Philosophy Exam II Review Vocab

Utilitarianism

the view that we should always do the act which will produce the greatest amount of happiness for
the greatest number of people.

Utility

a balance of pleasure over pain.

Jeremy Bentham

British philosopher who advocated utilitarianism; Hedonistic Calculus; pig philosophy.

John Stuart Mill

English philosopher and economist remembered for his interpretations of empiricism and utilitarianism (1806-1873)

Hedonistic Calculus

Jeremy Bentham's rationale for calculating the potential rewards of a crime so the amount of threatened pain could be set to deter people from committing that crime

Pig Philosophy

"A satisfied pig has equal or more value than a dissatisfied human being"

Act Utilitarianism

Tries to find what Act will have the best
consequences.

Rule Utilitarianism

Tries to find the rule that will have the best
consequences.

Teleological/Consequential Ethics

an ethical theory that judges the moral rightness or wrongness of an act according to the end result. Both egoism and utilitarianism are examples of Teleological theories.

Deontological Ethics

Duty-oriented ethics; the rightness of an act depends upon its own inherent nature and not upon the
consequences it produces.

Categorical Imperative

you should act in a way that you could which the maxim
of your action be a universal law of conduct.

Maxim

an objective rule which governs behavior; Boils down to the golden rule; we should treat others as ends in themselves and not as a means to an end.

Virtue

a trait of character that is to be desired because it is an ingredient of human excellence.

Arete

To have the quality of excellence. To be an excellent human being.

Eudaimonia

happiness and living well.

Doctrine of the Mean

Virtue is achieved through moderation. Avoid behavior that is excessive or deficient of a virtue.

Epicurean

a form of long term egoistic hedonism. Epicureans were willing to put off short term pleasures to achieve long term satisfaction.

Ataraxia

tranquility of the mind.

Stoic

terrible things will happen to you in life. Be willing to accept virtue as the greatest good.

Apatheia

an attitude in which we don't get so wrapped up in
something that if we lose it, it'll devastate us.

Qualitative Identity

Two things are qualitatively identical if they share
many of the same properties.

Numerical Identity

Two things are numerically identical or they are the
very same thing.

Accidental Properties

Properties/elements that something can lose without
ceasing to exist. (hair length)

Essential Properties

Properties/elements that something cannot lose
without ceasing to exist.

Ship of Theseus

If a ship has all of its planks replaced, is the same ship?

Body Theory

personal identity persists over time because you remain in the same body from birth to death.

Memory Theory

personal identity persists overtime, because you retain memories of yourself at different points, and each of those memories is connected to the one before it.

Psychological Continuity Theory

The theory that identity resides in the continuity of psychology in an individual.

Soul Theory

personal identity persists overtime because you have the same soul from birth to death.

Illusion Theory

there is no self that persists over time, we change from one moment to the next and turn into a new person, so personal identity is an illusion.

Phileo

brotherly love

Eros

romantic love

Agape

unconditional love