GENERAL EDUCATION 9 ETHICS (MORAL PHILOSOPHY) Lesson 10

Flashcards covering the seven minor ethical theories including Natural Law, Legalism, Divine Command, Levinas's Ethics, Existentialism, Emotivism, and Intuitionism.

Natural Law Theory

An ethical theory asserting that human nature is the governing principle of morality and that universal moral codes can be discovered through reason by aligning with human purpose.

Eudaimonia

A concept from Aristotle referring to happiness as the ultimate end of human life, achieved through a life of virtue, moderation, and rational activity.

St. Thomas Aquinas (Ethics)

A theologian who synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine, positing that ultimate happiness is of the soul and achieved through eternal union with God.

Legalism (Human Positive Law)

An ethical framework where the morality of an act is dictated by laws created by a sovereign state, equating a moral life with strict adherence to codified laws.

Law (Legalist Definition)

Defined within Legalism as an ordinance of reason promulgated by competent authority for the sake of the common good.

Article III of the Civil Code of the Philippines

A legal principle stating that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for non-compliance, used to illustrate the strict compliance required by Legalism.

Divine Command Theory

An ethical theory positing that the foundation of morality is the will of God, where an action is right if commanded by God and wrong if forbidden.

Sacred Scriptures (Divine Command)

Considered the primary, immutable records of God's revealed will, such as the Bible or the Quran, providing the foundation for moral law.

Conscience (Divine Command Theory)

An innate faculty described as the "voice of God" within, through which individuals apprehend divine law and apply universal principles to specific situations.

Emmanuel Levinas

A philosopher who argued that ethics is "first philosophy" and that morality is rooted in an infinite, asymmetrical responsibility to the Other.

The "Other"

In Levinasian ethics, the human being who confronts us in their vulnerability and whose face commands us to be responsible without expectation of reciprocity.

Existentialism

A philosophy emphasizing individual existence and freedom, asserting that humans are entirely responsible for creating their own essence and meaning through choices.

Existence Precedes Essence

An existentialist theme stating that humans are born without a pre-defined purpose and must define their nature and identity through their subsequent actions.

Authenticity (Existentialism)

The goal of living a life true to one's own consciously chosen values, rather than those dictated by society, religion, or external pressures.

Søren Kierkegaard

The "father of existentialism" who focused on the subjective "leap of faith" and described the aesthetic, ethical, and religious stages of life.

Jean-Paul Sartre

An atheistic existentialist who argued that because there is no God to provide a purpose, "man is nothing else but what he makes of himself."

Leap of Faith

Kierkegaard's term for the passionate, subjective commitment to God made in the face of objective uncertainty and finite existence.

Bad Faith (Sartre)

The immoral act of denying one's radical freedom by blaming circumstances or external pressures for one's choices.

Emotivism

A meta-ethical theory claiming that moral statements do not state facts but are expressions of the speaker's emotions (e.g., "Boo, $X$!") used to influence others.

A.J. Ayer

A logical positivist who argued that ethical statements are "pseudo-concepts" and factually meaningless, serving only as emotional expressions.

C.L. Stevenson

An emotivist who expanded the theory by stating moral language has a dynamic function to persuade and influence behavior rather than to inform.

Intuitionism

The meta-ethical theory that humans have an innate, intuitive capacity to directly grasp objective, simple moral truths that are not empirically provable.

G.E. Moore

A philosopher who argued that "good" is a simple, indefinable property and focused on the "naturalistic fallacy."

Naturalistic Fallacy

An error in reasoning identified by G.E. Moore, occurring when one attempts to define "good" in terms of natural properties like pleasure, utility, or God's will.