Moral Judgments and Intuition - Week 1 & 2

Week 1

• Moral judgments are primarily driven by intuitive emotional responses rather than conscious reasoning.
• The social intuitionist model suggests moral judgments often arise from quick, automatic intuitions, not reasoned thought.
• People rely on gut feelings when making moral decisions.
• Emotions aren't the cause of moral judgments, but rather a part of the moral decision-making process.
• Moral reasoning often involves social influence and persuasion rather than individual reflection.
• Moral judgments are influenced by social interactions and the opinions of others, especially friends.
• Moral psychologists need to acknowledge the importance of emotion and intuition in decision-making.
• Moral judgments are a form of inference with multiple steps.
• Relevant evidence, evidence coordination, and theory integration are key to reaching a decision via moral judgment.

Week 2

• "The Experience Machine" is a thought experiment questioning the value of experiences versus experiencing them.
• People are reluctant to plug into the machine because they value genuine experience instead of simulated ones, care about being a particular person, and value reality itself.
• This reluctance suggests that values extend beyond simple pleasure; it includes authenticity, personal agency, and connection with reality.

Week 3

• The desire theory of happiness posits that happiness is determined by the fulfillment of desires.
• The simple view of the desire theory suggests happiness is directly related to the number of satisfied desires.
• Frankl's description of concentration camp experiences demonstrates that complete loss of desire is not universal even under severe conditions.
• The "absent desire problem" of simple desire theory points out the difficulty or impossibility of assessing happiness when someone does not have desires.
• "Idealized desires" are the desires one would have under ideal conditions.
• "Idealized desires" fail to adequately address the absent desire problem because fulfillment of desires does not imply happiness.

Week 4

• Mill's philosophy examines tyranny and its development, focusing on the evolution from monarchial to majority rule.
• Tyranny of the majority occurs when the majority imposes views, values, or interests on minorities.
• The harm principle suggests that restricting an individual's liberty is only justified to prevent harm to others.
• Laws should only restrict behaviors that harm others.
• Society should avoid interfering in the actions of individuals unless those actions cause harm to another.

Week 5

• Autonomy focuses on self-direction and controlling one's choices, actions, and decisions free from internal or external pressures.
• Internalist conceptions of autonomy center on an individual's inner state and freedom to choose based on values.
• Relational conceptions of autonomy incorporate a person's social context, relationships, and freedom from oppression.
• In cases of oppressive social conditions, fulfilling one's perceived sense of self and purpose may still occur without full autonomy.
• Social factors contribute to or hinder the ability of one to have autonomy

Week 6

• Consequentialism and utilitarianism focus on the outcomes of actions.
• Well-being conceptions of a person's interests center on what contributes to a person's quality of life, happiness, and well-being.
• Utilitarianism judges actions based on their consequences, aiming to maximize well-being for the greatest number of people.
• Respect and additivity principles stress that each person's well-being is important and should be considered in evaluating actions.
• Utilitarianism prioritizes the total well-being, sometimes overlooking individual interests.

Week 7

• Utilitarians might view the assassination of President Kennedy as justifiable if they thought it would result in a greater overall good.
• Objective justifications for actions suggest that a greater good results (or that utility is maximized).
• Subjective justifications involve the individual making a decision while not feeling that their actions are morally right.
• Suppressing information can be seen as justifiable if it prevents greater harm to the majority.

Week 8

• Kant's ethics emphasizes individuals' intentions and moral duties, with a focus on rights and obligations rather than consequences.
• Maxims, an individual's principles guiding actions, are crucial in Kantian ethics.
• Kantian ethics differs from utilitarianism regarding moral evaluation, focusing on intent (principles) and the ability to act rationally rather than the outcome of actions.
• Duties of justice focus on fairness and respect for individual rights, whereas duties of beneficence aim to promote the well-being of others.
• Kantians value life based on inherent dignity; utilitarians calculate life's worth based on its contribution to collective happiness.

Week 9

• Rawls's theory of justice focuses on a hypothetical "original position" where individuals, behind a "veil of ignorance," make decisions about justice, without knowing their own status, background, or personal attributes.
• The principles of justice are conceived to be fair and to benefit all members of society.
• Rawls argues for the prioritization of basic liberties and the idea that inequalities are only acceptable if they benefit the least advantaged members of society.
• Rawls's work contrasts with traditional contract theories that prioritize individual consent to form a society.

Week 10

• Thomson argues that even if a fetus has a right to life, abortion isn't necessarily morally impermissible.
• The violinist thought experiment demonstrates that a right to life does not inherently obligate others to sustain a life, particularly when their own will or autonomy is impacted.
• Distinguishing between killing and letting die is important for deciding on permissible harm with moral implications.
• A woman's consent to sex does not automatically extend to having to continue a pregnancy.
• When the mother's life is at risk, abortion is aligned with self-defense and thus morally permissible.

Week 11

• Marmor justifies the right to privacy based on the interest in controlling personal information and situations, leading to better self-autonomy.
• Privacy protects individuals from unwanted intrusions, allowing for authentic self-expression and interpersonal relationships.
• Privacy is about setting important information boundaries, and does not encompass all actions.
• Privacy pertains directly to information, while actions may or may not affect privacy.
• Examples of privacy include private communications, intimate personal information, and relationships.

Week 12

• Ypi contrasts associationist and statist theories to explain why colonialism is wrong.
• Associationist theory emphasizes individual consent, while statist theory prioritizes effective governance.
• Indigenous peoples retain moral rights over their historical lands even after entering modern political associations.
• Consent is not necessarily required for a state to be legitimate, as the justification for legitimacy can instead come from the state's upholding of basic justice principles.
• Indigenous groups might have moral claims for rectification of historical injustices but must be contextualized.

Week 13

• Colonialism violates natural rights by unjustly appropriating indigenous lands and resources.
• Indigenous peoples may lose natural rights over their lands due to a lack of improvement, abandonment, or apparent consent. All these, however, require careful consideration and specific contextualization for justice based on history.
• Rectification of injustices may be compensatory rather than simply restoring original land ownership.

Week 14

• Demetriou argues that the right to human dignity supports both violent resistance and gun ownership, citing autonomy and the importance of self-defense.
• Demetriou argues that the right to defend oneself is consistent with human dignity.
• The policy debates around gun ownership, safety, and dignity are interlinked and multifaceted.