AS Ethics

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  • Created on: 04-01-13 11:39
What is Absolutism and what are the features of it.
Absolutism • Most commonly associated with deontology (pays no regard to consequences, is focused on duty and the fact that acts are inherently right or wrong) • Some actions are always right or wrong independent of the time, place, or situation • Mo
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what are the strengths of Absolutism.
It provides a universal system by which all actions can be measured It is a clear system that is easy and quick to apply ( there is no weighing up of the action against the consequences) There are certainly acts that are inherently right or wrong ind
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What are the weaknesses
It is ignorant of cultural differences or varying circumstances How can these moral truths be determined? The consequence of an action often has a large impact on people's views towards an action - absolutism ignores the consequence and even goes as
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What is Reletivism
Relativism Most commonly associated with teleology (an action's value is determined by the consequences it produces - an action is good if the consequences are good) There are no set moral rules - morality is subjective and dependent on the views an
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what are the strengths of reletivism
It is flexible and focuses on the best outcomes It allows for a more autonomous (self-directing) morality - people have to take responsibility for actions instead of just doing their duty
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what are the weaknesses
Judgements are always subjective and so there is no moral standard by which any action can be judged There are some things that many would argue are always wrong - **** and child abuse will never be right, no matter what the circumstances Relativism
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what type of theory is natural law
Deontological Christian theory, moral absolutes have been written into nature by God. Focused on the purpose of life and how to reach happiness and fulfilment.
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Who developed the first version of the theory and what did he base his ideas on
Rooted in Aristotelian philosophy. Aristotle was concerned with the Efficient and Final Causes of everything - how does it happen and what is its purpose? An object reaches supreme goodness when it fulfils its purpose. the supreme good for humans is
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how do we reach the supreme good (final cause)
We can reach this supreme good if we use our reason to work out how to reach it. Aquinas said that reasonwas to found in our conscience, which was a God-given faculty within that allows us to determine moral truths. Moral truths are given by God and
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what are the three types of laws and how are they connected
Natural Law is a reflection of the Divine Law, which has been revealed to the faithful through the Bible and through Jesus' ministry. In turn, Divine Law is a reflection of the Eternal Law. This is the mind of God which humans cannot know. It contai
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describe apparent goods and goods
Every human acts in a way as to try and avoid evil and do good (human nature). However, sometimes when reason is not applied we unintentionally fall into evil and do what we think is good, even though it is not. These are Apparent Goods. A Real Good
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describe the primary precepts
Primary precepts - fundamental goods that all humans should strive to achieve in order to reach eudaimonia and be close to God. These are: preservation of life, education and nurture of the young, living peacefully in society, reproduction, and worsh
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describe the secondary precepts
Secondary precepts - practical rules that help humans to protect and achieve the primary precepts. Reason is needed to determine these moral truths.
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what is the principle of double effect
There may be times when we cannot do good without doing bad as a consequence. the doctrine of double effect can be employed in these times - although it is wrong to do a bad act intentionally to bring about good consequences, it is sometimes acceptab
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describe the strengths of the theory
Provides a clear moral foundation for behaviour The primary precepts are values that would be reflected in most societies It stresses the develpoment of character, living peacefully in society and holding human life as sacred - these are desirable in
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describe the weaknesses
Do all humans really have a common nature? There are many situations in which people know their actions are wrong but they still continue with it anyway Natural Law is a Christian ethic but Jesus was opposed to legalism It could be argued that there
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describe why kant did not trust empiricism in terms of morality
Kant argued that empiricism was dependent on senses and if our senses were in any other manor then we would have a different understanding of the universe making our perception of things arbitrary
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what type of theory is kants theory of ethics
Deontological theory based on reason. Kant believed that morality was based solely on reason and not on emotions or feelings, as these are subjective and not universal. Unless you can accurately predict the outcome of an action, you cannot base moral
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what is the only good thing in terms of ethics
An action is only good if duty and good will are combined as a motive. If a person has an attitude of good will and they choose to exercise it freely towards another person, they are acting morally. All other motives have the potential to be misused.
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what makes the good will good
The only acceptable reason for using good will is out of a sense of duty. If emotions or ulterior motives are involved, the action is not moral. Duty must be done for duty's sake. There is no other reason for doing your duty other than the fact that
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what is the hypothetical imperative
