Ethics Exam #1

What is moral dumbfounding and what does Haidt think that the experience of moral dumbfounding shows about moral reasoning?

Moral dumbfounding is the experience of having a confident or "stubborn" moral judgment regarding some case while, at the same time, being unable to provide justifying reasons for that judgment. Haidt thinks that the experience of moral dumbfounding shows that we derive a moral conclusion and then think about the reasons for why it's wrong.

How is this story used to support the claim that morality is a convention practiced only by the weak?

. Plato believes that we are all innately like him and we would use the ring for our own benefit as well. The story shows that the only reason we abide by rules and aim to act good is because it is necessary for living in our society. Plato believes that if we had the invisible cloak, we would all abandon our morals.

Explain the difference between a lexical definition and an ostensive definition.

A lexical definition is a dictionary definition, where it specifies the meaning of an expression by stating it in terms of other expressions whose meaning is assumed to be known. Ostensive definition specifies the meaning of an expression by pointing to examples of things to which the expression applies.

What does Vitale mean by the phrase "winsom disruptor"?

A winsome disruptor is someone who is willing to be curious about the perspectives of others and ask meaningful questions to create mutual understanding that can benefit society.

What, according to Nietzsche, is the will to power?

According to Nietzsche, the Will to Power is the desire to drive to overcome, displace, or to "make one's mark on the world.

In Crime and Punishment, what does Raskolinkov think that all "great men" have in common?

All great men are criminals

When Gyges (Gyges' ancestor) climbs into the hole, what does he find first?

Bronze horse - trojan war - signify deceit and deception, using cunning to get what you want instead of what reason tells us we ought to

What is error theory nihilism, and what, according to it, is the fundamental error on which all moral discourse rests?

Error-theory nihilism is the idea that there are no normative truths,. Error-theory nihilism refutes entire domains of discourse on the grounds that these domains rest on error.

Explain "Eternal Recurrence"

Eternal Recurrence is a thought experiment created by Nietzsche as a demon that asks people if they would live the same life they live right now, over and over again, nothing would change.

Explain the difference between these views.

Expressivism is the idea that morality is about expressing our emotions; we never try to say the things about morality when we speak. Error-theory nihilism is the idea that there are no normative truths.

What are the three reasons that abolitionists provide to show that morality is bad for us?

Falsifies our problems, limits our options, promotes interventionism.

Provide your own examples of both a lexical and an ostensive definition for your favorite slang term that Dr. P probably doesn't know. Your examples should demonstrate that you understand the difference between these types of definitions.

For example, if I were to say "what's the tea?", the lexical definition of tea is a hot drink made by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water. However, the ostensive definition would be gossip, news, or juicy information. Therefore, I'm really asking what's the gossip in a slang version.

What does Gyges ultimately take from the hole, and what does it allow him to do?

Gyges ultimately finds the ring of gyges which has the power to make a person invisibile.

Explain how Haidt's evidence that we can affect the severity of moral judgments by altering the conditions of judgment is supposed to help support his theory of moral reasoning

Haidt's evidence of unfavorable conditions can help support his theory of moral reasoning because if our moral judgments follow reasons, then the situation in which we reason should not affect our judgments (if they don't affect our reasons).

What, briefly, is his account of "slave morality"? What does he mean by saying that slave morality is itself an expression of will to power?

He says that "slave morality" denies the reality that human beings are not all equal, and it is life-denying rather than life-affirming.

How does he use this concept to explain why moralism is committed to self-negation?

He says that morality is the denial of our Will to Power and that morality will cause you to not exist.

How does Haidt's account differ from Kohlberg's? On what do Haidt and Kohlberg agree?

Instead of developing morality throughout different stages as Kohlberg suggested, Haidt believes it is based on instinct.

When might it be more useful to have an ostensive definition than a lexical one?

It would be more useful to have an ostensive definition rather than a lexical one because an ostensive definition can tell us the conceptually correct usage and will be helpful with those who have limited background exposure.

Some critics may claim that, if Haidt is correct, we have little reason to be concerned with the quality of our moral discourse, since his view seems to entail that moral reasoning is not particularly important. Explain why a critic might hold such a view. How do you think Haidt and his defenders might reply to this criticism? Is there any way in which Haidt's account might help us improve or encourage moral discourse?

Moral judgment comes first then fill in the gaps with reasons - It takes deliberation out of the picture, if that's true, why should we care? Were not really feeling We can change the situation - fart spray and police brutality example

What are the 3 types of characters that Nietzsche thinks are possible in the modern world.

Moralists, last man, ubermensch.

