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340 final

Terms in this set (85)

According to Kant, an action is moral when?
B.the intention of the action is good, doing the right thing for the right reason.X
We have freedom to choose what we like. When we decide which type of ice cream we like, Kant explains this as exercising autonomous thought, the freedom as humans to choose.
False X (ice cream is heteronomous)
To act autonomously, is not biologically or socially influenced, it is to act according to a law I give myself.
True
Immanuel Kant, a professor at the University of Konigsberg, is best known for
B.publishing the book a "Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals" in 1785 XX
Kant describes a hypothetical imperative versus a categorical imperative. A categorical imperative, Kant states is
B.unconditional. It applies regardless of the circumstances. X
Immanuel Kant argues that every person is worthy of respect because
A.we are rational beings capable of reason. X
C.we are autonomous beings, capable to act and choose on our own. X
If you want a good business reputation, then you should treat your customers fairly and honestly. We all agree that this is a good thing, but Kant would say that this is an instrumental reason to act honestly and would call it a hypothetical imperative, not a categorical imperative.
True X
Kant uses a series of contrasts to try and explain his idea of the supreme principle of morality. Which of these are the dualisms he suggests?
A.duty v. inclination, to determine morality X
D.catagorical v. hypothetical imperatives, to understand the reason for action X
E.autonomy v. heteronomy, to explain freedom X
Immanual Kant's emphasis on human dignity informs much of our present day notions, what we in the 21st century, call Universal Human Rights.
TrueX
If we get enjoyment out of helping others and do good deeds for them as a result, Kant would say that our action lacks moral worth, because it is a motive of inclination, not one of duty.
TrueX
What are the two main objections to Rawl's case for the difference principle?
C.What if the tax rates are too high or the pay rates not high enough, those with more talents won't use them to benefit themselves and in turn society. We must have incentives for these people to utilize their talents to the fullest extent, otherwise, they will just sit around and let their talents go to waste.
D.Doesn't hard work mean anything? Some people have talent but don't do much to improve themselves. Doesn't a mediocre manager who works very hard with long hours and weekends, deserve more than the talented manager just skating by doing the minimum? It seems Rawl's difference principle suffers because it doesn't account for effort.
John Rawls says that the right way to think about justice is to ask what principles we would choose behind a veil of ignorance. What are the two principles that Rawls says we would / should agree to?
C.Equal basic liberties for all citizens
D.The difference principle where inequalities are allowed only if it benefits the least advantaged member of society.
John Rawls says that with the "veil of ignorance" in place, we would NOT select these moral philosophies.
A.Utilitarianism - We wouldn't select this because we don't know if we would be part of a minority and therefore have to abide by the will and happiness of the majority
B.Pure Libertarianism - We wouldn't pick libertarianism because we might end up being poor and homeless and the government and/or society would do nothing to help me.
In the Michael Sandel book "Justice", he indicates that John Rawls argues for and against these four rival theories of distributive justice. Which four are mentioned in the chapter on Rawls?
A.Meritocracy: free market with fair equality of opportunity
B.Egalitarianism: Utilizing the difference principle and equal rights.
C.Libertarian: free market with formal equality of opportunity
E.Caste System, fixed hierarchy based on birth
If two people meet and make a deal, write it down on paper, sign it and agree to it, then the contract must be fair because both parties agreed to it, otherwise they wouldn't have signed it.
False
Which statement about John Rawls is true?
C.He was an American political philosopher that died in 2002. He is best known for his '71 work A Theory of Justice where he argues that the way to think of justice is to think about the equality of the initial situation.
John Rawls developed a thought experiment he referred to as the "Veil of Ignorance." What is the veil of ignorance?
D.A way of deciding what rules society should have and how it should operate if we didn't know our own socioeconomic condition, gender, age, race, religion or any other advantage or disadvantage.
According to the Sandel book, at the heart of Aristotle's Theory of Justice are two central ideas. What are those two ideas?
A. We must agree about what virtues we are trying to honor and reward.
B. We must define the essential nature or purpose of the practice in question.
