Chapter 13: Objectives

Following are the main learning objectives from the chapter.  To help you coordinate your studies, these objectives are organized into sub-sections (13-1, 13-2, etc.) and listed with the relevant page numbers from the textbook. 

13-1 (pgs. 457-458)
Understand that moral reasoning is reasoning done in response to a moral issue.

• Recognize that a moral issue is most often a normative one; arising when one wonders what should be done.
• Understand that moral reasoning is often concerned with arguments for a claim that that a person should do something.
• Recognize that moral reasoning is important even when morality is considered to be a matter of opinion

13-2 (pgs. 458-463)
Understand that the conclusions of moral arguments about actions are prescriptive claims and that these arguments must have at least one prescriptive claim as a premise.

• Differentiate between prescriptive and descriptive claims.
• Recognize the words that are commonly contained within prescriptive claims.
• Understand what the naturalistic fallacy is and why it is a fallacy.

13-3 (pgs. 463-466)
Recognize that inconsistency is a common fault in moral reasoning regardless of the moral framework being used.

• Understand the different ways that inconsistency can apply to moral reasoning.

13-4 (pgs. 466-472)
Understand that moral reasoning does not typically rest on straightforward principles such as a burden of proof, rather people use a framework or perspective to ground their arguments.

• Understand what moral relativism is and how its principles affect moral reasoning.
• Differentiate between moral relativism and moral subjectivism.
• Understand what utilitarianism is and how its principles affect moral reasoning.
• Understand what Kant's duty theory is and how its principles affect moral reasoning.
• Understand what the categorical imperative is and its role in Kant's duty theory.
• Understand the key differences between utilitarianism and Kant's duty theory.
• Understand what divine command theory is and how its principles affect moral reasoning.
• Understand what virtue ethics is and how its principles affect moral reasoning.

13-5 (pg. 472)
Understand that moral deliberation uses the insights of the various moral perspectives to clarify the ethical meaning of an act or situation.

13-6 (pgs. 472-480)
Realize that legal reasoning is interested in both the foundations of all law and the interpretation of specific laws.

• Note the differences and similarities between moral and legal reasoning.
• Understand the aspect of legal reasoning concerned with determining what the law should be, how it should be formed, and what principles it should rest on.
• Understand what legal moralism is and how it applies to legal reasoning.
• Understand what the harm principle is and how it applies to legal reasoning.
• Understand what legal paternalism is and how it applies to legal reasoning.
• Understand what the offense principle is and how it relates to legal moralism.
• Understand the aspect of legal reasoning concerned with asking what the law says and how it should be interpreted.
• Understand what an appeal to precedent is and how it applies to legal reasoning.

13-7 (pgs. 480-490)
Understand how aesthetic reasoning employs one or more of the eight principles in an attempt to produce reliable grounds for an aesthetic judgment.

• Realize that more than one of the eight principles can sometimes be employed in a single argument.
• Understand what makes a good aesthetic argument.
• Understand how aesthetic principles are related to inductive generalizations.