Ethics and Moral Philosophy Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering ethics, morals, Aristotle's virtues, and Kantian philosophy.

Moral courage

Acting on a rational choice to follow good principles based on conscience.

Ethics

The study of morality and analysis of what constitutes good conduct.

Morals

The general rules that prescribe proper behavior.

Moral behavior

Behavior that requires sometimes more than the law requires.

Value judgments

Judgments that can be verified based on reason.

Virtue

The habit of right desire.

Socrates

Philosopher who saw knowledge and virtue as synonymous.

The Socratic Method

A method of teaching, named for Socrates, using questions and answers to arrive at truth.

Stoicism

A philosophy of serenity, tranquility, and impassive to suffering.

Hedonism

A philosophy that views pleasure as the ultimate virtue.

Intellectual virtue

According to Aristotle, virtue consisting of learning or all the creative activities of the intellect that help us achieve our potential.

Moral virtue

According to Aristotle, virtue that develops as a result of habit (doing it over and over again) and does not occur naturally.

Real goods

Things we ought to desire regardless of whether we really do, which are the focus of all ethical action.

Apparent goods

Desires that usually involve pleasure, wealth, fame, or power, which can be innocuous or noxious.

Eudaimonia

Another name for happiness, which is the ultimate good.

Ultimate Good

Happiness achieved through virtuous action over the course of a life, requiring external goods and some degree of good fortune.

Formalism

Kant's non-consequentialist approach searching for appropriate rules to guide ethical conduct.

Aristotle's Ten Moral Virtues

1. Courage, 2. Temperance, 3. Prudence, 4. Justice, 5. Pride, 6. Ambition, 7. Having a good temper, 8. Being a good friend, 9. Truthfulness, 10. Wittiness.

A priori principles

Principles that prescribe an action using an established rule, rather than an expected result, determining morality according to Kant.

Categorical imperative

The centerpiece of Kant's philosophy, which guides all conduct.

Duty

The basis on which Kant states moral decisions should be made, rather than relying entirely on what might happen.

Hypothetical imperatives

Imperatives that serve as means to obtaining something else (similar to Aristotle's apparent goods).

Practical imperative

Imperative stating that you act in such a way that you treat humanity, yourself or another, always as an end and never simply as a means.

Kingdom of ends

An ideal state described by Kant in which rational beings are united through common, objective universal laws that apply to everyone.