Ethical Theory Exam 1

What does Harry Browne mean by the "unselfishness trap"?

if something appears to be unselfish is is in reality selfish. Everyone wants to be happy, happiness fulfills self-interest. Self-interest = selfish, so everyone is selfish.

While ethical egoism professes to solve the problem of ethics, it appears potentially to rationalize wicked acts. How so?

it would make wicked acts acceptable because they are serving your self-interest

What are the first two standard arguments for ethical egoism? Why are they unconvincing?

1. EE encourages ways of life which make people happier hence EE makes the world better. This is an argument for altruism, not EE -" a better world" is for other not just ourself 2. Altruism is evil- it debases one's self-respect- reduces the individual to a servant or tool for others robbing him or her of their happiness. The argument is false becasue altruistic people tend to be happier, altruism can foster, not defeat, self-actualization

What are the two standard arguments for psychological egoism? Why are these arguments unconvincing?

1. You do what you want 2. whenever a person behaves "unselfishly" or "altruistically" it brings satisfaction, which is the true motive for such an action. These are unconvincing because we don't always do what we want, duty is different than want. It doesn't follow that if you want something that makes you selfish - the object you want determines if you are selfish. You can want something and still be unselfish.

What is a descriptive statement? What is a value statement

A descriptive statement is a statement that describes something. For example the tree is green or the girl is outside running. You are reporting what is the case, however descriptive statements can be false. For example, a descriptive statement would be that all Rockhurst students are Jewish, however that statement is untrue. A value statement is a personal expression which is of the goodness or badness of something. Values = worth = benefits= good = satisfaction/approval = likability/desirability. good is the object of desire and bad is the object of aversion. Also something that is bad can be looked at by someone else to be good.

What is an argument? What is the "Cultural Differences Argument"?

An argument is made up of a premise and a conclusion. "The Cultural Differences Argument" states that people differ about right and wrong, it doesn't follow that they ought to differ. If there was a universal absolute objective morality then all societies would agree regarding their standards of right and wrong, but societies disagree.

How does a value statement differ from a descriptive statement? what are examples of value statements? what are types of value statement other then ethical ones?

Another word for a value statement is evaluative which is what ethics deal with. A value judgement is a person's expression of the desirability of some object or event. an example would be Culinary Science, certain standard set in place and chef didn't meet that standard, therefore he is a failure. However he is not a moral or ethical failure.

Why does the ethical egoist warn us not to confuse egoism with egotism?

Egoism is rational and enlightened, regards self-interest, allows to be self-sacrificing and serve the interest of others as long as it serves self interest. Egotism is solely about the self, not allowing for consideration of others

Why does Moral Relativism lead to moral isolationism?

British philosopher, Margaret Midley who wrote "Trying out One's New Sword and in it she states that if you don't judge someone you are unable to condemn, and if you don't judge than you can't praise. Moral Relativism wants you to praise but not condemn. Which leads to Moral Isolationism which is a problem in today's society. One can only therefore understand the ethics of ones own society.

What is civil law? How does ethic differ from civil law?

Civil law is a man made law that legislates who has a monopoly on power. Law doesn't judge ethics, ethics judges the law.Human nature ties into natural law = moral law= (conscience) = this is justice which needs to be balance but is unlimited

What is "Cultural Relativism"? What question must one ask to determine whether Cultural Relativism is convincing? What is wrong with Cultural Relativism?

Cultural relativism shares the same definition with the descriptive claim that states that it is a matter of sociological or anthropological fact that there is disagreement among the world's people. Although cultures have different practices they arrive at the same conclusion. One culture might have different burial practices then another, but both agree that the dead should be respected in one form or another. This example indicates the different secondary applications may camouflage shared primary principles. If this is so then relativist are not so accurate in their depiction of how all societies dsagree as they think. Moral agreements or similarities count against cultural relativism.

How does Divine Command Theory interpret religious morals? In other words, what does does the expression "religious morals mean for a Divine Command Theorist?

DCT is an extreme minority view, controversial amd questions the existence of ethics. a fraction of the opinion exaplains religious morals. DCT tries to find out what is right and wrong through vehicles of revelation of religion. For example, the 10 commandments, Bible, prayer, and talking to others in faith. What is right is what God wills, and what is wrong is what God forbids.

