Ethics Exam 1 Flashcards
(111 cards)
1
Q
Ethical Egoism Definition
A
The theory that the right action is the one that best advances one’s own interests
2
Q
Self-Love is bad love because…
A
You can get conceited or self-centered
3
Q
Self-Love is good love because…
A
You build yourself up and have confidence
4
Q
Good or Bad Argument? “We want to look out of ourselves. Therefore, we ought to look out for ourselves”
A
Bad Argument
5
Q
What is the oral duty of Ethical Egoism?
A
To promote the most favorable balance of good over bad for oneself.
6
Q
What needs to be put first in Ethical Egoism?
A
Your own welfare.
7
Q
When do you help the interests of others in Ethical Egoism?
A
Only if it helps promote your own good
8
Q
Is Ethical Egoism the same thing as self-indulgence?
A
No
9
Q
Is Ethical Egoism the same thing as recklessness?
A
No
10
Q
Does Ethical Egoism tell us to do whatever we want?
A
No
11
Q
Does Ethical Egoism tell us to seek the most immediate pleasures?
A
No
12
Q
Does Ethical Egoism tell us to consider the long term effects on ourselves?
A
Yes
13
Q
What is Psychological Egoism?
A
The view that the motive for all of our actions is self-interest
14
Q
(Psychological Egoism) Whatever we do we do because…
A
We want to promote our own welfare
15
Q
Is Psychological Egoism Normative or Descriptive?
A
Descriptive
16
Q
Is Ethical Egoism Normative or Descriptive?
A
Normative
17
Q
Does Ethical Egoism follow Psychological Egoism?
A
No because Psychological Egoism is descriptive while Ethical Egoism is normative
18
Q
What would happen if Psychological Egoism tried to form an argument against Ethical Egoism?
A
It would cause the is/ought fallacy
19
Q
Is Psychological Egoism true?
A
According to most philosophers, No
20
Q
Is Ethical Egoism true?
A
Not according to most philosophers
21
Q
What does Ethical Egoism say about telling an undetectable lie that would maximize your own interest and ruin an innocent person?
A
To tell the lie because doing so is morally right, not doing so is wrong
22
Q
Utilitarianism
A
The morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil (good - bad), everyone considered.
23
Q
Classical Utilitarianism
A
That of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill - defines good in terms of pleasure.
24
Q
Anything that has value causes pleasure. Therefore…
A
Anything that causes pleasure has value.
25
Utilitarianism is a philosophy worth only of ____
Swine. (Swine do what they want and whatever makes them feel pleasurable)
26
What does Mill mean by happiness?
Pleasure
27
What are the two types of pleasure?
Higher and lower pleasure
28
Higher Pleasure
Reading a book or doing something that makes you happy and isn't a necessity
29
Lower Pleasure
A pleasure that satisfies a necessity. (Ex. Eating when hungry. Drinking when thirsty)
30
Is hedonism a degrading doctrine to humans, according to Mill?
No, but some people think it is degrading.
31
What is Hedonic Calculus?
A calculus devised by Mill that is used to obtain the total amount of pleasure.
32
What are the 7 characteristics of happiness used in Hedonic Calculus?
1. Intensity
2. Duration
3. Fecundity (fruitfulness for producing more pleasures)
4. Propinquity (nearness)
5. Likelihood
6. How much pain?
7. How many are affected?
33
According to hedonism, what should you always do?
What causes the most pleasure. (Ex. If watching Miley Cyrus while eating Doritos produces the best hedonistic sum it is the right thing to do.)
34
What does Mill think about pleasure?
The quality of pleasures matter as much as the quantity.
35
According to Mill, can some pleasures be more valuable than others?
Yes
36
What is Egoism?
Promoting your own best interest.
37
What is Ethics (Moral Philosophy)
The Philosophical study of morality
38
What is the question that Ethics asks?
How out we to live?
39
Descriptive Ethics
The scientific study of moral beliefs and practices
40
Normative Ethics
The study of the principles, rules, or theories that guide our actions or judgements
41
Metaethics
The study of the meaning and logical structure of our moral beliefs
42
Applied Ethics
The application of moral norms to specific moral issues, particularly those in a profession such as medicine or law.
43
Morality
Beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad
44
What does morality do?
Helps guide our actions, defines our values, and gives us reasons for being the persons we are.
45
Extrinsically Valuable (Instrumentally Valuable)
Value as a means to something else
46
Intrinsically Valuable
Valuable in itself, for its own sake
47
What is Moral Theory?
1. Explains what makes an action right
2. Supposed to identify the essence of rightness
3. Helps us make moral judgments
4. Helps us derive moral principles
5. Helps us resolve conflicts between moral statements
48
What is Moral Code?
Simply a set of rules
49
Do Moral Codes provide a means for resolving conflicts?
No
50
Consequentialist Theories
What makes an action right is its consequences, specifically the good that it produces
51
Nonconsequentialist Theories
The rightness or wrongness of an action does not depend entirely on consequences. It depends primarily or completely on the nature action itself.
52
What are 3 Consequentialist Theories?
1. Utilitarianism
2. Classical Utilitarianism
3. Ethical Egoism
53
What are 3 Nonconsequentialist Theories?
1. Kant's Theory
2. Natural Law Theory
3. Divine Command Theory
54
Natural Law Theory
The morally right action is the one that follows the dictates of nature
55
Divine Command Theory
The morally right action is the one God commands
56
Conditional Statements (AKA)
If then statements
57
What is the "If" part called?
Antecedent
58
What is the "Then" part called?
Consequent
59
Modus Ponens
The way that affirms. If an argument, or statement, is Modus Ponens, it is valid.
