Word Bank
This term describes a voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.
What is the Social Contract?
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
What is Genesis (Level: Origin Stories)?
This level of governance represents the "bottom" of the totem pole, where individual curiosity transforms into community participation.
What is the Individual/Citizen?
This fable involves several men touching different parts of an animal to show that our "moral truth" depends on our perspective.
What is the Blind Men and the Elephant?
this Greek myth involves a character whose transformation can be interpreted as a tragedy of divine injustice or a cautionary tale about victimhood.
Who is Medusa?
The study of the origins and meaning of ethical concepts—asking "where do these rules even come from?" rather than just "what are the rules?"
What is Metaethics?
"The Star-Bellied Sneetches got to be rather proud... And they made it quite clear that they were the best."
What is Dr. Seuss (Level: Seussian Approach to Power/Governance)?
This specific civil rights event serves as a historical example of "Collective Action" challenging an unjust social contract.
What is the Bridge Crossing at Selma?
According to the story of "The Egg," why should we treat others with kindness and forgiveness?
What is because everyone is actually the same soul/person at different stages?
This ethical theory, emphasized in your "Kantian Expedition," argues that the morality of an action is based on "duty" and "good will" rather than consequences.
What is Deontology?
This view suggests that "right" and "wrong" are relative to the individual or the culture, and that there are no universal moral truths.
What is Moral/Cultural Relativism?
"The Sky Woman fell, and upon the back of the Great Turtle, the world began to grow..."
What is the Iroquois Creation Myth (Level: Origins/Belief Systems)?
Plato used this specific allegory to describe the difficulties of finding a moral leader to navigate the "Ship of State."
What is the Allegory of the Ship (Ship of Fools)?
This myth introduces suffering into the world but concludes that "Hope" is the essential tool for moral endurance.
What is Pandora’s Box?
While both theories focus on the outcomes of an action, explain the primary difference between Ethical Egoism and Utilitarian (Consequentialist) thought regarding who should benefit from a "right" action.
Egoism argues that an action is right only if it promotes the individual's own self-interest, whereas Utilitarianism/Consequentialism argues that an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people (the collective).
An ethical framework that emphasizes the importance of a person's character and the cultivation of "habits of excellence" rather than just following rules.
What is Virtue Ethics?
"And so these men of Indostan / Disputed loud and long, / Each in his own opinion / Exceeding stiff and strong, / Though each was partly in the right, / And all were in the wrong!"
What is "The Blind Men & The Elephant?"
Explain the ethical insights offered by Plato's "Allegory of the Ship." Specifically, what does it reveal about the morality of those in power versus the skills required for true leadership?
Answer: It suggests that those who seek power (the crew) often lack the wisdom to lead, while the true navigator (the philosopher) is dismissed as useless; it highlights the danger of "Ship of Fools" governance.
Analyze the figure of Lilith: How does her story challenge traditional "Inner Blueprints" regarding gender roles and autonomy?
What is [Student explanation of defiance against unjust authority/equality]?
Explain the difference between Moral Absolutism and Moral Relativism
What is: Absolutism claims there are universal moral truths that apply to everyone, while Relativism claims morality is a matter of opinion or culture.
Often associated with Social Darwinism, this concept argues that morality should favor those who are most "fit" to succeed in society.
What is Human Fitness?
"...the cave dwellers, chained from birth, can only see shadows projected on the wall, believing them to be reality."
What is Plato's Allegory of the Cave (Level: Inner Blueprints/Reality)?
Could you compare this to nature vs. nurture? To Education?
Differentiate between a legal obligation and a moral responsibility
A legal obligation is a rule enforced by the state (like paying taxes or following traffic laws), whereas a moral responsibility is an ethical duty to act for the common good (like standing up against an unjust law). In the "American experiment," curiosity and civic engagement transform a person from a mere subject of the law into an active participant who shapes a more ethical society by holding the "Totem Pole" of power accountable.
Distinguish between Mandatory Civic Duties and Voluntary Civic Responsibilities.
Mandatory Duties (Legal): Examples include paying taxes, serving on a jury, and obeying the law.
Voluntary Responsibilities (Ethical): Examples include voting, community service, and staying informed on public issues.
The Difference: Collective Action (like the Selma march) is a moral responsibility because it is a voluntary choice to improve the Social Contract for everyone, even when the law doesn't force you to act.
Contrast a Kantian (Deontological) perspective with a Utilitarian perspective on the "White Lie." Under what specific circumstances, if any, would each theory allow for a person to be dishonest?
A Kantian would argue it is never okay to lie because it violates a universal principle and fails the "Good Will" test; a Utilitarian would argue it is okay to lie if the lie prevents significant pain or creates a much larger amount of happiness than the truth would.