All Discussions - Look at the domains of ethical

 DIS 1

• Look at the domains of ethical assessment laid out in chapter 1. Your book lists: action, consequences, character traits, and motives. Which of them do you think is the most important to consider when making ethical judgments, and why?

DIS 2

• Explain the happiness machine thought experiment in chapter 4. Would you plug yourself into the happiness machine? Explain why or why not.

DIS 3

• Explain what the ring of Gyges is. If you had the ring of Gyges, would you still act morally? If other people had the ring of Gyges, do you think they would still act morally? Explain why or why not.

DIS 4

• Singer argues that we should donate all our disposable income to charity; otherwise, we are bad people since we are not producing as much happiness as we could: at least everything we earn over $30,000 a year. Do you agree with him that we should do this? Explain why or why not.

DIS 5

• Which do you think is the better version of ethics: action-based theories (like Utilitarianism or Kantian ethics) or virtue-based theories?

DIS 6

• Are animals moral agents? That is, can an animal be described as being morally good or bad, or their actions being morally good or bad? Or are animals neither good nor bad but simply neutral (like a tornado)?

DIS 7

• Do you need to believe in God to be a moral person? Explain why or why not.

DIs 8

• Ayer thinks that saying "murder is wrong" is not to make a factual claim but to simply express emotion. It would be like saying "murder!" followed by a sad face emoji. Do you agree with him, or do you think "murder is wrong" is a factual claim? Explain