Ethics and Ethical Systems Lecture Review

Flashcards covering key definitions, thinkers, branches, historical systems, and world religions from the ethics lecture.

What is the primary definition of ethics provided in the lecture notes?

Ethics is the study of what is right and wrong or good and evil.

What are the two primary approaches to developing normative ethics?

The two primary approaches are deontological and teleological.

What is the primary focus of Comparative Ethics (also known as Descriptive Ethics)?

It focuses on comparing and describing a culture's ethics, concentrating on what people groups do rather than what they ought to do.

What topics are examined within the branch of Meta-ethics?

Meta-ethics focuses on the scope and meaning of moral language, the foundation or source of morality, and the reasoning behind ethics statements.

How does Virtue Ethics evaluate ethical behavior?

It focuses on the virtues incorporated into a person's life rather than evaluating the morality of specific decisions or actions.

Which three Ancient Greek philosophers and their respective dates are credited with greatly influencing the development of Western ethical thought?

Socrates ($470-399\text{ BC}$), Plato ($384-322\text{ BC}$), and Aristotle ($384-322\text{ BC}$).

Which three Greek words served as the origin for the English word "ethics"?

ēthos, ēthikos, and ethos, which contained the idea of customs, habits, or habitats.

What famous statement regarding life is attributed to Socrates?

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

What is the Socratic Method as practiced by Plato?

It is the process of developing the case for one's position by revealing inaccuracies and/or misperceptions in the arguments of an opponent's position.

Which famous work did Plato write to argue that goodness could be objectively known despite objections from the Sophists?

The Republic.

How did Aristotle believe a person could determine how they ought to live?

Through the investigation of human nature.

What are the two historical pillars from which Western ethics primarily developed?

Greco-Roman philosophy and Christian moral teaching.

What were the three forms of government identified by Aristotle and their definitions?

Monarchy (rule by one), aristocracy (rule by a few), and democracy (rule by many).

Why did Aristotle consider democracy to be the most preferable system of government?

Because it offered the most accountability and equality among people in society.

How did Epicureanism define the highest good and pleasure?

It defined the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good, with pleasure specifically defined as the absence of pain.

Which two historical Roman figures popularized Stoicism, and what did Stoics view as the basis for moral decision-making?

The historian Seneca and the emperor Marcus Aurelius popularized Stoicism; Stoics emphasized human reason as the basis for moral decision-making.

What exact quote from Plato is recorded regarding political power and philosophy?

"there will be no end to the troubles of states or indeed of humanity itself till philosphers become rulers in this world or till those we now we call kings and rules really and truly become philosophers and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands"

What quote from Aristotle is provided regarding an educated mind?

"it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it"

In the Judeo-Christian Ethic, what serves as the objective standard of goodness?

God—specifically His person and nature define what is morally right and good.

According to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39, what are the two greatest commandments?

1. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

What work did Augustine of Hippo write, and how did he shift the Christian focus on ethics?

He wrote City of God and shifted the focus from "well-being" to "well-doing."

What was Thomas Aquinas's ($1124-1274$) most famous work, and how did he define natural law?

His most famous work was Summa Theologica; natural law is defined as the natural function that God created in things, where good actions align with God's created purposes.

What is the key difference in focus between teleological and deontological moral systems?

Teleological systems focus on consequences and are forward-looking, whereas deontological systems focus on adherence to rules, duties, motives, or divine commands and are backward-looking.

What are the Five Pillars of Islam outlined in the text?

Belief, worship, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage.

Which three ethical sub-codes are contained in the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path?

Right speech, right action, and right livelihood.

In Hinduism, what are Dharma and Karma?

Dharma refers to behaviors in accord with the natural order of the world, while Karma consists of good and bad deeds that determine the soul's next life in the reincarnation cycle.