ethics study guide - exam 1.docx

**[CONTENT:]** [The Fundamentals of Ethics:] - **What is Ethics?** - The branch of knowledge concerned with answering questions about what our guiding ideals should be, what sort of life is worth living, and how we should treat one another - **3 main areas of philosophi...

**[CONTENT:]** [The Fundamentals of Ethics:] - **What is Ethics?** - The branch of knowledge concerned with answering questions about what our guiding ideals should be, what sort of life is worth living, and how we should treat one another - **3 main areas of philosophical ethics -- What questions do each area of ethics deal with?** - Value theory - What is the good life? - What is worth pursuing for its own sake? - How do we improve our lot in life? - Normative ethics - What are our fundamental moral duties? - Which character traits count as virtues, which as vices, and why? - Who should our role models be? - Do the ends always justify the means, or are there certain types of actions that should never be done under any circumstances? - Metaethics - What is the status of moral claims and advice? - Can ethical theories, moral principles, or specific moral verdicts be true? If so, what makes them true? - Can we gain moral wisdom? If so, how? - Do we always have good reason to do our moral duty? - **Basic logic -- validity & soundness** - Validity -- reasoning, logical structure - VALID: if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true - INVALID: premises don't support the conclusion - Soundness - SOUND: valid + true - UNSOUND: either invalid **or** false premises **or** both [C.S. Lewis, *The Four Loves, "Likings and Loves for the Sub-Human"*] - **How does Lewis distinguish between the elements of love -- gift-love, need-love, and appreciative love?** - Gift-love: serving one another, selfless - Need-love: loving something based on what it does for us - Appreciative love: love for its own sake - **What are the need-pleasures and the pleasures of appreciation? How do they relate to the different kinds of love that he distinguishes?** - Need-pleasures -- past tense - Relative to their momentary condition - Outside that, they have no interest to us at all - Foreshadow our need-loves - The beloved is seen in relation to our own needs - Will last longer than the actual need - Pleasures of appreciation -- present tense - Make us feel that something has claimed our appreciation by right - Starting point for our whole experience of beauty - **Can we love the sub-human according to Lewis?** - Yes, it is distinct -- animals - While we can have affection for animals, this love is distinct from the kind of love for humans - Love can be genuine and meaningful - **What does he say about the love of country and the love of nature?** - Love of country: - He says that it will become a god, then become a demon - This demoniac love will produce wicked acts - Demoniac patriotism in a rulers' subjects will make it easier for them to act wickedly, while healthy patriotism will make it harder - Someone who really loves their country will love it in its ruin - Nations will live in danger for a long time, or forever - Good men needed to be convinced that their country's cause was just - Love of nature: - Can't be classified as simply an instance of our love for beauty - Nature-lovers want to receive whatever nature is saying - What nature-lovers get from nature is an iconography, a language of images by the "moods" or "spirits" themselves - Nature does not teach - Nature will not verify any theological or metaphysical proposition, it will just help show what it means - If we solely focus on love of nature, it will become our religion [Alasdair MacIntyre, "Is Patriotism a Virtue?"] - **How does MacIntyre define patriotism? (What is a nation for MacIntyre?)** - Patriotism is loyalty to your own nation (as a project) - Love for its merits - Not mindless loyalty - A nation is a morally distinct community - **How is patriotism different from loving your country only because it is morally good, has justice on its side, etc.** - Receive benefits and express gratitude for these benefits - **Is patriotism a virtue for MacIntyre? Why might a modern ethicist think not? Why might a communitarian think it is?** - Yes, patriotism is a virtue for MacIntyre - Modern ethicist might not think so: - Impartiality/bias - Hinders the ability to critique one's own nation - Lack of autonomy - No way to truly leave your community to make moral judgements - Individuality - Communitarian might think so: - Community has formed you morally - Community motivates us to be moral - Preserve the community - Moral goods are what allow communities (+ individuals) to flourish [C.S. Lewis, "Affection"] - **What is affection? What are the elements of love found in affection?** - Affection: - Modest and humble - Least discriminating of the loves - Objects of affection must be familiar - Elements of love: - Familiarity - Affection grows from everyday interactions and shared experiences - Warmth and tenderness - Affection is marked by a gentle, caring attitude towards others - Non-demanding nature - Affection doesn't require intense emotional investment - Stability - Affection is usually a stable form of love that can endure over time - Inclusiveness - Affection can extend to a wide range of relationships - **How is affection different from friendship and the other loves?** - It is the least discriminating of the loves - Includes both need--love and gift--love - Most instinctive and familial of the loves - Affection is characterized by a sense of comfort and familiarity, while friendship is characterized by mutual interests and respect - Affection arises from shared experiences and connections, and is less about choice and more about the natural ties that bind people together - Friendship is about the conscious choice to engage with others on a deeper level - **What are the dangers of affection? What are the limits of affection?