Exam 1 study guide Flashcards
definition of ethics
paying attention to something beyond ourselves
normative vs descriptive statements
Descriptive: a claim, makes an assertion
Normative: a suggestion that sates a value
where does philosophy come from?
it comes from the greek “love of wisom”
phil = love; sophia = wisdom
flying by instinct
Is when you decide to not think about anything at all to avoid feelings. “You go with the flow”.
offhand self-justification
Thinking as little as possible. Being ignorant of what someone says because you are closed minded.
dogmatism
When someone is so committed to their own ethical beliefs they refuse to listen or consider other ideas.
psychological egoism
Egoism is when you are only concerned with yourself in every action that you take; the view that everyone is selfish
relativism
The thought of everyone’s opinions are as good as the next
critical thinking skills in chapter 9
What is at stake?
Get the facts
Interpret the Data
Generalize, compare, define
Martin Buber (1898-1965)
1) we go over the surface of the world
2) But we have an innate longing for relationships
3) When we meet a person we are stopped short
4) We acknowledge the value of the other
Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995)
French Phenomenologist
Prisoner of Nazi concentration camp in WW2
Argues that the face of another demands respect
. the face is naked, always changing
. we dont look at specifics (eye color), we look at depth
. its hard to do wrong in front of the face of another
Kantianism (Immanuel Kant) 1724-1804 (Ethics of the person) Chapter 5
German Philosopher
Maxim =
rule
Categorical Imperative
an obligation that applies to us regardless of our other goals or situaiton
What is the Test of the CI?
We take a maim and ask “if everyone follows the same rule, where there be a conflict in achieving our goal?”
What are two formulations of the CI?
There are two formulations:
1) act in only a way that everyone can act (if they can’t than we should not do it)
2) treat humanity as always a means and never an end (ask “will this action only treat someone as an mean to get what I want?”)
What are the key ideas in Kant?
1) we should not make an exception for ourselves (we should hold everyone to the same standard)
2) We must use reason to make decisions
3) value is placed on persons because they are ends in themselves
John Rawls- A theory of justice- Ethics of the person (Chapter 5)
Equal Liberty Principle: One principle of justice
Difference Principle: Allowing for the minority to rise up in any situation
Thought Experiment: Original Position:
a group of people that make up our society. Diverse in talents, social and economic advantage, intelligence, ambitions, values, convictions, commitments etc.
Thought Experiment: “Veil of Ignorance”
behind the veil, every person is ignorant of the details of his/hers life (race, sex, class, natural abilities, social and economic position etc.)
What is a consequential theory?
When the ending result/outcome is the most important; what matters the most is that the ending result leaves everyone happy
Everything must be judged based on this principle. How do we do this?
Principle of utility (act in a way that is beneficial to others)
. based on the ending result (consequential ism)
Objections to utilitarianism:
1) Problem of the future (the unknown)
2) Willing to sacrifice the minority (f the pleasure of the majority is greater than the minority than they are out of luck)
3) The measurement problem (there is no way to measure pleasure objectively)
4) Swine objection (if utilitarians are only concerned with the quantity and not quality than on an individual level the life of a human may be no better than an animal)
What are Mill’s higher and lower pleasures?
Lower Pleasure: bodily pleasures such as sex, food, drink etc.
Higher Pleasure: come from the unique physiological faculties of humans (pleasure of intellect, emotion, imagination or moral sentiments) that tend to be self-sustaining and can not be over indulged (unique to humans)
A competent judge is the only one that can judge because they have experience with both pleasures
