Logic and Ethics Flashcards

Which ethical theory holds that the morality of an action is determined solely by its outcomes or consequences?

Answer: Consequentialism

Consequentialism evaluates actions entirely by their results, most notably in the utilitarian form championed by Bentham and Mill.

Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative primarily directs a person to:

Answer: Act only on principles one could will to become universal laws

Kant's first formulation demands that the maxim of any action be universalizable without contradiction.

According to Aristotle, eudaimonia—the highest human good—is best translated as:

Answer: Flourishing or well-being

Eudaimonia refers to a life of flourishing achieved through the full exercise of distinctively human capacities and virtues.

John Stuart Mill's version of utilitarianism is distinctive because it distinguishes between:

Answer: Higher and lower pleasures based on quality

Mill argued that intellectual and moral pleasures are qualitatively superior to mere bodily pleasures, refining Bentham's calculus.

Thomas Aquinas's natural law theory holds that moral norms are primarily derived from:

Answer: Human reason reflecting on human nature as created by God

Aquinas taught that reason discerns natural law written into human nature by the divine legislator.

Plato's allegory of the cave is primarily intended to illustrate:

Answer: The difference between mere appearances and genuine knowledge of reality

The allegory shows how most people mistake shadows (appearances) for reality and how philosophical education turns the soul toward true knowledge.

Which ancient virtue, central to Plato's Republic, involves each part of the soul performing its proper function under the guidance of reason?

Answer: Justice

Plato defines justice as each element of the soul—reason, spirit, and appetite—doing its proper work in harmony.