Ethics Flashcards
(116 cards)
1
Q
Applications of Utilitarianism - Fallon.
A
The devastating possibilities of nuclear war have helped maintain strategic stability.
2
Q
Applications of Utilitarianism - Vivesection.
A
Operation of live animals.
3
Q
Applications of Utilitarianism - Bentham.
A
“The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?”
4
Q
Rule of Utilitarianism - weak rule utilitarianism.
A
Rules can be broken in extreme situations to promote maximal happiness.
5
Q
Rule of Utilitarianism - strong rule utilitarianism.
A
Actions are ONLY right if they obey the rules.
6
Q
Rule of Utilitarianism - Mill quote on the harm principle.
A
“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over [someone]…is to prevent harm to others.”
7
Q
Act of Utilitarianism - Bentham quote.
A
“Nature has placed us under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure.”
8
Q
Act of Utilitarianism - ‘Utility’.
A
All actions must be ‘useful’.
9
Q
Ethical Egoism - Scholars + key words.
A
Smith, Hobbes, Pojman, Hume, Stimer.
Altruism, psychological egoism.
10
Q
Ethical Egoism - Stirner quote.
A
“I am my own” “only when I am master of myself, instead of being mastered by anything else.”
11
Q
Ethical Egoism - Hume quote.
A
“Love of simplicity… has been the source of much false reasoning in philosophy”.
12
Q
Ethical Egoism - Psychological egoism.
A
The idea that one always promotes their own self-interest.
13
Q
Ethical Egoism - Smith quote.
A
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to self-interest.”
14
Q
Virtue Theory - Philosophers.
A
MacIntyre, Aristotle, Pythagoras.
15
Q
Virtue Theory - Matthew 5 -> 7.
A
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”.
16
Q
Virtue Theory - Aristotle quote.
A
“Moral virtue comes about as a result of habit”.
17
Q
Virtue Theory - Pythagoras quote.
A
“Do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few.”
18
Q
Divine Command Theory - Adams modification.
A
Actions are ethically wrong if they are contrast to the commands of a loving God.
19
Q
Divine Command Theory - Baggini quote.
A
“The idea that God could just decree that all that we thought evil was in fact good… makes right and wrong arbitrary.”
20
Q
Divine Command Theory - Plato quote.
A
“Is the holy approved by the Gods because it’s holy, or is it holy because it’s approved?”.
21
Q
Divine Command Theory - Brunner quote.
A
“The good consists in always doing what God wills at any particular moment.”
22
Q
Concepts of Determinism: Philosophers
A
John Locke, James, Dennet, Pavlov, Skinner, Ayer, Hobbes, Encyclopaedia Britanica
23
Q
Concepts of Determinism: Encyclopaedia Britanica
A
“[quantum mechanics] predicts only the probability of a certain result”
24
Q
Concepts of Determinism: Ayer quote
A
For it is not when my action has any cause at all, but when it has a special sort of cause, that it is reckoned not to be free
25
Concepts of Determinism: Operant conditioning
From the psychological determinist view, Skinner says moral agents are conditioned to repeat reward behaviour and avoid punished behaviour
26
Concepts of Determinism: Classical conditioning
From the psychological determinist view, the idea that moral agents just repeat taught behaviour.
27
Concepts of Determinism: Pavlov's experiment
He showed classical conditioning by ringing a bell before he gave dogs their dinner. He soon noticed the dogs would produce saliva after every time they heard the bell
28
Concepts of Determinism: 'genetic fixity'
From the biological determinist view, Dennet's idea that the parent's genes determine a child's characteristics
29
Concepts of Determinism: Man in room example
An example of philosophical hard determinism, John Locke says: Imagine a man wakes up in a room, which he then chooses to stay in. The room is locked from the outside, but the man doesn't know this. Therefore he thinks his decision to stay in the room is free, but in fact it is not. In the same way 'free will is an illusion'
30
Concepts of Determinism: James quote
Any other future set of outcomes than the one fixed from eternity is impossible
31
Theological Determinism (predestination): Philosophers
Augustine, Calvin
32
Theological Determinism (predestination): Romans 8:29
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son
33
Theological Determinism (predestination): Calvin quote
"[God] ordains eternal life for some and eternal damnation for others"
34
Theological Determinism (predestination): 'messa peccati' meaning
We are 'lumps of sin', we can't do good since we are fallen
35
Theological Determinism (predestination): concupiscence
Motivation towards worldly desires, namely sexual. This is what caused the fall
36
Implications of Predestination and determinism: Philosophers
Augustine, Hospers, Darrow, Mobely, Vardy, Hobbes, Calvin
37
Implications of Predestination and determinism: Darrow
Punishment as punishment is not admissible unless the offender has freewill to select their course
38
Implications of Predestination and determinism: Augustine
Our will... can merely do evil
39
Concepts of libertarianism: Philosophers
