Slajchert Theology III test I

Morality of Happiness (Socrates)

Living a moral life is the good life and brings happiness

Act utilitarianism

Looks at the consequences of each individual act and calculates utility each time the act is performed

Rule utilitarianism

Looks at the consequences of having everyone follow a particular rule and calculates the overall utility of accepting or rejecting the rule

Utilitarianism

Morality is about producing good consequences, not having good intentions - we do whatever benefits society the most (intrinsic value)

Consequentialism

Morality is all about producing the right kinds of overall consequences (teleological ethics)

Divine Command theory

Morality is dependent upon God, moral obligation consists in obedience to God's commands

Dominant strain in the Christian moral tradition

Morality of happiness (Though as of late morality of obligation)

Glaucon's conclusion

People accept justice because they are weak and a person with the power to successfully carry out misdeeds would be a fool not to

Criticisms of Utilitarianism

Responsibility, integrity, intentions, moral luck, who deos the calculations, and who is included

Jeremy Bentham

Founder of utilitarianism - English philosopher and radical - followers were John Stuart Mil, Robert Austin, and John Austin

Ideals

G.E. Moore

Deontology

An action defined morally good because of some characteristic of the action itself, not because the product of the action is good

Why are you morally good?

Do you believe following "the rules" will lead to a satisfying, fulfilling life, or do you follow "the rules" because of fear from being punished

What is utilitarianism classified as

Moral realism

Morality of Obligation (Glaucon)

-Morality (Justice) is a compromise: we agree to a system of rules because it is the only thing keeping us from harm -morality is a burden, not something chosen - we would be much happier if we could do whatever we want whenever we wanted to

Ring of Gyges story

-Shepard finds a magical ring of invisibility after an earthquake -seduces queen, kills the king and takes power

Glaucon's Challenge

-Why be moral? No one is willingly just, we are all selfish. -Challenges Socrates to show that justice is intrinsically preferable to injustice

Glaucon's beliefs

-people find it desirable or good to inflict wrongdoings on others -when one has been on both ends of misdeeds, they quickly realize that the pains of being a victim far outweighs the benefits of being the victimizer -to avoid being victims, people come together and forge agreements which = justice

Socrates response to Ring of Gyges

-the just or moral life is the good (correct) life -the virtuous life is the most fulfilling life

Descriptive morality

All people have some identifiable ways of living their lives (What do people think is right?)

Normative Morality

All people live the way they should live their life (How should people act?)

Utilitarianism

Always act in the way that will produce the greatest overall amount of good in the world

Utilitarianism dream

Brining scientific certainty to ethics

Socrates most important question

How to live life well

Pleasure

Jeremy Bentham

Happiness

John Stuart Mill

Preference

Kenneth arrow

Aretology (virtue ethics)

Moral philosophy dealing with virtue, its nature, and the means of arriving at it

Dolors

Negative effects

Ethical Relativism

No objectivity to ethical judgements and an ethical judgement is merely a matter of opinion and opinions vary from culture to culture, person to person

Hedons

Positive effect

Aristotle

Preaches Eudaimonia - the greatest good is eudaimonia (living well, doing well, flourishing)

Moral realism

The belief that there are moral facts, in the same way that there are scientific facts

Intrinsic value

Things that aren't instrumental but have values themselves

Glaucon's response to Ring of Gyges

Whomever would use the ring un-selfishly would be praised but regarded as a fool for not using the power to benefit themselves