Misterm 1 Contemp Moral Problems

What does the path to knowledge look like in Plato’s works?

It involves moving beyond what we sense to understand unchanging truths through reason.

What does the path to knowledge look like in Aristotle and Euclid?

They start with definitions and use language and logical reasoning to build from them.

For a Humean, can we get certainty about ideas? Can we get certainty about things?

We can be certain about relations of ideas, but not matters of fact about things in the world.

What are the three sources of particular truths according to the Humean framework?

Sense experience, memory, and testimony.

What is inductive reasoning according to Hume?

The mind moves from experience to expectation.

Which sort of knowledge is relevant to the study of ethics?

Knowledge of particular matters of fact, because moral choices involve real people and situations.

What is Socratic Ignorance?

Knowing that you do not know something instead of pretending you do.

What virtue is the focus of Socrates’s conversation with Euthyphro?

Piety.

What is the Euthyphro dilemma?

Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?

What is the arbitrariness problem for divine command theory?

If something is good only because God commands it, then God could command something cruel and it would count as good.

Which ethical theory presents the strongest analogy between the moral law and the laws of nations?

Divine command theory: God’s will is the basis of ethics, much like a government’s authority is the basis of a nation’s laws.

Which ethical theory or tradition says the good life is full of simple pleasures?

Epicureanism.

Which ethical theories or traditions most directly tell us to limit our desires?

Stoicism and Epicureanism.

What is the foundation of moral truths according to moral relativism?

Society’s standards.

If you are a standard moral relativist, what grounds do you have for criticizing your society’s standards?

You have no standard outside your society’s standards to use for that criticism.

What is affected ignorance?

Choosing not to know about wrongdoing.

What is the inability thesis?

The claim that people cannot be held responsible for beliefs shaped by their culture.

Does Moody Adams think the inability thesis is true?

No. She thinks people have opportunities to question those beliefs, and affected ignorance can be a choice.

Why does Moody Adams think it is wrong to blame our bad beliefs on our culture?

Individuals make up a culture, so blaming “the culture” does not remove their responsibility.

What is the banality of wrongdoing?

Wrongdoing can be widespread among ordinary people.

What does Moody

Adams think our attitude toward wrongdoing should be?

What is the veil of ignorance?

Choosing rules for society without knowing what position you will have in it.

Does Rawls think we would choose a society where everyone is equally well off?

No. He allows inequalities if they benefit everyone and the positions involved are open to all.

What sort of equality does Rawls’s theory support?

Equal rights and equal opportunity.

What position are Glaucon and Adeimantus arguing for as devil’s advocates?

That justice is not desirable in itself. They want Socrates to refute that position.

What is the point of the ring of Gyges?

To ask whether someone would still act justly if they could get away with injustice.

How does Glaucon explain why people widely say justice is desirable?

People agree to rules against injustice for protection and may act justly for the benefits of a good reputation.

What is the point of imagining a perfectly unjust person with a reputation for justice?

It separates being just from receiving the rewards of a just reputation.

Why does Adeimantus think appealing to the gods does not show that justice is desirable in itself?

An unjust person might please the gods afterward and avoid consequences, so the appeal still focuses on rewards.

What is justice like in the state according to Socrates?

The guardians understand the truth and guide the auxiliaries and producers; the auxiliaries serve as the police or military.

What is a just soul like?

Reason guides spirit, and spirit guides appetite.

How does the just soul show that justice is desirable in itself?

Its proper order gives a person inner peace, even apart from outside rewards.

What is the principle of utility?

Maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

How does a utilitarian make moral evaluations?

By judging an action’s consequences and weighing the pleasure it produces against the pain.

What is the difference between act and rule utilitarianism?

Act utilitarianism judges each choice; rule utilitarianism judges the general rule or maxim for that kind of choice.

How does justice fit into Mill’s utilitarian system, and how effective is his argument?

Mill says rules of justice usually produce the most good, but this may make justice matter only when it leads to good results.

What is the significance of the pond in Singer’s article?

yes

What is the only thing that is unqualifiedly good?

A good will.

What does Kant oppose reason to in his understanding of moral psychology?

Inclination.

What gives a choice moral worth according to Kant?

Making it out of duty, discovered through reason.

What is the difference between a hypothetical and a categorical imperative?

A hypothetical imperative applies if you want a particular result; a categorical imperative applies to everyone regardless of what they want.

What is the first formulation of the categorical imperative, and what does it mean?

The Universal Law Formulation: act on a rule that could apply to everyone, without making an exception for yourself.

What is the second formulation of the categorical imperative, and what does it mean?

The Humanity Formulation: respect people’s dignity and never treat a person merely as a means to your own ends.

Under what circumstances might a Kantian think it is ethical to lie?

A Kantian might allow a lie to protect someone from harm if they think everyone should lie in that same situation.

Why does Kant think consequences are not important in ethics?

Consequences are outside your control; what you choose to do is within your control.