philosophy final

human/person

human/person

we are all humans but do not all have the same rights as people. Ex. under 21, prisoners do not have rights of people

Chattel

humans who are owned

Dignity

dignity is what makes a person special

Negative rights

The rights that are most obvious and impossible to take away

Positive rights

The rights we think we have because someone or something owes us. Ex. Right to clean water, Clean air

Obligation

An act or course of action which we are are morally bound

Virtue

(Character ethics) refers to how you are and your character. More about intentions then outcome

Aristotle

Born in Macedonia, Platos star pupil, given credit for creating virtue ethics

Teleology

Every thing has a purpose

law

justice

natural justice

If you do something unnatural there will be consequences. Ex. If you play with fire you'll be burnt

civil law/justice

Depends on circumstances and situation some countries pay less or more taxes. What lawmakers make

proper function

Proper function is somethings purpose

Soul

What aristotle believed is the principle of life

virtues of character

What kind of person we normally are and our physical selves. Justice is the main virtue of character

virtues of thought

How we think

Habit

How you live, how you are generally. something you decide to do

the mean (not means)

Average. Whatever you are deciding find extremes and pick middle. Ex. 500 calories-6000 calories range pick around 2000

law/Justice

The correct decision that develops character. The mean of decisions is example of justice

Virtues of thought

understanding, intelligence, deliberation

Happiness

if we have a life of reason we are fulfilling our proper function and being virtous and happy

purpose of political state

education the citizens to have good habits to live better together with things like schooling or laws.

Akrasia

Weighing decisions and knowing what is right and doing the bad thing

"thought thinking thought"

The life of study and considering what we are and who we are makes us happy

reason=virtue=happiness

Because the goal of life is to have reason and contemplate then that is what makes us virtuous and being virtuous will make us happy

Education

Older people educate because they have more experience and thinks philosophers are the best teachers because philosophers look at the big picture and all subjects

Thomas Aquinas

Wanted to become a monk but family was rich and hired prostitute to make him sin but chased her away so he became a monk.

law (its definition)

law has 4 parts. Needs to be with reason, promulgated(advertised), for the common good, and by the legitimate authority

natural law (not laws of nature)

Rational creatures participation in eternal law. What the laws should say. Changes situation by situation.(how God will judge us) Ex. Birth control, abortion, slavery, virtue or morality police, same sex marriage

positive (civil) law

Laws that endore the natural laws and ethics. Things that promote virtue and goodness. Ex. Speed limits keep safety

Thomas Hobbes

Believes everyone sucks, is not nice, and is bad. We are worse than non human animals

state of nature

Everyone for themselves. If you cant stop me its your fault. How people naturally will live life is "brutish, nasty, and short" No justice. How life is in the wild. Anything you can do goes

civil state

What we live in. We are a CIVILIZED state of people.

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes book on what keeps people responsible to follow rules. King is Leviathan and we give him our rights and he makes sure we follow rules.

social contract theory

An agreement for people to live and work together. Rules for each other. Women cook Men work. With rules now there is right, wrong, and justice

"ethical" contract

Because our contract tells us what's good and bad and what we should do it is also a ethical contract

Contractarianism

Things are good or bad based off the rules we follow. The way we go about things day to day

John Rawls

Wants to suggest a way to have a fair contract thats good for everyone. Doesnt claim we do this or ever will just bringing up ideas in book theory of justice. Believes laws should be made without bias using type of vail of ignorance. Original position then veil of ignorance

original position

John Rawls starting at beginning saying we are rational, self interested and want to succeed and be happy

veil of ignorance

In order to make rules fairly we can only know our original position and not know any attributes about yourself or others (Gender, race, height, etc)

Peter Singer

Objected to John Rawls because he is still assuming we are humans. Not against veil of ignorance but wants it more open to everything and not just every human

Speciesism

The assumption of human superiority

Friedrich Nietzsche

Very smart and challenged everyone else. Believe if we want to live well and be happy we should overcome whatever obstacles and if we can do something we should. Nietzsche believed no one overcomed whatever obstacles except for the ancient greeks. Believed life we should be 100% Dionysus and 100% apollo. Cant go far too one side because too much dionysus is out of control and too much apollo is not emotionally good enough. What doesnt kill us makes us stronger. Dont give a **** about others ethics only about his own. One life make it count

will to power

Everything wants to have power and overcome life and keep being a thing. A bunch of forces trying to maintain ourselves. Believes if we can do something like kill a cow or strip a carrot then do it to survive.

genealogy of morals

Where does ethics come from in history(God, people, reason). Have to understand what we are

Dionysus and Apollo

Greeks believed Earth is hostile place and we have to work to survive. The God Nietzsche believed were the chief Gods in overcome life.

Dionysus

God of wine and desires mostly sexual. Dont restrain and likes partying and living crazy. Desire, disorder, no restraint. No thinking one big mess.

Apollo

God of intelligence and reason. Sees everything on its own and keep everything in tact. Lots of thinking. Reason, order, restraint

master and slave moralities

The two kinds of ethics. Not referring to slave as black america slave

Master Morality

The people that are strong and exercise power. What the master wants and can get he gets. Master decides what's better or worse. The better are the strong. Don't care what the slaves think.