A 5 star municipal golf course wants to allocate a fixed number of available tee times on a very popular holiday weekend on a "first-come-first-served" basis. What would Aristotle say about the justice of this approach?
The golf course is wrong to allocate tee times this way. It should award tee times to those with the lowest handicaps, the best golfers should get the tee times.
Aristotle says that part of understanding the purpose of a practice is to find agreement on what virtue that practice is trying to honor and reward. This was the point behind the disagreement between the parents of the cheerleaders. Some parents thought tumbling was essential to being a cheerleader, others thought it was incidental.
True
The story about the handicapped cheerleader Callie exposed several issues related to Aristotle's virtue ethics. Which of the following two statements about that story are true?
A. Some of the parents feel that Callie is accorded an honor by being on the cheerleading team, an honor that she doesn't deserve
B. The two conflicting parties are arguing about the teleos of cheerleading.
In the Sandel explanation about Aristotle, he explains that justice for Aristotle means what? (pick two)
giving people their due
giving people what they deserve
According to Aristotle, the best flute in a school band should go to the best flute player because it honors the audience with beautiful music
False
Aristotle would have supported a university's affirmative action program of accepting a multi-cultural group of less qualified students over more qualified students if:
the teleos of a university was to serve the civic purpose of creating leaders for a diverse society.
Aristotle believes justice is teleological, that in order to know if we are being just, we must first determine the purpose or end of what we are trying to do.
True
Aristotle's virtue ethics was a far more prevalent philosophy in ancient times because it was used to explain natural phenomena like fire and stones, which are now more often explained by physics and not by teleological thinking.
True
If a Stradivarius violin were up for sale and both a wealthy collector and the first chair of the New York Philharmonics' violin section bid the same amount for the instrument, who would Aristotle say should get to purchase the violin, and more importantly, why should they get to do so?
The violinist should purchase the Stradivarius because the true nature of a violin is to be played.
The Dollar Game
Demonstrates via capitalism we sacrifice others for our own gain
According to Aristotle, who should be given the best flute?
The best flute player
When we decide what to eat for dinner, Kant says:
We are acting heteronomously
What is the Veil of Ignorance
How to equitability decide how society should operate
Aristotle believes justice is
teleological
Aristotle would support a University's affirmative action policy if
the core purpose of a Univ. was to create a diverse society
According to Kant, an action is moral when
intention of action is good, right thing for right reason.
Immanuel Kant is best known for
Publishing "Groundwork for Metaphysics of Morals" in 1785
In Sandel's explanation of Aristotle justice, it means
giving people what they deserve, their due
Which of these is associated with John Rawls
The Difference Principle
"Act in such a way that you always treat humanity....never as a means, but... as an ends"
Formula of Humanity as an End
What is the Difference Principle?
You can earn all you can, as long as it also helps those who have lost out
To act autonomously, is not biologically or socially influenced, it is to act
according to a law I give myself
Which of these is NOT one of Kant's dualisms?
deontological vs. teleological
Milgram's Experiment proved what?
As long as others take responsibility, we can do terrible things
What would Kant say about the "Golden Rule?"
It uses a consequentialist view of what to do, yielding different results
Which of these was the point behind the Stanford Prison Experiments?
Being in a powerfully toxic situation can transform normally "good" people
Immanuel Kant argues that every person is worthy of respect because
we are rational and autonomous beings, capable of acting on our own.
Kant principle phrase
obey your thoughts don't do it "motivate your mind"
Kant is ____on intrinsic motives and is ____ on instrumental movies
HUGE and VERY HARD
Consequential
where one is more concern about the result of the action
Categorical
which one worries about why the action is turned
Autonomous
to act freely, is to act according to the law i given myself
We are FREE when we act AUTONOMOUSLY
FREEDOM = AUTONOMOUS
Law of Cause and Effect, or Instinct
Heteronomous
act impulse, to act according to desire I have not chosen myself
Act on impulse or pre-ordained, or inherent and non-controllable issues, to act according to desires I haven't chosen myself
(food, hunger, thirst, breathing)
Two types of morals
Honesty and morally
Supreme principles
morality, freedom, and reason
Kant's three dualism
Motives: duty VS inclination
