Why should I be moral?

Question 1

What is ethical egoism?

Answer 1

Everyone SHOULD maximise their own interest, how humans should live.

Question 2

What kind of answer does the question Why should I be moral ask for?

Answer 2

Its looking for a factor or consideration to engage our will

Question 3

What is physiological egoism?

Answer 3

the view that each person has one ultimate aim : their own welfare.

Question 4

What are two reasons for believing in physiological egoism?

Answer 4

1) It seems to be the way people behave

2) Its how we are portrayed in terms of the law, it appeals to our self interest

Question 5

What are two reason for not believing in physiological egoism?

Answer 5

1) Non self regarding action and desires - Life a solder jumping in front of a grenade!!
2) Evidence that people act altruistically

Question 6

Who believed in morality as a social contract

Answer 6

Hobbes

Question 7

Why does Hobbes think we should be moral?

Answer 7

Because its in our self interest

Question 8

What is the state of nature

Answer 8

A time when there were no rules, everyone did what they wanted. There was no structure, trust or cooperation in society. Also called the state of WAR

Question 9

Why was there a state of nature

Answer 9

1) Psychological egoism
2) Scarce resources
3) Insatiable desires

Question 10

Why did Hobbes think we need a social contract?

Answer 10

For social cooperation. So that we can trust each other, and not constantly be worried about being killed by our neighbour. By being moral you are avoiding the state of nature

Question 11

How did we find ourselves party to a social contract?

Answer 11

Tacit agreement - Unspoken agreement

Hypothetical agreement - What they would have wanted

Question 12

What are the strengths of morality as a social contract

Answer 12

1) It does plausibly engage our will

2) Realistic, people will do stuff in order to avoid being hurt (example of rich people and taxes)

Question 13

What are the weaknesses of morality as a social contract

Answer 13

1) Psychological egoism is false

2) free riders

Question 14

What is the free riders problem

Answer 14

If you don’t do something and everyone still does because they are obeying the social contract, then its in your self interest not too. The phrase ‘because its in your self interest’, not justifies not obeying the social contract

Question 15

What is free riding

Answer 15

Being immoral whilst everyone is being moral. So disobeying the rules of the social contract whilst everyone else obeys it.

Question 16

What example illustrates the free riding problem

Answer 16

If everyone pays for their train ticket, but i dont, its in my self interest because im not paying.

Question 17

What issue is there with morality as a social contract if psychological egoism is false?

Answer 17

If there is no psychological then one of the reasons there was a state of nature would be wrong, therefore there could be no state of nature, so there is no reason to be moral.

Question 18

Why does anyone do anything?

Answer 18

You need a belief, a desire and a judgement.

Question 19

What did Aristotle think about morality?

Answer 19

He thought we should be moral because its constitutive of self interest

Question 20

What did Aristotle think our final motivation is?

Answer 20

happiness

Question 21

How can we reach happiness as a condition of our life?

Answer 21

By living a virtuous life, by doing good things

Question 22

What must you do to make the best decisions in your life?

Answer 22

Make a judgement

Have the right feelings and desires

Question 23

What does Aristotle mean by having the right feelings and desires?

Answer 23

When we do something we must want to do it, otherwise it is not a virtuous act.

Question 24

What is the function argument?

Answer 24

1) If something is good it performs its function well / virtuously
2) Humans have a function
3) Human function is to reason
4) So for humans to have a good life, it needs to be a life where the judging and desiring part of your soul operate virtuously, meaning you must have the right feelings at the right time.

Question 25

What do the Milgram experiments show?

Answer 25

The Milgram experiments were tests to see how far humans are willing to follow orders. They showed that there are no character traits cause people abandoned their common sense and obeyed authority figures.

Question 26

What is the issue with Aristotle saying that by imitating a virtuous person we become virtuous.

Answer 26

Imitating someone does not necessarily result in acquiring the same disposition.

Question 27

What did Sartre say about Aristotle’s theory

Answer 27

That we do not have any common nature. ‘existence precedes essence.’ We are free to chose our values, so we cannot investigate human nature to decide what is good and bad for humans.