Jean Paul Satre, Carl Rogers, Sirigue, Jirtle, Haggard
40
Concepts of libertarianism: Haggard
Conscious experience... [is] a result of neurons in your brain firing
41
Concepts of libertarianism: Jirtle
Epigenic switches [instructions for genes] introduces the concept of free will into our idea of genetics
42
Concepts of libertarianism: Jean Paul Satre
A waiter's voice oozes with eagerness to please
43
Concepts of libertarianism: Sirigu's experiment
She electrically jolted the parietal cortex in 7 patients. She found it sends a SPECIFIC instruction of many possible instructions to the premotor cortex. This seems to imply that the parietal cortex wills an option
44
Concepts of libertarianism: Self-actualisation
Carl Roger's idea that we can use our free will to break the chains of determinism
45
Concepts of libertarianism: Bad faith
Jean Paul Satre's idea that people deny their freedom blaming it on their character determining them
46
Religious concepts of free will: Resistable grace
Arminius' idea that God doesn't force the sinner into salvation
47
Religious concepts of free will: Philosophers
Pelagius, Augustine, Arminius
48
Religious concepts of free will: 2 Peter 3
"[God] is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish"
49
Religious concepts of free will: 'prevent grace'
Arminius' word for how the holy spirit combined with Christ's sacrifice means we can exercise free will
50
Religious concepts of free will: Conditional election
Arminius' idea that God's foreknowledge is who will reject or accept Christ and God rewards/condemns appropriately before time
51
Religious concepts of free will: Pelagius
Free will is in all good works always assisted by divine help
52
Religious concepts of free will: Grace of pardon
Pelagius' idea that Christ's passion doesn't save us, but rather makes forgiveness possible for those who freely choose it
53
Religious concepts of free will: Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect
54
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Need for authority
The common good requires co-ordination and therefore a non-coercive authority is needed
55
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Common good
The basic goods are for all and no one is fulfilled unless everyone is
56
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Practical reasoning
This is how one finds how to act. It is the application of the basic goods
57
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Theoretical reasoning
This finds the basic goods which are self-evident
58
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Finnis
"one's flourishing in life and health, in knowledge... [is from] underived principles of practical reasoning"
59
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: White
"Although, Finnis indeed posits a place for morality in the law, the type of morality Finnis has in mind is questionable" - the 'self-evidence of these goods is not as objective as Finnis believes
60
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Philosophers
Finnis, Greenawalt, White
61
Finnis' Developed Natural Law: Greenawalt
"individuals can discover natural law independent of their particular religious beliefs"
62
Finnis' Natural Law and Proportionalism - application: Philosophers
Finnis, Hoose, Aquinas, Pope Francis
63
Finnis' Natural Law and Proportionalism - application: Pope Francis
"the death penalty is inadmissible, no matter how serious the crime"
64
Finnis' Natural Law and Proportionalism - application: Aquinas
"if any man is dangerous... the treatment to be commended is his execution"
65
Finnis' Natural Law and Proportionalism - application: Finnis
"[migration may cause] ethnic and religious inter-communal miseries of hatred, bloodshed and political paralysis"
66
S.E: application: Philosophers
Fletcher, Barclay, Wolfenden Report
67
S.E: application: Barclay
"It may be said to begin with that law is the distillation of experience"
68
S.E: application: Genesis 2:24
"Therefore, a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife and they become one flesh"
69
S.E: application:1957
Wolfenden report released
70
S.E: application: Polyamorous relationships
The practice or desire for intimate relationship with more than one partner
71
S.E: application: Fletcher
"Whether any form of sex is good or evil depends on whether love is fully served"
72
S.E. Principles: Philosophers
Fletcher, Bonhoeffer
73
S.E. Principles: 6 fundamental principles
1) Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love
2) The ruling norm of all Christian decisions is love
3) Justice is love distributed
4) Love is not like
5) End justifies the means
6) Love's decisions are made situationally
74
S.E. Principles: Bonhoeffer
"Christian ethics 'posits' [assumes] faith in God and reasons out what obedience to his commandment to love requires in any situation"
75
S.E. Principles: 4 working principles
Pragmatism, relativism, positivism, personalism
76
S.E. Principles: Fletcher
"what a difference it makes when love...is boss; when love if the only norm"
77
