Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
Ethics
study and analysis of what constitutes good or bad conduct, related to profession
metaethics
discipline that investigates the meaning of ethical systems
normative ethics
determines what people ought to do and defines moral duties based on ethical systems or other means of analysis
Applied ethics
the application of ethical principles to specific issues
professional ethics
even more specific type of applied this relating to the behavior of certain professions or groups
moral
good or bad conduct in other spheres of life aside from profession
duties
actions an individual must perform to be considered moral
supererogatories
commendable actions but not required to be considered moral
imperfect duties
general duties that one should uphold but do not have a specific application as to when or how/ not illegal
values
defined as elements of desirability, worth, or importance, implies a choice or judgement
In order to be judged as ethical or moral, must have four elements
must be an act
must be an act done by a human
must be of free will
must affect other people, earth, or living things
Critical Thinking
to be cognizant of facts and to use objective reasoning
Questions critical thinkers should ask
. what information am I using? laws?
. what information do I need to settle the question?
. Is there another way to interpret this information
. what assumption has led me to this conclusion?
. is there another pov I should consider?
. what implications or consequences might be a result?
Discretion
the power and authority to choose on of two or more alternative behaviors
socrates
one of the earliest ethicists
ethical system
structured set of principles that define what is moral
characteristics of ethical systems
must be internally consistent, consistent with generally held beliefs, and must possess moral common sense
Ethical systems are…
prescriptive, authoritative, logically impartial, not self serving
We make moral judgements from
moral rules which are derived from ethical systems
Who is responsible for Ethics of Virtue?
Aristotle
what are the virtues?
thriftiness, temperance, humility, industriousness, honesty
Eudaimonia
the goal of life according to ethics of virtue, perfect happiness and flourishing
Does ethics of virtue think that humans are born good or evil?
no they think that you become one or the other by habits and being trained
moral virtue
state of character where actions are consistent with the principle of the golden mean
principle of the Golden Mean
moderation, staying in the median between traits, not too far in excess or deficiency
6 pillars of character
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship
problems with the ethics of virtue system
can be vague, there are often conflicts between two virtues
Natural law
principles of morals and rights are inherent in nature and not man-made (Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas)
Where does morality come from?
It is part of the natural order of the universe
According to natural law, what is good is natural and…
what is natural is good
problems with natural law
how do we know which inclinations are natural and therefore good? has been used to discriminate
Religious Ethics
St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, religious beliefs based on good and evil, God’s will is good
two types of people who follow a religious ethic system
legalistic and situationalists
According to religious ethics we can know God’s will in there ways
individual conscience
religious authorities
Holy Scriptures
Ethical formalism was mainly founded by…
Emmanuel Kant
Ethical formalism
if an act is done in good will it is good no matter any adverse consequences
Is Ethical formalism Deontological or Teleological?
Deontological
Deontological
the goodness of an act is determined by the motive behind it
Where does Kant believe moral worth comes from despite being a Christian?
doing one’s duty
Hypothetical Imperatives
if-then statements that designate certain actions to attain certain ends
Categorical Imperatives
things that must be, no explanation needed, act in a way you want others to act, don’t use people
Main Pillars of ethical formalism
Act in a way that you would be okay with becoming universal law
never treat humanity as a means to an end
act as though you are the law maker
Is ethical formalism an absolutionist perspective?
yes
Criticisms of Ethical Formalism
-unresponsive to extreme situations
-morality is limited to duty, yet sometimes duties conflict
-prioritizing motive over outcome can be problematic
t/f the definition of eudaemonia or happiness is equivalent to the idea of hedonism
false
t/f under the retributive system the reason we punish is for the greater good of society
false
t/f the primary distinction between ethical issues and ethical dilemmas is that issues are broad and dilemmas are specific
true
t/f the process of dehumanization involves stopping away of sympathy
true
t/f the brain releases oxytocin in settings where there are feelings of anger or fear
false
t/f and on-duty lifeguard who runs into the ocean to rescue a drowning child has performed what kind of duty
professional duty
the idea that the government should maintain order but the community should establish peace is a characteristic of what concept?
restorative justice
Deterrence is the central theme of what theory of corrective justice?
utilitarian
What ethical system suggests that what is good for one’s survival and personal happiness is moral
egoism
The concept of justice is most closely related to this type of ethical system?
ethical formalism
Immanuel Kant is most associated with this type of ethical system
ethical formalism
This type of ethical system bases ethics largely upon one’s character and possession of certain values
ethics of virtue
this type of justice is primarily concerned with balance
retributive justice
This type of justice concerns itself with the steps taken to determine guilt
procedural justice
This process theorized that people rationally choose their behaviors by weighing the please or benefit of their actions against the possible costs
hedonistic calculus
modeling and reinforcement are both elements of this theory
learning theory
comparing oneself to others develops this in an individual
self-efficacy
torturing a suspect as part of an interrogation would be justifiable if it saved lives would be consistent with this type of philosophy espoused by Jeremy Bentham
utilitarianism
this ethical system embraces human’s inclination for self-preservation
natural law
the power and ability to choose 1 of 2 or more alternatives
discretion
the idea that workers feel they are being treated fairly is known as this type of justice
organizational justice
this term refers to the study and analysis of what constitutes good and bad conduct
ethics
sanitizing language such as washing or ending instead of killing is an example of this type of labeling
euphemistic labeling
this distributive justice theory gives need the most weight
marxist
at this level of Kohlberg’s moral stage theory, people perceive themselves as members of society, living up to role responsibilities is paramount in believing oneself to be good
conventional
these are required behaviors, actions, or responsibilities that are attached to a specific role
duties
according to this text, what is the first step in ethical analysis?
determining if there is any revenant law
enlightened egosim
it may seem wrong, but longterm it well help you best help others
psychological egoism
humans naturally seek self-interest and therefore can’t do anything else
principle of forfeiture
you give up your rights to be treated with respect when you violate someone else’s
moral pluralism
there are fundamental truths that may dictate different definitions of what is moral in different situations
act utilitarianism
judges good by how a specific act impacts the good of all, not the future
rule utilitarianism
judges the goodness of an act by its long term utility when it becomes a universal rule
justice
the quality of being impartial, fair, just
the condition of being impartial is called
fairness
distributive justice
concerned with how to distribute wealth
corrective justice
concerned with unfair advantage occurs
egalitarian theories
equal shares for all
marxist theories
place need above desert or entitlement
libertarian theories
freedom from interference from the government
utilitarian theories
attempt to maximize benefits for individuals and society with a mixed emphasis on entitlements and needs
veil of ignorance
people can only develop fair principles of distribution when they are unaware of their position in society
substantive justice
concerns the appropriate punishment for crimes
procedural justice
concerns the steps taken to reach a determination of guilt
retributive justice
determination for an equal punishment to the crime
utilitarian justice
only supports punishment if it benefits society
restorative justice
concerned with making the perpetrator repay the victim and apologize in some way in order to restore them back to the community
preconventional level
person approaches moral issues purely by personal interest
conventional level
perceive themselves as members of society and living up to their roles is the most important to consider yourself a good person
post-conventional level
moves beyond norms and laws to determine universal good
moral justification
the appeal to a higher or more important end to justify the act
euphemistic labeling
use of words to downplay the seriousness of actions “sanitizing language”
advantageous comparison
an argument that an action may be wrong, but they could have done worse
displacement of responsibility
removes individual as a free thinking agent to deny culpability for actions
diffusion of responsibility
redefining one’s responsiblity for an action by spreading out the blame on others
