Final

Thomas Hobbes

"Life is nasty, short and brutish." Conflict is a part of human nature

Hegel

A German philosopher who opened the door to line of despair in his promotion of a new type of thinking known as the dialect which moved our thinking from thesis-anti-thesis to synthesis

Aristotle

A philosopher of the Classical Period, this pupil of Greek philosophy believed that reaching one's full potential through the development of virtues was the key to a moral life.

Absolutophobia

A product of the modern definition of tolerance and the influence of the model of moral relativism; the fear of saying that ANY behavior is wrong

Principle

A rule or belief governing one's personal behavior and conduct.

Basic assumptions of Natural Law Theory

A set of laws governing conduct is built into nature These laws are universally known by reason apart from revelation (Romans 1:18-32 and Romans 2:14-16) While natural law ethicists think biblical revelation of moral norms is important, they hold that even without that revelation everyone can know by reason alone the basic principles of right and wrong. Consequently, one need not be a Christian or theist to know the moral law. Since human nature and the natural order do not change, whatever ethical norms are derivable from nature do not change from time to time and place to place

Blind Faith

Actions taken or beliefs accepted with no previous knowledge and/or knowledge

Biotechnology

Advances in the fields of health and technology involving genetics, reproduction and treatment of disease-synonymous with genetic engineering

Age of Enlightenment

Also known as the age of reason; began in 16th century and marked the beginning of the paradigm shift from moral absolutism to moral relativism;

Francis Bacon

An Enlightenment thinker who is considered one its two "fathers" who believed that science would free men from ignorance so they could lead productive lives; his ideas along with those of Descartes set the stage for the scientific revolution

Isaac Newton

An Enlightenment thinker whose laws of gravity and motion changed the way we view the world; developed the field of mathematics called calculus

Am I assuming something I shouldn't:

Assumptions

Divine Command Theory

Laws of morality come from God; God wills right because His character is a reflection of all that is good, just, moral or ethical; Since we are made in His image we have the capacity to choose good

Does this really make sense? Does that follow from what you said?

Logic

Amniocentesis

Method for detecting certain physical and/or mental problems of the fetus during pregnancy; cannot be performed until relatively late in the pregnancy (between 12 and 16).

Embryonic Stem Cells

Obtained from 5-7 day old blastocysts or IVF embryos-totipotent

Adult Stem Cells

Obtained from various parts of the body including blood, skeletal muscle, tissue or organs

Conception or fertilization

Occurs when the female germ cell (ovum) is penetrated by a male cell (spermatozoon)

Ethos

One of the aspects of critical listening in Aristotle's model which stresses the importance of a speaker's credibility; also the Greek root word for ethics which means character

Descartes

One of two "fathers" of the "Enlightenment" who believed that match and reason were all that are necessary to discover truth in sciences; developed the 'clock-maker' theory of creation; developed a field a mathematics called analytic geometry.

Embryo Adoption

Organizations which facilitate adoption of excess IVF embryos for couples unable to conceive children of their own

Eugenic abortions

Performed to abort a fetus that has or is at risk for some physical reason and/or mental handicap such as Down's syndrome.

Family Balancing

Pre-selecting the gender of a child through PGD for implantation and birth in order to produce a child of the opposite gender of those already born.

Can you provide more details or be more specific?

Precision

Classical Period

Socrates, Aristotle and Plato were key philosophers during this era.

Beliefs

Statements that a person holds to be true which serves as a foundation for personal ethics

Embryonic stem cells

Stem cells derived from a developing embryo; extracted from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst

Convictions

Strong beliefs about spiritual or moral matters which measure the depth one is committed to what he/she claims to believe

Aristotle

Student of Plato; believed that the life of virtue was the ethical life

Fetal Stem Cells

Taken from 4-6 week old aborted fetuses- pluripotent

Embryo

Term used to describe the baby from the end of the second week to the eighth week; (at 6 weeks baby has reflexes; EKG can by recorded; fingers & toes begin to form; -especially during the first 6 to 8 weeks the embryo is most vulnerable to effects of drugs, radiation, infections, nicotine, nutritional deficiencies).

Classical Period

The moral focus was on the duty of the individual as a citizen and the function of ethics was to provide care for the soul.

Abortion

The premature termination of a pregnancy-prior to birth; spontaneous abortion: same as miscarriage; induced abortion: caused by the woman herself or by another, usually a medical doctor.

Justice Approach

The question Platos character, Glaucon asks, in the "Ring of Gyges" is, Why shouldn't t he do as he pleases? This approach would claim that the ring gives Gyges an unfair advantage over others thereby making the distribution of good and bad UNEQUAL.

Family or Gender Balancing

The use of IVF and PGD to select the sex of an embryo to be implanted and birthed to balance the number of boys and girls in a family

Moral Relativism

There is no definable truth; morality is personal and subjective.

