| appeal to precedent | The claim (in law) that a current case is sufficiently similar to a previous case that it should be settled in the same way.
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| categorical imperative | Kant's term for an absolute moral rule that is justified because of its logic: If you can wish that your maxim were a universal law, your maxim qualifies as a categorical imperative.
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| deontologism | See duty theory.
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| divine command theory | The view that our moral duty (what's right and wrong) is dictated by God.
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| duty theory | The view that a person should perform an action because it is his or her moral duty to perform it, not because of any consequences that might follow from it.
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| harm principle | The claim that the only way to justify a restriction on a person's freedom is to show that the restriction prevents harm to other people.
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| hypothetical imperative | Kant's term for a command that is binding only if one is interested in a certain result; an "if-then" situation.
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| legal moralism | The theory that, if an activity is immoral, it should also be illegal.
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| legal paternalism | The theory that a restriction on a person's freedom can sometimes be justified by showing that it is for that person's own benefit.
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| moral relativism | The view that what is morally right and wrong depends on and is determined by one's group or culture.
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| naturalistic fallacy | The assumption that one can conclude directly from a fact (what "is") what a rule or a policy should be (an "ought") without a value-premise.
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| non sequitur | The fallacy of irrelevant conclusion; an inference that does not follow from the premises.
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| offense principle | The claim that an action or activity can justifiably be made illegal if it is sufficiently offensive.
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| principle of utility | The basic principle of utilitarianism, to create as much overall happiness and/or to limit unhappiness for as many as possible.
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| stare decisis | "Letting the decision stand." Going by precedent.
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| utilitarianism | The moral position unified around the basic idea that we should promote happiness as much as possible and weigh actions or derivative principles in terms of their utility in achieving this goal.
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| virtue ethics | The moral position unified around the basic idea that each of us should try to perfect a virtuous character that we exhibit in all actions.
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