Fletcher's S.E.: rejection of other types and acceptance of agape: Philosophers
Fletcher, Barclay
78
Fletcher's S.E.: rejection of other types and acceptance of agape: Barclay
"if there is not enough love, then...freedom can become selfishness and even cruelty"
79
Fletcher's S.E.: rejection of other types and acceptance of agape: Fletcher
"The situation ethic...is an ethic of decision rather than 'looking them up' in a manual"
80
Fletcher's S.E.: rejection of other types and acceptance of agape: Mark 2:27
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath"
81
NL: application: Philosophers
David Steel, Kainz, Ian Harris
82
NL: application: Ian Harris
"In concession to the doctrine of double effect, however, Natural Law theory is compromised"
83
NL: application: Deuteronomy 24:16
"Only for their own crimes may persons be put to death"
84
NL: application: Kainz
"those who apply the first precept [right to life] often make an exception for situations threatening the life of the mother"
85
NL: application: David Steel
'Two doctors must agree that an abortion is necessary" - Abortion Act 1967
86
NL: Roles of virtues and goods supporting moral behaviour: Philosophers
Aquinas, Moore, Hume
87
NL: Roles of virtues and goods supporting moral behaviour: Prudence
Sound judgement
88
NL: Roles of virtues and goods supporting moral behaviour: Aquinas
The cardinal virtues are "good [qualities] of mind whereby we live righteously"
89
NL: Roles of virtues and goods supporting moral behaviour: 1 Corinthians 13
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love"
90
Natural Law: Laws and precepts: Philosophers
Aristotle, Aquinas, Holmes, Cicero
91
Natural Law: Laws and precepts: Aquinas
"God instilled it [Natural Law] into man's minds so as to be known by them naturally"
92
Natural Law: Laws and precepts: Cicero
"One eternal and unchanging law will be valid for all nations and all times, and there will be one master....God"
93
Natural Law: Laws and precepts: Holmes
"casuistry is the science of conscience or moral problems"
94
Hoose's proportionalism: Philosophers
Hoose, Curran, Ginter, The Culture of Life Foundation
95
Hoose's proportionalism: The Culture of Life Foundation
"to do this [judge an action on its outcomes] one would need to see the future"
96
Hoose's proportionalism: Curran
"... we know that human beings can in many ways interfere in natural processes and shape the world for greater human happiness"
97
Hoose's proportionalism: Hoose
"It is never right to go against a principle unless there is a proportionate reason to do so" - Proportionalist maxim
98
Hoose's proportionalism: Ontic evils
These are not morally wrong, but should be minimised
99
Implications of libertarianism and free will: Philosophers
Satre, Francis Collins, Sirigu, Arminius, Rogers, Pelagius, Keith Ward, Swinburne
100
Implications of libertarianism and free will: Keith Ward
"Our truest freedom lies in the acceptance of necessity"
101
Implications of libertarianism and free will: Francis Collins
"We use the ability [free will] to disobey the moral law. And when we do so we shouldn't then blame God for the consequences"
102
Ethical naturalism: Philosophers
Broad, Bradley, Rachels, Moore, Hume
103
Ethical naturalism: Hume
"A reason should be given, for what seems altogether inconceivable, how this new relation can be a deduction from others"- 'is-ought'
104
Ethical naturalism: Moore
"If I am asked "How is good to be defined?" my answer is it cannot be defined" - naturalist fallacy
105
Ethical naturalism: Open question argument
Moore says: let Good=N (a natural property). Asking "is N always good" is an open question and not a tautology. Therefore N not =Good.
106
Ethical naturalism: Bradley
"we have found ourselves when we have found our station and its duties" - morals are from self-realisation
107
Ethical naturalism: Ethical naturalism
Idea that moral statements can be verified through investigation. Broad says right and wrongs are facts of the universe.
108
Emotivism: Philosophers
Hume, Ayer, Stevenson, Rachels, Hare (Prescriptivism)
109
Emotivism: Two elements of Ethical language
1) Expression of an attitude
| 2) Persuasive
110
Emotivism: Stevenson
"When you tell a man that he oughtn't steal...you are attempting, rather, to get him to disapprove it"
111
Emotivism: Ayer on purpose
"The meaning of the various ethical words ...[is in] the different responses to which they are calculated to provoke"
112
Emotivism: Ayer on expression of emotions
"For in saying that a certain type of action is right or wrong...I am merely expressing certain moral sentiments"
113
Intuitionism: Philosophers
Moore, Prichard, Michael Palmer, Ross
114
Intuitionism: Prima facie duties
Ross' idea 'at first appearance' - we are bound to these unless there is an overriding moral obligation e.g. promise keeping, justice
115
Intuitionism: Prichard
"this apprehension is immediate, in precisely the same sense in which a mathematical apprehension is immediate"
116
Intuitionism: Moore
" the most valuable things which we know or can imagine... are certain states of consciousness"