Adult Stem Cells

Unspecialized cells found within the specialized tissues after birth; those cells have been identified in the bone marrow, blood, brain and spinal cord, skin, cornea and retina.

Epistemology

the branch of philosophy which examines the nature, types, and limits or knowledge; asks questions such as, "What is knowable by pure reason?" "What is the difference between truth & belief?"

Reprogenetics

the combination of PGD and IVF to allow for genetic selection including gender selection.

Aesthetics

a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of beauty; examines the relationships between order and disorder, harmony and chaos, balance and imbalance

Paradigm shift

a change in the way people think and live in response to new ideas, inventions, discoveries and/or historical events.

Bioethics

a field of study concerned with the ethics and philosophical implications of certain biological and medical procedures, technologies, and treatments, as organ transplants, genetic engineering, and care of the terminally ill.

Socrates

a philosopher in Ancient Greece who is considered the "father of Western philosophy"

Plato

a pupil of Socrates who wrote dialogues in which he (Socrates) discusses philosophical and moral issues with others.An example of his writings is found in The Republic.

Induced Abortion

abortions caused by a surgical procedure or ingestion of a medicine that results in removal or expulsion of a fetus.

Descriptive Ethics

an approach to ethical analysis which involves the collection of data. This approach involves no judgments of right and wrong, but simply tells us WHAT IS.

Designer Baby

an embryo created through IVF, genetically screened using PGD for selected DESIRED traits and implanted for gestation. The goal is produce a child with specific "superior" or selected traits desired by parents---blue eyes, etc.

Thomas Aquinas' view of ensoulment

believed a fetus did not have a soul until 40 days gestation (male) or 80 days gestation(girls) based his views on Catholic teaching going back before Augustine and rooted in Greek philosophy

John Locke

believed all people have "natural rights:" these include life, liberty and property

Genetic Selection

creating desired traits or eliminating undesired traits through genetic engineering technology and medical procedures

Socrates

developed a question and answer method of teaching and studying issues designed to make people examine their beliefs

Medieval era of ethics

dominant influence in this era was the development of Christianity and its spread; based on the teachings of Jesus; spread when Christians were persecuted

Normative ethics

examines theories of ethics to determine what standards are used to govern human conduct. Questions asked include: "What moral principles are promoted in Virtue Ethics?" "What moral principles govern human behavior?"

Classical era of ethics

first of three eras describing the history of ethics; dominant cultures influencing morality were the Ancient Greeks and Hebrews

Modern Era of ethics

historical era of ethics beginning with the Enlightenment and extending through current times; early part of era was a time of revolution and change; SCIENCE and MAN'S INTELLECT dominate thinking about truth and morality

Spontaneous Abortion

occur when the uterus naturally expels the fetus because an abnormality or injury - synonymous with "miscarriage"

Ancient Greek Culture

one of two cultures of the classical era; ethics was viewed as the spiritual counterpart to medicine and was medicine for the soul; duty to citizenship was focus of ethics pathway to moral living was REASON

Hebrew Culture

one of two cultures prevalent in the classical era; moral living was defined as obedience to God; path to ethics and moral living was faith

Zygote

term used to refer to the developing organism from conception to time of implantation in the uterus approximately 1 week from time of conception to implantation

Ensoulment

term used to refer to the point at which, historically, the developing fetus has a soul; used to identify when the fetus is a person in the moral sense

Moral Absolutism

This paradigm of ethics claims there is a definable and knowable truth and that morality is OBJECTIVE.

Applied Ethics

This sub-category of ethics is concerned with the APPLICATION of moral principles to specific situations or issues, such as abortion, capital punishment, etc., Asks: "What moral principles are involved in the abortion issue?"

Essential Ethics

A category of ethics which focuses on meaning and purpose of life; classification in C. S. Lewis' system is found in the question: Why am I here?

Designer Baby

A child with pre-selected desired traits, abilities, etc.

Virtue

A habit like tendency or disposition that becomes entrenched or deeply embedded in a person's character so that it becomes typical of that person's attitudes and actions

Amniocentesis

A method of prenatal genetic testing performed between 11-15 weeks gestation; used to identify the presence of specific genetic diseases or disorders in the developing embryo or fetus

Artificial embryo twinning

A method of reproduction which mimics the natural process through which identical twins develop-includes BOTH egg and sperm cells

Ethics

A set of moral principles and values that define or direct us to the right choice.

Doe vs. Bolton

A sister case to Roe, the Court defined the health of the mother in the broadest sense to include psychological, emotional and familial factors; as long as a doctor certifies that an abortion is necessary to protect the mother's "health" abortion is thoroughly legal well into the ninth month of pregnancy.

Meta-ethics

A sub-category of ethics that would ask questions such as "What is evil?' This category is concerned with the MEANING of moral terms or the SOURCES of moral principles.