What Socratic question can one ask the Divine Command Theorist to show that his or her theory is unconvincing?

Do we know what actions are right because God commands it, or does God command it because the actions are right?

Why do ethicists argue that ethical egoism, in the last analysis, disqualifies itself as an ethical theory?

EE can't be an ethical theory in the last analysis because it nullifies objectivity and non-arbitrariness, which are necessary conditions for philosophical thought

How does ethical egoism differ from psychological egoism?

EE implies choice PE does not

What is the difference between egoism and altruism?

Egoism- human behavior that is mainly about self-interest Altruism - human behavior that is about others

Why does the existence of human nature refute Moral Relativism?

Essentially Moral Relativism states that if you fight the status quo, Like Gandhi or MLK you are evil because you are claiming that the current culture is wrong in some way.

What is "Ethical Relativism"? What question must one ask to determine whether Ethical Relativism is convincing? What is wrong with Ethical Relativism?

Ethical relativism shares the same definition with the normative claim and judge that because the truth of cultural relativism there is no way ever to justify moral beliefs or practices. If they were justifiable one would have to hold that they obligate everyone in similar circumstances. The Ethical Relativism can be reported by false given evidence by James Rachels, "The Cultural Difference Argument" which states that people differ about right and wrong, it doesn't follow that they ought to differ. Moreover it is possible that the disagreement results from the fact that some people are uninformed, confused, or even depraved.

What is "Ethics"?

Ethics is a philosophical or critical examination of what construes what is good and what is bad. However, ethics is not a philosophy. Ethics = practical = praxis = who live your life to be happy. The Greeks thought that this is about parent shaping the well being of children, which is not found in books/texts. Ethics = ethos = character. Ethics is based off life experiences.

Why would Freud find psychological egoism to be an unacceptable theory?

Freud believe that all people had a Death wish, and so every action we made was destructive, and not in our self-interest.

How does Harry Browne inconsistently combine psychological and ethical egoism?

He says that we are programmed by nature to be selfish, but then says we should be selfish, which means we'd have the choice to be unselfish.

What is Abe Lincoln's argument for psychological egoism? Why is his argument unconvincing?

He stopped his train because he saw a lady struggling to get her pig out of the water, and went over and helped her. He said that the reason he had done that was because if he had not he would have felt guilty, so by doing that act he was giving himself peace of mind. This is unconvincing because the pig is the object and is not selfish. Peace of mind is just a byproduct of altruism.

For what purpose does Thomas Jefferson use Natural Law in the Declaration of Independence?

He used it to say that the rights of man are put in pursuit to achieve happiness

For what purpose does Martin Luther King, Jr. use Natural Law in the Letter From The Birmingham Jail?

He uses this to justify why they are fighting for civil rights. There are right we should have simply because we are human - this is a standard that can measure how just man-made laws are based of whether they recognize these natural laws - civil laws at the time did not.

What must a philosopher do to analyze and criticize moral relativism adequately?

If a philosopher wanted to adequately analyze moral relativism that he/she would have to evaluate and understand the two judgement of cultural and ethical relativism.

Why would Divine Command Theory nullify ethics as traditionally understood?

It would nullify ethics because it is based on revelation, while ethics is based on rational thinking, therefore it would put Gods revelation as the sole basis for how humans behave

Why does the definition of moral relativism imply two claims about right or wrong?

It implies two claims because it warns us that it is important to keep an open mind and look out for the potential at the risk of making assumptions. Having two claims makes us look out for these two warnings. A moral relativist is an ethical relativist whose motto is NO JUDGEMENTS

What is "the strategy of reinterpreting motives"? Why must psychological egoists rely on "the strategy of reinterpreting motives"?

It states that even if you do something that comes across as unselfish your actual reasons for doing it are selfish. PE's have to rely on this strategy becasue it is the only way for them to account for unselfish acts.

Why does Moral Relativism make the idea of progress impossible?