Hypothetical imperative - a command is a hypothetical imperative if it is simply a means to something else, for example, if you want your grades to improve, you have to do more revision. The reason for an action is always related to the outcome (the
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what is the categorical imperative
Categorical imperaive - a categorial imperative is a command that should always be obeyed and is not related to the outcome. For example, 'you should not steal' is something you ought to abide by in every situation without exception because it is wro
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what is a maxim
A maxim is a subjective principle or rule that an individual uses to make a decision. To determine whether a maxim should become a moral law or not, the three formulations of the categorical imperative should be used:
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describe the three formulations of maxims
First formaulation - act only on those maxims that at the same time, you could will to be universal law (only act on maxims that you believe should be followed by all people, no matter what the circumstance) Second formulation - So act as to treat hu
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what is the summum bonum
Summum bonum - a state in which virtue and happiness come together; when virtue is rewarded with happiness we have achieved the highest good and know we are truly moral people. The aim of morality is to show that we are worthy to receive this state o
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what are the strengths of kants theory
Strengths It does not require a belief in God, simply the ability to use reason It respects human dignity and aims to treat everyone equally It is not based on feelings, which are subjective and subject to change One rule applies to everyone in all
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what are the weaknesses
The disregard for feelings and emotions is harsh and unrealistic. Acts done out of love and compassion are surely not immoral. It is human nature to consider the consequences of actions before acting The outcome may be more important than the process
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what kind of theory is utilitarianism
Utilitarianism Relativist theory concerned with producing the greatest good for the greatest number. Initially formulated by Bentham and developed by J.S. Mill. Teleological (measures the potential goodness produced by the actionb).
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in basic terms what did Bentham believe
Bentham formulated Act Utilitarianism. Each situation is judged individually and so what produces the greatest good for the greatest number is specific to that situation only. There are no general rules to abide by apart from the Principle of Utility
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what kind of greek concept underlies benthams ideas
Bentham believed that whatever produced pleasure was moral, and whatever produced pain was immoral - this approach is hedonistic.
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what makes up the hedoic calculus
He devised the Hedonic Calculus - this is a system that can be used to quanitfy the potential pleasure or pain of an action. Remoteness. How near/far is the pleasure? Purity. What is the tendency to produce only pleasure and no pain? Richness. what
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what are the strengths of the theory
It provides a clear mathematical system for deciding a course of action by balancing pleasure and pain Each situation is assessed separately and can be looked at without any moral constraints It focuses on the consequences of an action It is based on
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what are the weaknesses
There is only a focus on the quantity as opposed to quality. The pursuit of pleasures such as food, drink and sex are just animal instincts The Hedonic Calculus is a long process and not easy to apply Some decisions may not bring widespread pleasure
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Describe in basic terms what kind of theory mills utilitarianism is
Mill's Utilitarianism is Rule Utilitarianism - general rules need to be established for a society that are based on the Principle of Utility. The focus is not on how much pleasure is gained from an action but what benefits the majority of people in t
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describe the difference between strong rule and weak rule utilitarianism
Rule Utilitarianism is often split into strong and weak forms. The strong form maintains that once general societal rules have been established, they should never be broken as they will never bring the greatest good to the greatest number, for exampl
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what are the strengths of the theory
The quality is considered, which stops humans from being completely hedonistic and chasing insignificant pleasures Higher pleasures focus on personal growth and development It allows consequences to be taken into account it allows the majority of pe
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what are the weaknesses
It is difficult to predict the consequences of all actions Happiness is subjective and it is difficult to define there is no defence for minorities, who might often have a very valid point To invoke rules means that the approach becomes more absoluti
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what is singers views on utilitarianism
Singer developed preference utilitarianism - this is a more modern approach and takes into account the best interests of the whole of society. This way, minorities are defended and represented fairly, and it goes beyond the idea of just pleasure and
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what are the strengths of Absolutism.

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It provides a universal system by which all actions can be measured It is a clear system that is easy and quick to apply ( there is no weighing up of the action against the consequences) There are certainly acts that are inherently right or wrong ind

Card 3

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What are the weaknesses

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What is Reletivism

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Card 5

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what are the strengths of reletivism

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