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Ethics unit 1 TEST

Key Concepts:

Terms in this set (48)

Apathy
A lack of care and concern for others
Ethics
A branch of philosophy that deals with how we ought to live. It is not what is, but what ought to be
Morals
Come from the Latin word "mores," meaning customs. A "roadmap" for how we ought to live.
Deontological
Ethical theories that emphasize the nature of an act/ doing one thing over another/ fulfilling a duty or an obligation
Teleological
Ethical theories that focus on the consequence and ask questions such as what was affected and how.
Descriptive Ethics
tells us what a society believes. It describes the customs, principles, and practices of a people and culture. It gives facts.
Normative Ethics
tells us about ideal behavior, or how a society ought to act. It is about what should be, even if it is not present in reality; it seeks to justify sets of principles pointing toward those ideals.
Immoral
not moral, unethical, wrong, knowing the right thing but doing the wrong thing
Amoral
without morals, people who do not know what is right or wrong
Non-moral
neither moral nor immoral. Has nothing to do w/ morality. Decisions that have nothing to do with ethics or morals - what I should wear. These neutral acts have no moral implications, though it may take on morality depending on factors such as motive or circumstance, etc.
Moral philosophy
- The systematic effort to understand moral concepts and justify moral principles and theories. It analyzes key ethical concepts such as 'right', 'wrong', and 'permissible.'

- The central purpose of moral philosophy is to identify values and right behaviors to guide human actions for groups and individuals, which will produce good character.
Table of Morality, Religion, Law, and Etiquette
Supererogatory Acts
An act that goes beyond the call of duty, highly altruistic. These exceed the requirements of morality (what would Jesus do?).
Hippocratic Oath
- The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by Physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine honestly. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates

- One of the most widely known of Greek medical texts. It requires a new physician to swear upon a number of healing gods that he will uphold a number of professional ethical standards.
Euthanasia, Mercy Killing, Death with Dignity, Right to Die Laws, Physician-Assisted Suicide
In certain states, when someone has a terminal illness, they can request physician assisted suicide. The Catholic Church is against this, believing that all human life is sacred and that this is an act of death. Proponents of euthanasia believe that if a person is so miserable, they should be able to choose if they want to die.
Cultural Relativism
There is no such thing as a universal truth in ethics; there are only various cultural codes, and nothing more. Cultural relativism challenges our belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truth.
Ethnocentrism
Judging other cultures from the lens of your own
Universal Moral Values/Truths
- Protecting the young
- Truth telling
- Prohibition of murder
Virtue Ethics
NEED TO FIND
Virtue
Aristotle said that a VIRTUE is a trait of character manifested in habitual action. Also, virtues are good; it is a commendable trait.
The moral virtues are the traits that belong to good people. "Thus, we may define a moral virtue as a trait of character, manifested in habitual action, that is good for anyone to have."
Character
Aristotle wrote about character. He asked, "What is the good of man?" His answer was: "An activity of the soul in conformity with virtue."
Aristotle's Golden Mean
Eudemonia
The Greek word for "happiness" is "Eudemonia". It is more than earthly happiness, but it is a contentment of the soul. It comes with living an active life governed by reason.
How do we determine whether or not an act is moral?
To determine whether or not an act is moral, we must consider the action (is it right, wrong, obligatory, or optional), the consequences (teleological, the outcome), and the motive (good will, evil will, neutral). If any of these three parts is "wrong," then the act is not moral.
The Heinz Dilemma
A man's wife is very sick. There is a druggist who makes a medicine that could cure her, but its is $2,000. The man can only pay $1,500. He offers to pay the rest back when he can. The druggist says no.
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
1. Pre conventional- children ages 4-10, responsive to the labels of good/bad and right/wrong
A. Punishment orientation- consequences of an action determine its goodness/badness
B. Reward orientation- right actions satisfy my needs and occasionally someone else's

2. Conventional- living up to expectations is valued over the consequences of an action. Conformity is good.
A. Good kid orientation- conforming to stereotypical ideas of what is normal, actions that please others
B. Maintaining the social order orientation- good behavior means following authority- trying to do one's duty, respecting authority, and maintaining social order

3. Post conventional- moral values have validity beyond self interest or authority
A. Social contract orientation- awareness of personal values, emphasis of the procedure of changing laws, right actions are defined in terms of general individual rights that have been examined and agreed upon by the whole society
B. Universal orientation- what is right is determined by a decision of personal conscience which appeals to universal and consistent truths
Know the trend of the stages, what one can understand, and what affects moral maturity
- You can't skip stages
- People have little knowledge and comprehension of the higher stages
- Exposure to people in the higher stages helps people grow
- Children and adults are attracted to one stage higher than where they are
- Progress from individual focused to universe focused
The Baby Theresa and Tracy Latimer cases
Baby Theresa: born in Florida with an extremely rare condition that caused her brain to form outside of her head. Once delivered, she would have very few days to live. Her parents wanted to donate her organs, but the state of Florida said no because that would require ending her life prematurely.

Tracy Latimer: 12 year old girl in Canada with a severe case of cerebral palsy. She was in a great deal of pain and had no quality of life. One day, her father killed her via CO2 poisoning. He was tried for murder, but given a lenient sentence. Later re-tried and had to go to prison.
What makes an argument sound?
Thesis, counter claims, reason, logic, evidence, research, background information, organization, emotion, reliability, credibility
What does it mean to say, "We should not use people as a 'means to an end'?
(chapter 1)- It is wrong to use other people as a means to other people's benefits
What is a Slippery Slope Argument? How is it valid and in what ways might it be used in an unsound way?
If we accept this action now, it could lead to further actions that we do not want to allow. These arguments are hard to assess because it's tough to make predictions about the future. These arguments are also easy to abuse.
What is the "Against the Wrongness of Killing" argument?
It's wrong to kill one person to save another, and it is always wrong to kill an innocent person
What is the Benefits argument?
If we can benefit someone without harming anyone else, we ought to do that
What is the difference between who gets to make the decision and what the decision should be?
Impartial
Main Points on the Nature of Morality, or the Minimum Concept of Morality
- You must be a conscientious moral agent
- Moral judgments must be backed by good reasons (Reason)
- Morality requires the impartial consideration of each individual's interests (Impartiality)
What are the main tenets of medical ethics? (4 main principles, plus 2 overarching ideas)
Principles:
- Autonomy- freedom of choice
- Beneficence- physicians must act in the best interest of the patient
- Non-maleficence- "do no harm"
- Justice- fair distribution of resources, respect of rights, respect of laws

Ideas:
- Honesty/ truth telling- patients must be informed of their diagnosis and prognosis. Can declare a proxy.
- Human dignity/value of life- can be used to advocate for procedures that prolong life no matter how uncomfortable.
What principles are at odds in the practice of physician-assisted suicide?
NEED TO FIND
Why might an Ethics Committee be necessary in a hospital?
A resource for difficult cases and can help those in charge of making difficult decisions.
Know the 5 Propositions made by CR
1. Different societies have different moral codes
2. The moral code of a society determines what is right for that society
3. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one culture's code as better than another's
4. Our moral code has no special status
5. It is arrogant to judge other cultures
What are the 3 Problems we encounter if CR is true?
- Moral improvement?
- We could no longer criticize our own society
- We could no longer say the customs of other societies are inferior to our own
What are the values shared in all cultures, even if not considered universal by CR?
- Truth telling
- Protection of the young
- Prohibition of murder
Why are some thoughtful people reluctant to criticize the practices of other cultures?
- They do not want to interfere with other social customs
- We should be tolerant of other cultures
- People do not want to judge because they do not to express contempt for the society they are criticizing.
According to Rachels, what is the main value of CR?
Truth/ openness
What components must a theory of Virtue contain?
- A statement of what virtue is
- A list of the the virtues
- An account of what these virtues consist in
- An explanation of why these qualities are good
- A rule on whether these virtues are the same for all people or if they differ from person to person or culture to culture
Why are the virtues important to Aristotle?
make us good people-- makes us happy
How is a virtue a midpoint between extremes? Be able to give an example.
According to Aristotle, virtues provide a middle ground between excess and deficiency. Rachels' example of courage illustrates the midpoint between cowardness and "foolhardiness." One should not shy away from all danger, but one should not constantly seek danger.
What does it mean to say "certain virtues will be needed by all people in all times"?
honesty, loyalty, generosity, courage
What does Rachels conclude about VE?
The Problem of Incompleteness:
1) Radical VE does not explain everything it should, like why a certain character trait is a virtue, or why it is good.
2) It cannot give a full interpretation, or say when virtues apply -it does not say what is in a person's best interest.
3) It cannot help us deal with cases of moral conflict - like which virtue takes precedent in a certain situation.

VE is best as part of a larger framework or overall theory.
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