Key Ethical Notions Quiz

Study Notes

Key Ethical Notions

Moral Experience involves an action judged morally good or bad by a free agent, encompassing three key components:
- Free Moral Agent: An individual acting out of free will.
- Moral Act: The specific action taken by the agent.
- Rational Principle: Reasoning that assesses the morality of the act.
Example of moral experience includes feeling outrage over child molestation, illustrating an intuitive grasp of morality.
Even studying hard represents a moral experience due to voluntary effort toward a beneficial outcome.

Moral Standards

Defined as norms about morally right or wrong actions and values concerning good or bad.
Key characteristics include:
- Address significant harm or benefit to humans, animals, or the environment.
- Not reliant on authority for establishment.
- Override other standards, including self-interest.
- Rooted in impartial and fair considerations.
- Linked to emotions like shame and guilt.
Examples of norms and values:
- Norm: "Do not lie."
- Value: "Kindness is good."
Non-Moral Standards refer to rules based on preference (e.g., etiquette) that do not impact moral well-being, such as using chopsticks for spaghetti.

Moral Dilemmas

Situations where conflicting moral actions exist, making it impossible to fulfill all obligations without moral failure.
Types of dilemmas:
- Epistemic Dilemmas: One moral requirement prevails, but the agent is unaware which.
- Ontological Dilemmas: No single moral requirement can override others.
- Self-Imposed Dilemmas: Arise from the agent's own actions, like conflicting promises.
- World-Imposed Dilemmas: Result from external factors beyond the agent's control.
- Obligation Dilemmas: All available actions are obligatory, but not all can be executed.
- Prohibition Dilemmas: All options are forbidden, resulting in unavoidable moral failure.
An example is the choice between saving a spouse or a mother during a shipwreck, an ontological dilemma as both choices are morally valid yet contradictory.

Distinguishing Moral from Non-Moral Standards

Moral Standards: Promote universal good and can be enforced broadly, such as anti-discrimination laws.
Non-Moral Standards: Comprised of personal or cultural preferences, like dining etiquette, that lack universal enforceability.

Summary of Important Details

Moral experiences arise from actions deemed good or bad, involving a free agent, a moral act, and a rational principle.
Moral standards establish universal norms for right and wrong, different from non-moral standards based solely on personal preferences.
Moral dilemmas highlight situations where conflicting moral choices exist without a perfect solution.
Various moral dilemmas include epistemic, ontological, self-imposed, and world-imposed categories.

Description

Test your understanding of key ethical concepts, including moral experiences and the components that constitute moral judgment. This quiz covers the roles of free moral agents, moral acts, and rational principles in ethical decision-making. Explore how these notions apply to real-life situations.