PHI 240 TEST 1 (INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS)
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
What are the three divisions of ethics? - Answers - Value Theory
Normative Ethics
Metaethics
Value Theory - Answers - The area of ethics concerned with identifying what is valuable
in its own right, and explaining the nature of well-being.
Normative Ethics - Answers - The study of the principles, rules, or theories that guide
our actions and judgments
Meta-ethics - Answers - the study of the meaning and logical structure of moral beliefs.
Questions the validity of the two parts of moral philosophy
Moral Skepticism - Answers - The belief that no moral theory can be justified or that
moral knowledge is impossible.
Ethical Relativism - Answers - The belief that there are no objective truths in ethics.
Ethical principles are either based on culture (cultural relativism) or on the individual
(ethical subjectivism).
Ethical Objectivism - Answers - The view that there is at least one objective moral
standard.
Ethical Egoism - Answers - The normative ethical theory that says that actions are
morally right just because they maximize self-interest.
Psychological Egoism: - Answers - The view that all human actions are motivated by
self-interest and that altruism is impossible.
Altruism - Answers - •The direct care and concern to improve the well-being of someone
other than yourself.
Hedonism - Answers - The view that pleasure is the only thing that is intrinsically
valuable, and pain (or unhappiness) is the only thing that is intrinsically bad.
, Consequentialism - Answers - A family of normative ethical theories that share the idea
that the morality of actions, policies, motives, or rules depends on their producing the
best actual or expected results.
Deontological Ethics - Answers - A normative ethical theory that bases morality on duty.
It is often associated with Kant's moral theory.
Virtue Ethics - Answers - A normative ethical theory that says that an action is morally
right just because it would be done by a virtuous person acting in character.
Morality - Answers - •There is no agreed upon definition.
•The subject matter is related to a notion of the good life, the nature of virtue, and the
duties we owe each other.
•It is distinct from law, etiquette, self-interest, and tradition.
•What is moral is not always legal, and what is legal is not always moral.
•Etiquette relates to good manners and behavior within a society. This is not the same
thing as morality, as morality sometimes requires us to do what is impolite or unpopular.
•While some argue for a role for self-interest, it seems plausible that we may
occasionally need to sacrifice self-interest in order to be moral.
•Tradition is also not a sure foundation for morality. Merely because a practice has been
around a long time does not make it moral.
What are the three assumptions for morality? - Answers - 1 .does not have its origin in
social arrangements,
2. is untainted by mistaken beliefs, irrationality, or popular prejudices, and
3. can serve as the true standard for determining when conventional morality has got it
right and when it has fallen into error.
What is an argument? - Answers - An argument is a logically connected set of
statements in which some of the statements give support for another statement.
Different parts of an argument - Answers - The statements doing the supporting are
called premises.
The statement that is being supported is the conclusion.
What are two ways that an argument can fail? - Answers - The premises we use can be
based on false beliefs, and
The logic we use can be flawed.
What is Validity - Answers - Validity refers to a deductive argument in which the truth of
the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion.
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
What are the three divisions of ethics? - Answers - Value Theory
Normative Ethics
Metaethics
Value Theory - Answers - The area of ethics concerned with identifying what is valuable
in its own right, and explaining the nature of well-being.
Normative Ethics - Answers - The study of the principles, rules, or theories that guide
our actions and judgments
Meta-ethics - Answers - the study of the meaning and logical structure of moral beliefs.
Questions the validity of the two parts of moral philosophy
Moral Skepticism - Answers - The belief that no moral theory can be justified or that
moral knowledge is impossible.
Ethical Relativism - Answers - The belief that there are no objective truths in ethics.
Ethical principles are either based on culture (cultural relativism) or on the individual
(ethical subjectivism).
Ethical Objectivism - Answers - The view that there is at least one objective moral
standard.
Ethical Egoism - Answers - The normative ethical theory that says that actions are
morally right just because they maximize self-interest.
Psychological Egoism: - Answers - The view that all human actions are motivated by
self-interest and that altruism is impossible.
Altruism - Answers - •The direct care and concern to improve the well-being of someone
other than yourself.
Hedonism - Answers - The view that pleasure is the only thing that is intrinsically
valuable, and pain (or unhappiness) is the only thing that is intrinsically bad.
, Consequentialism - Answers - A family of normative ethical theories that share the idea
that the morality of actions, policies, motives, or rules depends on their producing the
best actual or expected results.
Deontological Ethics - Answers - A normative ethical theory that bases morality on duty.
It is often associated with Kant's moral theory.
Virtue Ethics - Answers - A normative ethical theory that says that an action is morally
right just because it would be done by a virtuous person acting in character.
Morality - Answers - •There is no agreed upon definition.
•The subject matter is related to a notion of the good life, the nature of virtue, and the
duties we owe each other.
•It is distinct from law, etiquette, self-interest, and tradition.
•What is moral is not always legal, and what is legal is not always moral.
•Etiquette relates to good manners and behavior within a society. This is not the same
thing as morality, as morality sometimes requires us to do what is impolite or unpopular.
•While some argue for a role for self-interest, it seems plausible that we may
occasionally need to sacrifice self-interest in order to be moral.
•Tradition is also not a sure foundation for morality. Merely because a practice has been
around a long time does not make it moral.
What are the three assumptions for morality? - Answers - 1 .does not have its origin in
social arrangements,
2. is untainted by mistaken beliefs, irrationality, or popular prejudices, and
3. can serve as the true standard for determining when conventional morality has got it
right and when it has fallen into error.
What is an argument? - Answers - An argument is a logically connected set of
statements in which some of the statements give support for another statement.
Different parts of an argument - Answers - The statements doing the supporting are
called premises.
The statement that is being supported is the conclusion.
What are two ways that an argument can fail? - Answers - The premises we use can be
based on false beliefs, and
The logic we use can be flawed.
What is Validity - Answers - Validity refers to a deductive argument in which the truth of
the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion.
