Ethical Theories and Principles

These flashcards cover key ethical theories and principles, including descriptions, examples, and critiques relevant for study and review.

Acting from Inclination

Actions motivated by personal desires or feelings.

Acting from Duty

Performing actions because they are morally required, independent of personal desires or consequences.

Example of Acting from Inclination

Helping a friend because you expect a favor in return.

Example of Acting from Duty

Helping a friend because it is your moral duty, such as fulfilling a promise.

Autonomy

The ability to make decisions independently, guided by reason and moral law, free from external influences.

Example of Autonomy

Kant emphasizes autonomy when an individual acts in accordance with moral laws they set for themselves, like telling the truth even when no one is watching.

Care Ethics

Ethics that emphasize the importance of relationships, empathy, and caring for others.

Feminist Ethics

A critique of traditional ethics that focuses on care, relational dynamics, and the marginalization of women and traditionally feminine values.

Example of Care Ethics

Gilligan critiqued Kohlberg’s moral development stages for neglecting relational dynamics, emphasizing the importance of responding to others' needs and the moral significance of relationships.

Justice Perspective

Ethical reasoning based on fairness, equality, and rights.

Care Perspective

Ethical reasoning based on relationships, empathy, and responding to others' needs.

Example of Justice Perspective

Treating everyone equally, regardless of their needs or relationships, such as applying the same legal rules to everyone.

Example of Care Perspective

Prioritizing the emotional and relational needs of individuals, such as caring for a sick family member even when it requires personal sacrifice.

The Categorical Imperative

A foundational moral law in Kantian ethics requiring actions to be performed according to maxims that can be universally applied.

Formula of Universalizability

Act only according to maxims that you can will to become a universal law.

Formula of Humanity

Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always as an end, and never merely as a means.

Example of Universalizability

Making a false promise is immoral because if everyone made false promises, promises would lose all meaning.

Consequentialism

The ethical theory that the rightness of an action is determined solely by its outcomes or consequences.

Example of Consequentialism

Mill’s utilitarianism justifies actions that promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number, even if they harm a few individuals.

Critique of Utilitarianism

Criticized for justifying actions that might harm a few if the overall benefit is greater, such as sacrificing an innocent person for the greater good.

Critique of Kantian Ethics

Criticized for being overly rigid, as it does not allow for exceptions, even in cases where breaking a rule could prevent greater harm.

Deontology

An ethical theory that asserts that morality is grounded in following moral duties and rules, not outcomes.

Example of Deontological Action

Telling the truth is a moral duty even if it leads to negative consequences.

Ethics

The philosophical study of moral principles, determining what actions are right and wrong.

Example of Ethics

Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of actions, deontology on duties, and virtue ethics on character development.

General Happiness

The overall happiness or well-being of all individuals affected by a decision.

Example of General Happiness

Mill’s utilitarianism asserts that actions are right if they maximize general happiness, considering the happiness of all affected individuals.

The Good Will

Kant’s concept of an unconditionally good intention, which is morally worthy regardless of the action’s outcome.

Example of The Good Will

Donating to charity because it is your moral duty, not for personal gain, is an example of acting from a good will.

Higher Pleasures

Intellectual and moral pleasures that are considered more valuable than physical or sensory pleasures.

Lower Pleasures

Bodily or sensory pleasures that are considered less valuable than intellectual or moral pleasures.

Example of Higher Pleasures

Reading a philosophical book or engaging in an intellectual debate, which provides greater satisfaction than physical pleasures like eating or sleeping.

Hypothetical Imperative

A conditional command that depends on achieving a desired goal.

Example of Hypothetical Imperative

'You should study if you want to pass the exam' is a hypothetical imperative because it depends on the goal of passing the exam.

Lying Promise and Its Failure to Pass the Test of the Categorical Imperative

A promise made with no intention of keeping it violates the Categorical Imperative because if everyone did the same, promises would lose their meaning.

Maxim of Action

A personal principle or rule that guides one’s actions.

Example of Maxim

'I will always keep my promises' is a maxim that should be universal for the action to be morally right.

Mere Means vs. End in Itself

Treating someone as a mere means is using them as a tool to achieve personal goals, while treating them as an end in itself is respecting their inherent dignity and autonomy.

Rule-Consequentialism

The right action is one that follows a rule which, when universally adopted, leads to the best consequences.

Example of Rule-Consequentialism

Mill’s rule-utilitarianism argues that moral rules like truth-telling should be followed because they maximize overall happiness when universally adopted.

Virtue Ethics

An ethical theory that emphasizes the development of good character traits and virtues rather than focusing on rules or outcomes.

Example of Virtue Ethics

Aristotle argued that a morally right action is one that a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances, such as showing courage in a dangerous situation.

Pragmatism

An ethical approach that emphasizes practical consequences and real-world experience, critiquing traditional philosophical systems for focusing on abstract principles.

Example of Pragmatism

John Dewey argued that moral decisions should be based on experience and practical outcomes, rather than abstract ethical principles that may not address real-world issues.

Principle of Utility, or Greatest-Happiness Principle

The right action is the one that maximizes happiness or pleasure and minimizes suffering.

Example of the Principle of Utility

Mill’s utilitarianism holds that actions should aim to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, even if it means sacrificing individual pleasures for the collective good.