Objectivist Ethics Overview

Rational selfishness promotes the idea that individuals should act in their own self-interest while respecting the rights of others.

Trade is seen as a principle of justice where individuals exchange values based on mutual benefit and achievements.

To love is to value, and a person who does not value themselves cannot truly value anyone else.

<p>Knowledge and trade enable the division of labor, allowing individuals to specialize and contribute meaningfully to society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Objectivist ethicists view altruism as anti-life, as it promotes self-sacrifice and values death over individual flourishing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The government's primary role should be to protect individual rights and not to impose force against anyone.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rand views capitalism as a system of pure, uncontrolled, laissez-faire economics that fosters wealth creation, in contrast to other ethical theories she considers anti-life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A 'Heraclitean universe' refers to a state where moral standards are based on individual whims, leading to moral anarchy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Agent neutrality means that different agents' aims, although similar, cannot conflict as each agent is granted the same ultimate aims.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Act consequentialism judges acts based on their individual consequences, while rule consequentialism evaluates rules based on the consequences of following them universally.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Intrinsic rights, such as human rights, are significant because they uphold individual dignity and justice independent of outcomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Universal Declaration of Human Rights underscores non-consequentialism by asserting that individuals have rights, such as being presumed innocent until proven guilty, regardless of public opinion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The phrase implies that lying can be judged both as intrinsically wrong and for its undesirable consequences, highlighting a blend of non-consequentialist and consequentialist views.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Hedonism defines pleasure, including the absence of pain, as the sole intrinsic good, emphasizing the pursuit of pleasure as fundamental to a good life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Aristotle's view connects with hedonistic value theory by defining happiness as long-term contentment, rather than mere pleasure in the moment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A calibrated threshold presents the challenge of determining when it is acceptable to violate a moral principle, such as lying, based on the circumstances and consequences involved.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The core principle of utilitarianism is 'The Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number.'</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism may overlook the rights of a few if their sacrifice benefits the greater number, while deontology does not make such comparisons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Felicific calculus is the proposed method of calculating the value of units of happiness associated with different actions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>James Bentham and John Stuart Mill are the founders of utilitarianism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism is most optimized when the number of people affected by an action is large.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism incorporates hedonism by proposing that actions should maximize pleasure and minimize pain for the greatest number.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism provides specific content by focusing on maximizing overall happiness, while consequentialism is broader and lacks this focus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism is seen as a universal principle because it considers the wellbeing of a large number of people affected by actions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism justifies favoring the scientist because it aims to maximize overall utility, suggesting that the potential cure for cancer represents a greater benefit to society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utilitarianism can be unfair to minorities because it may overlook their happiness units, prioritizing the majority's happiness instead.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Act utilitarianism evaluates each act based on its individual consequences, while rule utilitarianism adheres to rules that, if followed, will likely lead to the best outcomes overall.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Deontological ethics focuses on the morality of actions based on duties and rights, rather than solely on the consequences of those actions as utilitarianism does.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rights are significant in relation to utilitarianism as they serve to limit the potential for majoritarianism, ensuring that individual happiness is not overlooked.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The teleological perspective justifies building a dam for the convenience and benefits it brings, such as electricity, while the deontological perspective considers the rights and impacts on local communities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The ethical dilemma involves maintaining the sanctity of the exam versus ensuring fairness to all students, affected by unequal access to information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Utility can vary among individuals as some people have different levels of satisfaction, resulting in unequal happiness units.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Deontological ethics focuses on the morality of actions themselves rather than the consequences they produce.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Deontological theories assert that moral claims are valid regardless of their non-moral consequences, while teleological theories claim that the morality of an action depends on the outcomes it produces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Prima facie duties are ethical rules that are considered intrinsically valuable and guide moral decision-making based on first impressions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Non-consequentialism refers to ethical theories that judge the morality of actions based on intrinsic qualities rather than the consequences they produce.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An example of a deontological claim is 'keeping one's commitment' regardless of the potential negative outcomes of fulfilling that commitment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In a deontological framework, building a dam could be viewed as morally problematic if the construction negatively affects people, regardless of the resulting irrigation benefits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It implies that certain moral responsibilities exist independently of the consequences that result from fulfilling them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Deontological theories see moral 'goods' as valid regardless of consequences, while teleological theories consider a moral 'good' to be defined by its ability to generate positive non-moral outcomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers