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Basic Ethics Flashcards

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1
Q

Applied ethics

A

discussion of ethical approaches to specific problems of living

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2
Q

Aretaic ethics

A

term for virtue ethics which concentrates on the goodness of the person rather than the action

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3
Q

Deontic ethics

A

any type of ethics, such as Kantianism or Utilitarianism which emphasises the actions to be performed

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4
Q

Deontological theories

A

any ethical system which ignores the outcomes, focusing on whether the act itself is good

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5
Q

Divine Command Theory

A

something is right because God commands it. this view is rejected by most Christian philosophers

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6
Q

Emotivism

A

an ethical statement merely shows an emotion and has no factual justification

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7
Q

Natural Law Theory

A

moral rightness can be determined through careful reflection on the facts of the world: “right reason in accordance with nature”

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8
Q

Normative ethics

A

theories of ethics which give guidance (norms) on how we should behave along with character traits

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9
Q

Relativism

A

rightness is culturally or religiously determined therefore incompatibility is justified

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10
Q

Subjectivism

A

something is right because I say so and for no other reason (Jean-Paul Satre)

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11
Q

Existentialism

A

a philosophical movement that believes that the universe just exists and has no meaning in itself

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12
Q

Teleological theories

A

any theory in which goodness or rightness is determined by the outcome

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13
Q

Utilitarianism

A

the moral doctrine that one should always seek the greatest balance of good over evil

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14
Q

Vulgar Relativism

A

all beliefs are relative so should be tolerated. this is contradictory because tolerance would be an universal value

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15
Q

Ethics

A

a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending ideas of right and wrong, often addressing disputes of moral diversity

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16
Q

Is-Ought Fallacy

A

David Hume
when people debate a moral issue they begin with facts and slide into conclusion that are NORMATIVE- conclusions about how things OUGHT TO BE. facts alone cannot make NORMATIVE CONCLUSIONS.

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17
Q

Absolutism

A

right and wrong are fixed- moral facts just exist.

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18
Q

Ethical absolutism

A

a command that is true for all times, all places, all situations and does not change due to culture. certain actions are intrinsically right and wrong.

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19
Q

Moral absolutism

A

gives people clear guidelines for behaviour, accepts a universal set of absolutes.

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20
Q

Strengths of absolutism

A

fixed ethical code, can judge other cultures as wrong, supports universal rules.

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21
Q

Weaknesses of absolutism

A

no account of circumstances e.g. self defence in murder, intolerant of cultural values.

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22
Q

Relativism

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A

right and wrong are subjective; circumstances matter. different to each person, not universal.

23
Q

Why do people believe in relativism?

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A

religious authority has decreased- it’s more subjective now. better understanding of cultural views. differing behaviours are accepted by different cultures.

24
Q

Strengths of relativism

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A

accepting of other cultures. encourages people to think for themselves.

25
Weaknesses of relativism
no universal standard- can lead to questioning moral values. 'do what I want to do' mentality.
26
Which does 'teleological' refer to?
relativism. considering the purpose/consequences.
27
Which does 'deontological' refer to?
absolutism. innate and universal beliefs, despite any consequences.
28
Logic
the structure of an argument to provide an answer.
29
Non-contradiction
the assumption that contradiction is not allowed or logically possible
30
Excluded middle
everything either has a quality or a negative of that quality however it can't have both
31
Epistemology
the word come from 'episteme' which means knowledge.
32
A Priori (Plato)
not dependant on sense experiences- facts that wont change. the absolute truth. e.g. maths. PRIOR to experiences
33
A Posteriori (Aristotle)
depends on sense experience (empirical knowledge). must be observed. based on consequences and depends on the situation. POST experiences.
34
Metaphysics
'meta' meaning beyond. split into cosmological and ontological.
35
Apparent Good
something that seems to be good or the right thing to do, but which doesn't seem to fit the perfect human ideal.
36
Deontological
Latin- 'duty' ethics focuses on the intrinsic rightness and wrongness of an action absolutism.
37
Divine Law
that which is revealed by God such as the 10 commandments. Aquinas- it teaches what our natural reason is capable of knowing
38
Eternal Law
principles by which God made and controls the universe which are only fully known to God
39
Eudaimonia
living well, as an ultimate end in life, which all other actions should lead to
40
Intrinsically Good
something which is good in itself, without reference to the consequences.
41
Lex
Latin term from which we derive 'legislation'
42
ius
Latin term from which we derive 'law'- justice
43
Manualist
Author of one of the manuals (1600-1900), textbooks usually written in Latin that were used to instruct catholic monks/nuns. often legalist (primary emphasis on legal principles) in tone.
44
Practical Reason
the tool that makes moral decisions
45
Purpose
right/wrong of an action can be discovered by looking at whether or not the action agrees with human purpose
46
Real Good
the right thing to do- it fits the human ideal
47
St Thomas Aquinas
1225 - 1274 born at Roccasena, Italy a Dominican friar best known for 2 great Summas attempted to rethink Christianity, in the light of Aristotelian learning.
48
Aristotle
384 - 322 BC Macedonian son of the court physician contemporary of Plato- studied at academy for 20 years disagreed with Plato made his own school- 'The Lyceum'
49
Richard Hooker
1554 - 1600 COE priest and theologian 'Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie' 1594
50
Cicero
106 - 43 BC consul of the roman republic
51
Hugo Grotius
1583 - 1645 protestant Dutch legal theorist 'The Law of War and Peace' major contributor to NML and just war theories
52
John Finnis
1940 - present philosopher and natural law theorist 'Natural Law and Natural Rights' developed Aquinas' view
53
The Stoics
Greek (Zeno) and Roman (Cicero) philosophers. stoicism sets out to remind us of how unpredictable the world can be, how brief our moment in life is, how to be strong and how to be in control of yourself. the source of our dissatisfaction lies in our impulsive dependency on our reflexive senses rather than logic.

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