Ethical Egoism
Right acts are right because they contribute to the agent's true happiness of well being
What does Ethical egoism say about right acts?
An act is morally right if and only if it maximizes hedonic utility
What is AU?
An act is morally right iff it treats all persons as ends-in-themselves, not merely as means
What is Kant's formula of humanity
Multiple fundamental moral values
What does pluralism recognize?
HEdonism, desire satisfationism, perfectionism
What are the main theories of well-being
Happiness requires rational order in the soul; a truly happy person has self-control and harmony
What is plato's idea of perfectionism
Jeremey Bentham
Who is the founder of classical utilitarianism?
Do not initiate force/damage others' property. Do not deceive or manipulate
Autonomy, beneficence, and justice
The product of its intensity and duration
Acting unjustly, even if one could get away with it, harms one's own happiness and well being
What is the 'ring of gyges'?
Well being is determined by the total amount of pleasure minus pain
What does Bentham's hedonism say about well being
Self perfection and philanthropy
what are imperfect duties under Kant?
A moral obligation that must be fulfilled unless overriden by a stronger duty
What is a prima facie duty?
Instrumental goods lead to intrinsic goods like pleasure or virtue
What is instrumental vs. intrinsic good
An act is morally right if it best manifests virtues needed for well being
What is Aretaic Egoism?
We can't always calculate utilities before acting, but AU says we should act in ways that woul maximize happiness
What is the 'No time to calculate' objection?
To use them as a tool, ignoring their rational autonomy
What does it mean to treat someone as mere means?
The action one really ought to do after weighing conflicting prima facie duties
What is a real duty?
The experience machine - pleasure alone doesn't make a life truly good
WHat objection does Nozick make to hedonism
Some people seem happy without being fully virtuous
Name one objection to aretaic egoism
It may violate justice, rights, or be too demanding
One objection of AU
Each rational being should make their own rational life-defining choices and respect others' right to do the same
What does kant say about autonomy
Breaking a lunch promise to help someone in distress
Give an example of a conflict between duties
Virtuous activity that realizes our rational human nature
According to plato and aristotle, what is true well-being?