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Ethical Thought 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What are 3 challenges to ethical egoism?

A
  1. Destruction of a community ethos
  2. Social injustice
  3. Form of bigotry
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2
Q

How could ethical egoism destroy the community ethos?

A

We would only do things in our own interest and so limit charitable and kind acts

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3
Q

How could Union of Egoists encourage bigotry and injustice?

A

Encourages cooperation only with those who serve our own self interest

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4
Q

How could ethical egoism cause social injustice?

A

Prioritises needs of individual over needs of the many

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5
Q

What were Max Stirner’s dates?

A

1806-56

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6
Q

What did Stirner write?

A

Ego and its Own

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7
Q

What did Stirner believe about religion?

A

It requires an individual to be restrained by their faith, and people only obey God for their own benefit

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8
Q

What did Stirner consider freedom promised by religion to be?

A

A spook

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9
Q

What is Eigenheit?

A

Owness - Stirner’s world for complete moral control over one’s decisions

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10
Q

What is Eigenheit incompatible with?

A

Any obligation

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11
Q

How can a Union of Egoists form?

A

Via an agreement with no duty only self-serving enjoyment

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12
Q

What is hedonism?

A

Valuing or seeking pleasure as the highest good

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13
Q

What is a spook?

A

An illusion or abstract idea that people treat as reality

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14
Q

What is psychological egoism?

A

A descriptive theory that states people always act in their own self interest

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15
Q

What is the myth of Gyges?

A

Platonic story told by the character of Glaucon, a shepherd uses the power of invisibility to kill the king and seize the throne

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16
Q

What does Plato/Glaucon argue in the myth of Gyges?

A

Any person would act in their own self interest and against conventional right

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17
Q

What is ethical egoism?

A

The theory that people ought only to act and pursue their own self interest

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18
Q

What is altruism?

A

Actions motivated by the desire for the well being of another person

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19
Q

How is ethical egoism different from hedonism?

A

Egoism seeks a balance between long and short term pleasure whereas hedonism only focuses on the present

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20
Q

How would an ethical egoist abide to the Golden Rule?

A

Treating others kindly and not harming them as this is likely in their long term interest

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21
Q

What are 3 challenges to virtue theory?

A
  1. Impractical guide for behaviour
  2. Cultural relativism
  3. Can be used for immoral acts
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22
Q

How is virtue theory impractical?

A

Assumes people know what is virtuous, no way of learning virtue or knowing how to act situationally

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23
Q

How is cultural relativism an issue for virtue theory?

A

Different cultures consider different things to be virtuous, there is no way to differentiate

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24
Q

How can virtue theory lead to immorality?

A

Virtues may conflict and there is no guide on which ones to prioritise - e.g. the virtue of courage could lead to crime

