PHL 215 Philosophy Exam Study Guide: Ethics and Moral Theories

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering foundational moral concepts, cultural relativism, ethical subjectivism, emotivism, divine command theory, natural law, and egoism based on the course materials.

Ethics / Moral Philosophy

The systematic examination of right and wrong, moral obligations, values, and reasons for actions.

Moral Accountability

Being answerable for choices and capable of giving moral reasons for judging yourself and others.

Morality

Principles and practices about right and wrong.

Objective Moral Claim

A claim whose truth does not depend solely on an individual's feelings (for example, that cruelty is wrong regardless of approval).

Subjective Moral Claim

A moral judgment grounded in an individual's attitudes or feelings.

Universal Principle

A principle that applies to everyone, in all places and times, without exceptions if stated absolutely.

Moral Nihilism

The denial that there are genuine moral truths or values, not to be confused with everyday skepticism.

Cynicism

A general distrust of others' sincerity or motives, which is not itself a complete ethical theory.

Moral Motivation

What moves someone to act on a moral judgment.

Metaphysics

Inquiry into the nature and structure of reality.

Cultural Relativism

The view that the truth or correctness of moral standards depends on the norms of a society or culture, and no culture-independent standard can rank all cultures.

Ethnocentrism

Judging others solely by one's own cultural norms.

Simple Ethical Subjectivism

The view that moral judgments report the speaker's approval or disapproval, locating moral evaluation in an individual rather than a whole culture.

Emotivism

The view that moral statements primarily express attitudes and seek to influence others' attitudes, rather than report facts or describe objective moral truths.

Secular

Nonreligious or institutionally separate from religious authority.

Atheist

A person who does not believe in God or gods.

Agnostic

A person who holds that the existence of God is unknown or not known.

Divine Command Theory (DCT)

The theory that an action is morally right because God commands it and morally wrong because God forbids it.

Source Problem

The challenge within Divine Command Theory regarding which religion, scripture, interpretation, or alleged command supplies authoritative moral rules.

Euthyphro Dilemma

The philosophical dilemma asking: Is an action good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is already good?

Arbitrary

Determined by choice without an independent moral reason or standard.

Natural Law Theory

The view that moral standards are grounded in human nature, purposes, and rational reflection on the natural order, where what is natural is good and unnatural is bad.

Telos

An Aristotle-derived concept indicating a purpose or goal inherent in all natural things.

Appeal-to-Nature Problem

The flaw in equating naturalness with moral goodness, challenged by natural harms (such as disease) and artificial benefits (such as medicine).

Ethical Egoism

A normative theory stating that each person ought to pursue their own self-interest.

Psychological Egoism

A descriptive theory stating that all human actions are in fact motivated by self-interest, even apparently generous acts.

The Invisible Hand

Adam Smith's concept that self-interested market activity can sometimes contribute to broader social benefits under appropriate conditions.