** - Dangers: - Change is a threat - Jealousy - Living on affection alone - Limits: - Personal beliefs/past experiences - Religion - How it is expressed/type of relationship - Jealousy [Aristotle:] - **Happiness** - Eudaemonia -- happiness, flourishing - **What is Ethics for Aristotle?** - Virtue ethics is ethics rooted in virtue - Virtue ethics aims to answer 2 questions: 1. What is human flourishing within our community? 2. What are the traits/characteristics that allow me to flourish within my particular community? - **Intellectual and Moral Virtues** - Intellectual virtues: - Logic - Understanding - Curiosity - Moral virtues: - Honesty - Compassion - Loyalty - Selflessness - Patience - Temperance - **Moral Virtues: Definition/four components** - A moral virtue is [a state of character] which leads us to properly choose to [act and feel] according to [the mean] that practical wisdom prescribes as [good] - Four components: - State of character - It is a chosen, steady state; stable condition of the soul - Immediate feeling "biological" response, not a choice - Capacity/faculty we are born with a capacity, ability - Actions and feelings - Virtues lead to actions and feeling a certain way when doing them - The mean - Virtue is the balance of two vices (defeat and excess) - The good - **The mean** - Virtue is the balance of two vices ([defeat and excess]) - **Examples of specific virtues (courage, generosity, honesty, etc.)** - Feelings of fear and confidence - Courage is the mean - Man who exceeds in fearlessness has no name - Man who exceeds in confidence is rash - Man who exceeds in fear and falls short in confidence is a coward - Giving and taking of money - Liberality is the mean - Prodigal exceeds in spending and falls short in taking - Mean man exceeds in taking and falls short in spending - Honesty - Proper pride is the mean - Empty vanity is the excess - Undue humility is the deficiency - **What is friendship?** - Friendship is a virtue and is necessary and fine - [Friendship is reciprocated goodwill with mutual awareness] - Complete friendship is the friendship of good people similar in virtue - Mutual interest, aimed at some good, choice, awareness of the relationship - **What are the three different types of friendships and how does Aristotle define each one?** - Friendship on utility -- getting some "thing" from the other person - Friendship on pleasure -- taking pleasure in the other person's company - Friendship on virtue -- focused on the other's good - **Why are friendships for the other's good the best and most complete friendships?** - Reciprocated goodwill with mutual awareness - Looking out for their good instead of your own - **Can we love ourselves?** - Yes, is essential - A good person who is self-loving will seek only what is best for them - They will do seemingly unselfish acts because they are motivated by self-love - **Is friendship necessary?** - YES - Friendship is the greatest external good, so everyone must have friends - Anyone who is to be happy must have excellent friends - **What is the relationship between virtue and friendship for Aristotle?** - Complete friendship is shared between virtuous people - Friendship is the result of virtue [Immanuel Kant:] - **The supreme principle of morality -- Why do we find it in reason and not in experience?** - Moral principles must be universal and applicable to all - Ethics is derived from reason itself - Morality does not depend on experience, since that can vary for everyone - ***a priori*** - This is knowledge that is acquired independently of any particular experience - **Acting from duty; the good will** - The good will is motivated by duty - The good will is the steady commitment to do our duty for its own sake - **Categorical vs. hypothetical imperatives** - [Categorical imperatives] -- absolutely necessary, binding on all rational beings - They command actions as necessary in themselves and not as a means to some further end - [Hypothetical imperatives] -- if, then clauses; command for a chosen end - **Categorical imperative -- formula of universal law, formula of humanity (practical imperative)** - [Formula of universal law] -- act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should be a universal law - [Formula of humanity (practical imperative)] -- always treat others, whether in your own person or in another, as an end and never simply as a means - **Imperfect/Perfect duties: examples of each** - [Imperfect duties] -- positive/broad *duties* that tell us what we should do in general, but they do not tell us specifically what we must do - Example -- do not lie, do not commit suicide - [Perfect duties] -- negative/narrow *duties* that absolutely forbid specific actions - Example -- help others in need, cultivate your own talents - **How to apply the categorical imperative to concrete situations** - [1^st^ step] -- state what you intend to do and why you intend to do it - [2^nd^ step] --imagine a world in which everyone supports and acts on your maxim - [3^rd^ step] --can my maxim exist as a universal law of nature? (Can the goal of my action be achieved if my maxim is universalized) - [4^th^ step] -- can a rational agent will my maxim as a universal law of nature? (Could I rationally will a world where my maxim is universalized?) - **How does Kant define friendship?** - Each person focused on the good of the other - Purely reciprocal relationship - **How does friendship fit with Kant's ethics?