Introduction to Ethics, Responsibility, and Integrity

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key ethical theories, concepts of responsibility, integrity, and the foundations of moral reasoning from Weeks $$1$$ through $$4$$.

Ethics

A field of study concerned with how people should act, what kind of people they should become, and the values that should guide personal, professional, and civic life.

Responsibility

The recognition that our actions affect others and that we have duties to ourselves, communities, and the institutions to which we belong.

Integrity

The practice of acting consistently with moral values such as honesty, fairness, respect, and accountability, even when difficult or inconvenient.

Moral Argument

An argument that utilizes ethical principles, value claims, and evidence to support a conclusion about what is right, wrong, good, bad, praiseworthy, blameworthy, or required.

Moral Principle

A fundamental standard for moral arguments and judgements that ethically guides behavior, which can serve as a premise or a conclusion.

Premise

A supporting reason provided within an argument.

Value Proposition

A claim about the worth, benefit, or importance of something that helps explain why it matters in moral reasoning.

Enthymemes

Arguments that contain one or more hidden premises or unstated assumptions.

Permissions

A category of moral principles where an action is allowed and acceptable, though not strictly required.

Prohibition

A category of moral principles where an action is considered morally wrong and should not be done.

Obligations

A category of moral principles where an action is morally required.

Supererogatory

An action that is morally good but not strictly required.

Consequentialism

The ethical view that the morality of an action should be judged solely by its consequences or what it produces.

Egoism

A consequentialist perspective where a person aims to maximize their own good and is concerned only with outcomes affecting themselves.

Utilitarianism

A moral theory stating that people should act in a way that maximizes overall utility, often defined as the greatest overall good.

Utility

A measure of happiness, wellbeing, benefit, or preference satisfaction used to judge outcomes.

Hedonic Utility

A measurement of utility purely in terms of pleasure and pain, where good actions increase pleasure or reduce pain.

Welfare Utility

A measurement of utility in terms of overall benefit to society, including health, education, safety, and social stability.

Preference Utilitarianism

An approach that measures utility according to the satisfaction of people's informed preferences or what they actually want.

Agent Neutrality

The concept that the moral value of an outcome does not depend on who is making the decision, meaning everyone's interests count equally.

Altruism

The view that moral value is judged according to the good an action brings to others, regardless of benefit to oneself.

Singer’s Principle (Effective Altruism)

A principle stating that if you can help someone without sacrificing anything nearly as important, you should do so in the most effective way possible.

Monstrous Certainty

The danger of believing that one's own knowledge or moral position is beyond doubt, which may justify harm or dehumanize others.

Moral Relativism

The view that right or wrong depends on cultural, social, or personal context rather than universal or absolute truths.

Apathy

In an ethical context, this occurs when people stop caring about moral questions because they believe there is no way to judge between right and wrong.

Universalizability

The moral principle that a rule should apply to everyone in relevantly similar circumstances; if an action is right for one, it must be right for all.

Defeasibility

The characteristic of moral principles where they can have exceptions or be overridden when another moral reason is stronger in a specific situation.

Moral Reasoning

The process of thinking carefully about which principle has the strongest claim in a given situation.

Moral Imagination

The ability to picture a situation from different perspectives, specifically those of the people affected by a decision.

Deontology

An ethical approach, notably associated with Immanuel Kant, focused on duty and actions that are right or wrong in themselves, regardless of consequences.

Agent-Relative Morality

The idea that morality depends on the specific duties of a particular person based on their role or relationship.

Maxim

The underlying principle behind an action, which is tested for universalizability in Kantian ethics.

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

The moral requirement to act only on principles that can be rationally willed to become a universal law.

Kant’s Principle of Humanity

The requirement to treat humanity never merely as a means to an end, but always as an end in themselves, respecting their dignity and autonomy.

Perfect Duties

Strict and precise moral requirements that tell us clearly what must be avoided, such as the duty not to lie.

Imperfect Duties

Broader moral responsibilities that identify general goals, such as helping others, but require judgment on how to fulfill them.

Naive Empathy

Occurs when someone assumes they fully understand another's experience simply by imagining it, which can lead to arrogance and the erasure of differences.

Respectful Empathy

An approach that acknowledges one may not fully understand another's experience, prioritizing listening to the other person's voice.

Aretaic

A term relating to excellence or virtue, derived from the Greek work for virtue.

Ergon

The purpose or function of a thing; according to Aristotle, understanding this is necessary to determine if something is good.

Eudaimonia

A condition of a whole life going well, often translated as flourishing or living well in accordance with virtue.

Virtue Ethics

An ethical theory focusing on qualities of character and the formation of stable habits that influence a person to act well.

Phronesis

Practical wisdom; the ability to judge what is morally appropriate in a specific situation and act accordingly.

Thin Ethical Terms

General moral words like 'good' or 'bad' that provide judgment without descriptive detail about the moral quality involved.

Thick Ethical Terms

Terms like 'courageous' or 'selfish' that combine moral evaluation with specific description of character or quality.

The Golden Mean

Aristotle's concept that virtues exist as a balance between two vices: deficiency and excess.

Akrasia

A lack of self-mastery or incontinence, where a person acts against their better judgment because they cannot control their impulses.

Enkrateia

Self-mastery or continence, where a person overcomes a struggle against their desires to act correctly.

Right

A justified claim or entitlement that one can make against others, society, or the state.

Inalienable Rights

Rights, such as life, liberty, and property, that John Locke argued cannot be permanently taken away or given up.

Totalisation

The act of reducing a complex person to a single category, label, or trait, such as nationality or religion.

The Face (Levinas)

The direct encounter with another's humanity and vulnerability, which disrupts abstract judgment and creates moral demand.

Hospitality (Levinas)

The act of recognizing the vulnerability of the other and making room for them, often requiring personal sacrifice.

The Right to Have Rights

Hannah Arendt's concept that a person must belong to a political community to have their humanity recognized and protected by law.

Civil Disobedience

The act of deliberately and non-violently breaking an unjust law on moral grounds to challenge injustice and seek reform.

Just Law

A law that respects human dignity and applies fairly to all members of society.

Unjust Law

A law that degrades human dignity, often by treating people as objects or excluding them from equal participation.

I-Thou Relationship

A relationship based on treating another person with dignity, respect, and as an equal rather than as an object.

Self-purification

The process of preparing oneself morally and emotionally to face hostility without responding violently during nonviolent protest.