyone does it.
-Misinformation: Denying the Holocaust.
-The end justifies the immoral means: I had to steal the shoes- I didn’t have any money and my old shoes had holes in them.
-Means to an end: By dropping a nuclear bomb to end the war, we will end up saving more lives.
-Difficult to reason: Having been kicked out of his home and finding himself with no place to go, a teen breaks into an empty home to keep warm when he could have asked for help from the police.

lucifer effect:
it was introduced by Zimbardo, and is used to describe when an ordinary person crosses the boundary between good and evil to engage in an evil action.

2 causes:
1. conformity
2. obedience to unjust authority

Question 6

What are the different types of determinism? Briefly explain. What theory does the Catholic Church subscribe to that opposes determinism?

Answer 6

determinism says that..
Human behaviour is the result of a complex group of physical, social, cultural, psychological and historical factors, and certainly not free will.

the different types:
1. naturalism: also known as “genetic determinism”, your DNA doesn’t just govern your appearance it also determines your behaviour
2. religious determinism: belief that God had predetermined history, and the actions of each individual
3. social determinism: your past experiences determine your future choices

-the Church subscribes to PROVIDENCE, which opposes religious determinism. this is the belief that: while God has influence upon events and actions, human choice and freedom still remains

Question 7

What is the Conceptual Framework of Action? Who created it?

Answer 7

what? its the understanding of human action, determining their rightness and wrongness
who? devised by the philosopher Paul Ricoeur

Question 8

What are the 4 avenues and 4 roadblocks of communication? How much of the way we communicate is body language, listening, and verbal?

Answer 8

4 avenues:
1. trust
2. hope
3. acceptance
4. “I” message
4 roadblocks:
1. self protection
2. win-lose attitude
3. stereotyping and judging
4. “YOU” message
percentages for the ways we communicate:
55% body language 38% listening 7% verbal

Question 9

What are Zimbardo’s keys to Heroism? What is meant by his term “Hero-in-Waiting”?

Answer 9

the keys to heroism:
-Don’t conform to group thinking, don’t be trapped in passive inaction
-Don’t think “self-centrically”, think “socio- centrically”
-From “me” to “we”

“Hero in Waiting”: the belief that all are capable of heroic action

Question 10

What does S.T.O.P. stand for and what is this method used for?

Answer 10

-this is a method used for moral decision making
-the four letters stand for: search, think, others, pray
S: SEARCH- search out the fatcs, 5 ws
T: THINK- think about the alternatives and concequences
O: OTHERS- effects on others and listening to advice
P: PRAY- prayer