Vaughn, Doing Ethics — Chapter 9: Building an Adequate Moral Theory
On p. 187, (the paragraph beginning "As you have seen in the preceding chapters, some of the more influential theories..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "But each one overlooks at least one feature that..."
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What limitation do all the major moral theories share, and why does it suggest they are not entirely adequate?
On p. 187, (the paragraph beginning "Recall from Chapter 4 that we humans are capable of forming considered moral judgments..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Recall from Chapter 4 that we humans are capable of forming considered moral judgments—..."
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What are considered moral judgments, and why do philosophers use them both to formulate and to test theories?
On p. 187-188, (the paragraph beginning "Here is one way to build a moral theory: Suppose we begin with a set of data..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Here is one way to build a moral theory: Suppose we begin with..."
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How do we build a moral theory from considered moral judgments, and how does examining many cases refine a principle?
On p. 188, (the paragraph beginning "But what shape would an adequate moral theory take?..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Of these possible configurations of a moral theory, only..."
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How do single-absolute-principle theories differ from multiple-principle theories, and why can we always find counterexamples to absolute principles?
On p. 188-189, (the paragraph beginning "Our moral common sense also seems to tell us that more than one basic moral principle is needed..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Our moral common sense also seems to tell us that more than one basic moral principle is needed to..."
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Why does moral common sense suggest we need more than one basic principle, and why do single-principle theories struggle?
On p. 189, (the paragraph beginning "Nonabsolutist multiple-rule theories have a much better way of dealing with conflicting rules..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "This approach hinges on the concept of prima facie principles—..."
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What are prima facie principles, and why do they align better with moral common sense than absolutist theories?
On p. 189, (the paragraph beginning "So an adequate moral theory, however it is fleshed out, must be based on more than one rule or principle..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "A theory of this type is known as a principlism, a moral theory consisting of..."
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What is principlism, and why must its principles be prima facie (nonabsolute) and irreducible?
On p. 189, (the paragraph beginning "The next task in developing an adequate moral theory is to determine what the fundamental prima facie principles are..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "W. D. Ross (1877–1967), the first philosopher to devise a theory of prima facie duties, thought there were..."
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What seven prima facie duties did W. D. Ross identify, and why have later philosophers argued for fewer?
On p. 190, (the paragraph beginning "With these requirements in mind, we can argue for a principlism that rests on three prima facie principles..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "With these requirements in mind, we can argue for a principlism that rests on three prima facie principles:..."
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What three prima facie principles does the author propose, and what does each broadly cover?
On p. 191, (the paragraph beginning "The proper way to take consequences into account is through the prima facie principle of beneficence..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "The proper way to take consequences into account is through..."
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What is the principle of beneficence, and what are its three dimensions?
On p. 191-192, (the paragraph beginning "It seems that our duty to benefit others (prevent harm, remove harm, and promote good) does not demand that we help all persons..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "It seems that our duty to benefit others (prevent harm, remove harm, and promote good) does not demand that..."
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Why does the duty to benefit others not require helping everyone equally, and what is the "duty of rescue"?