PHI 115 Chapters 1 & 2

According to emotivism, when someone says, "Stealing is wrong," what does their statement actually mean?

"Stealing? Boo!"

Morality

Beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad; they can include judgments, rules, values, principles, and theories.

Some thinkers believe that if the divine command theory is true, then the idea that God is good is

meaningless

When a group of people say that a law should be changed because it is immoral, what general idea are these people expressing?

the dominance of moral norms

Moral objectivism

the view that there are moral norms or principles that are valid or true for everyone

The statement, "Gandhi was one of the most courageous people of the twentieth century" is making a claim about

value

In the 1950s in the southern United States, racial segregation was widespread; white people and black people had different swimming pools, water fountains, and schools. This kind of segregation no longer exists. Why is it difficult for the cultural relativist to say that the United States has made progress?

1. According to the cultural standards of the time, segregation was good. 2. There are no objective standards for judging cultures across time.

Maria believes that abortion is morally acceptable, and she thinks that those with a pro-life position are mistaken in their moral view. Based on this information, which moral views could Maria be using to inform her belief?

1. Cultural relativism 2. Moral objectivism

What does doing ethics involve?

1. Informed deliberation about the issue 2. Taking into account the facts of the situation 3. Considering the arguments for moral conclusions. 4. Not ignoring one's feelings about the issue at hand.

Jason believes that it is true that capital punishment is morally wrong, even though he knows that his culture approves of capital punishment. Based on this information, which moral views could Jason be using to inform his belief?

1. Subjective relativism 2. Moral objectivism

If emotivism is true, and moral claims like "It is wrong to break promises" cannot be true or false, what is the point of making such claims?

1. To express emotion 2. To influence the behavior of someone else

Some people believe that morality is subjective. What statements describe the implications of this view?

1. What is right and wrong varies depending on what one feels. 2. What is right is whatever one feels is right.

What are some of the costs of choosing not to think critically about ethical concerns?

1. Your chances of having incomplete, confused, or mistaken responses to moral dilemmas or contradictions will increase. 2. Your personal freedom to form your own beliefs is undermined. 3. Your intellectual growth stagnates.

Moral philosophers generally say that if it is wrong for Maria to steal clothing for fun, then it is also wrong for David, who is in exactly the same situation as Maria, to steal clothing for fun. Which principles supports this judgment?

1. the dominance of moral norms 2. the principle of universalizability. 3. the principle of impartiality.

T/F: According to emotivism, claims like "People generally approve of capital punishment" cannot be true or false.

False

T/F: What makes ethics different from other subjects is that ethical claims do not need to be supported by logical arguments, while in other subjects logical arguments are always needed to support one's claims.

False

Sean is a member of the KKK who approves of slavery and believes that the world would be better if certain racial groups were enslaved. If subjective relativism is true, then what does that imply about Sean's beliefs?

His beliefs are true.

The principle of universalizability says that a moral judgment that applies in one situation must also apply

In all relevantly similar situations

Euthyphro Dilemma

Is what is morally right commanded by God because it is morally good, or is it morally right because it is commanded by God?

Miguel lives in a country where the culture generally accepts the morality of abortion. However, Miguel is also a traditional Catholic, and in Catholic culture, abortion is not generally accepted. If Miguel is a cultural relativist, what should he believe about abortion?

It is unclear what Miguel should do.

What would a cultural relativist say about the issue of female genital cutting (FGC)?

It is wrong if one's culture disapproves of it.

Some argue for subjective relativism on the grounds that judgments about right and wrong differ from person to person. What is an objection to this argument?

Just because people disagree about an issue, that doesn't mean that no view can be objectively correct.

Tara is a scientist who is working on the development of artificial intelligence, and she is also religious. As her project goes on, she begins to worry whether it might be immoral to create artificial intelligence. What problem does this illustrate for those, like Tara, who get their morality entirely from a sacred scripture?

Moral principles from scripture do not cover situations that have arisen only recently, like Tara's dilemma about artificial intelligence.

How would an emotivist describe the statement, "Happiness is good."

Neither true nor false

If one does not reason critically about morality, why, according to philosopher Paul Taylor, might that lead to a life in which one denies all morality?

One will not be able to defend one's moral beliefs against criticism, leading to skepticism about morality in general.

Divine command theory

Right actions are willed by God

Applied ethics

The application of moral norms to specific moral issues or cases, particularly those in a profession such as medicine or law.

Imagine there is a culture that believes that people are morally obligated to give their belongings and money to the poor, up to the point where they become poor themselves. If cultural relativism is true, what does that imply about this culture's beliefs?

The culture's beliefs are true.

Suppose that Adam has an ethical obligation to babysit his little brother tonight at home. However, if he leaves his little brother home alone, he could pick up an extra shift at his job and earn more money. Which feature of ethics will help him decide what he should do in this situation?

The dominance of moral norms.

The principle of universalizability

The idea that a moral statement (a principle, rule, judgement) that applies in one situation must apply in all other situations that are relevantly similar.

Moral philosophy

The philosophical study of morality; also referred to as ethics.

Ethics

The philosophical study of morality; also referred to as moral philosophy.

Descriptive ethics

The scientific study of moral beliefs and practices.

Metaethics

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

Normative ethics

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

Objectivism

The theory that moral truths exist and that they do so independently of what individuals or societies think of them.

Subjective relativism

The view that an action is morally right if one approves of it. Implications: 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 their culture, that other cultures cannot be legitimately criticized, and the moral progress is impossible.

Cultural relativism

The view that an action is morally right if one's culture approves of it.

Emotivism

The view that moral utterances are neither true nor false but are expressions of emotions or attitudes. Implications: 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.

Instrumentally valuable

Valuable as a means to something else; also referred to as extrinsically valuable.

Extrinsically valuable

Valuable as a means to something else; also referred to as instrumentally valuable.

Intrinsically valuable

Valuable in itself, for its own sake.

Camila lives in a society where eating animals is considered right, and she agrees. Which moral view is Camila using to inform this belief?

We do not have enough information to say.

Dominance of Moral Norms

When moral norms conflict with nonmoral norms, moral considerations win

Jameis believes that God has commanded him (1) not to lie and (2) to obey his father and mother. However, his father and mother have told him to tell a lie, and now Jameis has no idea what to do. What problem does this illustrate specific to people who do not apply critical reasoning to their moral beliefs?

Without thinking about the logical basis of moral principle, we can't tell which principle trumps another whenever there is a conflict of moral principles.

The principle of intrinsic value

a thing is valuable because of the nature of the product, such as the scarcity or the amount of labor and natural resources that goes into its production

The principle of impartiality

all persons are considered equal and should be treated accordingly