Freedom: determination of will Auto VS hetero
Reason: Imperative, Categorical, and hypothetical
Hypothetical reason:
hypothetical imperatives use instrumental reasons (a rule of conduct that is understood to apply to an individual only if he or she desires a certain end and has chosen)
Formula of universal law:
Promise keeping
Moral forces of contracts
Actual contracts, are norm on their own, self sufficient instruments
The fact that the contacts exist, does not guarantee fairness of agreement
Something that they are instrumental mutual benefit
Blind or obligate
Can set → obligate
Benefit → reciprocity
Moral limits contract
Autonomy and reciprocity
John Rawls Distribution not based on arbitrary consideration
-Position granted by birth: (wealth mobility, prower) such as in feudal aristocracy
-Equal of opportunity: espoused by libertarians better than granted by birth like running a race
-Opportunity equality: exposed as meritory, everyone starts the welfare of same line
Consequential thinking:
results:
Miligram:
libertarian
Aristotle
community
Telos
point end just goals teleological reasoning reasons from the goal from the end
Kant says you must do things because it is the right thing to do, not because you benefit from it, or someone else does. Do it because it is right. The ____ is what matters. The _____ outcome, not the actual outcome.
If you do something because it is the right thing to do, ____ if it doesn't turn out well, you are still ____
MOTIVE
INTENDED
EVEN
MORAL
Kant freedom figures
utilitarians
distribution of income and wealth
justice
Kant rejects approach
(maximizing welfare)
(promoting virtue)
he thinks, respects human freedom
Kant is a powerful advocate for approach
justice and morality to freedom
Kant argues that every person
worthy of Respect
Kant says about humans
rational beings
capable of reason
autonomous beings
acting and choosing freely
We also have the capacity to feel pleasure and pain
sentient: "able to perceive or feel things"
Kant's concept of freedom
Autonomy and Heteronomy
Kant says gives an action moral worth
The intention of the action, the motive of the action
Kant motive of duty
motive of duty confers moral worth on an action
Morally worthy
not in the results that flow from it, but from the motive, the quality of the will, the intention from which the act is done.
Kant says there are three contrasts
Freedom: autonomous vs heteronomous
Moral: duty and inclination
Reasoning: categorical v. hypothetical
Kant distinguishes two ways that reason can command
imperative:
hypothetical imperative: use instrumental reason
Kant Categorical imperatives
means unconditional. An unconditional reason, as opposed to a hypothetical (conditional, if x then y) reason
Kant Unconditional
"without loophole or exception". "As to the charges from the prosecutor about my having sex with a mule, I categorically deny them!!!
Categorical Imperative
Formula of Universal Law: Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law
2 Formula of humanity as end:
Kant's Two Formulations
Formula of as Humanity as an End
Categorical Imperative
Formula of as Humanity as an End
Humanity, exists as an end in itself. Rational beings. People have intrinsic value, worthy of respect
Act in such a way, that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person, or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time, as an end
Categorical Imperative
an unconditional moral obligation which is binding in all circumstances and is not dependent on a person's inclination or purpose.
"You can't use people to get ahead without their consent"
"Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end."
Justice of fairness
Equal rights, equal opportunity, and promoting the interest of the least advantaged members of society
Moral Force of Contracts
Actual contracts, are not, on their own, self sufficient moral instruments.
The fact that the contract exists, does not guarantee the fairness of the agreement.
Contracts sometimes bind us because they are instrumentals of mutual benefit

How do they bind or obligate
Consent based → autonomy
Benefit bias → reciprocity

Simply establishing a contract between two parties that agree to the terms of the contract does not guarantee fairness.
A receipt of benefits could obligate the parties even if consent wasn't given.
Contracts Rely on Two Things to be Morally Enforceable
Autonomy
No coercion, no pressure
No difference in bargaining power

Reciprocity
Both parties see equal value
Balance of knowledge
Distribution Not Based on Arbitrary Considerations
1. Position granted by birth (wealth, nobility, power) such as in a Feudal Aristocracy
2. Equality of opportunity espoused by Libertarianism
3. Opportunity equality
The Difference Principle
- Encourage the gifted to use their gifts to the fullest
- But you change the terms by which people get the rewards of those talents
-People benefit to the arbitrariness of the genetic lottery only to the point it benefits the least-well-off of society
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