Danie l Josef M. Aloroy                                                                                                                  2.07.08

ITETHIC                                                                                                                                         O0B

 

QUIZ

 

1.       What is ethics, and how can it be distinguished from morality?

 

Ethics is derived from the Greek ethos, and defined as the study of morality. The term morality has its roots in the Latin mores.

 

2.       What is meant by a moral system? What are some of the key differences between the “rules of conduct” and the “principles of evaluation” that comprise a moral system?

 

A moral system aims at promoting human flourishing. The fundamental purpose of a moral system is to prevent or alleviate harm and suffering. “Rules of conduct” are action-guiding rules, in the form of either directives or social policies. While “Principles of evaluation” are evaluative standards used to justify rules of conduct.

 

3.       What does Bernard Gert mean when he describes morality in terms of a “public system”? Why is the notion of “personal morality” an oxymoron?

 

Gert means that morality is public in such a way that everyone must know what the rules are that define it.

 

4.       Why does Gert believe that morality is an “informal system? How is a moral system both similar to and different from a game?

 

Moral system is an informal system according to Gert because it does not really have an authoritative judge that presides over it. A moral system is similar to a game in a way that even though there is no referee to watch over the players playing the game, they still adhere to it. It is different from a game because unlike the latter, it is less formal without the enforcement of referees.

 

5.       Describe how the ideals of “rationality” and “impartiality” function in Gert’s moral system.

 

Rationality is referred to as the system based on principle of logical reason accessible to all its members. Impartiality is referred to as the system not partial to any one group or individual.

 

6.       What are values, and what are some of the key differences between moral values and nonmoral values?

 

The term value comes from the Latin valere, which means having worth of being of worth. Values are objects of our desires or interests; examples include happiness, love and freedom. Moral values are derived from core nonmoral values by using the notion of impartiality while nonmoral values originate form desires and typically involve rational self interests.

 

7.       How do religion, law, and philosophy each provide different grounds for justifying a moral principle?

 

Religion – moral principles are judged according to compliance to God’ ten commandments

Legal – moral principles are judged by the civil law to eliminate the religious disputes among people

Philosophical – moral principles are judged by reasoning and there are no punishments for it

 

8.       What is the method of philosophical ethics, and what is a”philosophical study”? How is a philosophical study used in an analysis of moral issues?

 

Like scientific studies, it requires that a consistent methodological scheme be used to verify hypotheses and theories, and these verification schemes must satisfy criteria of rationality and impartiality. A philosophical study uses ethical theory in the analysis and deliberation of the issues.

 

9.       How does a philosophical study differ from a descriptive study? Why are sociological and anthropological studies of morality usually descriptive rather than normative in nature?

 

Philosophical studies use normative method. Sociological and anthropological studies are descriptive because they describe or report how people in various cultures and groups behave with respect to the rules of a moral system.

 

10.   Summarize the four different kinds of “discussion stoppers” in ethical discourse that we examined.

 

Discussion Stopper #1 – fails to recognize that there are many moral issues on which people disagree

Discussion Stopper #2 – fails to distinguish between the act of judging and being a judgmental person.

Discussion Stopper #3 – confuses moral choices with individual or personal preferences

Discussion Stopper #4 – assumes that people can never reach common agreement on some moral principles

 

11.   Why are these discussion stoppers problematic for the advancement of dialogue and debate about ethical issue?

 

These discussion stoppers are problematic for the advancement of dialogue and debate about ethical issue because they are different and contradicting to one another.

 

12.   What is moral relativism? How is it different from cultural relativism?

 

Moral relativism is a normative thesis because it asserts that one should not make moral judgments about the behaviour of people who live in cultures other than one’s own.  Cultural relativism is portrays that a moral system is constituted by the cultures provided by their own members.

 

13.   What is ethical theory, and what important functions do ethical theories play in the analysis of moral issues?

 

Ethical theory  provides us with a framework for analyzing moral issues via a that is internally coherent and consistent as well as comprehensive and systematic.

 

14.   What are the distinguishing features of consequence-based ethical theories?

 

The distinguishing features of consequence-based ethical theories is that it is utilitarian based.

 

15.   Describe some of the key differences between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism.

 

Act utilitarianism focuses on following a certain individual acts while rule utilitarianism focuses on the consequences resulting from following a rule.

 

16.   Which features distinguish duty-based ethical theories from alternative types of theories?

 

An argument by Kant states that morality must ultimately be grounded in the concept of duty, or obligations that humans have to one another, and never in the consequences of human actions.

 

17.   Describe some of the main differences between act deontology and rule deontology.

 

In rule deontology, all rules will be applied universally and everyone will be equal while in act deontology, we must follow what is our actual duty during clashing of duties.

 

18.   What is meant by the expression “contract-based” ethical theories?

 

Contract-based ethical theory is a state where people have no rules to follow and all are free to act by their own desires.

 

19.   What features distinguish “character-based” (or “virtue-based”) ethical theories from alternative schemes of morality?

 

It ignores the special roles that consequences, duties, and social contracts play in moral systems, especially with respect to determining the appropriate standard for evaluating moral behaviour.

 

20.   How does James Moor’s “Just Consequentialist” theory incorporate aspects of utilitarianism and deontological theories into one comprehensive framework?

 

Moor’s two steps:

Deliberate over various policies from an impartial point of view to determine whether they meet the criteria for being ethical policies.

Select the best policy from the set of just policies arrived at in the deliberation stage by ranking ethical policies in terms of benefits and (justifiable) harms.

 

Source: Ethics and Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology

 

                                (Herman Tavani, 2004)