Ethics: General Knowledge for Final

What are the Four elements of the Socratic Method?

1. Socratic Irony

2. Dialectic inquiry

3. Emphasis on definition

4. Aporia

What is an argument?

a set of statements (premises), some of which support others (conclusions)

What is a theory?

a description that offers an explanation of some others accepted fact

Divine Command Theory (DCT)

Ethical Theory that says what is right/wrong are those actions that are commanded by God (or, that follow the will of the Divine)

• not good theory, does not explain anything

The "Euthyphro" Dilemma

Are pious actions beloved by the gods because they are pious OR, are pious actions pious because they are loved by the gods?

are good actions commanded by god because they are good or, are good actions good because they are commanded by god

What are the 4 main branches of philosophy?

1. logic

2. metaphysics

3. epistemology

4. values

What are the 5 steps outlined as Socrates' method?

1. Receive

2. Reflect

3. Refine

4. Re-state

5. Repeat

Argument against cultural relativism

not enough evidence to show that its true- all cultures disagree about morality and so it means there is no truth- but there is truth

• james rachels

buy into cultural relativism

• No coherent notion of moral progress 

• Theres no room for criticizing other cultures 

• Can't use your own culture- must conform to the culture around you

Universal values

• Prohibiting murder 

• No lies 

• Protect the children 

beings-in-themselves

neutral objects that simply exist as they are

beings-for-themselves

conscious, intentional minds that make choices and act such that they create meaning out of the world

Existentialism

We are thrown into this one life, with a limited and unknown amount of time before death, and that we actually make ourselves through our living choices

•   Jean-Paul Sartre

authentic

Making choices for yourself and owning those choices, taking the responsibility for them

inauthentic

Pretending that you did not make choices, being more passive and choosing to allow others to define your choices for you, and then shirking the responsibility and blaming others

radically free

every moment we are free to choose, we are always choosing- you can’t avoid choosing and every choice you make will have a significance towards you

Pantheism (all is God)

believes there is only God and there is nothing outside of God 

Cosmos (the whole)

saw it as the body of God

Materialism

the only thing that exists is this material world, there is not some other world or dimension it’s just this

Fatalism

all meant to happen, everything that happens for a reason, it comes from something and couldn’t be any other way and is all directed towards something

Intelligent design

if its only this world, all god, all fated, that means that everything is actually supposed to be the way it is, everything is good- some reason why we’re there

Autonomy and serenity

If I accept all these things I understand what I am 

• We control ourselves- our actions, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings

Stoicism

emphasizes virtue and living in accordance with nature

• true happiness comes from cultivating inner peace and self-control, rather than seeking external validation or material possessions (wisdom highest virture)

cosmopolitan perspective

emphasizes the inherent worthiness of human beings regardless of their location

Cultural imperialism

make everybody subscribe to this point of view

• Tried to eliminate other kinds of views- one culture dominates others

Bird cage analogy 

The wire doesn’t trap the bird it's the arrangement of all those wires that allows it to capture the bird

• Marilyn Frye

Sexism

it’s sexist to make sex relevant when it isn’t relevant 

Sex-marking

recognizing that the people around belong to one or the other category of male or female 

Sex-announcement

what I do to let people know what sex category I belong to 

Sex-recognition

we have a built psychological need to place people into one category

Sex-Dimorphism

the vow that humans come in two distinct sexes and only in those two sexes 

Instrumental Value

it is good because it brings about something else that is good

Intrinsic value

something valued in itself or for itself

theory of obligation

provides an account of which actions are right or wrong do

theory of value

provides an account of what things are good or bad

Consequentialism 

Nothing about an action in itself that makes it right or wrong. Rather, it is some function of its consequences that determine the moral status of the action.

• Actions that have good results are good

• Actions that have bad results are bad

Hedonism

The only thing that has any value is a subject experiencing pleasure or pain. This is the only intrinsic value.

• Pain is intrinsically bad, and pleasure intrinsically good

Principle of Utility

The right thing to do at any given time is the action that maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain across all of those who will be affected

Socrates thought which of the following was the essential virtue from which all others followed?

wisdom

Socrates thought that we should educate, not punish, wrongdoers.

true

Which of the following is NOT one of the three parts of the soul, according to Plato

ego

What were the four cardinal virtues that Plato explained

Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, and Justice

Plato argued that each person is structured like a city, so politics and ethics are connected

true

Which of the following is the best way to understand the word ‘eudaimonia’?

