Ethical Subjectivism: Morality is just a Matter of Personal Feelings

Because ethical subjectivism denies that universal moral standards exist, it cannot ________.

Acknowledge their existence

An ethics of _________ is summed up by the phrase "live and let live."

tolerance

According to Mary Wollstonecraft, moral development flourishes when ___________.

worldviews and standards are challenged

The similarity between ethical skepticism and emotivism is that they both ________.

Deny knowledge of moral truths

In the presence of moral disagreement, when people are changing the topic from what a person ought to do to what a person believes, they are committing the ____________.

Fallacy of irrelevant conclusion

True of False: Tolerance is a universal moral principle, and according to ethical subjectivism, universal moral duties are of grave importance.

False

True or False: Ethical subjectivism firmly believes that humans have free will and are ultimately responsible for their own moral decisions.

False

True or False: In ethical subjectivism, there are objective values regarding helping others and refraining from harming or killing others.

False

According to ethical subjectivism, when a person's moral views change, he or she regards his or her former views as ________.

Mistaken

Eric, a seasoned quarterback and an aspiring NFL player, attacks an opposing team member during a game. Erik strongly believes that what he did was right because he feels that he can play aggressively when the other team does so. According to the premises of ethical subjectivism, Erik's actions are __________.

Moral

Ethical subjectivism incorrectly assumes that __________ implies that there are no universal moral standards.

Moral Disagreement

Sociopaths contradict the beliefs of romantic sentimentalism because they __________.

Have no concern for social values

Heinz dislikes pets, and animals in general, so much that, in order to relieve his stress, he threw a big stone at his neighbor's dog. When Heinz's neighbor asked him to pay for the dog's treatment, he argued that he has done nothing wrong and refused to pay. In the above scenario, ethical subjectivists would argue that ______.

Heinz is morally right.

Ethical subjectivism is often confused with the obviously true observation that individuals _____.

Hold different views about what is morally right and wrong.

True or False: What is often interpreted as disagreement about basic moral principles is instead disagreement about the application of these principles in particular situations.

True

In the context of ethical subjectivism, removing morality from the social realm allows __________.

isolation and apathy

A(n) ________ expresses what a person believes, and does not have to be backed by reasons or fact.

Opinion

Identify the true statements about ethical subjectivism. (check all that apply)

1) It rejects the notion of victimhood. 2) It justifies acts such as slavery, rape, child abuse, and genocide.

Which of the following statements are true of the values clarification or value-neutral approach? (Check all that apply)

1) Moral truths are based on inner feelings rather than on a shared objective reality. 2) Any opinion is just as valid as any other.

Romantic sentimentalism has failed partly because incorporating the law of the heart into a moral theory involves _________.

A contradiction

The statement "live and let live" implies a(n) __________.

A universal duty to respect others, regardless of how we personally feel towards them.

The concept of _________ was advocated by Mary Wollstonecraft.

Coeducation

Feelings, according to Rousseau, are not the ultimate source of morality because a person's natural goodness and feelings can be ________.

Distorted by society

Tom dislikes his neighbor's habit of playing loud music every morning. To put an end to this, he feels that the right thing to do would be to break into his neighbor's house and smash the music system. According to ethical subjectivism, Tom should ____________.

Do what he feels is right.

With references to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's book Emile, he argued that the negative influence of society which manipulates and thwarts nature could be remedied by _______.

Early Education

______ goes beyond the uncertainty of ethical skepticism by stating that there are no moral truths.

Emotivism

Rather than denying the existence of universal moral principles, _______ states that it is difficult, if not impossible, to know whether moral truths exist or what these truths are.

Ethical Skepticism

Match the theories with their conclusions. Theories: Ethical Skepticism Emotivism Ethical Subjectivism Conclusions: 1)Individual feelings must provide the standard of moral truth. 2)One cannot know with certainty whether moral standards exist. 3) All moral statements are meaningless

Ethical Skepticism- One cannot know with certainty whether moral standards exist. Emotivism- All moral statements are meaningless Ethical Subjectivism- Individual feelings must provide the standard of moral truth.

According to ethical subjectivism, when an individual states that something is morally right or wrong, the individual is ____________.

Expressing his or her feelings about it.

In the context of ethical subjectivism, restraining oneself from acting on one's feelings only makes sense if one is using moral criteria or principles that are _______.

Independent of one's feelings

When killing or harming another person, sociopaths feel __________.

Pleasure

Ethical subjectivism does not see beyond a person's ________.

Private feelings

As ethical subjectivists claim, if all moral values are a matter of individual opinion, then morality is ___________.

Relative in all situations

According to the law of the heart, one can discover true goodness by _______.

Retreating to pure inner feelings

Ethical subjectivism goes beyond the descriptive by claiming that __________.

Sincerely believing that something is right makes it right for that person.

On his way to work, Gerald comes across a group of people who are gathered around a man who is lying unconscious on the ground. Out of curiosity, Gerald decides to approach the crowd and inquire about the man lying on the ground. He is told the man has not moved for more than thirty minutes. Gerald joins the others and discusses the man's plight. Identify the phenomenon displayed in this scenario.

The Kitty Genovese Syndrome

In addition to her argument against Rousseau's romantic Sentimentalism, Mary Wollstonecraft stated that women's first duty is to __________.

Themselves

Ethical subjectivism is beneficial to those who have power and opportunity because __________.

They are able to fulfill their desires at the expense of the weak

Frank Stein, a Nazi, believed that murdering Jews was the only way for "his people" to reclaim superiority. Stein murdered them by the dozens, and justified his actions whenever confronted. Ethical subjectivism states that his actions are morally right, because he simply acted on his feelings. In real life, his actions would be considered as ____________.

Wrong

Ethical Subjectivists argue that _______.

there are no absolute standards to judge a person's moral preferences.