Blog Number Four

In this blog I have been asked to define important terms and concepts related to the chapter I'm writing my final paper on: Why Should we be Moral?

These are referred to as “Conceptual Clarifications”. Some of the terms are fairly basic, but I believe to be essential to discuss in the final paper.

1. Moral(s)-of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical (Dictionary.com).


2. Ethics- also called moral philosophy involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Ethics is then broken down into three general categories: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics (Fieser).


3. Utilitarianism- Utilitarians hold that one principle sums up all of our moral duties. The ultimate moral principle is that we should always do whatever will produce the greatest possible benefit for everyone who will be affected by our action. The “principle of utility” is a combination of three ideas:

1)We should be guided by the consequences of our actions-we should do whatever
can be reasonably expected to have the best outcome.

2)We should give the greatest possible weight to the benefits and harms that
would be caused.

3)The principle of utility assumes that each individual’s welfare is equally
as important as anyone else’s. (Rachels)


4. Benevolence-which is defined as “the expression of kindness and altruism.”

Benevolence is "a commitment to achieving the values derivable from life with other people in society, by treating them as potential trading partners, recognizing their humanity, independence and individuality, and the harmony between their interests and ours." as defined by David Kelley in his book Unrugged Individualism (Wikipedia).

5. The Social Contract- The social contracted was declared philosophically by John Locke in the 1960’s. Locke states that:

“Men being, as has been said, by nature all free, equal and independent, no one can be put out of his estate and subjected to the political power of another without his own consent, which is done by agreeing with other men, to join and unite into a community for their comfortable, safe, and peaceable living, one amongst another, in a secure enjoyment of their properties, and a greater security against any that are not of it.... When any number of men has so consented to make one community or government, they are thereby presently incorporated, and make one body politic”.

”After that, majority rule prevails”.

”Locke's theory of self-government and the social contract became the philosophical basis that moved Western civilization from authority to agreement as the basis of the civic duty to obey society's rules. It constituted one of the greatest paradigm shifts in history” (Grant).

Works Cited


Dictionary.com Moral. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/moral

Fieser, James. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ethics, 2006 http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/ethics.htm

Grant, Robert. "The social contract and human rights." Humanist. 01 Jan 2000 eLibrary. Proquest CSA. FLORIDA CMTY CLG-JACKSONVILLE. 03 Jun 2008 .

Rachels, James, Problems from Philosophy. Pg. 179-180. 1st Ed. New York: McGraw- Hill, 2005.

Wikipedia. Benevolence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benevolence

This works cited is rough. I'm sure there are several things missing, but these sources should be easy to find with the information provided.