Exploring Virtue Ethics and Moral Development Concepts

Integrity, authenticity, and honesty

They form the foundation of strong moral character and help build trust and personal growth.

Rationally open-minded inquiry

It helps resist inconsistencies in beliefs and encourages better reasoning.

Cognitive empathy

It helps us understand others and promotes virtue and moral insight.

Questioning authority and the status quo

It encourages finding truth rather than accepting normalized but flawed ideas.

Emotional intelligence

It helps connect to oneself and others with compassion and understanding.

Bias-free, independent thinking

It prevents falling into logical fallacies and promotes clarity.

Self-reflection and mindfulness

They help identify personal flaws and foster growth.

Uncovering emotional triggers

Understanding trauma and fear builds emotional resilience and healthier relationships.

Living in the moment with an open heart

It creates inner peace and spiritual connection to others and the world.

Habit of kindness and friendliness

It spreads joy and encourages moral and emotional positivity.

Euthyphro's dilemma

It questions if morality comes from God or if God commands what is already moral—favoring reason over inherited belief. Is something good because the gods say it is or do the gods say its good because it already is good

3 main themes in Epictetus's Discourses

1) Control what you can, 2) Freedom through self-mastery, 3) Live with reason and virtue.

Hedonism

Pleasure is the highest good, but it leads to selfishness and ignores long-term meaning.

Kant's Categorical Imperative

Act on universal principles; Haidt says we make decisions emotionally, not logically.

Virtue ethics

It develops through practice, habit, and emotional training over time.

The Trolley Problem

We are emotionally inconsistent, so we must train both emotion and logic.

Dunning-Kruger effect

People overestimate their ethics; humility and reflection are essential for growth.

Doc's 3 key ingredients for a spiritual life

1) Stability to perturbation, 2) Openness to experience, 3) Dedication to a higher power.

Contractarianism

Defines moral rules through mutual agreement and fairness among equals.

Justifying breaking rules in contractarianism

When fairness or the social contract is violated.

Happiness vs. well-being

Well-being, because it includes purpose, growth, and virtue beyond pleasure.

Moral objectivism vs. moral relativism

Objectivism has universal truths; relativism depends on opinion or culture.

Problems with moral relativism

1) No moral progress, 2) Can't condemn injustice like genocide.

Act vs. rule consequentialism

Act: each act judged by its result; Rule: follow rules that create best results overall.

Doc's preference for rule consequentialism

It avoids dangerous exceptions and promotes consistent moral behavior.

Hallmarks of love

Love involves self-sacrifice and care without personal gain, disproving pure selfishness.

4 features of the cognitive revolution

Art, agriculture/climate, toolmaking, and language.

Language's role in the cognitive revolution

It likely drove the others by enabling coordination, cooperation, and culture.

Testosterone and aggression

When one's social status is threatened.

Oxytocin and antisocial behavior

It promotes group bonding but hostility toward outsiders ('us vs them').

Brain battle in ethical decisions

DLPFC (logic/Kant) vs VM PFC + amygdala (emotion/utilitarian); balance both to grow morally.

Reasons scientists doubt free will

1) Brain decisions happen before awareness, 2) Determinism controls behavior.

Power of human language

Allows us to share abstract ideas, build culture, and cooperate at scale.

Male and female evolutionary strategies in love and sex

Men: youth/fertility; Women: loyalty/resources—leads to different jealousies and manipulation.

Ethical life cycle

Helping others inspires kindness in return, creating a cycle of mutual virtue and moral growth.

Justification of virtue ethics

It shows that helping and practicing kindness develops moral character over time.