Slave Morality

They are weak. They dont have power and just obey what we are told. Go along with the crowd. Most of us are like this. They want to impose their values on the masters. Christianity where you are told to deal with suffering and be happy later. Slave is boring naysayer

Ayn Rand

Similar philosophy to Friedrich Nietzsche but not as extreme. Her books are kept on some senators today so it is still relevant

Objectivism

Rand's belief that existence exists and what you see on Earth is real you can't change it just have to deal with it. There is no other reality there is no purpose or function for us except for our own happiness

Rational, ethical egoism

Thinking and acting just for yourself and your own best interest.

virtue of selfishness

You are ethical when you put your interests first. Only caring about your own happiness but not putting another person down to get it.

Altruism

Putting others' interests ahead of yourself. Rand was against this. Ex. Working overtime for no extra money or being underpaid because you want to help people

Predation

Sacrificing others for your own benefit. Rand was against this

Hedonism

Doing what feels good and only things that give you pleasure. Ex. Shooting up heroin all the time

Biggest critisism to Rand

We need to rely on others

Zeno of Citium

founder of stoicism. Shipwrecked with all his valuables realized he lost all his stuff but he was still alive

Stoicism

A way of life that says going through pain, suffering, or anger for stuff we cant control without complaining. Control your own reactions. Getting rid of stuff you dont like to only think about the good. Everything has a cause and effect. Dont be sad we are here for barely any time or nothing compared to world so might as well live it. No plan life just is. Domino example, well still fall all we can control is our reaction. Play your part, be just and fit in. Don't be obsessed because obsession will control you. No free will. Care about the things you can control. If we believe we can control other people then we set ourselves up for failure and have bad emotions. Remember whats in our control. Feeling sad doesn't fix anything. Not about not caring about what happens but not letting things bother you

Statues

There is a zeno of citium statue in Athens

Seneca

A teacher and famous stoicist

Epictetus

A stoicism slave that was born and died a slave and had his leg broken by his owner just because

Marcus Aurelius

A roman emperor that became a stoicist after his children were killed in battle

temperance, courage, justice, and wisdom

4 main virtuees of Stoicism. Justice lets you recognizze what is the case. If you believe your car must start you are setting yourself up because it may not. Courage tells us life sucks we don't know why. We may not be pleased but we must face the hard things. Temperance tells us not to seek too much or too little. Wisdom to understand when we can actually change things.

"free won't"

Freedom to not let things into your head. Not letting things get into your head

evolutionary theory of ethics

Ethics is just biology and humans are animals. Being ethical is an adaptive behavior. Whatever is good for the survival of the species

Biologization

Ethics is a matter of biology

Charles Darwin

The one given credit because he wrote books about the evolutionary theory of ethics. Ethics and good and bad is a result of instincts and happen over time from natural training of our body through biological reactions of happiness and sadness

survival of the fittest or survival or the most cooperative?

People say biology is just the survival of the fittest so is that then ethics. Darwin would then say it's about helping the group not just one person because evolution is survival of the species not individual. Ethics is about our survival

environmental ethics

Different from evolutionary theory of ethics. By building things like roads and buildings in animals habitats we are putting them extinct

Richard Sylvan (né Routley)

Credited for a lot of work for environmental ethics. Sylvan means forest so richard forest. He took his wifes name. Thinks we should care about the environment becasue

"last human on earth"

If we are the last human on Earth and find out you can blow up the planet would you? Why would it matter? Environmental ethics say we wont because its a waste of time

instrumental value

When you use something as a tool and it gives us something. Ex. a tree giving us wood or shade

intrinsic value

It has dignity it is good and has value.

body integrity disorder

Belief that the body someone is born with is not the one they are not supposed to have. Involves wanting to be disabled or other abled.

Judith Jarvis Thomson

Believed some abortions are ethical. Believes the fetus is an innocent person with a right to life. Believes fetus has right to life but mother has right not to be used which trumps fetus. Main point is abortions can be ethical in certain situations. When abortion is not in the intention to be pregnant. Abortion is not an ethical form of birth control. Not ethical when you could have done something else.

the famous violinist

You are forced to be connected to someone to keep them alive. If you unplug they die but after 9 months you safely unplug for good. Neither of you consented to this. Thomson believes it is not unethical to unplug

Intention

To Kant this alne counts otherwise impure.

Immanuel Kant

Only intentions matter, you want good results but more focused on intentions. If not you are impure. Believes in duty ethics.

Deontology

Duty ethics. You follow the rules. You know your rules through the categorical imperatives

duty ethics

Means you do your duty only because it is your duty. If you dont do your duty you are unethical.

categorical imperative

The ways to find your duty and know what they are. There are no exceptions to these. You must do these all the time every time and everyone must do it if ethical. Universalizability, means and ends, kingdom of ends.

Universalizability

Always act in a way that everyone could do it. Consequences of everyone doing it good or bad doesnt matter. Could everyone reasonably do it. Ex. If everyone used contraception no one would be born. If everyone stole a chocolate bar there would be no more candy bars. Not about if the result would be good more about if it would still be possible. Ex. Everyone could speed through yellow lights so it doesnt matter it would end badly. It is possible

means and ends

A means is something good for getting something else. Your computer is good for looking something up. Means and ends means not to use someone as a means. Treating people with respect and dignity. Nobody is a doormat. Things are means people are ends.

kingdom of ends

Imagine you are monarch of kingdom. Only use reason dont use career goals, emotions, or something other than reason. If it is not with reason it is bad. Not considering feelings, results, or if you like it. Free from all distractions but reason. Ex. If mother Teresa made choices because she wants God to love her its unethical but if she did them because it is the right thing to do and rational then it is ethical.