Attaining a flourishing, happy life

The one, ultimate goal that is pursued only as an end in itself (intrinsic value), according to Aristotle, is

Attaining a fulfilling life

Aristotle provides a hierarchy of ends, that all our actions point to one goal

true

According to Aristotle, in order to know what qualities make excellent any particular thing (inanimate, plant, animal or human), we need to know

What the thing's function and its structure is

Which of the following according to Aristotle is not principles or natural functions of the human being

Immortality and immateriality

Which of the following ARE Aristotle principles or natural functions of the human being

• Rationality and thinking

• Nutrition and growth

• Appetite and desire

Which of the following does Aristotle see as the most uniquely human aspect of the structure of all of us?

Our ability to comprehend and direct our lives rationally

Which best distinguished between moral virtues and intellectual virtues for Aristotle?

Moral virtues are habits formed by your rational part controlling your emotions and desires; Intellectual virtues are the learned skills of the rational part of you.

According to Aristotle, moral virtue aims at

The intermediate between two vices

Which of the following best describes Aristotle’s “doctrine of the mean”? 

It requires doing something at the right time, with the right person, to the right extent, toward the right object, etc.

What does the philosophical position of hedonism claim?

Pleasure is the only state that has any intrinsic value

The ethical theory of utilitarianism rejects hedonistic egoism because

If pleasure is the only thing with intrinsic value then who experiences the pleasure is ethically/morally irrelevant

According to John Stuart Mill the “greatest happiness principle” is

Actions are right if they promote the general happiness of all affected by the action, and wrong if they do not

Mill says it is “better to be Socrates dissatisfied rather than a fool satisfied” because...  (choose the best to represent why he says this)

Human happiness does not always involve a sense of contentment, but if noble is superior

According to Mill, how do we differentiate between higher-quality and lower-quality pleasures?

• Only persons who’ve experienced both of two different pleasures are in a position to say which one is higher in quality

• Higher-quality pleasures tend to last longer and are easier to sustain

• Persons will sacrifice lower-quality pleasures in order to gain higher-quality ones

• Higher-quality pleasures tend to be intellectual or emotional, and lower-quality pleasures tend to be bodily

Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, because it focuses on the results of actions as what determines what is right.

true

Ethical Egoism asserts that everyone should do what benefits themselves.

true

Hedonism is a theory of obligation which says that you ought to take heed of the rules of the government.

false

Which of the following is a genuine concern regarding Utilitarian thinking, that Mill could help us avoid?

Slavery, and other horrible actions or institutions, might be justified if enough positive benefits could be tallied.

Which of the following is a group that Mill did not recognize should be treated more fairly and with more regard in our social interactions and moral deliberations?

machines and technology

To say that the "ends justify the means" is to say that the quality of an action is less important than the results it produces.

true

Deontology is an approach that focuses on the inherent qualities of an action to determine its moral status.

true

According to the natural law approach to ethics you can learn morality...

By observing patterns of behavior in things and animals

What evidence would Aquinas offer that show that suicide is a perverse unnatural act?

Animals and other living things instinctively struggle to survive, so we should choose to follow that inclination too.

Aquinas would argue that the sexual act is meant to result in reproduction.  Which best explains his reasoning for this?

All living creatures in nature show a natural tendency to replicate their natures, or transmit their being.

One possible weakness of a natural law approach is that we might be picking out the wrong "pattern" and assuming it shows us what is right.

true

Broadly, what is a "Social Contract theory" approach committed to?

At least some aspect of morality reflects an agreement among people to form a society

Hobbes was a 'materialist,' which means...

he only believed in physical things made up of matter, and not in anything non-physical

Hobbes was a 'determinist,' which means that he believed that all events, including human actions, are the result of necessity from prior events.

true

According to Thomas Hobbes the state of nature...

• is miserable for those living in it

• is a condition of absolute freedom

• has neither justice or injustice

• is a state of war

Which of the following according to Hobbes are the three causes for quarrel in the state of nature?

Competition over resources, distrust of others, and desire for glory

Which of the following is NOT one of the passions for peace that Hobbes thinks moves us toward removing ourselves from the state of nature?

understanding that diversity and difference makes us stronger

According to Hobbes, the 2nd Natural Law tells us to...

give up our natural right to everything and agree to limited civil rights

According to Immanuel Kant, the only thing that is good without limitation is...

A good will

The best example of a person who clearly acts out of respect for moral duty, as Kant describes it, is which of the following?

A woman takes care of an elderly relative, without hope for reward, even though the relative is rude and unkind to her

The sentence “If you want to earn money, then you should get a job” is in the form of

A hypothetical imperative

Kant’s Categorical Imperative is expressed as:

Act only on that maxim that you can will to be a universal law for everyone

Kant conceives of freedom as...

Autonomous action, acting on one's own will

According to Kant, the categorical imperative can be expressed in another way, relating to how we treat people. How can we express it in this “practical” formulation?

Act always to treat humanity in yourself and others as an end in itself, never merely as a means.