Introduction to Ethics (PHI1302)

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering foundational concepts, branches, theories, and comparative approaches in Introduction to Ethics (PHI1302).

Philosophy

Derived from the Greek words philos (love) and sophia (wisdom), meaning 'the love of wisdom'; it is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

Philosopher

A term coined by Pythagoras meaning 'one who is attempting to find out,' contrasting with early sages who claimed to be 'those who know.'

Logic

The branch of philosophy that involves the systematic study of the rules for the correct use of supporting reasons to distinguish good arguments from bad ones.

Metaphysics

Traditionally called 'first philosophy' by Aristotle, it is the branch of philosophy studying reality and comprehensive thinking about the nature of all that exists.

Epistemology

Derived from the Greek word episteme ('knowledge'), it is the branch of philosophy that studies the sources, nature, and validity of knowledge.

Rationalism

The epistemological school of thought holding that human reason alone can discover the basic principles of the universe.

Empiricism

The epistemological school of thought claiming that all knowledge is ultimately derived from sense experience and is limited to what can be experienced.

Aesthetics

The branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of art and beauty and the critical judgments made within the realm of values.

Ethics (Moral Philosophy)

The theoretical study of how human beings ought to behave or conduct themselves, establishing action guides and examining what constitutes a good life.

Meta-ethics

The branch of ethics that investigates the origins and meanings of ethical principles, analyzing what concepts like 'good' or 'bad' signify and whether moral claims correspond to objective facts.

Normative Ethics

The branch of ethics concerned with developing theories and moral standards (such as duty, consequentialist, or virtue theories) that regulate right and wrong conduct.

Applied (Practical) Ethics

The branch of ethics that examines specific controversial moral issues in applied fields, such as medicine, business, or the environment.

Ethical Relativism

The doctrine asserting that there are no absolute universal moral truths and that moral rightness or wrongness varies from person to person or society to society.

Ethical Subjectivism

A form of relativism holding that moral judgments reflect only the personal feelings or approval of the individual making the evaluation.

Cultural Relativism

The doctrine claiming that ethical practices and values differ among cultures, meaning that moral rightness is relative entirely to societal norms and no culture's views are objectively superior.

Ethical Objectivism

The position that moral values and virtues are intrinsic and universally valid, not dependent on individual feelings or societal customs.

Natural Law

The doctrine holding that morality is a function of human nature, wherein human reason discovers universal moral rules promulgated for the common good.

Psychological Egoism

A descriptive psychological theory of human nature asserting that people always act in what they perceive to be their own best self-interest, rendering true altruism impossible.

Ethical Egoism

A normative ethical theory claiming that every individual ought always to perform actions that best promote their own self-interest, even if those actions conflict with the interests of others.

Altruism

The moral theory and disposition holding that individuals can and should sometimes act in favor of others' interests ahead of their own.

Inconsistent Outcomes Argument

Brian Medlin's refutation of ethical egoism, arguing that it fails as a moral guide because universalizing egoist desires prescribes mutually incompatible outcomes.

Paradox of Egoism

The contradiction that to achieve certain personal goods, such as deep friendship or happiness, an egoist must abandon pure self-interest and adopt an altruistic disposition.

Teleological (Consequentialist) Ethics

Moral theories that locate the moral rightness or wrongness of an action strictly in its results or consequences rather than in the action itself.

Utilitarianism

A consequentialist theory popularized by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill asserting that the morally right act is the one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Hedonic Principle

The utilitarian premise stating that pleasure is the sole intrinsic good and pain is the only intrinsic evil.

Hedonic Calculus

Jeremy Bentham's quantitative system for calculating pleasure and pain based on seven variables: intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent.

Fecundity

A variable in Bentham's hedonic calculus referring to the probability that an action will be followed by sensations of the same kind.

Propinquity

A variable in Bentham's hedonic calculus referring to the nearness or remoteness in time with which a pleasure or pain will occur.

Purity

A variable in Bentham's hedonic calculus referring to the probability that an action will not be followed by sensations of the opposite kind.

Eudaimonistic Utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill's qualitative modification of utilitarianism, which distinguishes higher-order intellectual and aesthetic pleasures from lower elementary sensory pleasures.

Act-Utilitarianism

A form of utilitarianism that applies the principle of utility directly to individual actions to assess their specific consequences.

Rule-Utilitarianism

A form of utilitarianism holding that an act is right if and only if it conforms to a set of rules whose general acceptance yields greater utility for society than any available alternative.

Deontological Ethics

An ethical theory derived from the Greek words deon (duty) and logos (science), holding that actions are inherently obligatory or prohibited based on duty, regardless of their consequences.

Good Will

In Kantian ethics, the only thing that is unconditionally good; acting purely out of duty with the correct motive.

Categorical Imperative

Immanuel Kant's supreme, unconditional moral law dictated by reason alone that commands what rational agents ought to do under all circumstances.

Universal Law Formulation

Kant's first formulation of the categorical imperative: 'Act only on that maxim that you can will as a universal law.'

Formula of Humanity (End-in-Itself)

Kant's second formulation of the categorical imperative: 'Always treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end.'

Kingdom of Ends

Kant's third formulation of the categorical imperative conceiving a community of rational beings who act as both the authors and subjects of universal moral laws.

Virtue Ethics

A normative ethical theory that emphasizes developing good character traits, trained behavioral dispositions, and requisite motivations rather than following explicit rules.

Cardinal Virtues

The four central virtues emphasized by Plato: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.

Golden Mean

Aristotle's moral concept stating that virtue is an intermediate balance situated between two extremes of vice: an excess and a deficiency.

African Communalism

A communitarian worldview in traditional African thought holding that the reality of the community takes precedence over individual life histories and defines personhood.

Personhood (Menkiti's Conception)

The African philosophical view that one is born a mere human being and must attain personhood over time through communal rituals and social integration.

Ubuntu (Botho)

A Southern African social philosophy and ethical code emphasizing common humanity, compassion, and reciprocity, captured by the maxim 'umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu' ('a person is a person through other persons').

Constructionism

The view that characteristics often thought to be biologically fixed—such as gender and race—are human interpretations and definitions shaped by cultural and historical contexts.

Feminist Ethics

A way of doing ethics aimed at understanding, criticizing, and correcting the asymmetric distribution of power and privilege that systematically subordinates women to men.