chpt 3

the idea that the right actions are those that result in greater overall well-being (or utility) for the people involved than any other possible actions.

the principle of utility

moral __ explains why an action is right or wrong or why a person or a person's character is good or bad.

theory

Moral norms, like nonmoral ones, also possess the property of __: they apply not just in a single case, but in all cases that are relevantly similar.

universality

The most influential consequentialist theory is __ , the view that right actions are those that maximize the overall well-being of everyone involved.

utilitarianism

in __, the foremost consequentialist theory, the only thing of intrinsic value is well-being.

utilitarianism

Moral __ concern those things that we judge to be morally good, bad, praiseworthy, or blame-worthy

values

focuses not on rules and right actions, but on the development of character

virtue ethics

in this belief, the central task in morality being and becoming a good person, someone possessing the virtues that define moral excellence.

virtue ethics

virtue ethics and ethics of care are __ __ theories

virtue oriented

in utilitarianism, there are no absolute prohibitions or mandates (except for the principle of utility itself); there is only the goal of maximizing __ __

well-being

in __ theory, an action is right only if it conforms to a universal rule, and we are morally praiseworthy only if perform it for duty's sake a lone.

Kant's

states that the core of morality consists in following a rational and universally applicable moral rule and doing so solely out of a sense of duty.

Kant's theory

claims [the] happiness which forms the utilitarian standard of what is right conduct, is not the agent's own happiness, but that of all concerned...utilitarianism requires him to be as strictly impartial

Mill

__ theories say the effects of an action are all that matter; our only duty is to ensure that the effects are a maximization of the good

consequentialist

utilitarianism and ethical egoism are two __ theories

consequentialist

how well a theory fits with established faces, with what scientists already know.

conservatism

consistency with our __ moral judgments means any plausible scientific theory must be consistent with the data that the theory is supposed to explain; there should be no conflicts between the theory and the relevant facts.

considered

We arrive at them after careful deliberation that is as free of bias, self-interest, and other distorting influences as possible.

considered moral judgements

Like, a moral theory must also be consistent with the data it is supposed to explain: our __ moral judgments, some call our moral __ __

considered; common sense.

the idea that moral theories should be consistent with moral background knowledge

consistency with the facts of the moral life

Like subjective relativism, this implies moral infallibility

cultural relativism

argues that I. If people's moral judgments differ from culture to culture, moral standards are relative to culture (there are no objective mora l standards) 2 . People's moral judgments do differ from culture to culture. 3. Therefore, moral standards are relative to culture (there are no objective moral standards).

cultural relativism

the view that right actions are those sanctioned by one's culture.

cultural relativism

Kant's theory is a ___ theory

deontological

The __ __ theory of morality says that right actions are those commanded or willed by God.

divine command

the belief that right actions are those commanded by God; wrong actions are those prohibited by God.

divine command theory

For the ___ ___ consequentialist theory "good" is equivalent to self-interest.

ethical egoism

the view that right actions are those that further one's best interests, even if the interests of others are ignored or thwarted

ethical egoism

the careful, philosophical examination of these

ethics

the study of morality using the methods of philosophy

ethics

a distinctive moral perspective that arose out of feminist concerns and grew to challenge core elements of most other moral theories.

ethics of care

focuses on the unique demands of specific situations and to the virtues and feelings that are central to close personal relationships-empathy, compassion, love, sympathy, and fidelity.

ethics of care

in this view, the heart of the moral life is feeling for and caring for chose with whom you have a special, intimate connection.

ethics of care

officially sanctioned punishment by death for very grievous (capital) crimes.

capital punishment

According to virtue ethics, __ is the key to the moral life, for it is from it that moral conduct and values naturally arise.

character

in this belief, a right action produces more net happiness (amounts of happiness minus unhappiness) than any alternative action, everyone considered.

classic utilitarianism

when no further changes in the theory or the data are necessary a theory is said to have reached

"reflective equilibrium."

The classic version of utilitarianism was devised by English philosopher Jeremy __ and given more detail and plausibility by another English philosopher, John Stuart ___

Bentham; Mill

__ __ insist that the rightness of actions depends solely on their consequences or results. The key question is what or how much good the actions produce, however good is defined

Consequentialist theories

__ __ is the main engine that drives ethical inquiry

Critical reasoning

The most sophisticated and influential deontological theory comes from the German philosopher __ __

Immanuel Kant

favors a form of criminal punishment legalization in which agents of the scare may torture someone if they first obtain judicial permission in the form of "torture warrants"

Dershowirz

__ __ says that you have a moral obligation to maximize the well-being of just one person-yourself-and that you act morally only when you p lay favorites and give special treatment to yourself

Ethical egoism

argued that "if the Divine Command Theory is correct, then something is good just in case it is favored by God. But then look what happen s: to say that God is good is just to say that God is favored by God.