60
Modus Tollens
The way that denies. If an argument, or statement, is Modus Tollens, it is valid.
61
Denies the Antecedent
Makes the argument or statement invalid
62
Affirms the consequent
Makes the argument or statement invalid
63
If an argument is valid, then...
a. Its conclusion must be true
b. Its premises are all true
c. If the premises are all true, the conclusion must be true
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
C. If an argument is valid, then, if the premises are all true, the conclusion must be true.
64
If God Exists, then all is well. All is not well. Therefore God does not exist.
The above argument is
A. Valid
B. Invalid
A. Valid
| It is an example of Modus Tollens
65
If God Exists, then all is well. All is well. Therefore God exists.
The above argument is
A. Valid
B. Invalid
B. Invalid
| It affirms the consequent
66
Is/Ought Fallacy
Ex. Everyone lies, therefore everyone ought to lie.
67
Ethical Relativism
The view that one ought to follow the rules of one's culture, that there is nothing more to morality than that.
68
If ethical relativism is true..
Moral change in a culture is neither progress nor decline
69
"People do seek happiness" is
A. Descriptive
B. Prescriptive (Normative)
A. Descriptive
70
"People ought to seek happiness" is
A. Descriptive
B. Prescriptive (Normative)
B. Normative
71
"Different Cultures have different moral standards" is
A. Descriptive
B. Prescriptive (Normative)
A. Descriptive
72
If Ethical Relativism is true, moral progress or decline in a culture is not possible, only change. Ethical Relativism is true. Therefore, moral progress or decline in a culture is not possible, only change.
The above argument is
A. Valid
B. Invalid
A. Valid
73
If Ethical Relativism is true, moral progress or decline in a culture is not possible, only change. Moral progress or decline in a culture is possible, not mere change. Therefore, Ethical Relativism is false.
The above argument is
A. Valid
B. Invalid
A. Valid
74
What is the common consensus among philosophers about Ethical Relativism?
It is false
75
If an argument is valid, then
If the premises are true, the conclusion must be true
76
If an argument is sound, it is also valid
A. True
B. False
A. True
77
If an argument is sound, its conclusion is true
A. True
B. False
A. True
78
If different cultures have different moral standards, then Ethical Relativism is true
A. True
B. False
B. False
79
If Ethical Relativism is true, when a culture changes its morals, the change is neither moral progress nor moral decline.
A. True
B. False
A. True
80
If something is the case, then it ought to be the case
A. True
B. False
B. False
81
If a statement is prescriptive
A. It is normative
B. It is descriptive
A. It is normative
82
If Ethical Relativism is true, then one's culture is always by definition right
A. True
B. False
A. True
83
If Ethical Relativism is true, a moral reformer who seeks to reform a culture's morals is always by definition wrong.
A. True
B. False
A. True
84
The consensus among philosophers is that Ethical Relativism is
A. True
B. False
B. False
85
If candy is dandy, then liquor is quicker. Candy is dandy. Therefore liquor is quicker.
The above argument is
A. Valid
B. Invalid
A. Valid
86
There really is a difference between good reasoning and bad
A. True
B. False
A. True
87
Ethical Egoism is the view that self love is bad love
A. True
B. False
B. False
88
Ethical Egoism is
A. Descriptive
B. Normative
B. Normative
89
We want to look out for ourselves, therefore we ought to look out for ourselves.
The above statement is valid
A. True
B. False
B. False
90
Because Ethical Egoism tells us to promote our own interests, it also tells that we should not consider the interests of others at all
A. True
B. False
B. False
91
Ethical Egoism tells us to do only what we want to do, since doing what we want is always in our interest
A. True
B. False
B. False
92
Psychological Egoism is
A. Descriptive
B. Normative
A. Descriptive
93
Psychological Egoism is the view that
The motive for all our actions is self interest
94
Psychological Egoism is an important theory because if it is true, Ethical Egoism is true as well
A. True
B. False
B. False
95
According to the text, experience teaches us that there is always a self interested motive for every action
A. True
B. False
B. False
96
If a person will derive satisfaction or pleasure from an action, that fact alone means the act is egoistic
A. True
B. False
B. False
97
Ethical Egoism is a consequentialist view
A. True
B. False
A. True
98
According to consequentialist views, actions do not have consequences
A. True
B. False
B. False
99
According to consequentialist theories, the consequences of an act are irrelevant to its moral worth
A. True
B. False
B. False
100
Ethical Egoism has always been widely help by philosophers
A. True
B. False
B. False
101
A person who lives by Ethical Egoism might have self-interested reasons for being kind, honest, and trustworthy and might therefore be a morally good person.
A. True
B. False
A. True
102
Utilitarianism is the view that the right act is the one that provides the most favorable balance of good minus bad for oneself
A. True
B. False
B. False
103
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist view, meaning that according to Utilitarianism, the consequences of an act are irrelevant to its moral worth
A. True
B. False
B. False
104
Hedonism is the view that pleasure alone is intrinsically valuable
A. True
B. False
A. True
105
Bentham and Mill are both Hedonists
A. True
B. False
A. True
106
Hedonism is
A. Normative
B. Descriptive
A. Normative
107
Mill rejects utilitarianism, calling it a doctrine worthy only of swine.
A. True
B. False
B. False
108
What is not one of Bentham's 7 characteristics of pleasure?
Moral Goodness
109
When Mill says that the utilitarian standard gives moral consideratoon to all sentient creation, he means
Anything that can feel pain or pleasure.
110
Because utilitarianism is a theory that makes claims about right and wrong...
It is a normative theory
111
What would Mill regard as a higher pleasure?
Reading a book
