Utilitarianism and Contractarianism Flashcards
BLANK is all about sticking to the moral rulebook. There are never any exceptions, or any excuses, for violating moral rules.
Kantianism
BLANK was founded in the 18th century by British philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. But the theory has philosophical ancestors in ancient Greek thinkers such as Epicurus.
Modern utilitarianism
BLANK – this means the good is equal to the pleasant, and we ought, morally, to pursue pleasure and happiness, and work to avoid pain.
hedonistic moral theory
BLANK says that everyone ought, morally, to pursue their own good.
Egoism
BLANK- “we should act always so as to produce the greatest good for the greatest number.”
Principle of utility
BLANK - in any given situation, you should choose the action that produces the greatest good for the greatest number. Period.
Classical utilitarianism (Act)
BLANK - This version of the theory says that we ought to live by rules that, in general, are likely to lead to the greatest good for the greatest number.
Rule Utilitarianism
BLANK -right acts are those that do not violate the free, rational agreements that we’ve made.
Contractarianism
We both want something, and we make a BLANK that we both believe will result in us being better off.
Explicit contract
BLANK – ones that we’ve never actually agreed to, but sort of find ourselves in.
Implicit contracts
BLANK- is where you break the contract you’re in – whether you agreed to be in it or not – and you decide to look after your own interests, instead of cooperating.
Defection
But, there’s another important part of this theory – one we haven’t mentioned yet. And that is: In order for a contract to be valid, the contractors must be free. You can’t force someone into a contract.
YES
BLANK- ethical theory that emphasizes an individual’s character rather than following the set of rules.
Virtue Theory
Rather than saying, “follow these rules so that you can be a good person,” Aristotle and other virtue theorists reasoned that, if we can just focus on being good people, the right actions will follow, effortlessly.
YES
BLANK- it focuses on the middle ground between two extremes, but as Aristotle suggests, the middle ground is usually closer to one extreme than the other.
Golden Mean
These people who already possess virtue are BLANK, and according to this theory, we are built with the ability to recognize them, and the desire to emulate them.
moral exemplars
BLANK refers to acts or states of affairs for which you can be praised or blamed.
Moral responsibility
“BLANK.” This means that if you ought, or should do something morally, then you first must be able to do it. In other words, you’re only morally required to do things that are possible for you.
Ought implies can
BLANK – where you’re one link in a chain of events
Causal responsibility
BLANK, which means you deserve positive or negative judgment for what happened.
Moral responsibility
BLANK, for example, is luck that has to do with our own constitution – our disposition, or personality.
Constitutive luck
BLANK- This relates to the situation you find yourself in, and plays a huge role in whether you manage to do good or bad things.
Circumstantial luck
BLANK. In other words, your character is shaped by things that have happened to you.
Antecedent circumstances
BLANK – that’s the way your actions actually turn out.
Consequent circumstances
