| A | B |
|---|
| moral nihilism | There is no such thing as right and wrong |
| Moral skepticism | We cannot know whether there are any moral truths |
| Moral subjectivism | Moral views are simply the reflections of the inner states of one person and such views are valid only for that person |
| Psychological egoism | Descriptive theory that maintains that everyone acts out of his or her own self- interest, even if one the surface the action appears selfless |
| Ethical egoism | Normative theory that says everyone SHOULD act out of his or her self-interest. |
| Ethical altruism | Maintains that we ought to behave in an unselfish way. |
| Psychological altruism | Maintains that at least sometimes we do behavior in an altruistic way |
| Altruism | The focus is on the interests or needs of others instead of one's own needs |
| Reciprocal altruism | This theory maintains that you should act unselfishly toward others , “especially in emergencies” and likewise you can expect others to act the same way toward you” |
| Rational egoism | This theory maintains that it is irrational to act against one’s self-interest. |
| Frank Serpico | a police officer who was altruistic when he exposed police corruption in NYC at great risk to his life |
| Doing the right/ethical thing | This can be seen as altruistic because such behavior is beneficial to society overall and such behavior can come at great cost to oneself |
| Ayn Rand | Was an advocate of ethical egoism and rational egoism |
| Levinas | Was an advocate of ethical altruism |
| metaethics | Examines the meaning of ethical terms and the foundations of an ethical theory |
| ethics | The field that examines what should be considered morally right and what should be considered morally wrong |
| An advantage of altruism | When people care about the needs of others and not just about their own interests, society is more harmonious and better off |
| A disadvantage of altruism | Those people who have a hard time sacrificing for others would find it difficult |
| An advantage of egoism | People who ordinarily think only of themselves would find it a compatible theory |
| A disadvantage of egoism | A society with individuals all people their own self-interest can result in chaotic, uncivil, even violent environments |
| applied ethics | deals with practical side of ethical questions |
| normative ethics | examines various ethical frameworks for determining what should be considered right and wrong |
