PHIL 202 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE
Ethics - Answers - The philosophical investigation of the nature of rightness and/or
goodness.
Applied Ethics - Answers - The philosophical investigation of the moral status of various
kinds of actions.
Meta-ethics - Answers - The philosophical investigation of the meaning of ethical claims
and the metaphysics of moral value.
Systematic - Answers - To avoid contradiction and incoherence in all of our views
Premises - Answers - Reasons for thinking the conclusion true
Conclusion - Answers - The claim which the premises are supposed to show must be or
is likely to be true.
Morally right - Answers - An action is this, if and only if it is morally permissible (i.e., it is
acceptable from a moral point of view).
Morally wrong - Answers - An action is this, if and only if it is not morally right (i.e., it is
forbidden from a moral point of view)
Morally obligatory - Answers - An action is this, if and only if not performing it is morally
wrong (i.e., not performing it is morally wrong)
Action Type - Answers - A (more or less) general kind of action. For example: abortion,
lying, killing a non-human animal, taking a recreational drug
Action Token - Answers - A particular time and place and a particular person.
Prima Facie - Answers - An action type is this, wrong (or right) and only if there is a
presumption that a given token is wrong (or right) in the absence of further information
about the particular token.
Descriptive Cultural Relativism - Answers - Different cultures or groups have different
moral standards or codes.
Normative Cultural Relativism - Answers - Whether a given action is morally right or
morally wrong depends on the moral standards of the society of the person performing
the action.
Ethics - Answers - The philosophical investigation of the nature of rightness and/or
goodness.
Applied Ethics - Answers - The philosophical investigation of the moral status of various
kinds of actions.
Meta-ethics - Answers - The philosophical investigation of the meaning of ethical claims
and the metaphysics of moral value.
Systematic - Answers - To avoid contradiction and incoherence in all of our views
Premises - Answers - Reasons for thinking the conclusion true
Conclusion - Answers - The claim which the premises are supposed to show must be or
is likely to be true.
Morally right - Answers - An action is this, if and only if it is morally permissible (i.e., it is
acceptable from a moral point of view).
Morally wrong - Answers - An action is this, if and only if it is not morally right (i.e., it is
forbidden from a moral point of view)
Morally obligatory - Answers - An action is this, if and only if not performing it is morally
wrong (i.e., not performing it is morally wrong)
Action Type - Answers - A (more or less) general kind of action. For example: abortion,
lying, killing a non-human animal, taking a recreational drug
Action Token - Answers - A particular time and place and a particular person.
Prima Facie - Answers - An action type is this, wrong (or right) and only if there is a
presumption that a given token is wrong (or right) in the absence of further information
about the particular token.
Descriptive Cultural Relativism - Answers - Different cultures or groups have different
moral standards or codes.
Normative Cultural Relativism - Answers - Whether a given action is morally right or
morally wrong depends on the moral standards of the society of the person performing
the action.
