Philosophy Quiz - Ethics

Question 1

Universal Ethics:

Answer 1

Ethical principles that apply to everyone, regardless of their culture or personal beliefs. There are specific moral standards that are universally accepted. Basically, there are ethical rules that apply to everyone.

Question 2

Importance of Universal Ethics:

Answer 2

Universal Ethics are vital for fairness, justice, and respect across all cultures, promoting human rights, and encouraging sustainability.

Question 3

Absolute Ethics:

Answer 3

Fixed moral principles are always right or wrong, regardless of the situation or consequences. These principles are universally valid and do not change based on cultural or individual perspectives. Basically, some actions are always right or wrong.

Question 4

Importance of Absolute Ethics:

Answer 4

Absolute ethics provide objective moral standards for clear and consistent ethical decision-making.

Question 5

Relativist Ethics:

Answer 5

A more subjective viewpoint. Ethical judgements and moral principles can vary depending on the culture or individual. What is considered right or wrong can vary in different societies or for different people. Basically, what’s right or wrong changes depending on the culture or person.

Question 6

Importance of Relativist Ethics:

Answer 6

Importance: Relativist ethics are important for recognizing diverse perspectives, promoting tolerance, and allowing for flexibility in ethical decision-making.

Question 7

Utilitarianism

Answer 7

• THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE
• the Result or the Consequence of an Act is the real measure of whether it is good or bad
• Ends over Means

Question 8

Importance of Utilitarianism:

Answer 8

its ethical framework prioritizes the overall well-being and happiness of the greatest number of individuals in society.

Question 9

Jeremy Bentham

Answer 9

• Formed utilitarianism - Those actions whose results increase happiness or diminish pain are good. They have “utility.”
• Came up with the “act” from utilitarianism

Question 10

Importance of Jeremy Bentham:

Answer 10

Importance: helped form utilitarianism

Question 11

Consequentialist

Answer 11

Theories like utilitarianism that emphasize results or consequences are called teleological or consequentialist.

Question 12

Importance of Consequentialist:

Answer 12

The importance of consequentialism lies in its focus on the outcomes and consequences of actions, guiding ethical decision-making based on the overall net positive or negative effects they have on individuals and society.

Question 13

Act vs Rule Utilitarianism
Act:

Answer 13

An Action is right if and only if it produces the greatest balance of pleasure over pain for the greatest number. (Jeremy Bentham)

Question 14

Act vs Rule Utilitarianism
Act - Importance:

Answer 14

allows for flexible decision-making based on specific circumstances to maximize well-being.

Question 15

Act vs Rule
Rule:

Answer 15

Rule: An action is right if and only if it conforms to a set of rules the general acceptance of which would produce the greatest balance of pleasure over pain for the greatest number. (John Stuart Mill)

Question 16

Act vs Rule
Rule - Importance:

Answer 16

provides a consistent guide for making fair decisions based on overall consequences

Question 17

Metaethics:

Answer 17

Metaethics is the study of moral thought and moral language. Rather than addressing questions about what practices are right and wrong, and what our obligations to other people or future generations are – questions of so-called ‘normative’ ethics – metaethics asks what morality actually is.

Question 18

Importance of Metaethics:

Answer 18

Questions what morality is so we can enhance our ethical reasoning and decision-making

Question 19

Naturalistic fallacy:

Answer 19

The Naturalistic Fallacy refers to the logical error of assuming that something is inherently good or morally right simply because it is natural or part of the way things are, without providing additional moral justification. It confuses descriptive claims about what is with prescriptive claims about what ought to be.

Question 20

Naturalistic Fallacy Importance:

Answer 20

reminds us not to assume that something is morally right or wrong simply based on its naturalness, emphasizing the need for sound ethical reasoning and justification rather than relying on simplistic appeals to what exists in nature.

Question 21

Virtue Ethics:

Answer 21

• The idea is not what individual act is correct.
  It’s about what virtues you possess.
• Aristotle believed that morality was not judging individual actions – it was the ultimate value of the entire life that was lived.
• The general disposition to do the right thing was called “virtue”

Question 22

Importance of Virtue Ethics:

Answer 22

The importance of virtue ethics lies in its focus on cultivating virtuous character traits, such as honesty, compassion, and integrity, which not only guide individual actions but also contribute to the overall well-being and flourishing of individuals and society.

Question 23

The Golden Mean:

Answer 23

• All people should work towards moderation – the golden mean.
• Virtues, if taken to either extreme, become vices.

Question 24

Importance of The Golden Mean:

Answer 24

The importance of the golden mean in virtue ethics is that it encourages individuals to find a balanced middle ground between extremes, promoting virtuous behaviour by avoiding both excess and deficiency in moral virtues.

