Ethics and Media Studies Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering normative theories, thinkers, marketing ethics, media ethics, and truth concepts from lecture notes.

Egoism

An ethical approach centered on doing what is best for yourself, characterized by self-interest and the idea of "me, me, me" or "whatever floats your boat."

Utilitarianism

A consequentialist ethical approach associated with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill that asserts the best action is the one that creates the greatest good for the greatest number.

Duty-Based Ethics

Also called Deontological Ethics and associated with Immanuel Kant; an ethical approach stating one must do what is right according to duties and rules regardless of the outcome.

Categorical Imperative

Immanuel Kant's major ethical idea stating you should only do something if you believe it should be a universal rule that everyone could follow.

Virtue Ethics

An ethical approach associated with Aristotle focusing on character, habit, and developing a good self ("being" rather than "doing") instead of merely evaluating specific actions.

Golden Mean

Aristotle's concept in virtue ethics of taking the middle road and finding the balanced ground between two extremes, such as courage between cowardice and recklessness.

Temperance

Self-control or moderation, recognized as a virtue in Aristotle's virtue ethics.

Social Contract Ethics

An ethical framework associated with Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls stating that morality comes from what society agrees to ("if society agrees to it, it's what we do").

Original Position

A thought experiment by John Rawls where individuals imagine establishing the rules of society before knowing what specific position or status they will hold in that society.

Veil of Ignorance

John Rawls's concept in which people design societal rules without knowing whether they will be rich or poor, powerful or powerless, healthy or sick, or majority or minority.

Care-Based / Feminist Ethics

An ethical approach emphasizing relationships, caring, empathy, compassion, human needs, and power differences rather than solely relying on universal rules or outcomes.

Agape

Selfless, unconditional love that involves caring for others without expecting anything in return; expressed as "love thy neighbor as thyself."

Axial Age

A historical period when major philosophical and religious ideas developed simultaneously across different civilizations.

Zoroaster

An ancient Persian religious and philosophical figure noted for historical ethical contributions.

Consequentialist

An ethical perspective (such as utilitarianism) that judges the morality of an action based primarily on its results, consequences, or what happens because of the decision.

Non-consequentialist

An ethical perspective (such as duty-based ethics) that judges an action on whether the action itself is right or wrong, rather than primarily by its outcome.

Reversibility

An ethical test asking "Would I be okay with someone doing this to me?", directly connecting to the Golden Rule.

Golden Rule

The moral principle stating: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Absolutism

The philosophical position that there are moral rules that are always right or wrong regardless of the situation or circumstances (e.g., "lying is always wrong").

Relativism

The philosophical position that whether an action is right or wrong depends on the situation, culture, society, or circumstances.

Metaethics

The branch of ethics that examines the fundamental nature of morality and asks questions such as "What does morality even mean?"

Normative Ethics

The branch of ethics that asks "What SHOULD people do?" and includes theoretical frameworks like utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and duty-based ethics.

Applied Ethics

The branch of ethics that takes ethical principles and applies them directly to real-world practical situations and dilemmas.

Advocacy Professions

Fields such as public relations, advertising, marketing, and lobbying that represent and promote a person, organization, product, or cause rather than aiming for complete neutrality.

Codes of Ethics

Written, preventative guidelines that establish professional standards and inform practitioners how they are expected to behave ethically.

Ombudsman

A professional role focused on reaction; someone who responds to complaints, investigates problems, and examines questionable behavior after it occurs.

Plagiarism

Taking someone else's work, ideas, or words and presenting them as your own without proper credit.

Fabrication

Making up information entirely, such as a reporter inventing a source who never existed.

Jayson Blair

A former New York Times reporter who was the center of a major journalism scandal after fabricating and plagiarizing parts of news stories.

Behavioral Marketing

The practice of tracking and using consumer online data (such as browsing history, search history, cookies, clicks, and location) to target advertising.

Bait and Switch

A deceptive marketing tactic of advertising a product at an attractive price to draw customers in, then pushing them toward a different or more expensive product.

Greenwashing

Misleading consumers into believing that a company or product is more environmentally friendly than it actually is through packaging or claims.

Astroturfing

Creating the artificial impression of spontaneous grassroots or public support when the campaign is actually organized or funded by an organization or company.

Deception

The act of intentionally causing someone to believe something that is not true.

Correspondence Theory

A truth theory stating that a statement is true if it matches and corresponds to external reality and facts.

Coherence Theory

A truth theory stating that a statement is true if it fits consistently and logically with other accepted beliefs and information.

Social Construction Theory

A theory holding that what is regarded as true and meaningful is shaped by society, culture, language, and shared beliefs.

FCC

Federal Communications Commission; the federal agency that regulates communications, broadcasting, television, and radio.

FTC

Federal Trade Commission; the federal agency responsible for consumer protection, regulating advertising, and addressing deceptive business practices.

Civil Disobedience

Intentionally breaking a law as a deliberate form of peaceful protest to challenge an unjust policy or system.

Stakeholders

Individuals or groups who are affected by a decision or who hold an interest in the outcome of an organization's actions.

Summum Bonum

A Latin expression meaning "the highest good" or "the greatest good," referring to the ultimate ideal or purpose of life.