Age of Enlightenment

A time which glorified man's ability to reason and was a time of "illumination" in which rational thought was viewed as way to rid ordinary man of ignorance and make a way for productive living.

Elective abortions

Abortion performed for the convenience of the patient.

A critical thinking standard that encompasses multiple points of view:

Breadth

Do we need to consider another point of view?

Breadth

Can you elaborate on that point? Could you give me an illustration?

Clarity

Cornerstone principle

Do good and avoid evil.

A barrier to critical thinking that occurs when one's thinking is self-serving:

Egocentrism

Emperor Constantine

Emperor of Rome during 4th century; converted to Christianity; promoted Christianity as an acceptable religion and stopped persecution of Christians

Justice Approach

Focuses on how fairly or unfairly our actions distribute benefits and burdens among the members of a group. Fairness requires consistency in the way people are treated. The principle states: "Treat people the same unless there are morally relevant differences between them."

Descartes

French philosopher who believed that SELF KNOWLEDGE is the basis of ALL KNOWLEDGE; God as the revealer of truth is pushed from center and WHAT I THINK replaces TRUTH by REVELATION from a higher source; his most famous quote: I think; therefore, I am.

Darwin

His theory of evolution changed our view of our origin and redefined purpose and meaning His view that we are driven by the need to procreate and transmit our genes to the next generation changed our view of morality to do what you have to.

Utilitarian Approach

If, in the Ring of Gyges, his actions do not produce the MOST good for the MOST people, then Gyges cannot do as he pleases. This approach is built on the Greatest Happiness Principle.

Cloning

The asexual reproduction of an individual organism from a single cell- produces a genetic copy of the donor

Cornerstone Principle

The basis of any ethical system which claims that to be moral or ethical one must do or be good and avoid evil

Rights Approach

This approach starts from the belief that humans have a dignity based on their human nature per se or on their ability to choose freely what they do with their lives. • Identifies certain interests or activities that our behavior must respect, especially those areas of our lives that are of such value to us that they merit protection from others. • Each person has a fundamental right to be respected and treated as a free and equal rational person capable of making his or her own decisions. • This implies other rights (e.g., privacy free consent, freedom of conscience, etc.) that must be protected if a person is to have the freedom to direct his or her own life. • The principle states: "An action or policy is morally right only if those persons affected by the decision are not used merely as instruments for advancing some goal, but are fully informed and treated only as they have freely and knowingly consented to be treated. "Rousseau believed people who lived in civilized society were unhappy and that everyone should live outdoors in harmony with nature.

Common Good Approach

This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others-especially the vulnerable-are requirements of such reasoning. This approach also calls attention to the common conditions that are important to the welfare of everyone. Presents a vision of society as a community whose members are joined in a shared pursuit of values and goals they hold in common. The community is comprised of individuals whose own good is inextricably bound to the good of the whole. The principle states: "What is ethical is what advances the common good

Virtue Approach

This approach to ethics asks of any action, "What kind of person will I be if I do this? The principle states: "What is ethical is what develops virtues in ourselves and in our communities.

Prescriptive ethics

This approach to ethics implies or states what "ought" to be done and is represented by statements such as: "Abortion is immoral." "The death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment and should be abolished."

Descriptive ethics

This approach to the study of ethics is represented by statements like: "There are 1.3 million abortions in the U.S. every year." " There are 36 states in the U.S. that use the death penalty for capital crimes."

The Domino Effect Argument

This argument centers around the belief that abortion is likely to set in motion a overall effect that will lead to a de-valuing of all life.

Aesthetics

This branch of philosophy ask questions like "what is beauty?" and "does life have ultimate meaning?"

Metaphysics

This branch of philosophy asks questions that deal with the supernatural such as "Is there a god" and "What is real?"

Epistemology

This branch of philosophy asks questions that explain knowledge and its limits such as "what is the nature of truth?" and "is there knowledge that is beyond the reach of science?"

Ethics

This branch of philosophy is concerned with questions regarding right and wrong including "Why should I be moral?" and "How can we know what's right?"

Character

Who a person is when no one is watching; an internally consistent code is important to how one conducts him/her self

Utilitarian Approach

the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. • Focuses on the consequences that actions or policies have on the well-being ("utility") of all persons directly or indirectly affected by the action or policy. • The principle states: "Of any two actions, the most ethical one will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harms."

Embryo

the term used to refer to the fertilized egg from conception through the first 8 weeks of gestation

Bioethics

the term used to refer to the study of moral issues in the areas of health and biology; the study of ethical controversies resulting from advances in biology and medicine

Divine Command Theory

views of ethics that see God as the ultimate source of morality According to this view, God wills right because His character is a reflection of all that is good, just, moral and ethical. Thus, to be made in His image we have the capacity to choose good and to live morally is to follow His will.