KEY POINTS FROM LECTURES Flashcards
a type of platonic irony
name irony (ex. glaucon ‘grey eyed0 (owl), owl is wise, he is not wise, name has opp. meaning)
what is socratic elenchus?
socratic questioning, presenting a theory, then discussing and testing
what are groundless pleasures?
unnatural, unnecessary, (ex. desire for money, fame)
what are natural desires?
natural and necessary, lead to eudaimonia, (ex. food)
what is meant by ‘living in harmony with nature?’
the universe deals you a hand and you must play it, cannot control what you are dealt.
deontological ethical theories evaluate moral worth based on ________
actions and intentions rather than consequences
what are hypothetical imperatives?
conditional prescriptions: “if you want to achieve x, you should do y”
what are categorical imperatives?
necessary prescriptions, “you should do y”, strict universal imperative
what is aporia?
“lack of knowledge”, question remains unanswered but all bad answers are rejected
what is the definition of justice?
living up to one’s legal obligations and being honest, “the advantage of the stronger”
what is a relativist?
sees that there are different views; adheres to own view; believes there is no objective truth of the matter
what is an absolutist?
sees that there are different views; adheres to own view, believes that there is a absolute truth of the matter
what is an intrinsic good?
something that is desirable for its own sake, it is good in itself, (ex. happiness)
what is an extrinsic good?
something that is not good in itself, good for other things, (ex. money, fame)
for _____ happiness or pleasure is the end to which we all aim
utilitarians
how do we measure happiness?
the hedonic calculus
what is the hedonic calculus made up of?
Intensity, Duration, Certainty, Spatial relation, Actions ability , Purity, Extent… of pain/pleasure
what is Bentham’s calculus?
for any act, the determination of the amount of pleasure it will immediately produce, Then the amount of pain. Then determine fecundity of pleasure. Then determine fecundity of pain. Then sum the results for the individual. Then consider the number of persons affected in this way. Then do the overall sum.
what is consequentialism?
actions deemed right or wrong relative to consequences of the action(s)
what is impartiality?
all parties affected by an action must receive impartial consideration (equality)
what is the principle of utility?
maximize the good or valuable
what is act utilitarianism?
justifies particular actions by direct appeal to principle of utility
what is rule utilitarianism?
actions justified by appeal to rules, which in turn are justified by appeal to the principle of utility
what is the tragic world view?
no objective moral truth, no right or wrong, no happiness/meaning, bad people flourish and good people suffer.
