Socrates was charged with denying the gods’ existence and perverting the young. Interestingly enough, he admits having committed a crime, while believing he has done no harm. Also, the fact that the he has annoyed people amuses him; therefore, he enjoys the position of a hell-raiser in the society.
What is the Euthyphro Dilemma? Why is it important for ethics?
Identifying the essence of Piety constitutes the Euthyphro Dilemma, as well as the objects of the gods’ love and the reasons for the love. It is relevant in terms of ethics, we would not be able to discriminate between the good and evil and what reasons lie behind people’s actions.
Explain the difference between “breaking a law” and “breaking the laws”.
It is assumed that when one performs an action, which contradicts a certain rule, one “breaks a law”. On the other hand, if a whole system of laws is violated, it might be determined as anarchy. In this case, we speak about “breaking the laws”.
Does Socrates place any value in good reputation? Explain how this is relevant to his decision in the Crito.
Socrates appears not to attribute any special value to a good reputation. Crito believes that in case Socrates appeals against the decision of the court and dies, Crito’s reputation as Socrates’ friend will be inevitably destroyed. Yet, Socrate disagrees with Crito and tries to reassure him that there is no connection between his death and Crito’s reputation.
Defining Ethics. Object and Application. (Hume, Smith)
What does Hume mean when he says that “reason has no influence on our actions and passions”? How is this relevant to ethics?
According to Hume, emotions rule humans. It means that there are instincts inherent to us, which leave us no time to think over actions in situations of danger, shock or surprise.
How does Midgley go about her refutation of moral skepticism?
In accord with skeptics, any knowledge has to be sufficed with a proof which is really hard to provide. As for moral skepticism, it makes us stop asking questions about other cultures and communities, although we are apt to discuss and criticize them. Normally, a conversation like this ends up in someone saying that we have no right to criticize another culture, sustaining the statement with examples of traditions in this particular culture. So, one might conclude that we are able to acknowledge other cultures and their moral values, as humans are inclined to communicate and judge each other.
Ethical Categories. Pleasure, Happiness, Goodness, Justice. (Mill, Nozick)
What is Mill’s definition of pleasure? Why does pleasure matter for ethics?
According to Mill, in case actions evoke pleasure, they are right. Meanwhile, actions are considered wrong in case they evoke pain. It is common knowledge, that hedonistic strivings are inherent to humans. Everything humans do is supposed to give them pleasure of different kinds. Consequently, the kind of pleasure a person opts for defines the person’s morals.
What does Mill mean when he says that “it is better to be a human dissatisfied, than a pig satisfied”?
Mill argues that there are various levels of pleasure, high and low. Also, the quality and quantity of pleasure differ. It is obvious, that a pig’s pleasure relates to a different level that that of a human’s. A human’s potential of satisfaction is much higher compared to a pig’s scale of satisfaction. Consequently, the higher the potential to be satisfied is, the higher is the quality of satisfaction. It can be illustrated with a simple example about a mathematician and a hungry man. A mathematician finally solved a problem he had been working on for years, while a hungry man satisfied his hunger in a restaurant. The quality of pleasure will be higher in the first case than in the second, as it is more complicated.
What is the purpose of Nozick’s “experience machine” thought experiment?
Robert Nozick claims that there are things which are more important than pleasure for humans. “The experience Machine” is designed to provide people with any pleasure which exists in the world. Yet, Nozick believes that even if it were possible to construct this machine, people would refuse to utilize it. This belief demonstrates that pleasure is not a self fulfilling prophecy. In other words, people become satisfied not only through the result but also through the process. Thus, if a person gets some kind of satisfaction without stirring a finger and by just plugging into some machine, the process becomes meaningless. Humans are complicated creatures who need challenges to feel they are capable of doing great things. Without it, we would turn into some kind of vegetables.
What would be Nozick’s take on the popular maxim “ignorance is bliss”?
I suppose, that Nozick would counter argue this popular statement. Ignorance suggests not having knowledge of what is going on around you. In fact, in this case a person might find themselves in oblivion, missing the most important things in life, missing the life itself. A good example of such life would be being plugged into the pleasure machine, experiencing virtual pleasure and losing the sense of actual reality.
