Ethics and Moral Philosophy Practice Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers fundamental concepts in ethics, including the distinction between human acts and acts of man, levels of moral dilemmas, moral standards, and the six moral foundations.

Ethics

The study of how we ought to live or the science of morality; a branch of philosophy also known as Moral Philosophy.

Social animals

A term used by Aristotle to describe humans because they tend to gather in places to form communities like tribes or barangays.

Rational animals

A description of humans based on their capacity to reason, which allows them to formulate and recognize morality.

Human act

An action performed with free will that is voluntary in character and under the control of the human will.

Act of humans

Involuntary actions where free will is not required, such as breathing, caused by the mechanical nature of the human body.

Moral Principles

A code of principles established by human reasoning as a guide to one's conduct.

Morality

A set of moral codes accepted by a group of people, which can be defined in descriptive and normative senses.

Descriptive sense of morality

Cultural ideas and rules accepted or denied by a group or community, such as rules in religion or games.

Normative sense of morality

Rationalized and universalized human action that is accepted or denied by all rational people across cultures.

Ethos

The Greek word meaning human customs or habitual ways.

Mos moris

The Latin word meaning custom, proper, and inclination.

Moral standards

Principles that a person is obliged to follow, categorized into positive and negative obligations.

Positive obligation

A duty where a person is obliged to perform a specific action, such as charity or following social laws.

Negative obligation

A duty where a person is obliged not to do a prohibited act, such as the command 'Thou shall not kill.'

Non-Moral Standards

Rules accepted by a group that are not related to moral standards, such as etiquette or sports rules, where disobedience is not subject to moral judgment.

Moral Dilemma

A situation where a person must choose between two or more alternatives that have undesirable ends.

Individual-level dilemma

A personal dilemma where an individual faces options that are immoral in nature, such as choosing which family member to save in a crisis.

Organization-level dilemma

A conflict occurring within a sector or organization that revolves around personal interest versus the welfare of the organization.

Structural-level dilemma

A conflict that emerges between the organizational level and the whole community or state, such as balancing pandemic lockdowns with economic health.

Care/Harm

A moral foundation evolved from the ancestral practice of nurturing and shielding offspring.

Fairness/Cheating

A moral foundation originating in self-interest and reciprocal altruism, involving the expectation of reciprocation.

Authority/Subversion

A moral foundation based on the establishment of societal structures with leaders and followers for group survival.

Loyalty/Betrayal

A moral foundation emerged from adaptive challenges within coalitions, favoring group loyalty for survival.

Sanctity/Degradation

A moral foundation evolved in response to avoiding pathogens, parasites, and existential threats.

Liberty/Oppression

A moral foundation emerged from group behavior dynamics that deems authority legitimate only under specific circumstances.

Freedom

The ability of a sentient being to exercise its will, channeling efforts toward a desired outcome or goal.

Freedom (Epicurus)

The state of being liberated from vain, unnecessary, or addictive desires rather than fulfilling every desire.

Free Will

Inner freedom; the freedom of the will to decide whether to perform an act or not.

Moral Responsibility

The accountability of a person towards their actions, involving the union of moral principles and conduct.