Mid-Term Flashcards
(64 cards)
Hedonism
way to live life that would max. positive experiences
and minimize unnecessary suffering
net balance of +exp. over -exp.
Life Satisfaction
argument to hedonism
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- AB Structure
A= acting
B= doing nothing, passive
A>B less repercussions for acting (morally)
however A (acting) is frowned upon in societyLesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Evil
negative utility
BAD
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Ex. Longboat
ship sinking in ice
passangers get on life boat but overload it
A- throw ppl overboard
B- let the ship sink
A is considered more morally wrong bc it kills more ppl
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Nielson Pacifist Approach
doesn’t matter results, you don’t kill innocent ppl
Ex. Nazi baby
kill baby to save group
or. do nothing and expose the whole group to death
a priori
determining the moral status of action before to performing the action
(less flexible than utilitarianism)
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Nielson Pacifist Approach- Evil
nature of action versus the amount of bad that comes from either action
( in baby case, killing would be considered more evil, even though more ppl in total die)
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Doctrine of Doing and Allowing- Utilitarian Rebuttal
killing and harming ppl isn’t always wrong
and using pacifist def. of evil- not doing anything is still eviler
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Doctrine of Doing and Allowing- Ex. Drowning Child- Negative Responsibility
Save child and miss job interview or ignore child and make it to the job interview.
Neg. respon.- if you have pwr to prevent x from happening and choose not to, and x does happen, then you ARE responsible for x happening
even though you had no part in the life of the child, or how they got in the pond, you saw them drowning and therefore are responsible for helping
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Doctrine of Doing and Allowing- Passive Lying or Deception
active= knowing that what you are telling others is wrong
passive= having a false belief originally and o/ chose not to correct you
**includes negative responsibility
you are responsible for that person’s false belief
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Doctrine of Doing and Allowing- Justice Objection- Pacifist Reply
the person being used prevent more deaths is objectified
humans have right to well-being
Ex. using teenage daughter of bomber as leverage
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Doctrine of Doing and Allowing- Pacifist Reply- Flexibility
context has to be taken into consideration
objectifying can benefit both parties
Ex. student and teacher
Lesser of 2 Evils Dilemma- Doctrine of Doing and Allowing- Kant
objectifying is ALWAYS wrong
“vageness problem” opposes
argues that morality of action is hard to tell
Consent and Mutual Benefit
if consent is present, objectification is not wrong
Ex. teacher and student
Economic Objectification
Ex. objectifying yourself as a sex object for money
Objectification- Marx
there should be things that money cannot buy
Deontological Approach
not look at results
look @ whether action conforms to moral law
conform= right
deviant= wrong
Deontological Approach- Non-consequentialist- a priori
know morality of action before it is performed
Social Contract Theory
“Contractarianism”
moral rules are created by an agreement of ppl governed under those rules
Social Contract Theory- Origin
Hobbes
not developer! but first to defend it
argues morality is created by a social contract
people are focused on self-benefit (state of nature)
Social Contract Theory- Rosseau
opposes Hobbes and state of nature
believes ppl will be more empathetic and less in survival mode
Social Contract Theory- Hobbes’ Arguments 1
1) you would want to take care of yourself
protect yourself first and then steal from others
Social Contract Theory- Hobbes’ Arguments 2
2) do not want to get deprived of common goods
need help from o/ to accomplish things
Ex. building a house
all ppl benefit
