Ethics Chapter 1: Ethical Dimensions

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Questions and Answers

What is etiquette primarily concerned with?

Legal standards regulating behavior

Philosophical questions regarding the good life

Trivial actions and their approval or disapproval (correct)

Deep moral principles that guide society

Which type of ethics reports how groups make moral valuations without judgment?

Prescriptive Ethics

Applied Ethics

Normative Ethics

Descriptive Ethics (correct)

What does normative ethics seek to establish?

Amoral stances on moral issues

Prohibitions against certain behaviors

Standards for moral valuations (correct)

The legal consequences of actions

What describes a situation where one must choose between two goods or lesser evils?

Moral Dilemma Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the law's authority?

It constrains individuals from certain actions Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines a moral judgment?

An assessment made by an observer of actions Signup and view all the answers

What role does religion typically play in ethical discussion?

It presents a multiplicity of perspectives Signup and view all the answers

What is a moral decision characterized by?

Confrontation with ethical choices Signup and view all the answers

What did Jeremy Bentham refer to as the two sovereign masters that govern our actions?

Pleasure and pain Signup and view all the answers

How does John Stuart Mill differentiate pleasure from Bentham's view?

By distinguishing pleasure qualitatively Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best reflects Mill's view on happiness?

Happiness is synonymous with pleasure obtained Signup and view all the answers

What is the main implication of Mill's argument against Bentham's utilitarianism?

Quality of pleasure is essential to moral utility. Signup and view all the answers

What concept did Bentham develop for evaluating pleasure and pain?

Felicific Calculus Signup and view all the answers

According to Mill, what is a key characteristic that separates human pleasure from animal pleasure?

Humans seek higher intellectual pleasures. Signup and view all the answers

What critique does Mill offer regarding excessive quantities of pleasure?

They may result in pain. Signup and view all the answers

Who is recognized as the preeminent intellectual figure of the scholastic period?

Thomas Aquinas Signup and view all the answers

What is emphasized as the central promise of Christian faith regarding creation?

We are created to ultimately return to God. Signup and view all the answers

What does the concept of 'efficient cause' refer to?

The process that brings another being into existence. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect does 'formal cause' address?

The shape or essence that defines a being. Signup and view all the answers

How does Aristotle define happiness in his ethical studies?

As the ultimate goal that is self-sufficient. Signup and view all the answers

What role does Plato's notion of a supreme good play in Christian theology?

It has shaped and defined the Christian Doctrine of Aquinas. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'material cause' explain about beings?

It refers to the physical substance that constitutes a being. Signup and view all the answers

What is the apparent end or goal described by 'final cause'?

To fulfill a purpose based on potential. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between human experience and the real, according to Plato?

True reality transcends human sensory experiences and is perceived through intellect. Signup and view all the answers

What role does the individual play in subjectivism?

They determine what is morally good or bad. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes ethical egoism?

It prescribes that one's own interests should be the main concern. Signup and view all the answers

What does cultural relativism emphasize regarding ethical valuations?

Ethical valuations differ among cultures based on their experiences. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following defines psychological egoism?

Human beings act out of self-interest by nature. Signup and view all the answers

What concept describes a culture's integrated pattern of knowledge, belief, and behavior?

Authority of culture Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best illustrates the principle of simplicity in ethical theories?

A framework that identifies a single basis for ethical behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about ethical egoism?

It allows for self-serving actions that sometimes benefit others. Signup and view all the answers

In what way does plausibility relate to human actions according to psychological egoism?

It establishes that self-interest is a plausible explanation for behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Ethical Frameworks

Etiquette involves social approval or disapproval of actions deemed trivial, addressing right and wrong without serious ethical implications.
Descriptive Ethics describes how individuals or groups value moral actions without making moral judgments.
Normative Ethics engages philosophical inquiries into the rightness of actions, setting standards for moral valuations.
Moral Issues stem from debates on contentious topics, such as capital punishment and euthanasia, provoking significant discourse.
Moral Decision occurs when an individual must choose how to act in a specific situation.
Moral Judgment involves an observer assessing the morality of actions or behaviors.
Moral Dilemma presents complex situations requiring a choice between competing goods or lesser evils.

Authority of Law

Law comprises a system of rules enforced by governmental institutions to regulate behavior, reflecting the science and art of Justice.
Law compels adherence to societal norms without instructing individuals on positive actions; it outlines prohibitions instead.

Authority of Religion

A variety of religions results in conflicting ethical standards due to differing demands on adherents.
Ethical beliefs often require believers to understand the relationship between ethics and the Divine.

Authority of Culture

Culture represents the collective knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors transmitted across generations, influencing moral valuations.

Cultural Relativism

Acknowledges the differences in ethical valuations across cultures, reflecting diverse moral perspectives.

Subjectivism

Emphasizes the individual's role in determining moral values, where personal judgments define right and wrong.

Psychological Egoism

States that all human actions are motivated by self-interest, presenting self-interest as the fundamental driver of behavior.

Ethical Egoism

Prescribes that individuals should prioritize their own interests, though it may lead to actions beneficial to others only if they also benefit the self.

Simplicity, Plausibility, and Irrefutability

Simplicity refers to theories that provide clear explanations for various actions.
Plausibility indicates the likelihood that self-interest motivates both self-serving and seemingly altruistic behaviors.
Irrefutable highlights the challenge of counterarguments against self-serving motives inherent in human actions.

Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham posited that pleasure and pain govern human actions, tying moral choices to these experiences with his Felicific Calculus framework.
John Stuart Mill built upon Bentham's ideas, asserting that moral good equates with happiness and calling for qualitative distinctions among types of pleasure, emphasizing the superiority of higher intellectual pleasures over base desires.

Natural Law

Thomas Aquinas, a prominent Catholic theologian, emphasized humanity's creation by God with the intent of eventual return to Him, contributing greatly to Christian theology through his work, Summa Theologiae.
Plato introduced the concept of a transcendent moral good that forms part of Aquinas’s teachings, suggesting that truth exists beyond sensory experience and is accessible through intellect.

Causes in Natural Philosophy

Efficient Cause: Refers to something that brings another being into existence, emphasizing a chain of causality.
Formal Cause: Represents the specific form or shape that defines the being's nature.
Material Cause: The physical substance that makes up a being, contributing to its individuality.
Final Cause: Denotes the purpose or goal inherent to a being's existence, such as a seed's growth into a tree.

Aristotle's Contributions

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is foundational in the study of virtue ethics, identifying happiness as the ultimate self-sufficient aim, surpassing wealth or power in fulfillment.

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Description

Explore the foundational concepts of the ethical dimension of human existence in our quiz. This chapter covers the distinctions between etiquette, descriptive ethics, and normative ethics, helping you understand moral evaluations in societal contexts. Test your knowledge on these vital ethical frameworks and their implications.