** - Says this way of friendship is not practical, simply an Ideal - Self-love has no moral merit QUIZZES: **Quiz 1 -- Russ Shafer-Landau's Intro to Ethics & Syllabus** 1. All of the following are areas of ethics that RSL identifies EXCEPT: a. Meta-ethics b. Value theory c. Religious ethics d. Normative ethics 2. RSL believes which of the following claims about ethics? e. Ethics is difficult, but we can make true ethical claims f. All ethical judgements we make are false g. If we pay attention in a philosophic ethics class, we'll never make errors in ethical judgements h. There are no universal moral norms 3. A **sound** argument is: i. True and invalid j. True and valid k. One that is nice to listen to l. False and valid 4. Which of the following is NOT one of our required texts for the course? m. Josef Pieper's *Leisure, The Basis of Culture* n. C.S. Lewis's *The Four Loves* o. Plato's *Symposium* p. Kierkegaard's *Works of Love* 5. You are allowed to miss two class sessions without penalty over the course of the semester -- TRUE **Quiz 2 -- *The Four Loves,* "Likings and Loves for the Sub-Human"** 1. What is an example of a need-pleasure according to C.S. Lewis? a. The pleasure of enjoying a beautiful view from the top of a mountain b. The pleasure of a cold glass of water when you're thirsty c. The pleasure of the beauty of a painting d. The pleasure of a great conversation with a good friend 2. What is an example of an appreciative-pleasure according to Lewis? e. The wine connoisseur's pleasure from a great glass of wine f. The drug addict's pleasure from satisfying a "fix" g. The pleasure of a glass of water when you're very thirsty h. The young child's pleasure at receiving a hug from his mother 3. Which of the following loves does Lewis discuss at length in this chapter? i. Love of sports j. Love between husbands and wives k. Love between friends l. Love of country (patriotism) 4. Lewis argues that we should get all our ethical lessons from nature -- FALSE 5. Lewis argues that the word 'love' should only be reserved for God's love for us. We shouldn't use the word to refer to any human love -- FALSE **Quiz 3 -- *The Four Loves, "Affection"*** 1. Which one of the following problems is affection most prone to? a. Infidelity b. Excessive happiness c. Laziness d. Jealousy 2. According to Lewis, the protypical picture of affection is: e. The love of two friends who like to play video games with each other f. The love of a birth mother for her baby g. The love of a young student for her teacher h. The love of a newly dating couple for each other 3. According to Lewis, which of the following elements is ***least*** present in affection? i. Need-love j. Appreciative-love k. Gift-love l. None. All three elements are equally present in affection 4. Because affection is a natural love, affection can never go wrong, ex. there is no wrong way to display affection -- FALSE 5. According to Lewis, humans can have affection, or something close to it, for our pet dogs -- TRUE **Quiz 4 -- Aristotle & Moral Virtue** 1. According to Aristotle, what are the **two** kinds of virtues that people can have according to the reading? a. Intellectual b. Moral c. Physical d. Religious 2. What's the best description about the role of pleasure for the virtuous person? e. The virtuous person must act against her own pleasure f. The virtuous person should be emotionless and take no pleasure in anything g. The virtuous person takes pleasure in acting rightly h. The virtuous person should only pursue pleasure and nothing else 3. What kind of thing is moral virtue (it's genus) according to Aristotle? i. Passion (immediate feeling) j. A divine gift (given only by God) k. State of character l. Faculty (something we're born with) 4. According to Aristotle, the virtues are acquired by habit -- TRUE 5. Which of the following virtues does Aristotle discuss in the reading? m. Courage n. Honesty o. Love p. Justice **Quiz 5 -- Aristotle on Friendship** 1. Which of the following is **not** one of the three species of friendship Aristotle discusses? a. Friendships for pleasure b. Friendships for God c. Friendships for the other's good d. Friendships for utility 2. What is the difference between goodwill (wishing good for another) and friendship? e. Friendship is possible with a parent but goodwill is not f. Goodwill can be given to someone I don't know, whereas I must be in a mutual relationship with a friend g. Friendship is for worthy people whereas you can't wish goodwill for them h. True friends don't wish good for their friends 3. What does Aristotle conclude about friendship's role in happiness? i. You can only be a good friend if you are perfectly happy already j. A perfectly happy person doesn't need friends k. Having good friends is an important part of happiness l. While we need friends, our friends often ruin our own happiness 4. Aristotle thinks we can have complete friendship for dozens of people at the same time -- FALSE 5. For Aristotle, friendship is such a noble ideal that it is impossible for even perfectly virtuous people to have friendships -- FALSE **Quiz 6 -- Immanuel Kant's *Ethics*** 1. What is the only thing that has unconditional value (is good without qualification) for Kant? a. Happiness b. Virtues c. God d. The Good Will 2. What is the only thing that should motivate my will according to Kant? e. The general happiness f. Duty (respect for the moral law) g. Religion h. Friendship 3. What is the one "single categorical imperative" according to Kant? i. Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law j. Act in such a way that all affected by your action will be happy k. Act in a way that helps you achieve all the objective goods of freedom, health, etc. l. Always act in the way that gives you the most pleasure 4. Kant gives all of the following practical examples EXCEPT: m. Suicide n. Making a false promise o. Stealing p. Cultivating your talents 5. Kant would agree with Aristotle that the best person always takes pleasure in doing what's right -- FALSE