PHI 208 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2022/2023

PHI 208 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2022/2023Utilitarianism the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. Act Utilitarianism The branch of utilitarianism that holds that the morally right action is the one that produces the greatest overall utility in each particular circumstance. Autonomy The capacity to freely determine one's own reason has determined. Consequentialist ethics Ethical system that maintains that the moral value of actions or policies depends on their consequences. Deontology ethics Ethical systems that maintain that the moral value of actions depends on some feature of the action itself. Dialectic A process of reasoning that involves moving back and forth between abstract and concrete judgements. Maxim The policy or principle that a rational person follows when he/she makes a conscious deliberate choice. Rule utilitarianism The branch of utilitarianism that holds that the morally right action is the one that would lead to the greatest happiness for the greatest number when followed as a general rule. Utilitarianism A consequentialist ethical theory that holds that morally right actions, laws, or policies are those whose consequences contain the greatest positive value and the least negative value compared to the consequences of available alternatives. Utility A measure of well-being and the ultimate standard of value in utilitarianism. This is often defined as happiness, pleasure, and the absence of suffering, or the satisfaction of preferen