PHIL 1020 - Midterm Study Guide Latest
Updated
What is an objective moral standard? - ANSWER-A moral standard that applies to
everyone, even if people don't believe that they do, even if people are indifferent to
them, and even if obeying them fails to satisfy anyone's desires
What is ethical objectivism? - ANSWER-The view that there is at least one objective
moral standard;
Some moral claims are objectively true
What is moral skepticism? - ANSWER-The view that ethical objectivism is false, and
thus that there are no objective moral rules, no objective moral truths, and no objective
moral standards
What is moral nihilism? - ANSWER-The view that there are no moral truths at all;
Statements are disguised ways of venting feelings so they are neither true nor false,
there's no claim
What is ethical relativism? - ANSWER-The view that there are ethical truths, but they're
not objective;
These standards are correct only relative to cultures or relative to individuals
Why are moral nihilism and ethical relativism two forms of moral skepticism? -
ANSWER-They both deny that there are objective moral standards;
They both believe that morality is wholly a human creation, with nihilism saying that
there are no moral truths at all and relativism saying that there are moral truths but that
they're not objective
What is ethical subjectivism? - ANSWER-A claim that the correct moral standards are
those endorsed by each individual;
An act is morally acceptable just because (a) I approve of it or (B) my commitments
allow it
How does ethical subjectivism differ from the claim that each person has her own
ethical views? - ANSWER-Ethical subjectivism is claiming that there is no superior
moral code, each person's moral standards are equally correct, and that they agree that
the person they are disagreeing with is correct, everyone's moral views/beliefs are right;
NOT saying that each person has her own ethical/moral views
,What is cultural relativism? - ANSWER-A claim that the correct moral standards are
relative to cultures or societies;
An act is morally acceptable just because it's allowed by the guiding ideals of the
society in which it is performed
How does cultural relativism differ from the view that different societies have different
views about morality? - ANSWER-Cultural relativism is saying that a moral standard is
correct, or not correct, if it is allowed, or not allowed, by the ideals of the society/culture
in which it is performed;
NOT different cultures have different moral views
How are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism alike? - ANSWER-They both regard
people as the authors of morality;
They are both ways of denying objective moral standards
How are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism different? - ANSWER-The
difference between these two views is whether each person, or each society, gets to
have the final say in ethics
Is cultural relativism compatible with the idea that there are certain universal human
rights that should never be violated? - ANSWER-Cultural relativism is not compatible
with this idea since relativists believe that the correct moral standards are those
endorsed by each society
Is ethical subjectivism compatible with the idea that there are certain universal human
rights that should never be violated? - ANSWER-Ethical subjectivism is not compatible
with this idea since subjectivists believe that everyone's basic moral views are just as
plausible as everyone else's, and that the correct moral standards are those endorsed
by each individual
Does ethical subjectivism provide support for the idea that everyone ought to be
tolerant? - ANSWER-No because being tolerant means you accept that other people
have different views and beliefs, but you don't have to accept as true what other people
say to be tolerant, if you do accept as true what the other person says then you can't
exercise tolerance, it is just agreement;
And ethical subjectivism is saying that what other people think is morally right or wrong
is true, that everybody is right
Does cultural relativism provide support for the idea that everyone ought to be tolerant?
- ANSWER-No because being tolerant means you accept that other people have
different views and beliefs, but you don't have to accept as true what other people say
to be tolerant, if you do accept as true what the other person says then you can't
exercise tolerance, it is just agreement;
And cultural relativism is saying that it is true that what people are doing is morally right
or wrong as long it is going along with the beliefs/views of the society in which it is
performed
, Why does Eichmann think that Becher is corrupt? - ANSWER-Because he didn't take
his job seriously and was just always looking for a way to make a lot of money
On pg. 147, Arndt explains "When Himmler's order to stop the evacuation of Hungarian
Jews arrived in Budapest, Eichmann threatened...'to seek a new decision from the
Führer'". Arendt claims that this doesn't prove his fanaticism, his "boundless hatred of
Jews" (pg. 146) but has another explanation. What is her alternative explanation? -
ANSWER-Eichmann had great confidence and this confidence was ascribed to his
great need for authority;
Eichmann had mistaken humanity for softness;
It was Eichmann's conscience that prompted him to adopt his uncompromising attitude
during the last year of the war, as it had prompted him to move in the opposite direction
for a short time three years before
What might an ethical subjectivist say about Eichmann? - ANSWER-A subjectivist
would probably say that Eichmann was acting immoral because he was going against
his own personal moral beliefs, even though/because he was following orders
What might a cultural relativist say about Eichmann? - ANSWER-A relativist would
probably say that Eichmann was acting morally because he was going along with orders
and what society/culture said was morally right, even though he thought that what he
was doing and everything that was going on was immoral
What point does King make about prophets in the eighth century B.C. and the Apostle
Paul? Is this point compatible with cultural relativism? - ANSWER-King says that he is
acting in the same way that the prophets in the eighth century B.C. and the Apostle Paul
did;
The prophets in the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the
Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns;
The Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the
far corners of the Greco Roman world;
King, like them, says he is compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond his own
home town, like Paul, he must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid;
This point is not compatible with cultural relativism because in all 3 situations the main
person/people (the prophets, Paul, and King) are taking a stand for what is wrong in
society and for what they believe in/what they believe should be changed, they are
saying that what the society/culture they live in is wrong and has the wrong moral
standards which goes against cultural relativism because relativism says that an act is
morally acceptable just because it is allowed by the guiding ideals of the society in
which it is performed
King claims that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". What does this
mean? Is this compatible with cultural relativism? - ANSWER-I think this means that if
injustice is acceptable/allowed in one place, then it becomes a threat to justice
