week 1: happiness

Question 1

what are the 3 barriers to ethical thinking?

Answer 1

1. precision barrier
2. pragmatic barrier
3. necessity barriers

Question 2

describe precision barrier

Answer 2

ethics is a wide category

Question 3

describe descriptive vs. prescriptive discipline

Answer 3

• descriptive = describing nature around us (ex: biology)
• prescriptive = how we ought to live together
• how do we make the world evolve and what is the world like now
• can’t just know things, also need to know how to make it better

Question 4

describe a pragmatic barrier

Answer 4

tend to think that knowledge needs to be useful

• if we can make money off of it

Question 5

describe necessity barriers

Answer 5

accept the world around us as a given

• don’t question things

Question 6

what are the 3 levels of ethics?

Answer 6

1. metaethics
2. normative ethics
3. applied ethics (closest)

how close are they to speaking about issues

Question 7

describe metaethics

Answer 7

comparing different ethical theories, moral knowledge

Question 8

describe normative ethics

Answer 8

• more general
• think systematically of the nature of right and wrong
• one main principle

Question 9

describe the system of normative ethics

Answer 9

• virtue ethics- character trait is socially beneficial (ex: honesty)
• duty ethics- right and wrong through intentions
• utilitarianism- care about consequences of actions
  
  • care about happiness
• ethics of care- relationships
  
  • we need each other

Question 10

describe the nature of happiness

Answer 10

• happiness is a part of ethics = part of philosophy
• philosophy = the love of wisdom
• grant quote (living well):
  
  • human beings and the world are mysteries
  • not relating well to others if there’s no mystery (ex: making assumptions about people)
  • approach the world with some humility
    
    • can always ask/question the nature of the world

Question 11

what is happiness?

Answer 11

• what we spend our time doing
• what we spend our money on
• subjective vs objective (some sort of mix)
  
  • subjective = relative to the individual and not obvious
  • objective = some kind of activity (group agree)
• experience pleasure and avoiding pain

Question 12

what are the concepts of happiness?

Answer 12

• hedonism
• virtue
• desire satisfaction
  
  • adaptive preferences
• life satisfaction

Question 13

describe hedonism

Answer 13

found in the pursuit of pleasure

1. epicureanism = avoiding disappointment/pain
2. classical utilitarianism

Question 14

describe virtue

Answer 14

• virtuous activities
  
  • virtuous activity (generous actions)
  • contemplative activity
  • external goods
• all objective happiness

Question 15

describe desire satisfaction and adaptive preferences

Answer 15

• happiness = having our preferences satisfied
• adaptive
  
  • preferences can change overtime
  • preferences can be formed in the midst of deprivation
    
    • sometimes people prefer some things when their needs are not met

Question 16

describe life satisfaction

Answer 16

happiness is measured in some kind of overall life satisfaction