Moral relativism does not support progress because when talking about a situation it talks about two different places with two different cultures. For example, Alabama in the 1960 v. today. Ethics supports the idea of progress and supports leaders like MLK who fought the status quo.

What is moral relativism? Why does a criticism of moral relativism refute the claim that ethics is reducible to "morals"?

Moral relativism is the view that there are no moral standards common to all societies. It believes that "moral standards" are really only preferences one group uses to condone their own behavior to condemn the behavior of another. An ethicist can concede this observation about taste without surrendering to moral relativism because this holds that not every moral beliefs or practice is not reducible to taste

Why is psychological egoism attractive to some people?

Okham's Razor -> refer to the simpler or economical hypothesis Cynicism -> strategy for reinterpreting motives. It allows one to rationalize your own selfish behavior by saying everyone is selfish

How is ethical egoism incompatible with two important ethical tasks: advising and judging?

One could only judge or advise based on his or her own self-interest, not what is best for the other person

What does it mean to say "ought implies can"? How does this apply to psychological egoism?

Ought implies can means that if you ought to do something it means that you have a choice. In PE you do not have a choice because humans are just inherently selfish

While psychological egoism professes to be scientific, it actually fails to qualify as a scientific theory. Why?

PE does not qualify as a scientific theory because it is not a falsifiable fact - there is not way to disprove it.

What is psychological egoism? Why is it a challenge to the possibility of ethics?

PE- the descriptive view that human nature is so constituted that one cannot help but to act selfishly in everything one does. EE- The view that one ought to pursue his or her one self interest exclusively, asserts that humans are free.

How does the psychological egoist confuse selfishness with self-interest and self-interest with the pursuit of pleasure?

PEs say that each are the same thing however going to the doctor (which is in your self-interest) does not make it selfish - Similarly self-interest is not the same as pursuit of pleasure. Doing drugs can bring you pleasure, but is not necessarily in you self-interest.

What are the two alternative types of egoism?

Psychological Egoism and Ethical Egoism

What are religious morals? How does ethics differ from religious morals?

Religious morals attempt to rely on relation in trying to understand right and wrong and/or justify a claim about right and wrong. Religious morals is not ethics. Ethics = Morality = Philosophical Morality but DOES NOT = morals. Philosophical ethics is independent of revelation. Religious morals rely on supernatural works of God and ethics thinks through natural things. "Religion" is revelation which God has reveals from his own mind to humans. It comes from the Latin word re-ligare which means to bind us back to a faith community.

What is "Natural Law Ethics"? How is Natural Law a solution to the problem of injustice in society?

The Natural Law of Ethics is the set of principles of right and wrong setting the requirements for right and wrong. Natural Law is a solution to the problem of injustice because it gives you actual laws that are ethically proven to be right or wrong so it allows for you to evaluate if there is an injustice in the society.

What is the descriptive claim? What is the normative claim?

The descriptive claim is that the historical, cultural, and socially matter/fact that societies disagree about moral standards. It serves as the premise. It deals with truth v. taste. The Normative claim is that there are no universal ethical principles that can be mutually agreed upon. It is the conclusion. These two claims make up an argument.

What is the basis for "Unalienable Rights"?

These stem from Thomas Aquinas's right that humans should have rights to life, liberty, and property, which stems from Aristotle's "real goods" or fundamental potentialities (needs) based on human nature - the government does not give these rights, we get them from being inherently human, therefore they cannot take them away like a driver's license.

Why is it inconsistent for a Moral Relativist to advocate tolerance?

Tolerance ties into tastes and preferences, or habits, patterns, expectations, customs, folkways, morals, and traditions. With tolerance these become excuses that are represented in different cultures and rationals. However, ethics holds that not every moral belief or practices is reducible to taste.

How does ethical egoism claim to solve the central problem of ethics: why should human beings cooperate with each other?

We should get along because it serves our own interest to have friends and get along with people.

Why would someone suppose that moral relativism is a plausible answer to the question: "from where do our judgments about right or wrong originate?"

a moral relativist would say that our judgement of right and wrong originate from the culture that we grew up in. for example if you live in a society where it is practice to eat your first born child are moral relativist would say that this is not right or wrong it is just the practice of that society.