Utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and other major ethical theories, with their core claims, key thinkers, and central objections, from an intro ethics course.
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- What is utilitarianism?
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An action is right if it maximizes overall happiness or well-being.- What is the principle of utility?
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What is good produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number.- Who was Jeremy Bentham?
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An 18th-century philosopher who formulated classical utilitarianism.- What did John Stuart Mill add to utilitarianism?
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He distinguished higher (intellectual) and lower (physical) pleasures, arguing higher ones matter more.- What is act utilitarianism?
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Each individual action should be judged by whether it maximizes utility.- What is rule utilitarianism?
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An action is right if it conforms to a rule that would maximize utility if generally followed.- What is deontological ethics?
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An ethical theory that judges rightness by conformity to duties or rules, not consequences.- What was Immanuel Kant's main ethical contribution?
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He developed a duty-based system centered on rationality, respect, and the categorical imperative.- What is Kant's categorical imperative?
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A principle of reason that determines which actions are morally required, permissible, or forbidden.- What is Kant's formula of universal law?
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Act only in ways you could will as a universal law for all rational beings.- What is Kant's formula of humanity?
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Treat humanity always as an end in itself, never merely as a means.- What is virtue ethics?
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An ethical theory focusing on developing virtuous character rather than rules or consequences.- Who founded virtue ethics?
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Aristotle, who argued that virtue is the central ethical concept.- What is eudaimonia?
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Flourishing or living well; the highest human good in Aristotelian ethics.- What role does character play in virtue ethics?
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Character is central; ethical life consists in cultivating virtuous character traits through practice.
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