Ethics exam #2 - ACC, Bullock, Intro to Ethics

Moral Nihilism

A form of moral skepticism that says that the world contains no moral features and so there is nothing for moral claims to be true.

Two major forms: Error Theory & Expressivism

Ethical Egoism

A prescriptive, normative ethical theory that says that actions are morally right just because they maximize self-interest.

Psychological Egoism

A descriptive theory that all human actions are motivated by self-interest, and that altruism is impossible.

Meta-ethics

Asks about the status of normative ethical claims. If they are true, and if so, whether personal, cultural, or divine opinion makes them true.

“Can moral sentences say anything that is true or false?”

Cognitivism

Metaethical view that says that moral sentences can be true or false.

Moral relativism, moral realism, and error theory fall under the cognitivist view.

Non-cognitivism

Meta-ethical view that says that moral sentences cannot be true or false.

Extreme moral nihilism, emotivism, and other forms of expressivism fall under the non-cognitivist view.

Emotivism

Metaethical view that says that moral judgements are not statements of fast, rather expressions of the speaker’s feelings. Also, that moral language is helpful only because it allows us to understand each other.

Extreme Moral Nihilism

The belief that moral concepts are not just untrue, but that they are fundamentally incoherent and that we should not speak of morality at all. Wrongness and rightness does not exist in this belief.

Falsifiability

The requirement that for an ethical claim to be rationally debated or deemed logically meaningful, it must be open to opposing evidence.

Athiesm

The belief that god does not exist.

Agnostics

Those who suspend judgement on the question of whether god exists. The belief that knowledge of a god’s existence is unattainable.

Theists

Those who believe in a god(s).

Norms

A standard of evaluation that tells us how we should or ought to behave. They represent a measure that we are to live up to.

Divine Command Theory (DCT)

The view that an act is morally required just because it is commanded by God, and immoral just because God forbids it.

Natural Law Theory (NLT)

The belief that actions are right if and only if they are unnatural to our human nature, and wrong if and only if they are unnatural. People are good as far as their actions fulfill their true human nature.

Innate

Things we are born with. Innate traits are those we are born with, as opposed to those that we acquire after birth.

Fitness

The level of an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce.

Ambiguous

Having two or more meanings.

Begs the question

Arguing on the basis of a reason that will appeal only to people who already accept the argument’s conclusion.

Altruism

The direct care and concern to improve the wellbeing or someone other than yourself.

Strictly conscientious action

Actions motivated by the thought or desire to do one's duty for its own sake, rather than from any ulterior motive.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the existence of empathy can prompt altruistic motivation. The corollary is that the greater one’s empathic response to someone else, the likelier it is that one will be altruistically motivated to help.

Objective moral standards

Moral requirements that apply to people regardless of their opinions about such duties, and independently of whether fufilling such duties will satisfy their own desires.

Ethical Relativism

The view that correct moral standards are relative to individual or cultural commitments. Includes cultural relativism or ethical subjectivism.

Cultural Relativism

The view that an act is morally right just because it is allowed by the guiding ideals of the society in which it is performed, and immoral if it is forbidden by that society.

Individual Relativism

The view that an act is morally right just because (a) I approve of it or (b) my commitments allow it, and that an act is morally wrong just because (a) I disapprove of it or (b) my commitments forbid it.

Ethical Subjectivism

Same thing as Individual Relativism: The view that an act is morally right just because (a) I approve of it or (b) my commitments allow it, and that an act is morally wrong just because (a) I disapprove of it or (b) my commitments forbid it.

Iconoclast

A person whose views or acts differ from those in their culture. Cultural relativism would view these people as morally bad, however some of history’s most notable figures did just this and are praised and remembered for it.

Fact-Value distinction

Supported by moral nihilists. The view that there is a sharp difference between fasts and values. Value claims aren’t factual and therefore cannot be true.

Error Theory

Meta-ethical view that there is no moral features in this world. No moral judgements are true. Our sincere moral judgements try, and always fail, to describe the moral features of things, and there is no moral knowledge.

Metaphysics

The branch of philosophy that discusses the nature of reality, what exists, and what does not.

Ad hominem attack

An attempt to undermine the position of an opponent by criticizing their motives of character.

Argument

A chain of thought in which premises are enlisted in support of a particular conclusion.

Proposition

A true or false claim.

Negation

A “not” sentence. Differs from a denial.

Valid argument

An argument in which the conclusion must be true if it’s premises are true.

Sound argument

An argument that is logically valid, and contains only true premises.

Conditional Statement

An if-then statement

Argument Forms (4x) and their validity

Affirming the Antecedent (Modus Ponens) - Valid form

Denying the Consequent (Modus Tollens) - Valid form

Affirming the Consequent - Invalid form

Denying the Antecedent - Invalid form

Give the general form and validity of Denying the Consequent

1) If P, then Q

2) not-Q

3) Therefore, not-P

Valid

Give the general form of Affirming the Consequent

1) If P, then Q

2) Q

3) Therefore, P

Invalid

Give the general form of Denying the Antecedent

1) If P, then Q

2) not-P

2) Therefore, not-Q

Invalid

Give the general form and validity of Affirming the Antecedent

1) If P, then Q

2) P

3) Therefore, Q

Valid