Intro to Ethics Vocabulary

Midterm (9/7-10/14)

Moral Fact

An objective truth about what is right, wrong, good, or bad.

Value Claim

An argument or statement that expresses a judgment about whether something is good, bad, right, or wrong.

Dogmatism

A person who asserts their opinions on beliefs as absolute.

Moral Skepticism

There is not even one objective moral truth.

Moral Nihilism

Nothing is right or wrong. Denies objective, relative, & subjective moral truths.

Ethical Subjectivism

There are such truths and each person has the final say about what they are. (It’s true FOR YOU).

Error Theory (Form of Nihilism)

A moral language tries but always fails to accurately describe moral reality. Everything trying to convince the other of a truth using words. (Moral language always mistaken).

Non-cognitivists

Claims moral language doesnt attempt to describe anything, instead used to persuade, encourage, prescribe, or express one’s feeling. (Moral judgements cannot be true or false) (BOO vs. YAY theory).

Ethical Objectivists

There are correct moral standards & they exist independently of what anyone, anywhere, thinks of them.

Metaphysics

The study of the nature of reality; what there is what there isn’t; what it means to “exist”

Epistemology

The study of knowledge; what are its requirements; what makes a belief “justified”; how to acquire knowledge

Moral Objectivism (E)

There is at least one mind-independent objective moral truth. Does not depend on beliefs, attitudes, desires, traditions, commitments, etc. of any person or group of people.

Moral Relativism

There are moral truths, BUT those truths depend on beliefs & attitudes of members of a given culture. (Its true for US).

Divine Command Theory

View that actions are wrong if God commands that we do not do them

Psychological Egoism

View that human nature is fundamentally self-interested, i.e., all human behavior is primarily motivated, or entirely, by a concern for one’s own interests. (Hobbes). (The FOOL!!)

Ethical Egoism

View that the morally right thing to do is promote one’s interests and it is morally wrong if contrary to one’s own interests.

Descriptive Moral Relativism

Moral beliefs vary from culture to culture, beliefs can vary without truths varying. Objectivists can agree with this form.

Meta-Ethical Moral Relativism

Moral truths vary from culture to culture, each culture has “their own” truths. Objectivists cannot agree with this form.

Consequentialism

Do as much good (to the world) as you can. What is right is whatever produces the most good. Ends justify the means as long as the ends are good enough.

Doctrine of Natural Equality

Hobbes believes humans were made naturally equal.

Right of Nature

Even in a state of nature, humans have the right to all things.

What are the four parts of the Hobbes “State of Nature” claim?

Psychological egoism, doctrine of natural equality, right of nature, and resources are scarce.

What are Hobbes’ three “Laws of Nature”

Seek peace, form contracts, and keep contracts.

What is Hobbes’ Social Contract Theory?

An action is wrong if and only if it violates any part if the social contract. (Why is r4pe wrong? Because you agreed not to do it).

If all four parts of Hobbes’ “State of Nature” claim exist… what will happen? What will happen if you take one away.

With all four present war will happen. If one is taken away war will not happen.

What are the two ways to escape the State of Nature?

1) kill yourself, 2) form a society (gather some fellows) → (contracts).

Why can moral relativism not account for moral progress?

1) Moral progress moves towards an ideal, relativism does not have any ideals (because they are objective). 2) There is such thing as change (in relativism) but never improvement or progress.

What does it mean when something is objectively true or false?

It is mind independent and does not depend on what people believe.

Hedonism (Bentham)

Maximizing individual pleasure and minimizing individual pain. Pleasure is the ultimate goal. Humans motivated by the pursuit of maximizing pleasure.

Utilitarianism (Mill)

Maximizing happiness for the majority of people. Prioritizing higher quality pleasures over lower quality pleasures. Intellectual pleasures > bodily pleasures. Quality > quantity.

Doctrine of Swine (Utilitarianism Misconception #1)

Always choosing the action that benefits the most people. Pleasures of the mind are more pleasurable than those of the body. “Better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.”

Utilitarianism is too demanding (Utilitarianism Misconception #2)

We must choose the action that creates the most happiness. The motive is irrelevant to the rightness/ wrongness of an act.

Do you have to believe in God to be a moral objectivist?

CAM’S OPINION (also Shafer-Landau): No, no reason to think objective moral truths are different from the objective moral truths in math, biology, logic, etc.

What does it mean to be intrinsically motivated

To be motivated all by themselves. (?)

What is J.L. Mackie’s Argument from Queerness?

If there were objective moral values, they would be entities or relations different from anything in the universe. (Basically- if you have otherworldly intuition of an objective moral truth… that is SUPER WEIRD!! (queer).

Why does Mackie think objective moral truths are objectively queer?

He argues for empirical (physical evidence) data on beliefs/ ideas on matters of essence, identity, diversity, etc.

Is it always in a person’s interest to follow a/the social contract?

CAM’S OPINION: Yes it is because it will always be contrary to a person’s self-interests to violate the social contract.

What is the Euthyphro Dilemma?

A logical lose-lose situation. “If you believe A, then you must believe B or C… but B and C are both false or problematic.”

A: God exists. B: Actions are pious because God loves them (anything can be pious because God’s attitudes shift). C: God loves actions because they are pious (if piety is independent of God, why do we care what God thinks?).