Ethics final
Here’s a full study guide covering all the exam topics you listed. Each point gives you both the answer and a clear understanding of the concepts involved:
Importance of Motive: Utilitarianism vs. Kantian Ethics
Utilitarianism: Judges actions by outcomes. A good action brings about the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Motive is secondary—results matter more.
Kantian Ethics: Judges actions by intentions. An action is moral only if it’s done from duty and follows a universal moral law. Good motives are essential regardless of the outcome.
Dixon: Impaired Sex and Regretted Sexual Encounter
Impaired Sex: Dixon argues that when someone’s judgment is impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may not have the capacity to give full consent. This raises the question of whether such sex should be considered rape.
Regretted Encounter: Not every regretted sexual act is rape, but Dixon wants us to think critically—just because consent wasn’t clear at the time doesn’t mean there was full mutual understanding or ethical behavior.
Mens Rea / Actus Reus
Mens Rea: “Guilty mind” – intent or knowledge of wrongdoing.
Actus Reus: “Guilty act” – the physical act of the crime.
Both are needed in most criminal law to prove someone is guilty: they had a criminal mindset and they did something wrong.
Euthanasia
Active: Deliberately causing a patient’s death (e.g., lethal injection).
Passive: Withholding treatment to let someone die naturally.
Physician-Assisted Suicide: Doctor provides means for a patient to end their own life.
U.S. vs. Belgian Euthanasia Laws
U.S.: Only legal in a few states (like Oregon, Washington). Usually just physician-assisted suicide for terminal illness.
Belgium: Far broader. Euthanasia (including active) is legal for physical and mental suffering—even for minors (with consent).
Arguments Against Euthanasia
Self-Interest: We might wrongly think death is better when we’re vulnerable.
Slippery Slope: Legalizing it could lead to abuses—e.g., pressure on the elderly or disabled.
Arguments For Euthanasia
Autonomy: People have a right to decide how and when to die.
Avoiding Suffering: No one should endure pointless pain.
More Humane and Honest: It’s better to be upfront about helping people die than hiding it.
Genetic Control / Eugenics
Negative Eugenics: Aims to stop reproduction by “undesirable” people (e.g., sterilization).
Positive Eugenics: Encourages reproduction by those with “desirable” traits.
Lazy and Neglectful Parents Argument: Worry that people might choose to control genes to avoid parenting responsibilities, not for serious reasons.
Methods: Sterilization, abortion, murder (historically), IVF with gene selection.
Gun Control
Huemer: Defends gun rights. Says freedom is so important that the government needs strong evidence (like lower crime rates) to justify restrictions.
Kellerman Study: Found that having a gun in the home increases the risk of harm—more likely to be used against a household member.
Substitution Theory: If people can’t use guns, they might use other weapons, so banning guns won’t reduce violence significantly.
Child Welfare
Parental Autonomy (3 points):
Parents know their children best.
Family privacy is important.
Government overreach is dangerous.
Medical Child Neglect: Parents still have a duty to provide necessary medical care—refusing life-saving treatment can be criminal.
Lying and Morality
Conflicting Values: Telling the truth builds trust, but lying can avoid harm.
Three Positions:
Absolutism: All lies are wrong.
Serious Harm Only: Lies are okay only to prevent serious harm (e.g., lying to save a life).
White Lies & Serious Harm: Some lies (to spare feelings or prevent harm) are morally fine.
Theories of Well-Being
Philosophical Hedonism:
Definition: Well-being = pleasure and absence of pain.
Features: Only pleasure has intrinsic value; all good things are good because they bring pleasure.
Stereotypical Hedonism: Focuses on shallow pleasure—sex, food, fun. Criticized for being selfish or shallow.
Problem (Experience Machine): If pleasure alone matters, we’d plug into a fake happiness machine—but most people wouldn’t, so pleasure might not be everything.
Desire Theory: Well-being = getting what you want.
Problem: What if desires are weird or harmful (e.g., desire to count blades of grass)?
Objective List: Certain things are good for everyone (e.g., relationships, knowledge, health).
Problem: Disagreement over which things belong on the list and why.
Free Will
Libertarian Free Will: We have real freedom to choose.
Moral Implication: People are responsible for what they do—praise and blame make sense.
Hard Determinism: All actions are determined by prior causes; no true freedom.
Moral Implication: No one is truly responsible—praise, blame, regret, and hate don’t really make sense.