The Elements of Moral Philosophy - Flashcards

The Elements of Moral Philosophy - Notes

Page 1

• Book Title: The Elements of Moral Philosophy
• Authors: James Rachels, Stuart Rachels
• Edition: Seventh Edition

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• Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
• Seventh Edition
• ISBN 978-0-07-803824-2
• MHID 0-07-803824-3

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• James Rachels (1941–2003): Author of several books on moral philosophy.
• Website: www.jamesrachels.org
• Stuart Rachels: Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama.
• Website: www.jamesrachels.org/stuart
• United States Chess Championship in 1989
• Bronze Life Master at bridge

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• Chapter 1: WHAT IS MORALITY?
  • 1.1. The Problem of Definition
  • 1.2. First Example: Baby Theresa
  • 1.3. Second Example: Jodie and Mary
  • 1.4. Third Example: Tracy Latimer
  • 1.5. Reason and Impartiality
  • 1.6. The Minimum Conception of Morality
• Chapter 2: THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM
  • 2.1. Different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes
  • 2.2. Cultural Relativism
  • 2.3. The Cultural Differences Argument
  • 2.4. What Follows from Cultural Relativism
  • 2.5. Why There Is Less Disagreement Than It Seems
  • 2.6. Some Values Are Shared by All Cultures
  • 2.7. Judging a Cultural Practice to Be Undesirable
  • 2.8. Back to the Five Claims
  • 2.9. What We Can Learn from Cultural Relativism

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• Chapter 3: SUBJECTIVISM IN ETHICS
  • 3.1. The Basic Idea of Ethical Subjectivism
  • 3.2. The Evolution of the Theory
  • 3.3. The First Stage: Simple Subjectivism
  • 3.4. The Second Stage: Emotivism
  • 3.5. The Role of Reason in Ethics
  • 3.6. Are There Proofs in Ethics?
  • 3.7. The Question of Homosexuality
• Chapter 4: DOES MORALITY DEPEND ON RELIGION?
  • 4.1. The Presumed Connection between Morality and Religion
  • 4.2. The Divine Command Theory
  • 4.3. The Theory of Natural Law
  • 4.4. Religion and Particular Moral Issues
• Chapter 5: ETHICAL EGOISM
  • 5.1. Is There a Duty to Help the Starving?
  • 5.2. Psychological Egoism
  • 5.3. Three Arguments for Ethical Egoism
  • 5.4. Three Arguments against Ethical Egoism
• Chapter 6: THE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY
  • 6.1. Hobbes’s Argument
  • 6.2. The Prisoner’s Dilemma
  • 6.3. Some Advantages of the Social Contract Theory
  • 6.4. The Problem of Civil Disobedience
  • 6.5. Difficulties for the Theory
• Chapter 7: THE UTILITARIAN APPROACH
  • 7.1. The Revolution in Ethics
  • 7.2. First Example: Euthanasia
  • 7.3. Second Example: Marijuana
  • 7.4. Third Example: Nonhuman Animals

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• Chapter 8: THE DEBATE OVER UTILITARIANISM
  • 8.1. The Classical Version of the Theory
  • 8.2. Is Pleasure All That Matters?
  • 8.3. Are Consequences All That Matter?
  • 8.4. Should We Be Equally Concerned for Everyone?
  • 8.5. The Defense of Utilitarianism
  • 8.6. Concluding Thoughts
• Chapter 9: ARE THERE ABSOLUTE MORAL RULES?
  • 9.1. Harry Truman and Elizabeth Anscombe
  • 9.2. The Categorical Imperative
  • 9.3. Kant’s Arguments on Lying
  • 9.4. Conflicts between Rules
  • 9.5. Kant’s Insight
• Chapter 10: KANT AND RESPECT FOR PERSONS
  • 10.1. Kant’s Core Ideas
  • 10.2. Retribution and Utility in the Theory of Punishment
  • 10.3. Kant’s Retributivism
• Chapter 11: FEMINISM AND THE ETHICS OF CARE
  • 11.1. Do Women and Men Think Differently about Ethics?
  • 11.2. Implications for Moral Judgment
  • 11.3. Implications for Ethical Theory
• Chapter 12: VIRTUE ETHICS
  • 12.1. The Ethics of Virtue and the Ethics of Right Action
  • 12.2. The Virtues
  • 12.3. Two Advantages of Virtue Ethics
  • 12.4. Virtue and Conduct
  • 12.5. The Problem of Incompleteness
  • 12.6. Conclusion

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• Chapter 13: WHAT WOULD A SATISFACTORY MORAL THEORY BE LIKE?
  • 13.1. Morality without Hubris
  • 13.2. Treating People as They Deserve
  • 13.3. A Variety of Motives
  • 13.4. Multiple-Strategies Utilitarianism
  • 13.5. The Moral Community
  • 13.6. Justice and Fairness
  • 13.7. Conclusion
• Notes on Sources
• Index

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• Morality is about how we ought to live.
• The book aims to introduce moral philosophy.
• The chapters can be read independently, but they form a continuous story when read in order.
• The book does not aim to provide a unified account of ethics but rather to present contending ideas, theories, and arguments.
• Philosophy differs from physics in that everything is controversial or almost everything.

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• The book presents a survey of contending ideas, theories, and arguments, with the author's views coloring the presentation.
• Philosophy is an exercise in reason, and ideas should be embraced if supported by arguments.

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• The seventh edition includes minor changes and improvements.
• Mentions specific changes made in Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12.
• Acknowledges contributions from various individuals and expresses gratitude.
• Acknowledges the absence of James Rachels, the original author.
• Provides an email address for feedback: srachels@bama.ua.edu.

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• Morality differs in every society and is a convenient term for socially approved habits (Ruth Benedict).
• Darius (King of Persia) was intrigued by the variety of cultures and moral codes he encountered.

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• Eskimos (early and mid-20th century) and their customs.
• Men having more than one wife.
• Sharing wives with guests.
• Dominant male demanding regular sexual access to other men’s wives.
• Women being free to leave their husbands and take up with new partners (as long as former husbands chose not to make too much trouble).
• Eskimos seeming to care less about human life.
• Infanticide was common.
• Female babies were especially likely to be killed.
• When elderly family members became too feeble, they were left out in the snow to die.

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• Cultural Relativism: There is no such thing as universal truth in ethics; challenges the objectivity and universality of moral truth.
• Claims of cultural relativists:
  • Different societies have different moral codes.
  • The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society.
  • There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one society’s code as better than another’s.
  • The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is but one among many.
  • It is arrogant for us to judge other cultures.

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• Some values are shared by all cultures.
• Societies must value truthfulness, since communication is necessary.
• A society must have some prohibition against murder so that people can feel safe.

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• Ethical Subjectivism: Moral opinions are based on feelings and nothing more; no such thing as “objective” right or wrong.
• When Bachmann says that homosexuality is wrong, she is not stating a fact about homosexuality. Instead, she is merely saying something about her feelings. The same applies to any moral judgment whatever.