An Exposition on James Rachels: “Does Morality Depend on Religion?” James Rachels argues that morality and religion are separate entities. He states that “morality is a matter of reason and conscience‚ not religious faith” and that “right and wrong are not defined in terms of God’s will.”i He uses the Divine Command Theory‚ the Theory of Natural Law‚ and the use of religious scripture and tradition to establish how and where the two subjects are separated. Rachels believes that there is a
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Objectivism Standard Ethical Egoism holds that the individual must act to benefit him or herself the most. On the surface this theory seems plausible‚ but several problems occur. Chief among these is a conflict between competing obligations. If two decisions can give an individual the same amount of profit‚ there is nothing else to factor in to make a correct decision. Objectivism‚ developed by Ayn Rand‚ gives a more sophisticated approach to Ethical Egoism. The adoption of this ethical theory
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Acceptance of Objectivism Curtlers reasons for rejecting ethical relativism and subjectivism are many. However‚ before I discuss these reasons it is important to note that there are several forms of arguments. One being cultural relativism that makes statements based on an individuals culture. Another form that is closely related to relativism is subjectivism. Subjectivists make statements based on their individual beliefs as well as accounting for context. Subjectivists ethical decisions may
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In this text James Rachels makes the argument that both degrees of euthanasia are morally allowable and that the AMA policy that supports the doctrine is not sound. He establishes that the conventional doctrine is the belief that‚ in most cases‚ passive euthanasia is morally permitted but in all cases‚ active euthanasia is not allowed. There are four main arguments that help him come to this conclusion. The first two main arguments being that active euthanasia is a more humane alternative than passive
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Nathan Whittingham Professor Mariana Philosophy 120 11 December 2014 Deontology Deontology is an ethical theory whose name is derived from the Greek word “deon‚” meaning duty or obligation. Most ethical theories are concerned with what is right or good‚ and they often attempt to find this by applying a rule or several rules that seem to fit with outcomes that we most commonly find are "good". Deontology is a non-consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists‚ such as a utilitarian‚
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The moral debate of relativism versus objectivism is one that confronts a moral question that philosophers have been debating for many years. The ultimate question brought about in the debate is whether morality is based solely on individual choice and cultural approval‚ or are there universally valid moral principles. With this essay I will present the arguments for each view and I will also argue for the position I favor: moral objectivism. Relativism is the view that states that moral principles
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Darwin Species and morality James Rachels seeks to amplify the ideology between morality and Darwin’s moral treatment of organisms of different species. He says that Darwin advocated for treatment of both humans and non-humans equally without discrimination. This despite his continued use of non-humans for investigative research according to his son was the resultant effect of distaste for cruelty against animals as well as slavery. Rachels explains that Darwin’s theory of morality seems to interject
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In chapter nine of the book “Problems from Philosophy”‚ by James Rachels‚ the author guides us through the topic over “The Debate over Free Will”. Throughout the chapter‚ we are informed what free will is‚ what it means to have free will‚ and if we actually have free will‚ the author provides us with arguments that help break down the argument on free will. These arguments consisted of the Determinist Argument‚ the Libertarian Response‚ the Compatibilist Response‚ and Ethics on free will. This chapter
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Therefore‚ although it is ‘wrong’‚ it is ‘right’ at the same time. This perplexing contradiction may lead Williams to claim that object-given reasons and Objectivism cannot force us to act if a contradiction between two or more moral truths is reached. If moral truths are objective‚ then they must be equally forceful. If two contradicting moral truths are reached‚ then no choice‚ action‚ or belief can be made
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Moral objectivism is the concept that there are objective universal moral principles that are set as a standard for all people and all social environments. Moral absolutism dictates that there are moral principles that should never be violated. In the situation I
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