Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning

Flashcards covering the fundamentals of moral philosophy, including its main areas, logical methods, and potential biases in reasoning as presented in Chapter 1 of Jonathan Wolff's introduction.

According to Aristotle ($384–322\,BCE$), why is a young person not a 'proper hearer' of lectures on moral philosophy?

Because morality is more than just simple rules and understanding it requires experience.

How did T. M. Scanlon (b. $1940$) define the nature of morality?

Morality is about ‘what we owe each other.’

What is the definition of 'supererogation' in moral philosophy?

Acting above and beyond the call of duty.

What was Immanuel Kant's ($1724–1804$) view regarding duties and the self?

Kant argued that we also have duties to ourselves.

What is the primary study of meta-ethics?

The study of the nature of morality, including higher-order questions like whether moral judgments can be true or false.

What is the focus of normative ethics?

The study of the rules or norms of morality and how we ought to behave.

What is the difference between normative ethics and applied ethics?

Normative ethics focuses on general rules of morality, while applied ethics concerns specific, concrete moral dilemmas such as abortion or euthanasia.

What defines a logically valid argument?

An argument in which the conclusion logically follows from the premises; specifically, if the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.

In formal logic, what is a 'contradiction'?

Two or more statements that, purely for reasons of logic, cannot all be true at the same time.

What is required for an argument to be considered 'sound'?

The argument must be valid and all of its premises must be true.

What is logical consistency?

A state where two beliefs can be held at the same time without contradiction.

What is inference to best explanation (abduction)?

A method of reasoning where a theory is identified as being the best among competing theories at explaining the observed data.

What is a 'thought experiment'?

A hypothetical situation used to illustrate a theory or to test moral intuitions.

Which philosopher is associated with the 'trolley problem' thought experiment?

Foot ($1920–2010$).

What thought experiment did Singer (b. $1946$) propose?

The case of a child drowning in a pond.

When is a moral theory considered 'counterintuitive'?

When the theory has a consequence that contradicts one of our moral intuitions.

What is the 'universalization' form of moral argument?

A form of reasoning where one imagines what would happen if a specific course of action (e.g., stealing from the library) were universally followed.

What is 'framing' in the context of reasoning biases?

A bias where a person's intuitions about a problem are heavily dependent on how the problem is described to them.

What is 'confirmation bias'?

The tendency to pay attention primarily to evidence that supports a position one already holds.