Ethics test numba 2

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

The rightness or wrongness of actions is determined by the results they produce

Utilitarian philosophers

Jeremy Bentham

John Stuart Mill

Act Utilitarianism

When faced with a choice, act utilitarian consider the particular situation to determine what individual act would maximize happiness.

Rule Utilitarianism

Generate rules or derive guidelines from the greatest happiness principle that look beyond the immediate case and bring in other considerations

Preference Utilitarianism

Suggests that the moral endeavor is to fulfill as many preferces as possible

Deontology

An ethical framework that maintains that acts are morally correct insofar as they conform to a principle of duty or obligation

Deontology philosophers

Immanuel Kant

Categorical Imperative

A rational decision procedure that can be determined through a thought experiment rather than through gathering evidence

Perfect Duties

Generally Prohibitions

Imperfect Duties

Those that encourage us to improve

Normative Ethics

Tells what people ought to do

Descriptive Ethics

Tells us what people do

Maxim

A moral principle that will govern the behavior of all reasoning people

Collateral Damage

Unintended result from a good intention

Double Effect

The problem of multiple results emerging from a good intention

Doctrine of Double Effect

The way the problem of multiple results emerging from a good intention is reconciled as morally acceptable

Antirealists

What is considered good will completely depend on the interests of people involved, not some external moral standard

The Watergate Scandal

Nixon’s administration tried to cover up their involvement with breaking in and spying on their opponent

Three of the “greasiest” and why (Watergate)

Nixon: he covered up for himself

Dean: Spilled/snitched. He made himself look good

Baldwin: He went behind the coverups back

The Madoff Ponzi Scandal

Bernard Madoff stole 65 million dollars from the people

Three of the “greasiest” and why (Madoff Ponzi)

Bernie Madoff: stole the money, used it for himself

SEC: Didn’t do their jobs, sorta looked the other way

Walter Noel: Funneled billions of dollars to Madoff, giving him huge returns to his firm