ETHICS
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Questions and Answers

What is needed for our conscience to be properly informed?

  • Religious precepts
  • Unthinking obedience
  • Moral principles
  • A clearer guidepost (correct)

    • What is the problem with the divine command theory approach to ethics?

  • It is too complex
  • It requires judicious use of reason
  • It is too simplistic (correct)
  • It uses reason

    • According to Aquinas' moral theory, what is the basis of our sense of right and wrong?

  • Ethical commands
  • Religious precepts
  • Human nature (correct)
  • Moral principles

    • What is an ethical command rooted in?

    <p>Moral principles or the dictates of conscience</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main goal of ethics?

    <p>To live a good, moral life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of having a clearer basis of ethics?

    <p>A sense of right and wrong grounded in human nature</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of consequentialist ethics?

    <p>The moral value of the consequences of the action</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main concept of hedonism?

    <p>The pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern of utilitarianism?

    <p>The greatest happiness for the greatest number</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the principle of utility, according to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill?

    <p>The principle of understanding the results of people's actions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is freedom in the context of utilitarianism?

    <p>The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill's views on utilitarianism?

    <p>There is no significant difference between Bentham and Mill's views on utilitarianism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Aquinas, what is the only being that is perfect in its goodness?

    <p>God</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of divine providence, according to Aquinas?

    <p>To guide beings towards their proper end</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the end goal of all actions, according to Aquinas?

    <p>To return to the divine goodness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How are beings created by God, according to Aquinas?

    <p>As determinate substances, as a particular combination of form and matter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the materiality of a being, according to Aquinas?

    <p>The particular form of a being</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the nature of a being, according to Aquinas?

    <p>A participation in God's goodness, both good and imperfect at the same time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do beings fulfill their purpose, according to Aquinas?

    <p>By fulfilling or actualizing the potencies that are already present in their nature</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is unique about the way humans are directed towards God, according to Aquinas?

    <p>Humans are directed towards God in a way that is not applicable to other beings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Utilitarianism, when can individual rights be overridden?

    <p>In circumstances of conflict valuation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary challenge of Utilitarianism?

    <p>Reconciling individual rights with the pursuit of overall happiness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is John Stuart Mill's understanding of justice?

    <p>Respect for rights directed towards society's pursuit of the greatest happiness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason why a right is justifiable on utilitarian principles?

    <p>Because it produces an overall happiness that is greater than the unhappiness resulting from its implementation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between moral rights and legal rights according to Mill?

    <p>Moral rights are superior to legal rights</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the category of rights according to Utilitarianism?

    <p>It is associated with the individual's most vital interests</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the consequence of not observing legal rights that are not morally justified?

    <p>It is objectionable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the justification for enduring legal punishments for acts of civil disobedience?

    <p>To promote a higher moral good</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary characteristic of human beings that enables them to reach God?

    <p>Capacity for reason</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What governs the community of beings towards its end?

    <p>Divine reason</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ultimate goal of creation according to the text?

    <p>To return to God</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of the intellectual power in the human soul according to Aquinas?

    <p>It directs and commands the sensitive and nutritive capacities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between human beings and the universe according to the text?

    <p>Human beings are part of the universe's return to God</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic that sets human beings apart from other animals according to the text?

    <p>Capacity for reason</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the hierarchy of laws in the text?

    <p>Eternal Law, Divine Law, Natural Law, Human Law</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the divine reason in the universe?

    <p>To govern the community towards its end</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Ethics

    • Utilitarianism: a consequentialist moral philosophy that determines the moral value of actions based on their usefulness and consequences.
    • Hedonism: a related philosophy that focuses on pleasure and pain.

    The Principle of Utility

    • Jeremy Bentham: an English philosopher who developed the principle of utility, which holds that an action is right if it promotes the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
    • John Stuart Mill: an English philosopher who built upon Bentham's ideas and argued that individual rights can be overridden in extreme circumstances to promote better welfare.

    Utilitarianism vs. Egoism

    • Egoism: a moral philosophy that prioritizes individual self-interest over the greater good.

    Strengths of Utilitarianism

    • Intuition: utilitarianism appeals to our intuitive sense of morality, which prioritizes the greater good.
    • Responsibility: utilitarianism promotes individual responsibility for the consequences of our actions.
    • Flexibility: utilitarianism can be applied to a wide range of situations and contexts.
    • Simplicity: utilitarianism offers a clear and simple moral principle to guide our actions.

    Justice and Rights

    • John Stuart Mill: understands justice as respect for individual rights, which are directed towards society's pursuit of the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
    • Moral Rights: are justified if they produce an overall happiness that is greater than the unhappiness resulting from their implementation.

    Natural Law and Ethics

    • Thomas Aquinas: a philosopher who developed a natural law theory that grounds ethics in human nature and the pursuit of perfection.
    • Divine Providence: God's guidance and direction towards the perfection of all beings.
    • Human Nature: is created by God and is good, but imperfect, and strives towards perfection through the fulfillment of its natural capacities.
    • Reason: is the prime characteristic of human nature and the tool for achieving perfection and returning to God.

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