PHLB09H3 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Normative Ethics, Paradigm Shift, Kantian Ethics
Document Summary
Phlb09 midterm review: biomedical ethics sub-discipline of study of ethics but focuses on healthcare, ethics: study of how we ought to act, bio/ethics concerned with morality, morality can be: descriptive or normative. Objections to argument for cultural relativism: premise 2: differences in belief (x) implies relativism about (x) Euthyphro dilemma: claimed piety is what is dear to the gods, and impiety what is not dear to them, difficulties with god"s commandments, arbitrariness. Utilitarianism: actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a society, objections, 1. Utilitarianism accused of permitting impermissible: accused of requiring what seems only supererogatory (permitted but not required) Trolley problem i. e. change switch so oncoming train hits fewer people instead of more. Kantian ethics: emphasizes means & motives of agents. Formula of universal law: act only according to a maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should be a universal law , ex: lying promise , 1.
