Ethics Chapter 1 Review: Key Terms, Philosophers & Concepts PDF

Chapter 1: Why be Ethical Test Review Key Terms: Key Term Definition Autonomy Free self-direction; responsibility Beautiful Very pleasing and impressive to listen to, to touch,...

Chapter 1: Why be Ethical Test Review Key Terms: Key Term Definition Autonomy Free self-direction; responsibility Beautiful Very pleasing and impressive to listen to, to touch, or especially to look at Deontological Ethics Relating to philosophical theories that state the moral content of an action is not fully dependent on its consequences Desire To want something very strongly Duty Something that somebody is obligated to do for moral, legal, or religious reasons; the urge to meet moral or religious obligations- a strong sense of duty Ethics A discipline that deals with the nature of the good, the nature of the human person, and criteria that we use for making right judgements Good Of a high quality or standard, either on an absolute scale or in relation to another or others; having or showing an upright or virtuous character Morality A system of right conduct based on fundamental beliefs and obligation to follow certain codes, norms, customs, and habits of behavior Obligation What one is bound by duty or contract to do Response Something done in reaction to something else; something said or written in reply to a statement or question from somebody else Responsibility Being morally accountable for one’s actions. Responsibility presumes knowledge, freedom, and the ability to choose and to act Revelation The way God makes himself known to mankind. God is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. The sacred Scriptures, proclaimed within the Church, are the revealed word of God. God also reveals himself through people and indeed through all creation Key Term Definition Autonomy Free self-direction; responsibility Beautiful Very pleasing and impressive to listen to, to touch, or especially to look at Deontological Ethics Relating to philosophical theories that state the moral content of an action is not fully dependent on its consequences Christian Morality Right or wrong according to God Ethicists Moral philosophers sort out what, according to their understanding is an ethical response to such experiences (propose what is the human thing to do) Polis The Greek city state aka community Telos Everything has a purpose and we achieve happiness by developing our potential and striving to achieve our telos ​ Virtues behavior showing high moral standards habits = virtues The Mean Moderate in all things = balance Moral Duty Use of reason to decide how we freely choose to act; we come to understand what we ought to do Supreme Good The 3 ways to attain the “supreme good”: 1. God: cannot attain the supreme good without the help of God 2. Freedom: by nature we are free and called to do what we ought to do 3. Immorality: impossible to achieve supreme good in this life; that is why there is immortality, a life beyond where we can achieve it​ Good Will The will to do our duty for no other reason than that it is our duty Moral Worth Is measured not by the result of one’s actions, but by the motive behind them  Key Term Definition Autonomy Free self-direction; responsibility Beautiful Very pleasing and impressive to listen to, to touch, or especially to look at Deontological Ethics Relating to philosophical theories that state the moral content of an action is not fully dependent on its consequences Kant said, it is your autonomy, your decision, to act in accordance with your good will; you are not constrained by another​ ​ Maxims Principles that govern behavior Aspirations The mean between ambition and laziness Themes, Concepts and Questions You Should Know: The Three-Step Moral Decision-Making Process (how to apply it to moral dilemmas) 1)​ Analyze the Consequences -​ Who will be helped by what you do? Who will be harmed? -​ How does this all look in the long run and short run? 2)​ Analyze the Actions -​ How do the actions measure up against moral principles like honesty, fairness, equality, respecting the dignity of others, people's rights? -​ Consider the common good 3)​ Make a Decision -​ Take both parts of your analysis into account and make a decision The Difference Between “Ethics” and “Morality” -​ Morality → concerned with the bad and good of human actions; principles that shape an idea of right and wrong -​ Ethics → help us find the highest possible good in different circumstances; specific rules and actions that dictate whats acceptable behaviour -​ Ethics = how to read and understand music technique/theory -​ Morality = performing and hitting the right notes Know the 4 Ethical Experiences 1)​ The Scream - Personal Response -​ Your ethical response to act is immediate with no need to think  -​ Your awareness that someone needs help is immediate and automatic 2)​ The Beggar - the Experience of the Other -​ Ethical experiences brought on by the face of someone in need (in-person) -​ Responsibility to the “other” 3)​ “I Have To” - the Experience of the Obligation -​ Your ethical sense is turned on when someone orders you to do something (i.e curfew) -​ You feel obliged to follow a rule or law as an ethical being 4)​ Intolerable - Experience of Contrast -​ Feeling overwhelmed by unjustness or unfairness brings out your ethical being -​ Feels this way because what you see contrasts what you feel you should be Specifics regarding the philosophers and how they all share the common “GOOD” -​ Aristotle -​ The “GOOD” is finding our potential or what we are intended to be -​ Derives from finding our finality/purpose or “telos” -​ Levinas -​ For him, the good is the centre of all philosophy -​ He believed in the “Good” which is interested in what is absolutely unique about each person and thing -​ Kant -​ He agreed that “the good” is the aim of moral life -​ However he differed from aristotle in the way he thought we obtained the good -​ Kant said it is with practical certainty that one can purse and obtain the supreme good Philosophers: Aristotle: (community, reason, rationality) Key points about early life -​ Was introduced to anatomy and medical practices at a young age by his father -​ Went to Athens to study at Plato’s Academy -​ Plato = top philosopher of that time -​ Later, tutored King Philip’s son - Alexander the Great -​ Opened his own school called “Lyceum” in Athens Pursuit of happiness and pleasure -​ Happiness is found in the community (POLIS) -​ Family is the basic unit of Polis  -​ Believed pleasure is different from happiness -​ Pleasure = momentary, happiness = forever enduring -​ Happiness is the good/ethical -​ It is to live and do well -​ Achieved by frequently performing with success Teleological ethics -​ He teaches that everything has a purpose or “telos” and we achieve happiness by developing our potential and striving to achieve our telos -​ According to Aristotle, we as humans are intended to be RATIONAL -​ Humans are rational beings and must base our actions on REASONING -​ “To act ethically, therefore, is to engage our capacity to reason as we develop good character” this is the highest form of happiness according to Aristotle Human Excellence (habits/virtues) -​ Believed that when people seek to become who they are intended to be, they develop habits that represent the best of what it means to be human -​ He calls these HABITS = VIRTUES -​ “To act virtuously, is to do things well, The Mean -​ Aristotle was aware that we need to remain BALANCE in all our actions -​ MEAN = moderate in all things -​ MODERATION IN ALL THINGS -​ Courage is the virtuous mean between the vices of cowardice and foolhardiness -​ Modesty is the mean between bashfulness and shamelessness -​ Aspiration is the mean between ambition and laziness Maxims -​ Principles that govern our behaviour and tell us how we ought to act are called Immanuel Kant (self): (individual, deontological, self direction) Early Life -​ 1724-1804 -​ Born and raised in a small city in northeast Germany -​ Strict upbringing and very religious household -​ Spent his whole life near his home and never went more than 100km away -​ Wrote many books that are extremely complex - influenced Western thought and philosophy Theoretical vs. practical reason Theoretical -​ Our reason forces us to do something -​ We can know only what people can actually do Practical -​ Use of reason to decide how we freely choose to act -​ We can come to understand what we ought to do -​ *called moral duty* Example -​ We know theoretically what a lot of alcohol consumption does to the body, therefore it is practical that we know we ought to not drink and drive 3 ways to Attain the Supreme Good -​ God → cannot obtain the supreme good without the help of God -​ Freedom → by nature we are free and called to do what we ought to do -​ Immortality → impossible to achieve supreme good in this life; that is why there is immortality, a life beyond where we can achieve it The Good Will and your DUTY -​ Kant believed the “good” was more individual and private -​ Kant believed in order to be happy and moral all humans should aspire to have GOOD WILL -​ The will to do our duty for no other reason than that it is our duty Deontological Ethics -​ This duty and Kant’s theory is known as deontological ethics -​ A human action is morally good when it is done for the sake of duty to others -​ Not easy for humans to attain their purpose in life because impulses and desires draw us away from our duty; if people have the will to do good they can achieve it Emmanuel Levinas (the face): (face, uniqueness, jewish) key points about early life - the faces -​ 1906-1995 -​ Levinas was born in Lithuania to Jewish parents -​ He was a survivor of the Holocaust -​ At 17, he moved to France to attend University and begin his studies in philosophy -​ When he came to write his doctoral thesis, Levinas had begun to experience a contrast between Western philosophy and his own deeply rooted Jewish faith Sameness vs. Singularity of Things - Thrill of Astonishment 1.​ The Sameness of Things -​ Levinas believed that Western philosophy is centered on the premise that everyone should be the same -​ It tries so much to overcome all difference and diversity by feeling the need to group everything under one all-encompassing unity or sameness known as “Being” -​ Levinas said Westerners think out of a unified totality -​ It thinks away difference 2.​ The Singularity of Things -​ This idea goes against Western thinking and is more along the lines of what Levinas believed as it fell within Hebrew Tradition -​ Levinas contrasted the Western notion of “totality” with the Hebrew notion of “infinity” -​ “INFINITY” = concept in Hebrew tradition which glorifies and celebrates the singularity and uniqueness of the individual’ -​ Levinas’ famous thesis was based on these two notions and was entitled “TOTALITY AND INFINITY” -​ Like Aristotle and Kant, Levinas is in search of the GOOD -​ For him, the good is the centre of all philosophy, whereas for Western Philosophers, the centre of their philosophy is BEING -​ While being seeks to eliminate all differences, and Levinas says if we do this we ignore the GOOD and uniqueness of every individual “Being” - the Face is Ethical -​ Levinas says when you encounter suffering in the face of the other you are bound to act -​ Face arouses your goodness within; face makes us responsible -​ God touches us through the face of the OTHER Traces -​ Levinas believes in the “Good” which is interested in what is absolutely unique about each person and thing -​ He calls these unique things and persons “TRACES” of the Good or of God -​ Nothing is identical to God; we only encounter traces of Him Multiple Choice /10 True or False /10 Matching /10 Fill in the blank /8 Ms Bucci Hints 1.​ Aristotle - teleological 2.​ Kant - a.​ deontological 3.​ Difference between moral- a.​ good, immoral - bad 4.​ According to levinas is interested in the good of each person ( humans being the same) a.​ - false 5.​ Kant discussed good will= it's our duty a.​ true 6.​ Did all 3 philosophers believe that god is center of good , a.​ true 7.​ Who discussed supreme good- a.​ kant 8.​ 3 ways to obtain supreme good- a.​ god, freedom, immortality 9.​ Which focus on face of ethics- a.​ levinas 10.​ balance , in moderation - 11.​ mean 12.​Which philosopher thinks rational, reasoning - a.​ aristotle 13.​Know term “traces” - traits 14.​Know Unified totality - levinas uses it the way westernizers would think, you would have to be same to be unified 15.​When u want smtg so badly- desire 16.​When human are obligated to do whether its religious reasons or not - duty 17.​What term used to describe “the will to do out duty for no one reason then that it is our duty- goodwill 18.​Maxims = principles 19.​What is the word that is the mean between ambition and laziness - aspiration 20.​Vices - bad traits or sins 21.​What would be the vices for the word courage - cowardness and foul hardiness 22.​Christian morality 23.​Autonomy - self Key terms used by the theorists Aristotle - avoid teological thinking Kant - avoid second, fourt, and fifth