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Vocabulary
Objective: Articulate viewpoints during academic seminars focusing on complex ethical challenges using precise philosophical vocabulary.
| French term | English equivalent | Field |
|---|---|---|
| l'éthique | ethics | conduct |
| la morale | morality | norms |
| le libre arbitre | free will | metaphysics |
| le déterminisme | determinism | metaphysics |
| le relativisme | relativism | epistemology |
| l'universalisme | universalism | ethics |
The defining feature of a dilemma is that both options carry a moral cost, so the choice cannot be resolved without loss.
L'éthique refers to principles of conduct, while le droit covers the legal rules enforced by a state.
A bare noun phrase naming the principles that guide conduct, ready to be combined with appliquer or définir.
A bare noun phrase naming the capacity to choose freely, opposed to le déterminisme.
The example names two values in direct opposition, and neither can be abandoned without loss.
The framework denies a single universal morality without denying that values exist.
The framework belongs to the same family as le conséquentialisme, which judges by outcomes.
7 exercises · about 11 minutes
Le relativisme denies a single universal morality, while l'universalisme holds that some values apply everywhere.
A rhetorical question is asked for effect rather than to obtain an answer, so no reply is expected from the audience.
Le libre arbitre names the capacity to choose freely, in opposition to le déterminisme rather than as its equivalent.
A rhetorical question is asked for effect, so no answer is expected.
A paradox contradicts common sense while remaining defensible.
The concession acknowledges the opposing view before the counter-argument, a move shared with argumentative essays.