1. Moral vs. non-moral standards standards: Human behavior of fundamental consequence for human welfare.
2. Morality and etiquette (codes of polite behavior in society).
3. Morality and Law (not everything that is legal is moral (slavery was legal and is not moral).
4. Are there moral standards? Where do they come from? Click here for more information,
5. Ethical relativism, Cultural Relativism. Relativism is the view that the rightness (or wrongness) of an action is relative to the individual, culture, perspective, etc. Regarding cultural relativism, there's a difference between "deep" (moral behavior) and "superficial" (fashion, etiquette, etc) cultural values. Actually, most cultures share similar fundamental values (such as killing your own, stealing from the group, adultery, respecting the elders, incest, etc).
7. Critiques: (a) Ethical relativism is logically contradictory (a view cannot be right and wrong at the same time), (b) Ethical relativism makes moral disagreements impossible
8. Defensible Moral Judgments. MJ = Moral norms + facts (what this means is that we'd like our moral judgements to be defensible. We want to be able to give reasons for why we believe what we believe.
Chapter 2
1. Consequentialist and non-Consequentialist Theories. Consequentialism is the theory that the moral rightness of an action is in function of its results. Is the consequences are good, the action is good. Non-consequentialists look at the form of the action, i.e, killing is wrong independently of the results.
2. Egoism is a consequentialist moral theory. It equates morality with self-interest. Misconceptions about Egoism (that an egoist cannot be a moral person); Psychological Egoism;
2a. Problems with Egoism (3 arguments). Psychological egoism is not a sound theory. Ethical egoism is not really a moral theory at all because it can ignore blatant wrongs.
3. Utilitarianism; (Six points about Utilitarianism). Utilitarianism is the view that an action is right if it brings the greatest happiness for the greatest majority of people.
4. Critical Inquiries of Utilitarianism (3 arguments). p. 65, 66.
5. Kantian Ethics: Good Will, The Categorical Imperative; An action is right if it is universal and reversible.
Kant's second Formulation: Treat people as ends never as means to an end.
6. Critical Inquiries of Kant’s Ethics (2 arguments): The theory doesn't allow for exceptions and it avoids sentiments.
7. W.D. Ross’s Prima Facie Duties (you must know all and in the said hierarchy): An action is right if if falls under the highest ranked duty in a given situation. Remember the different duties studied in class: justice, fidelity, reparation, gratitude, beneficence, non-maleficence, self-improvement.
8. Rule Utilitarianism: The view that what makes an action right is that it falls under a rule, which if followed would bring the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people.
Chapter 3
Comparative table of justice, equality and rights (positive and negative), and how each fairs in the possible distribution arrangements studied in class (Communism, Liberalism and Libertarianism).
You must bring the 48 TSM scantron to the exam. It is for sale at the bookstore.
