Ethics Test 1 Chpt. 1-3

the application of moral norms to specific moral issues or cases

applied ethics

A group of statements, one of which is supposed to be supported by the rest.

argument

A group of statements, one of which is supported by the rest, is called a(n)

argument.

The fallacy of arguing in a circle—that is, trying to use a statement as both a premise in an argument and the conclusion of that argument. Such an argument says, in effect, p is true because p is true.

begging the question

A strong argument with true premises.

cogent argument

The statement supported in an argument.

conclusion

The view that an action is morally right if one's culture approves of it. Implications: that cultures are morally infallible, that social reformers can never be morally right, that moral disagreements between individuals in the same culture amount to arguments over whether someone disagrees with her culture, that other cultures cannot be legitimately criticized, and that moral progress is impossible.

cultural relativism

An argument that is supposed to give logically conclusive support to its conclusion.

deductive argument

An argument that is supposed to give logically conclusive support to its conclusion is said to be

deductive.

the scientific study of moral beliefs and practices.

descriptive ethics

The view that moral utterances are neither true nor false but are expressions of emotions or attitudes. Implications: that people cannot disagree over the moral facts because there are no moral facts, that presenting reasons in support of a moral utterance is a matter of offering nonmoral facts that can influence someone's attitude, and that nothing is actually good or bad.

emotivism

The fallacy of assigning two different meanings to the same term in an argument.

equivocation

the philosophical study of morality

ethics (moral philosophy)

The use of a flawed analogy to argue for a conclusion.

faulty analogy

The fallacy of drawing a conclusion about an entire group of people or things based on an undersized sample of the group.

hasty generalization

In evaluating an argument, it is important to explicitly state

implied premises.

Terms that often appear in arguments to signal the presence of a premise or conclusion, or to indicate that an argument is deductive or inductive.

indicator words

An argument that is supposed to offer probable support to its conclusion.

inductive argument

Valuable as a means to something else.

instrumentally (or extrinsically) valuable

Valuable in itself, for its own sake

intrinsically valuable

A deductive argument that does not offer logically conclusive support for the conclusion.

invalid argument

the study of the meaning and logical structure of moral beliefs.

metaethics

A statement affirming that an action is right or wrong or that a person (or one's motive or character) is good or bad.

moral statement

A statement affirming that an action is right or wrong or that a person is good or bad is called a(n)

moral statement.

beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad; they can include judgments, rules, principals, and theories.

morality

A statement that does not affirm that an action is right or wrong or that a person (or one's motive or character) is good or bad.

nonmoral statement

the studies of principles, rules, or theories that guide our actions and judgments.

normative ethics

The view that some moral principles are valid for everyone.

objectivism

A supporting statement in an argument.

premise

Premise indicator words include

since and given that.

The fallacy of using dubious premises to argue that doing a particular action will inevitably lead to other actions that will result in disaster, so you should not do that first action.

slippery slope

A valid argument with true premises.

sound argument

An assertion that something is or is not the case.

statement

An assertion that something is or is not the case is called a(n)

statement.

The fallacy of misrepresenting someone's claim or argument so it can be more easily refuted.

straw man

An inductive argument that does in fact provide probable support for its conclusion.

strong argument

The view that an action is morally right if one approves of it. Implications: that individuals are morally infallible and that genuine moral disagreement between individuals is nearly impossible.

subjective relativism

Nonmoral premises, like all premises, must be

supported by good reasons.

We can test the truth of a moral premise by

using counterexamples.

A deductive argument that does in fact provide logically conclusive support for its conclusion.

valid argument

An inductive argument that does not give probable support to the conclusion.

weak argument

According to subjective relativism, an action is right if...

A person approves of it

The principle of universalizability demands that a moral statement that applies in one situation must apply in...

All other situations that are relevantly similar

The application of moral norms to specific moral issues or cases is known as...

Applied ethics

Morality is...

Beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad

A typical moral argument consists of premises and a conclusion, with the conclusion being a nonmoral statement, or judgment.

False

All major religious thinkers have accepted the divine command theory.

False

All norms are moral norms.

False

All objectivists are absolutists.

False

An inductive argument that manages to give probable support to the conclusion is said to be valid.

False

Embracing moral objectivism entails intolerance.

False

Emotivism says that people can disagree about moral facts but not about moral attitudes.

False

Ethics gives us a royal road to moral truth.

False

Feelings are not an important part of moral experience.

False

Legal norms dominate moral norms.

False

Mary Midgley argues that one should never make moral judgments about others.

False

Objectivism is the doctrine that some moral norms are rigid rules that have no exceptions.

False

People's judgments about right and wrong do not differ from culture to culture.

False

Religious believers have no need to do ethics.

False

The fallacy of assigning two different meanings to the same term in an argument is known as faulty analogy.

False

The validity or invalidity of an argument is a matter of its content, not its form.

False

There are never any good reasons for treating someone differently from the way we treat others.

False

There is a necessary connection between tolerance and cultural relativism.

False

Very few arguments have implied premises.

False

People often differ in their moral judgments because they...

Have divergent nonmoral beliefs

Descriptive ethics involves the systematic investigation of...

How people do in fact behave

Subjective relativism...

Implies that moral disagreements cannot happen

Things that are valuable because they are a means to something else are said to be...

Instrumentally valuable

Subjective relativism implies that each person is...

Morally infallible

If we wish to study the moral principles, rules, or theories that guide our actions and judgments, we must delve into...

Normative ethics

Some argue that a core set of moral values must be universal, otherwise cultures would...

Not survive

Cultural relativism is the view that an action is morally right if...

One's culture approves of it

Ethics, or moral philosophy, is...

The philosophical study of morality

Cultural relativism implies that...

There are no universal moral standards

According to the divine command theory, right actions are those that are willed by God.

True

An inductive argument is intended to provide probable, not decisive, support to the conclusion.

True

Cultural relativism implies that other cultures cannot be legitimately criticized.

True

Cultural relativism implies that social reformers of every sort will always be wrong.

True

Embracing without question the moral beliefs of your culture can undermine your personal freedom.

True

Emotivists assert that moral disagreements are not conflicts of beliefs but rather are disagreements in attitude.

True

Hasty generalization is a fallacy of inductive reasoning.

True

Many critics reject emotivism because it offers an implausible view of moral reasons.

True

Many great religious thinkers have relied on reason to understand the truths of morality.

True

Modus ponens is symbolized by: If p, then q; p; therefore, q.

True

Morality is both accessible and meaningful to us whether we are religious or not.

True

Noncognitivism denies that moral judgments are statements that can be true or false.

True

Objectivists claim that some moral norms are universal.

True

The fallacy of arguing that a claim should be rejected solely because of the characteristics of the person who makes it is called argument to the person.

True

The misrepresenting of someone's claim or argument so it can be more easily refuted is called the fallacy of the straw man.

True

The principle of impartiality demands that we treat equals equally.

True

We properly use the terms good, bad, blameworthy, and praiseworthy to refer to concepts or judgments of value

True

What makes an argument a moral argument is that its conclusion is always

a moral statement.

The fallacy of relying on the opinion of someone thought to be an expert who is not.

appeal to authority

The fallacy of arguing that the absence of evidence entitles us to believe a claim.

appeal to ignorance

The fallacy of arguing that the absence of evidence entitles us to believe a claim is called

appeal to ignorance.

The fallacy (also known as ad hominem) of arguing that a claim should be rejected solely because of the characteristics of the person who makes it.

appeal to the person