Philosophy 2700 Final Exam

What was Parfits main question?

How many people should there be?

Anti-Natalism

No more creation of life

Parfit’s Main theory

• He disagrees with the notion that the greater of population can lead to a better life

• States that the more people there are the quality of life drops

How would average utilitarians respond to creating the best world in terms of population? What principles would they use to do so?

They would pick a smaller population with a higher quality of life

Hedonistic Average Principle: If other things are equal, it is better if people’s lives, on average, contain more happiness”

How would total utilitarians respond to creating the best world in terms of population? What principles would they use to do so?

Would pick a larger population since there would be more happiness in total

Hedonistic Total Principle:” If other things are equal, it is better if there is a greater sum of happiness.”

The Repugnant Conclusion

Refers to the contradiction of tranversal reasoning when talking about population vs quality of life

What was Torbjörn Tännsjo’s Argument

• We have a moral duty to maximize the total amount of happiness in the world

• We can help maximize the total amount of happiness in the world by making is as populated by we can

• We haven’t met the threshold of human misery and extinction

What is the main argument against Tännsjo’s and how does he reply

Actualism is the common response and we only have obligations to actual living people and no future people. The common counter is Adam and Eve and global warming.

Common critiques of Consequentialism

Some actions are are by their innate nature

Malum in se vs Malum prohibitum

Wong itself vs Wrong because its permitted

Pauline Principle

Evil may not be done for the sake of good

Deontology

the rightness or wrongness of an action is solely a function of its intrinsic qualities or characteristics

What’s Kant’s Perspective of a Duty?

He believes that if a agent acts in accordance with duty but does not act for the sake of duty the act has no moral worth

Kants Categorical Imperative

• Act only on that maxim [rule] whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”

• “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end”

Whats a Hypothetical Imperative vs Categorical imperative

• Do x, if you have goal y. Where x is the way the given world is the best way to achieve y

• Do x, irrespective of your goals, preferences or desires

Main Types of Abortions

Non-Therapeutic vs Therapeutic

Thomson’s Argument

Disagrees with the extreme view of abortion based on her position that there is no moral obligation you have to refrain to have an abortion and she explains this by the violist example.

Marquis Argument

What makes abortion bad is it deprives a being who could of had a worthwhile future

Universal Human Dignity

that all humans are persons, made in the image of God, and are in full possession of dignity/intrinsic worth — from the moment of conception until death.

Divine Command Theory

An act is morally required, permissible or impermissible if(f) it reflects the command (or will) of God

Plato’s Euthyphro Objection

Is something good because the gods say it is good or do the gods say it is good because it is inherently good?

Swinburne’s (Supervenient) Objection

He separates a good action in a world where one there is a God and one that there is no God. If the action can still be labeled as good is contradicts DCT.

Secular Arguments For Euthanasia

Autonomy and beneficence

Secular Arguments Against Euthanasia

• Natural Law

• Argument from Nature

Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS)

“The Killing of a person by the person’s own hand with the help of a physician”

Maria von Herbert

Wrote to Kant addressing suicide

Craig Colby Ewert

Common Sense Morality

• Harm Principle

• Restitution Principle

Arguments Opposing Broome

• Compensation

• Parfaits Non-Identity Problem

Kenneth Taylor

Three level of Ethics

Applied ethics, normative ethics, metaethics

Jonathan Haidt

we are rooted in motivated reasoning and he explains this through incest

Sentimentalism (empirical version)

the PSYCHOLOGICAL claim that the causes of our moral judgments are emotions, not reasons.

Leon R Kass

Repugnance argument is just utilitarianism

Sentimentalism ("normative” version)

the EPISTEMOLOGICAL claim that at least in key cases emotions are pathways to moral wisdom, moral knowledge and/or moral justification

Cultural Differences Argument (CDA)

Moral truths are determined by cultures

Kwame Anthony Appiah (4 Claims)

• Permission claim

• Obligation claim

• Utility claim

• Necessity claim

summum bonum

highest good

Hedonism

A subject’s life goes well for them to the extent that they experience an optimal surplus of pleasure over pain

SWINE OBJECTION

the objection is used as a argument against hedonism and stated that a life of a pig pushing simplistic sensory pleasures would deem as a morally good life.

Nozick’s Objection

You should not plug into this pleasure machine because you miss out on a lot of instrumental goods

Desire Fulfillment Theory & Objections

A subject’s life goes well for them to the extent that their desires are fulfilled. Its a invalid theory because it’s biased towards socially deeming desires.

Revised Desire Theory

the best life consists of getting what you want (to the extent that your desires reflect what an ideal agent would desire)

cardinal virtues

• Wisdom

• Justice

• Fortitude (Forbearance)

• Temperance

Wisdom Theory (Strong)

Wisdom is the only intrinsic and final good . It is both “necessary and sufficient for a good life”

Wisdom Theory (Moderate Th)

Humility Theory

• S is wise iff S believes s/he is not wise

• S is wise iff S believes S does not know anything

• S is wise iff S realizes S’s own ignorance

Thrasymachus

might makes right

Well-Ordered SoulTheory

A subject’s life goes well for them to the extent that the parts of their soul /mind perform their functions well. And for this to occur, their passions and desires must rationally governed or regulated