Ethics and Political Philosophy Flashcards
Last lap!!!!!! Finish strong :) (33 cards)
Which of the following is NOT part of the five primary ethical theories?
- Cultural relativism
- Utilitarianism
- Virtue ethics
- Marketplace of ideas
- Divine command theory
- Deontological ethical theory
Marketplace of ideas
Who is mostly associated with Cultural Relativism?
Ruth Benedict
The theory that moral truth is determined by each culture is known as _________
Cultural relativism
True or False:
There is no moral right or wrong independent of culture according to cultural relativists
TRUE
The theory that an action is moral or immoral INDEPENDENT of culture is known as ________
Moral realism
What is the main difference between Cultural relativism and Moral realism?
CR thinks that no culture is better or worse than the other whereas MR thinks that some cultures are better morally
True or False:
Cultures that wrap their babies vs cultures that do not wrap their babies care about their babies more
FALSE
They both care about protecting their baby, they just have different circumstances that require them to care differently
Jill’s culture says it is immoral to steal, but she thinks it is okay for people to steal baby formula to save their baby’s life.
Is Jill a cultural relativist?
NO
If her culture says it is immoral to steal, it is immoral to steal
Culture A allows slavery while culture B bans slavery.
Who thinks that one culture is morally better whereas both cultures are just different?
MR: morally better
CR: just different
What are the two objections to cultural relativism?
- Moral progress (women’s rights, LGBTQ, slavery gets better over time)
- Holocaust counterexample (Are nazis really just culturally different?)
The theory that an action is moral or immoral because god says so is known as _________
The Divine Command Theory
What is the problem with the divine command theory?
The clauses are reversed in a nonsensical fashion.
Eg.
Correct: The car stopped b/c it ran out of gas
(TIFF is wrong b/c it’s hurtful)
Incorrect: The car ran out of gas b/c it stopped.
(God says TIFF is wrong, so it is)
Which theory believes that an action is moral or immoral because it conforms to the rational principle or violates it?
Deontological ethics
The theory that an action is moral or immoral because it maximizes happiness overall is known as __________
Utilitarianism
Who is the main person for Deontological ethics?
Who is the main person for Utilitarianism?
DE: Kant
Util: Mill
True or False:
Kant and Mill agree with cultural relativism
FALSE
They reject CR and agree with Socrates
What would Kant and Mill do in the following cases:
- Anne Frank
- Forced Organ Donor
- Franza Kafka
- Kant: tell truth about whereabouts
Mill: Lie about whereabouts - Kant: Do not kill anyone
Mill: Kill man and steal organ
3.
Kant: Keep promise and not publish books
Mill: Break promise and publish books
According to the calculation method, which option would be considered more ethical?
- Share a twinkie with friend (+5 points you, +10 point friend)
- Eat both twinkies (+20 points you)
Eat both twinkies
It does not matter if more people receive happiness, but rather whatever achieves the MOST happiness (it can also be less people)
What is Kant’s “Categorical Imperative”?
A good rule would be rational for everyone to want to follow eg. Keep your promises
What is the method for determining if an action is moral or immoral for a Deontologist?
Categorical Imperative
What is the method for determining if an action is moral or immoral for a Utilitarianist?
The Calculation method
How do Deontology and Utilitarianism interact with
a. Intention
b. Results
D: Intention > Results
U: Results > Intention
Which 3 philosophers are the Idealists?
Plato
Rousseau
Marx
Which 2 philosophers are the realists?
Machiavelli
Hobbes