Russ Shafer-Landau

__ __ says that right actions are chose that produce the best balance of happiness over unhappiness for all concerned

Traditional utilitarianism

___ judge the morality of conduct by a single standard, the principle of utility

Utilitarians

ingrained dispositions to act by standards of excellence

Virtues

those who want to do away with capital punishment, who believe the death penalty is never justified.

abolitionists

moral __ , the belief that objective moral principles allow no exceptions or must be applied the same way in all cases and cultures.

absolutism

the idea that the rightness of actions depends solely on the overall well-being produced by individual actions.

act-utilitarianism

to try to determine which moral theory is most likely correct, we apply conceptual yardsticks called the moral criteria of __

adequacy.

the unselfish concern for the well-being of others which in ethical egoism is never a motive for action.

altruism

whether the theory makes successful predictions of previously unknown phenomena.

fruitfulness

the belief that genes, make the person, that genetics ordains all of an individual 's characteristics

generic determinism

in consequentialist theories the __ is whatever has intrinsic value-whatever is valuable for its own sake-which can include such things as pleasure, happiness, virtue

good

Classic utilitarianism is __ in that the utility to be maximized is pleasure, broadly termed happiness, the only intrinsic good.

hedonistic

___ utilitarianism equate good with happiness or pleasure

hedonistic

ethical egoism appears to conflict with an essential element of the moral life, __

impartiality

moral norms have __: they apply to everyone equally

impartiality

how is Mill utilitarianism different from classical

insists that pleasures can vary in quality as well as quantity.

says actions have moral worth only if we do them out of a sense of duty, simply because they are our duty.

kant

says that right actions are those that are right in themselves because they are consistent with universal moral rules derived from reason

kant

says the moral law is absolute, unchangeable, and universal, a rock-solid structure built on eternal reason.

kant

when an action is not obviously or seriously harmful but is considered immoral by some the practice prohibited by law.

legal moralism

He was both an empericist philosopher and a social reformer, dedicated to seeing that his liberal and utilitarian ideals were used for the betterment of society.

mill

the __ __ knowledge, the basic, inescapable experiences of the moral life.

moral background

__ __ is another name for ethics

moral philosophy

the idea that an action is morally right if endorsed by a person or culture and morally wrong if condemned by a person or culture.

moral relativism.

the idea that moral standards are not objective, but are relative to what individuals or cultures believe.

moral relativism.

devising and evaluating moral theories is called __ __

moral theorizing

(nonmoral/moral) norms have a much stronger hold on us than (nonmoral/moral) ones do

moral; nonmoral

consists of our beliefs about right and wrong actions and good and bad persons or character

morality

has to do with our moral judgments, principles, values, and theories

morality

In classic utilitarianism , the emphasis is on maximizing the total quantity of __ __, not ensuring that it is rationed in any particular amounts among the people involved.

net happiness

Morality is a __ enterprise, which means that it provides us with norms, or standards, for judging actions and persons

normative

moral __ the idea that at least some moral norms or principles are objectively valid or true for everyone

objectivism

theories of __ emphasize the rightness or wrongness of actions and the duties of persons.

obligation

the two distinct spheres of our moral experience are both moral __ and moral __.

obligation; values

Moral __ concern how we ought or ought not to behave. In this sphere, we talk primarily about __.

obligations; actions

the idea that moral norms have a stronger hold than nonmoral ones is called ___

overridingness.

Ethical egoists have argued that the theory is on solid ground because

people always act in self interest

what does mill say are the 2 desirable ends of morality

pleasure, and freedom from pain

when a moral principle is applicable unless exceptions are warranted

prima facie

Cultural relativism also seems to rule out the possibility of moral __

progress

the starting point for the ethical egoist's main argument, which says that (1) we are obligated to act only if we can act; (2) we can act only when motivated by self- interest; (3) therefore, we are obligated to act only when motivated by self-interest.

psychological egoism

morality is __ based. because it tries to ensure that our moral judgments are not wrought out of thin air or concocted from prejudice or blind emotion

reason

one of the consequences of cultural relativism is that social __ can never be morally right.

reformers

___ in moral problem-solving means that a theory helps us solve moral problems and identify morally relevant aspects of conduct and judge the rightness of actions

resourcefulness

those who want to retain the death penalty as part of legal punishment, who believe that sometimes capital punishment is warranted

retentionists

the doctrine that people should be punished simply because they deserve it, and that the punishment should be proportional to the crime.

retributivism

in act-utilitarianism, an act is __ if in a particular situation it produces a greater balance of well-being over suffering than any alternative acts

right

only actions are morally __ or __, but persons are morally __ or __

right or wrong; good or bad

the main concern of theories of obligation is knowing and doing what's __, and their chief guide to these aims is moral ___

right; principles.

avoids judging rightness by specific acts and focuses instead on rules governing categories of acts.

rule-utilitarianism

says a right action is one that conforms to a rule that, if followed consistently, would create for everyone involved the most beneficial balance of well-being over suffering.

rule-utilitarianism

implies that moral disagreement is virtually impossible.

subjective relativism

the idea of this view is "That may be your truth, but it's not my truth"

subjective relativism

the view that right actions are those sanctioned by a person

subjective relativism

a major influence on the ideas mill expressed in The Subjection of Women

taylor

mill says that Utility is also called the __ __ __

the Greatest Happiness Principle