Morality and Other Normative Systems - Introduction to Ethics

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms and distinctions from the lecture notes on morality, ethics, and normative systems.

Ethics

A branch of philosophy concerned with the rational justification of moral judgments, and with standards of right and wrong that guide how people ought to behave.

Morality

The set of standards that enable people to live cooperatively in groups; what societies determine as right or acceptable; includes moral standards, responsibility, and identity.

Ethics vs. Morality

Ethics refers to decisions based on individual character and reasoning; morality emphasizes widely shared communal norms about right and wrong.

Divine Command Theory

The view that morality depends on God’s commands; right actions are right because God commands them.

Divine Command Theory – Key Question

If morality depends on God’s will, what makes God’s commands moral rather than God merely commanding what is arbitrary?

Intrinsic Evil

An act is intrinsically evil when its wrongness is part of the act’s very nature (e.g., stealing).

Extrinsic Evil

An act is extrinsically evil when its wrongness comes from external factors (e.g., acting for a bad purpose).

Object of an Action

The essence of an action that makes it what it is; can be good, bad, or indifferent and influences moral status.

Circumstances in Moral Action

The time, place, agent, and manner of an act; they can increase or decrease the action’s goodness or badness.

End/Purpose of a Human Action

The goal or intention behind the act; can alter the overall morality when combined with object and circumstances.

Conventional Morality

Widely accepted rules and principles within a culture or society that govern behavior.

Critical Morality

Morality that is independent of conventional beliefs and can critique or revise prevailing norms.

Moral Starting Points

Plausible foundational assumptions to begin moral reasoning (e.g., not harming others, justice, respect for persons).

Law vs Morality

Law is not identical to morality; some immoral acts are legal and some moral duties are not codified in law.

Etiquette vs Morality

Etiquette concerns manners and customs, which may depart from moral requirements; not all etiquette is moral and vice versa.

Self-Interest vs Morality

Self-interest can conflict with morality; morality may require sacrificing personal gain for others’ good.

Tradition vs Morality

Tradition is a long-standing practice; morality can require breaking with tradition when it is unjust.

Normative Ethics

The study of how people ought to act and the justification of basic moral standards; includes evaluating what is morally right or wrong.

Descriptive Ethics

The study of what people actually believe to be right or wrong and how moral beliefs are practiced.

Teleological Ethics

An approach where the goodness or badness of an action is determined by its consequences.

Deontological Ethics

An approach where the goodness or badness of an action is determined by the action itself, not its consequences.

Metaethics

The study of the origins and meanings of ethical terms and principles, including questions about universal truths and the nature of moral reasoning.

Normative vs Applied Ethics

Normative ethics seeks to establish general moral standards; applied ethics studies how those standards apply to specific issues (e.g., abortion, animal rights).