Question 28

Why is virtue ethics idealistic?

Answer 28

Its an unachievable ideal.

Question 29

Explain the argument that Aristotle’s thesis is not moral because we only do it to help ourselves.

Answer 29

If the reason we act morally and help others is just to help ourselves gain an eudaimon life, then it is not a moral theory.

Question 30

What would Aristotle reply to Sartre when he says that humans have no common nature

Answer 30

We are all condemned to be free

Question 31

What would Aristotle reply to the arguments his thesis is not moral because we only do it to help ourselves.

Answer 31

There is a difference between self love and selfishness

A virtuous person only act for the right reasons, only virtuous if truly morally relevant aspects of the situation.

Question 32

What does Kant do which is different to Hobbes and Aristotle

Answer 32

He found justification and a foundation as to why we should be moral.

Question 33

According to Kant when does a person act rationally?

Answer 33

When the maxim underpinning her action meets the standard of rationality.

Question 34

What is a standard of rationality?

Answer 34

An example would be consistency. Our beliefs should not contradict each other.

Question 35

According to Kant when are we free?

Answer 35

When we dont act for our desires, but for the sake of duty. To be free is to act autonomously

Question 36

Why are we not free when we act for our desires?

Answer 36

Because we are being slaves to our appetites.

Question 37

What does it mean to act autonomously

Answer 37

To act by rules that i give myself

Question 38

What does it mean to act heteronomously

Answer 38

To act for our desires, we are controlled by an external force.

Question 39

What makes an action morally worthy to Kant

Answer 39

The motive of the action, the quality of the will and the intention

Question 40

According to Kant, what should actions be done for?

Answer 40

For the sake of moral duty

Question 41

What is the Shopkeeper example

Answer 41

Shopkeeper could shortchange customer
If he did he could get a bad reputation and loose business
So he doesn’t

Question 42

Is the shopkeeper in the shopkeeper example acting morally? WHY

Answer 42

No, his action does not deserve moral praise because he did it because it benefitted him. Not because it was the right thing to do.

Question 43

What is the spelling bee hero example

Answer 43

Boy wins spelling bee, but spelt word incorrectly, the judge j misheard.
Boy tells judge he was wrong, because it was the right thing to do and he didnt want to feel like a slime.

Question 44

Is the boy in the spelling bee example action morally? WHY

Answer 44

yes, it has moral worth because he acted out of moral duty, because it was the right thing to do.

Question 45

What is the categorical imperative

Answer 45

Act only on the maxim you can at the same time will it to be a universal law.

Question 46

What must you look at when deciding whether a maxim can be universalised.

Answer 46

Is it possible for it be a universal law?

Is it possible for people to will it to be a universal law?

Question 47

What is meant by ‘is it possible for people to will it to be a universal law?’

Answer 47

Will people always want the maxim to be a universal law, could it cause problems in some cases

Question 48

What example can be used to show a maxim which people would not will to be a universal law

Answer 48

‘Never help anyone’, if you were in the situation where you needed help, you would no longer want people to be governed by that law.

Question 49

What example illustrates an instance where it is impossible for the maxim to be made a universal law.

Answer 49

‘Make false promises when it suits you.’ If someone ever made a promise to you, you would know it was a false promise, and therefore you would not trust it as a promise, meaning the concept of a promise would not exists.
There is a logical contradiction

Question 50

According to Kant, why are we subject to morality?

Answer 50

Because we are rational beings

Question 51

As rational beings, what must we regard ourselves as

Answer 51

Free!!!

Question 52

What are the strengths of Kants thesis

Answer 52

1) Valid argument for the claim that we are subject to morality
2) reflects our intuition that a truly moral action can not be motivated by self interest

Question 53

What are the weaknesses of Kant’s thesis

Answer 53

1) Can we act independent of desire

2) Conflicting duties (mother and war)

Question 54

What is hypothetical imperative?

Answer 54

When doing something leads to a further desire.

Question 55

What did Harman think?

Answer 55

There are no stable character traits

Question 56

Why is having no character traits an issue for Aristotle?

Answer 56

Because virtues and vices are character traits, no virtues and vices = no virtue ethics