Ethics: Unit 2 Exam STUDY GUIDE

plato’s euthyphro dialogue?

find universal standard for morality

euthyphro dilemma fork 1?

morality is independent of God’s will/God follows external rules of logic (is pious loved by gods because it’s pious?)

euthyphro dilemma fork 2?

divine command theory/God’s will create right/wrong (is it pious because it is loved by gods?)

divine command theory?

action is morally right just because God commands it/action is wrong just because God forbids it

angelic doctor (aquinas)?

argued that reason/faith are two distinct paths to same truth (one can discover moral laws through logic even without scripture)

eternal law?

God’s cosmic blueprint for entire universe

natural law?

human ‘participation’ in eternal law using reason

divine law?

rules revealed specifically through scripture (bible)

human law?

local statutes (speed limits) derived from natural law

first principle?

everything in nature aims at some goal/completion (“good is that which all things seek after”)

first precept?

foundation of all moral action/law (“good is to be done/pursued/evil avoided”)

inclinations/human ends?

natural law is found by looking at what humans are naturally inclined toward: survival/propagation/knowledge

thomas hobbes concern?

security/avoiding violent death after living through english civil war

thomas hobbes was materialist?

humans are complex biological machines driven by appetites (desires)/aversions (fears)

state of war?

humans are roughly equal/selfish conflict is inevitable

causes of conflict?

competition (gain)/diffidence (distrust/safety)/glory (reputation)

right of nature?

absolute liberty to use your own power for self-preservation

laws of nature?

rules found by reason for self-preservation (seek peace/lay down right if others do/keep your covenants)

justice?

keeping your agreements

sovereign (coercive power)?

enforcement contract if people won’t keep agreements

problem of fool (why not cheat contract if i can get away with it)?

risk of being caught/cast out of society (to certain death in state of nature) is too high price for any small gain

greatest happiness principle?

actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness/wrong as they tend to produce reverse

pillars of utilitarianism?

consequentialism/hedonism/impartiality

consequentialism?

only outcomes matter/intentions are irrelevant to rightness of act

hedonism?

happiness is only thing intrinsically good/pain is only intrinsic evil

impartiality?

everyone’s happiness gets equal consideration

higher pleasures?

unique to humans (intellectual/artistic/moral)

lower pleasures?

sensory/bodily/shared with animals (eating/sleeping/sex)

calculation problem?

no time to compute effects

justice problem?

violating rights causes more misery than peace

kant believed?

morality is about duty/reason not consequences/happiness

good will?

only thing in world that is good without qualification is steady commitment to do your duty

inclination?

doing right thing because you feel like it/it benefits you (no moral worth)

duty?

doing right thing specifically because it’s required by moral law even if you hate doing it (highest moral worth)

hypothetical?

only apply if you have desire

categorical?

apply to all rational beings regardless of their desires

universal law (kant)?

act only on that maxim through which you can at same time will that it should become universal law

test of logic?

state maxim (rule you follow)

imagine world where everyone does this

does it create contradiction

humanity (kant)?

act in such way that you treat humanity never merely as means to end but always at same time as end

respect?

every rational being has dignity not price

means vs ends?

respect their autonomy

pluralism (ross)?

have several distinct moral duties that can conflict

intuitionism?

mature adults see moral truths as clearly as they see mathematical ones

prima facie duty?

conditional duty (should keep promise all things being equal)

actual duty?

should do in concrete situation after weighing all competing prima facie duties

list of duties (ross)?

fidelity (promise-keeping)/reparation (fixing past wrongs)/gratitude (thanking benefactors)/justice (fair distribution)/beneficence (helping others)/self-improvement (growing)/non-maleficence (not harming)

defining feminism?

equality (making women social equals)/women (valuing women’s specific experiences)/difference (affirming feminine qualities)/power (scrutinizing asymmetric power)

gender (lindemann)?

power relation that favors men over women (prescription for how people are supposed to act based on biological sex)

description?

describing how power actually works in families/institutions

prescription?

advocating for how things ought to be

confucian virtues?

ren (benevolence/humanity)/yi (righteousness/integrity)/li (ritual propriety)/xiao (filial piety)/zhi (wisdom)

filial piety (xiao)?

root of character

mengzi argued?

human nature is good

sprouts of virtue?

compassion (ren)/shame (yi)/deference (li)/approval/disapproval (zhi)