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25
Give 5 examples of moral virtues?
- Courage - Generosity - Truthfulness - Modesty - Proper ambition
26
What is the excess and deficiency of the virtue of courage?
Excess - rashness Deficiency - Cowardice
27
What is the excess and deficiency of the virtue of truthfulness?
Excess - boastfulness Deficiency - understatement
28
What are the 5 intellectual virtues?
- science (episteme) - art (techne) - prudence (phronesis) - intuition (nous) - wisdom (sophia)
29
What is phronesis?
Prudence - using practical wisdom to work out how to be virtues
30
What is techne?
Art - the ability to use reason to plan and produce
31
What does St Paul list as the most important human virtues?
Faith, love and hope
32
When did Jesus recount the Beatitudes?
In the Sermon on the Mount
33
What is eudaimonia?
Human flourishing
34
Give 3 examples of Beatitudes.
- meekness - mercy - peacemaking
35
What is the main focus of virtue theory?
The role of character
36
Where does the word 'virtue' come from?
'arete' meaning excellence
37
When is eudaimonia achieved?
Across a journey of life rather than individual instances
38
How is eudaimonia achieved?
Fulfilling functions in life and practising virtue
39
Who was the main proposer of Virtue Theory?
Aristotle
40
How many moral virtues are there?
12
41
What are Aristotle's 4 groups of people?
1. Virtuous - face no moral dilemma 2. Continent - have to fight moral dilemma 3. Incontinent - usually choose vice 4. Vicious - do not attempt virtue
42
Who proposed the Euthyphro dilemma?
Plato
43
Euthyphro:
'piety is that which is dear to the Gods'
44
Socrates:
'is holy beloved by the Gods because it is holy or holy because it is beloved by the Gods?'
45
What are the 2 horns of the Euthyphro dilemma?
1. External standard 2. Arbitrariness
46
What is the arbitrariness objection?
Suggests goodness is based on God's approval so is arbitrary and can change on a whim
47
What is the pluralism objection?
Different religions have different divine commands which may contradict each other
48
What 2 possible solutions did John Hick propose to the arbitrariness objection?
1. Logically impossible for God to command cruelty for its own sake 2. If God did command cruelty we would be obliged to obey
49
What does Adams argue about DCT?
It is only acceptable if God is benevolent
50
Who is Robert Adams?
American analytic philosopher, born 1957
51
What is the omnipotence objection?
God's omnipotence is inconsistent with the implication that God cannot command cruelty
52
What does Aquinas argue about God's omnipotence?
That it only extends to what is possible to God, cruelty is not possible for God's character
53
What is the autonomy objection?
DCT limits free will as it sets out absolutist principles in life
54
How does Adams respond to the autonomy objection?
We have free will over our responsibility for obeying God's commands
55
How does the pluralism objection show that DCT is pointless?
Gives a DC theorist as much choice and autonomy over which divine commands to follow as an atheist
56
What is divine command theory?
The theory that morality is directed by God's commands and so goodness is linked to the existence of a divine being
57
What is the meta-ethical claim of DCT?
What God commands is the same as what is good
58
What is the normative claim of DCT?
We ought to obey what God commands as rules for human behaviour
59
What is deontological ethics concerned with?
Obligation or duty, the actions themselves rather than the consequences
60
What is teleological ethics concerned with?
An action's purpose and outcome
61
Virtue theory is useful:
1. Jesus 2. Agent-focussed 3. Altruistic
62
Virtue theory is not useful:
1. No sense of duty 2. Interpretation 3. Hard to learn
63
Being a good person is better than just doing good deeds:
1. Act vs. intention 2. Developing virtues 3. Independence
64
Being a good person is not better than just doing good deeds:
1. Product is same 2. Detracts from action 3. Good deeds = good person
65
All moral actions are self motivated:
1. Psychological egoism 2. Not necessarily bad 3. Ethical egoism
66
What does Richard Norman believe about ethics?
We only do good because we think it will make our lives happier
67
Not all moral actions are self-motivated:
1. Religious duty 2. Cave - environmentalists and beached whale 3. True vision of the self
68
Ethical egoism leads to moral evil:
1. Destruction of community interests 2. Social injustice and bigotry 3. No moral absolute
69
Ethical egoism does not lead to moral evil:
1. UofE seeks community 2. True egoism recognises long term advantages in cooperation 3. Situational, simple principle
70
DCT is superior to VE and EE:
1. Absolutist and universal 2. Independent from humanity 3. Religious consistency
71
DCT is not superior to VE and EE:
1. Inflexible 2. Jesus and virtue 3. Outdated
72
Morality is what God commands:
1. Omnibenevolence 2. Consistent with religion 3. Logical
73
Morality is not what God commands:
1. Arbitrariness 2. External standard 3. Pluralism
74
Doctrine of the mean - Aristotle
'virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean between 2 vices'
75
Mathew 5:48
'be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect'
76
Practice - Aristotle
'for one swallow doesn't make a summer, so it is not one day or short time that makes a man blessed and holy'
77
Universality - Baggini
'God's rules apply to all, irrespective of time and place'
78
Arbitrariness objection - Baggini
'The idea that God could just decree that all we thought evil was in fact good and vice versa seems to make a mockery of the seriousness of ethics'
79
Altruism - Stirner
'A race of altruists is necessarily a race of slaves. A race of free men is necessarily a race of egoists'
80
Psychological egoism - Driver
'it concerns how people actually behave, not how they ought to behave'
81
No such thing as altruism - Driver
'Altruistic actions are those that are purely for the sake of others. The psychological egoist denies that there are such acts'
82
What is a union of egoists?
A special community that is unprincipled other than having in common the recognition of the uniqueness of the egoist
83
What is Stirner's idea of 'true egoism'?
It is a matter of realising what is 'own' and the true self, which must be free from the constraints of any external ideologies
84
Which 3 philosophers did Stirner forerun?
Marx, Sartre and Nietzsche
85
How is egoism more complex than just being selfish?
It involves a much more complex consideration of both short and long term benefits
86
Psychological egoism - Wooden
'the true test of a man's character is what he does when nobody is watching'
87
Ethical egoism - Peter Cave citing Adam Smith
'it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest'
88
What did Hobbes argue about egoism?
Human nature is basically self-interested, rational self interest requires rules and authority to enforce them or else life would be brutish and short
89
In what book did Hobbes argue about egoism?
Leviathan
90
What did Machiavelli argue about egoism?
Humans are fundamentally selfish, people are inherently fickle and deceitful - universal egoism

Ethics (8 decks)

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