PHIL 27 Midterm 1 Brandt

Skepticism about Morality

a matter of opinion, socially constructed- wrong to judge other societies/ cultures

Objective Morality

there is a moral code that exists independent of us; there is absolute right/ wrong

Epistemic Skepticism

the view that humans cannot know anything

Moral Nihilism

the view that there are no moral truths at all

Error- theory

all moral claims are wrong

Non-cognitivism

Moral judgements do not make claims about reality and are not true or false; not fact stating

Moral Relativism

moral claims can be true/false but only within a society; right/ wrong depends on what the society says

What does moral relativism allow for?

internal critiques; assessment of the society's values

Moral Subjectivism

moral values are relative to each person's subjective preferences

Moral Equivalence

an implication of skepticism; all moral views are on par with each other

Tolerance

a moral position; how we should behave towards others who are different- correctness depends on view

Contradictions

cannot be true; ex. something cannot both be right and wrong so caveats arise (right for X, wrong for Y)

Moral Disagreement

Disagreement caused by having different ethical principles; can an action take place in more than one society (with different morals)?

Moral Progress

Change for the better in a society's moral standards; are those working for change acting immorally till it changes?

Moral Conventions

arbitrary decisions that have no right answer; ex. what side of the road we drive on; constrained by objective morality

Occam's Razor

Simpler explanations are more likely to be true than complex ones; morality doesn't add to the base understanding of an event

Facts about the physical world do not...

tell us about moral facts

Epistemic Facts

The things that make epistemic claims true; facts about what you hould believe

Regress Problem

you can keep on asking the justification of a moral claim- like a toddler

Is morality part of the world?

Hume: facts about the world cannot tell us about right and wrong

Utilitarianism

idea that the goal of society should be to bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

Principal of Utility

Greatest good for the greatest number

Motive plays no role at all in...

utilitarianism

Mill on pleasure

only thing worth pursuing for its own sake; high pleasures provide a greater quality of happiness

Utilitarian Calculus

used to determine the best course of action or policy by calculating the total amount of pleasure and pain caused by that action; often in line with justice

The Repugnant Conclusion

more shittly happy is better then less good happy; total AND average happiness doesne work

Prima Facie Duties (Ross)

Fidelity, reparation, gratitude, beneficence, justice, self- improvement, non malfeasance

Pro Tanto duty

duties are limited- duty to a certain extent

Prima Facie duties conflict

Duties that get outweighed are still there and unfulfilled

Is there a hierarchy in duty?

it is not clear; "make a considered judgement"