Bible 12 Unit 1

moral awareness

waking up to moral experience, to being a moral agent

moral reflection

looking back on what has been

moral deliberation

considers possible courses of action

four areas of Wesleyan quadrilateral

reason, experience, scripture, tradition

how does REST affect our decision making

helps us determine what is right and what is wrong; acts as authority in our lives

ethics

how we think about right and wrong, specifically how right and wrong are determined

judgements of value

what is good or bad for you (study or not, sleep or not, which college)

judgements of obligation

what one MUST do or MUST forgo doing based on some kind of prior commitment (cleaning, sports, rules)

four categories of ethical systems

descriptive ethics, meta ethics, virtue theory, normative ethics

descriptive ethics

simply describes what is happening; often through polling and statistics

metaethics

investigates the meaning of moral language; considers the justification of ethical theories and judgements; language of right and wrong is nothing more than an expression of personal preference (emotivism)

virtue theory

focuses on the virtues produces in people (their character, not morality)

normative ethics

a method for determining behavior by giving authority to an outside source; a standard or “norm”

3 subsets of normative ethics

deontological ethics, teleological ethics, relativistic ethics

deontological ethics

duty ethics; divine command, natural law, and ethical rationalism

teleological ethics

right and wrong are based on the end result; utilitarianism and ethical egoism

relativistic ethics

there are no absolute right and wrong; everything is relative and subjective; cultural relativism and moral subjectivism

divine command

part of deontological ethics; based on religious writings or instructions

natural law

part of deontological ethics; based on natural tendencies of a thing

ethical rationalism

part of deontological ethics; based on reasoning and concepts obvious from human interaction that are often codified in significant documents

utilitarianism

part of teleological ethics; produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people

ethical egoism

part of teleological ethics; produces the greatest good for the individual; whatever advances self-interest

cultural relativism

part of relativistic ethics; a culture decides what is right or wrong

moral subjectivism

part of relativistic ethics; the individual’s preference is what matters; doing something on a whim

four grading categories

grammar (remembering), dialectic (thinking), rhetoric (communicating), wisdom (applying knowledge)

Aristotle and ethics

the importance of friendship, pleasure, and virtue and how to balance them

the classical virtues

prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude/courage

eudaimonia and the golden mean

eudaimonia is flourishing and thriving. the golden mean is leading a life of virtue and balance. both help us reach “the good life”

Epicureanism and stoicism

epicureanism is maximizing pleasure by removing pain. stoicism is living justly and virtuously