Updated
What is an objective moral standard? - ANSWER-A moral standard that applies to
everyone, even if people don't believe that they do, even if people are indifferent to
them, and even if obeying them fails to satisfy anyone's desires
What is ethical objectivism? - ANSWER-The view that there is at least one objective
moral standard;
Some moral claims are objectively true
What is moral skepticism? - ANSWER-The view that ethical objectivism is false, and
thus that there are no objective moral rules, no objective moral truths, and no objective
moral standards
What is moral nihilism? - ANSWER-The view that there are no moral truths at all;
Statements are disguised ways of venting feelings so they are neither true nor false,
there's no claim
What is ethical relativism? - ANSWER-The view that there are ethical truths, but they're
not objective;
These standards are correct only relative to cultures or relative to individuals
Why are moral nihilism and ethical relativism two forms of moral skepticism? -
ANSWER-They both deny that there are objective moral standards;
They both believe that morality is wholly a human creation, with nihilism saying that
there are no moral truths at all and relativism saying that there are moral truths but that
they're not objective
What is ethical subjectivism? - ANSWER-A claim that the correct moral standards are
those endorsed by each individual;
An act is morally acceptable just because (a) I approve of it or (B) my commitments
allow it
How does ethical subjectivism differ from the claim that each person has her own
ethical views? - ANSWER-Ethical subjectivism is claiming that there is no superior
moral code, each person's moral standards are equally correct, and that they agree that
the person they are disagreeing with is correct, everyone's moral views/beliefs are right;
NOT saying that each person has her own ethical/moral views
,What is cultural relativism? - ANSWER-A claim that the correct moral standards are
relative to cultures or societies;
An act is morally acceptable just because it's allowed by the guiding ideals of the
society in which it is performed
How does cultural relativism differ from the view that different societies have different
views about morality? - ANSWER-Cultural relativism is saying that a moral standard is
correct, or not correct, if it is allowed, or not allowed, by the ideals of the society/culture
in which it is performed;
NOT different cultures have different moral views
How are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism alike? - ANSWER-They both regard
people as the authors of morality;
They are both ways of denying objective moral standards
How are ethical subjectivism and cultural relativism different? - ANSWER-The
difference between these two views is whether each person, or each society, gets to
have the final say in ethics
Is cultural relativism compatible with the idea that there are certain universal human
rights that should never be violated? - ANSWER-Cultural relativism is not compatible
with this idea since relativists believe that the correct moral standards are those
endorsed by each society
Is ethical subjectivism compatible with the idea that there are certain universal human
rights that should never be violated? - ANSWER-Ethical subjectivism is not compatible
with this idea since subjectivists believe that everyone's basic moral views are just as
plausible as everyone else's, and that the correct moral standards are those endorsed
by each individual
Does ethical subjectivism provide support for the idea that everyone ought to be
tolerant? - ANSWER-No because being tolerant means you accept that other people
have different views and beliefs, but you don't have to accept as true what other people
say to be tolerant, if you do accept as true what the other person says then you can't
exercise tolerance, it is just agreement;
And ethical subjectivism is saying that what other people think is morally right or wrong
is true, that everybody is right
Does cultural relativism provide support for the idea that everyone ought to be tolerant?
- ANSWER-No because being tolerant means you accept that other people have
different views and beliefs, but you don't have to accept as true what other people say
to be tolerant, if you do accept as true what the other person says then you can't
exercise tolerance, it is just agreement;
And cultural relativism is saying that it is true that what people are doing is morally right
or wrong as long it is going along with the beliefs/views of the society in which it is
performed
, Why does Eichmann think that Becher is corrupt? - ANSWER-Because he didn't take
his job seriously and was just always looking for a way to make a lot of money
On pg. 147, Arndt explains "When Himmler's order to stop the evacuation of Hungarian
Jews arrived in Budapest, Eichmann threatened...'to seek a new decision from the
Führer'". Arendt claims that this doesn't prove his fanaticism, his "boundless hatred of
Jews" (pg. 146) but has another explanation. What is her alternative explanation? -
ANSWER-Eichmann had great confidence and this confidence was ascribed to his
great need for authority;
Eichmann had mistaken humanity for softness;
It was Eichmann's conscience that prompted him to adopt his uncompromising attitude
during the last year of the war, as it had prompted him to move in the opposite direction
for a short time three years before
What might an ethical subjectivist say about Eichmann? - ANSWER-A subjectivist
would probably say that Eichmann was acting immoral because he was going against
his own personal moral beliefs, even though/because he was following orders
What might a cultural relativist say about Eichmann? - ANSWER-A relativist would
probably say that Eichmann was acting morally because he was going along with orders
and what society/culture said was morally right, even though he thought that what he
was doing and everything that was going on was immoral
What point does King make about prophets in the eighth century B.C. and the Apostle
Paul? Is this point compatible with cultural relativism? - ANSWER-King says that he is
acting in the same way that the prophets in the eighth century B.C. and the Apostle Paul
did;
The prophets in the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the
Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns;
The Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the
far corners of the Greco Roman world;
King, like them, says he is compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond his own
home town, like Paul, he must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid;
This point is not compatible with cultural relativism because in all 3 situations the main
person/people (the prophets, Paul, and King) are taking a stand for what is wrong in
society and for what they believe in/what they believe should be changed, they are
saying that what the society/culture they live in is wrong and has the wrong moral
standards which goes against cultural relativism because relativism says that an act is
morally acceptable just because it is allowed by the guiding ideals of the society in
which it is performed
King claims that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". What does this
mean? Is this compatible with cultural relativism? - ANSWER-I think this means that if
injustice is acceptable/allowed in one place, then it becomes a threat to justice