Question 25

Categorical Imperative

Answer 25

• Kant’s Categorical Imperative is a moral principle that requires individuals to act according to rules that could be universally followed, treating others with respect and considering moral duty as the basis for ethical actions.
• For example, Kant hates lying as a result of this (what if everyone starts lying , no one will believe anything)

Question 26

Importance of Kant’s Categorical Imperative:

Answer 26

gives a clear and universal guideline for making ethical choices, focusing on treating others with respect and consistency, and considering moral duty as the basis for our actions.

Question 27

Phenomena vs noumena

Answer 27

• Phenomena: the phenomenon is the “non-true” world. It’s not the “actual” world it’s simply the world in which our human brains can understand it, bounded by our senses.
• Noumena: The Noumea world is the “true,” “actual” world, this is the world as it is before our senses distort it into the only way we can understand it.

Question 28

Importance of Phenomena and Noumena:

Answer 28

Importance: helps to explain huge philosophical issues such as:

• Why we don’t know ourselves - we can never be passive observers, how can you know yourself from such an internal perspective? You need to be a passive observer to not have your mind’s senses distort the “Noumea” you.
• God - we can’t say anything truthful about God because our perceptions shift our knowledge and we don’t know the Noumea version of things. We can’t disprove the idea of God, the soul, or religion as a whole but we also can’t prove it.

Question 29

Deontological:

Answer 29

• You have a ‘duty’ to behave correctly.
• “Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.”
• “Moral duty does not rest on feelings, impulses and inclinations but merely on the relation of rational beings to one another.”

Question 30

Importance of Deontologocial:

Answer 30

prioritizes moral duties and principles, providing a clear and consistent framework for ethical decision-making based on rules and obligations, regardless of the outcomes.

Question 31

Existential Ethics:

Answer 31

• Concerned with the existential (living, concrete): Who am I? What does my life mean? What is the right thing to do?
• the meaning of the individual, freedom, living an authentic life, alienation, morality and mortality.
• There IS NO HUMAN NATURE. There is no “good” that we don’t define ourselves.
• You are born first, and then you define what it means to be human through your actions.
• Existence comes first - then the essence.

Question 32

Importance of Existential Ethics:

Answer 32

highlights individual freedom, responsibility, and authenticity, empowering individuals to navigate the complexities of existence and shape their own ethical values, fostering personal growth and meaningful life.

Question 33

Kiekegaard’s Authenticity:

Answer 33

• The most important human activity is decision-making: through our choices, we create our lives and become ourselves.
• Authenticity results when an individual lives honestly and courageously in the moment without refuge in excuses, and without reliance on groups or institutions for meaning or purpose.
• In-authenticity results when the nature and needs of the individual are ignored, denied or made less important than institutions, abstractions, or groups.

Question 34

Importance of Kikegaard’s Authenticity:

Answer 34

emphasizes personal responsibility and self-reflection, encouraging individuals to live a meaningful life by making sincere choices that align with their true selves

Question 35

Nietzsche’s Religious Views & ethics:

Answer 35

• How do we live a full life in a godless, meaningless world?
• Because there is no God (he’s an atheist), the morals and values that we attribute to God are actually just human creations; therefore, we are free to choose whatever values it is in our interests to have.
• Accepting this value will lead to great human achievement and allow for self-fulfillment and personal happiness.

Question 36

Importance of Nietzsche’s Religious Views & ethics:

Answer 36

encourage individuals to critically question traditional beliefs, embrace personal freedom, and create their own values based on authenticity and self-expression, fostering personal growth and fulfilling life.

Question 37

Sartre’s “Existence Precedes Essence” and “Bad Faith”

Existence precedes essence:

Answer 37

We have no “given nature” or “human nature” - we become who we are through freedom of choice and moral responsibility.

Question 38

Sartre’s “Existence Precedes Essence” and “Bad Faith”

Existence precedes essence - Importance:

Answer 38

Sartre’s “Existence Precedes Essence” is important because it emphasizes human freedom and responsibility, asserting that individuals have the power to define themselves through their choices and actions, empowering them to shape their own identities and find meaning in life.

Question 39

Sartre’s “Existence Precedes Essence” and “Bad Faith”

Bad Faith:

Answer 39

when people are too terrified to face the freedom and responsibility of choice and revert to old existing norms and rules.

Question 40

Sartre’s “Existence Precedes Essence” and “Bad Faith”

Bad Faith - Importance:

Answer 40

Sartre’s concept of “Bad Faith” is important as it warns against self-deception and avoidance of personal responsibility, urging individuals to confront the truth of their existence, live authentically, and take ownership of their actions to find fulfillment and authenticity in life.

Question 41

Camus’ “Absurd”

Answer 41

• ABSURD - the situation in which human beings demand that their lives should have significance in an indifferent universe which is itself totally without meaning or purpose.
• But you must see the value in your existence and in your morality, and live authentically.

Question 42

Importance of Camus’ “Absurd”

Answer 42

confronts the existential conflict between our desire for meaning and the irrationality of the universe, encouraging individuals to embrace personal freedom and create their own purpose, finding meaning in a seemingly meaningless world and fostering resilience in the face of life’s uncertainties