What is Nietzsche trying to get us to see with the use of this thought experiment?

Nietzsche attempts to demonstrate that we do not value morality since it requires us to deny ourselves and our very being.

In what way or ways does Nietzsche's answer to the question "why are people moralists?' resemble Kohlberg's theory?

Nietzsche believes people are moralists because of habit and conditioning, to satisfy the interests of others, for their own reputation and standing, to please God, or to go to Heaven/avoid Hell. Kohlberg's stages of moral development are similar to Nietzsche's answers because Kohlberg labels the stages of development as punishment and reward, social expectations and reputations, and abstract principles and values.

Explain the difference between a normative claim and a descriptive claim.

Normative claims are claims about how the world should be, asserts that such-and-such ought to be the case; they make value judgements ("That was a really stupid thing to do." "If you wanted to pass that test you should have studied harder." "Your electrocardiogram test results are normal.") Descriptive claims are claims about how the world is, asserts that such-and-such is the case; they make no value judgments ("I had toast and eggs for breakfast this morning." "Kevin is under six feet tall.")

What are the 3 main branches of Ethics?

Normative, metaethics, descriptive

What kind of question does each branch study? For each branch, provide an example of a question that is representative of the kind of question that branch studies.

Normative: Moral theory, applied ethics (what ought to be?), metaethics: questions about moral questions (how do we know what's right? What's a principle? What's a value?), descriptive: organizational ethics, uses empirical methodologies to examine the use of moral concepts (What do people think is right?)

Using these terms, how might one provide a response to the critic who says that "there are no right answers in philosophy"?

One might provide a response to the critic who says that "there are no right answers in philosophy" that if an argument is sound and valid, it has to be correct because you are proving it with certainty.

What does it mean to say that all moral statements are mere performative utterances?

Performative utterances are sentences which not only describe a given reality, but also change the social reality they are describing.

What is the definition of Soundness?

Soundness is validity plus all true premises.

What do you think "the last man" would say in response to the demon? Why?

The "last man" would be okay with reliving his life because he is perfectly okay with just being content. He will not see anything wrong with reliving his life the way he has been living it.

What are the two main versions of ethical nihilism?

The 2 main versions of ethical nihilism are expressivism and error-theory nihilism.

What is the Heinz Dilemma and what does Kohlberg want to learn by using it?

The Heinz dilemma is a story about an ethical dilemma faced by a character named Heinz that was used by Kohlberg. Having exhausted every other possibility, Heinz must decide whether to steal an expensive drug that offers the only hope of saving his dying wife. Kohlberg wants to identify and assess the moral reasoning skills of those who he asked to respond, and what stage of moral development an individual is currently in.

In Fight Club, what is the significance of the chemical burn?

The chemical burn forces the character to acknowledge and actually focus on the burn rather than trying to forget about it.

What is the Disastrous Results Argument?

The disastrous results argument says that if widespread acceptance of a view would lead to disastrous results, then that view is false.

Briefly, explain your understanding of each.

The moralist: Strives to be good, views things through the concepts of good/evil, right/wrong, just/unjust, etc. embraces morality and lives a life of deprivation and self-negation. The last man: Abandons concern for value and lives an empty life devoid of anything meaningful or significant, and is satisfied with that. The ubermensch: a being who is able to completely affirm life; they say 'yes' to everything that comes their way, someone who controls their own fate and leaves a mark.

What is an error theory?

The view that the ordinary user of moral language is typically making claims that involves a mistake

What does ethical nihilism hold?

The view that there are no objective normative truths independent of what we want/believe.

Why is this necessary for greatness, according to Raskolinkov?

Things won't change if you don't do anything new (be a criminal). Break the rules to be great

Explain, in your own words, how this idea is supposed to show us that morality is bad for us.

This idea shows us that morality is bad for us because it tries to make us redefine our problems into other situations instead of focusing on the problem itself.

Based on these two tasks, what do you think are three traits or virtues that are important for being a winsome disruptor?

Traits that are important for being a winsome disruptor 1) compassionate 2) open-minded 3) brave

To what kind of logic does validity belong? What is the other kind of logic, and what is the difference between these 2 logics?

Validity belongs to deductive logic, which is proving an argument with guarantee/certainty, while an inductive argument aims at probability.

What, exactly, is the definition of Validity?

Validity is the property of a deductive argument such that if the premises are true the conclusion CANNOT be false.

What are the two big ways Vitale suggests we can undertake to begin the difficult work of becoming a winsome disrupter?

Vitale suggests we can undertake to begin the difficult work of becoming winsome disruptors by 1) telling better stories 2) have better conversations.