ETHICS TERM PAPER
ETHICS: The study of proper behavior, broadly construed.
What is the good life? What duties do I have to myself and others? What does good moral reasoning look like?
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Investigation requires a method
One cannot answer a question without knowing how to answer it.
Philosophy is neither anthropology nor psychology. It is an investigation into the underpinnings of human behavior. Are the practices we have justified? If so, how?
How could we answer these questions?
Arguments
1. If we are in a class Dr. Rodgers teaches, we are in a philosophy class.
2. We are in a class Dr. Rodgers teaches.
3. Thus, we are in a philosophy class
Premises – Evidence to support a conclusion.
A Conclusion – What one seeks to establish
In this argument, 1 and 2 are premises. The conclusion is 3.
There is no maximum limit to the number of premises an argument may have, though there is a minimum. There must be at least one premise and one conclusion.
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Parts of an Argument
Propositions - Statements about the world.
Propositions may be true or false.
Ex. This is Houston Community College.
Ex. This is Harvard University.
Ex. You should not murder.
Normative and Descriptive
Normative – How things should be
Descriptive – How they are.
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Normative v Descriptive
Normative (Prescriptive)
You should not lie
You should not steal.
You should study geometry.
You should not raise your arm.
Descriptive
People sometimes lie.
People sometimes steal.
Some people haven’t studied geometry.
It hurts when I raise my arm.
Metaphysics
Questions about how the world is.
Is the computer on?
What is twice four?
Is it wrong to hurt people just for fun?
Epistemology
Questions about how we know things.
How do we know that twice two is four?
How do we know if the computer is on?
How do we know if it is wrong to hurt people just for fun?
Focus on the question at hand. If we are doing metaphysics, do not switch to epistemology.
The proposition “The computer is on” has a truth value even if we don’t know what it is.
The same is true of the propositions “It is wrong to hurt people just for fun” and “It is not wrong to hurt people just for fun.”
Properties of an Argument
Validity
Validity is about structure.
A deductively valid argument has a truth preserving structure.
A deductively valid argument can have false premises.
Validity is the low bar
Soundness
Soundness is about structure and content
Sound arguments must be both valid and have all true premises
Soundness is the high bar for having a cogent argument
Soundness gets us to truth