Ethics Final
According to Aristotle, which of the following is true about the relation between pleasure and virtue? A) Virtuous people take pleasure in virtuous actions B) Virtue involves being unaffected and undisturbed by pleasure C) Pleasure cannot lead us to perform base actions D) Virtuous people do not take pleasure in their actions
A
According to Kant, when we act immorally (transgress a duty), we find that we will the moral law to hold universally but only allow an exception for ourselves. What does this show us? A) That we acknowledge that the categorical imperative is valid B) That there cannot be an objectively valid moral principle C) That moral laws are general rather than universal D) That the moral law is a universal law of nature
A
According to Kant, which of the following allows rational beings to have a will? A) The ability to act according to their conception of laws B) The ability to work according to laws C) The ability to act on inclinations D) Necessitation
A
According to Kant, which of the following provides a counterweight to the commands of duty? A) Happiness B) A propensity to quibble with the laws of duty C) Practical reason D) Innocence
A
What is the role a test of right and wrong should play, according to Mill? A) It should help us determine what is right and wrong B) It should follow from our knowledge of right and wrong C) It should stem from a natural faculty D) It should precede the general theory
A
When Euthyphro attempts to define piety by saying that what all the gods love is pious and holy, how does Socrates show him that this definition doesn't succeed? A) By getting Euthyphro to agree that the holy is loved because it is holy and not because it is loved B) By getting Euthyphro to agree that this is an example and not a definition C) By getting Euthyphro to agree that the gods quarrel with each other D) By getting Euthyphro to agree that the holy is holy because it is loved
A
Which of the following is a good way to show that a moral claim—such as a premise—is wrong? A) Provide counterexamples to show that the claim doesn't hold in all cases B) Provide a non-moral claim that contradicts the moral claim C) Provide a strong inductive argument that doesn't use the premise D) Use the premise in a different argument
A
Which of the following is true of the part of the soul that contains appetites and desires? A) It shares in reason. B) Virtues of thought apply to it. C) It does not share in reason. D) It guides the actions of both continent and virtuous people.
A
Why, according to Kant, do we have a duty to contribute to the happiness of others? A) Failing to do so does not harmonize positively with humanity as an end in itself B) Because the ends of others should not be our own ends C) Failing to do so does not harmonize negatively with humanity as an end in itself D) Because we may not intentionally impair the happiness of others
A
In deciding whether to make a promise I don't intend to keep, which of the following are reasons of duty rather than prudence? (Select TWO Answers) A) I could will that everyone, myself included, make the same promise without intending to keep it B) My maxim would destroy itself if made into a universal law C) Others might lose confidence in me D) Lying might create inconveniences for me later that are greater than those I am trying to escape
A, B
According to Bentham, what is the interest of a community? A) What a utilitarian says is in the interest of the community B) The sum of what will bring pleasure to the members of the community C) Whatever the members of the community think is their interest D) What will best serve the community as a whole rather than its individual members
B
Aristotle points out that some actions or feelings do not have a mean, but are always wrong. Which of the following is NOT among these feelings or actions? A) Murder B) Anger C) Adultery D) Envy
B
What is the difference between incomplete friendships, like friendships based on pleasure or utility, and complete friendship? A) In the former, the friends derive pleasure from each other; in the latter, they do not B) In the former, friends are concerned with their own good; in the latter, with their friend's good C) In the former, the friends love each other's character; in the latter, they love each other's virtue D) In the former, the friends are young; in the latter, they are old
B
What is the difference between natural virtue and full virtue? A) Prudence is possible in conjunction with the former but not the latter B) It is possible to possess the former from birth but the latter requires understanding C) The former can be called good without qualification, but the latter is qualified D) Everyone has the former but few have the latter
B
What, in O'Neill's view, is the main difference between a maxim and an intention? A) Maxims, unlike intentions, contain references to particular times, places, and persons B) Intentions, unlike maxims, contain references to particular times, places, and persons C) There is no difference: when Kant refers to maxims, he just means intentions D) Intentions refer to times and places while maxims refer to persons
B
Which belief, according to Nagel, is the basis of morality? A) That love of God and fear of God's punishment should lead us to do what God commands B) That harm to someone is bad not just from the perspective of that person, but a perspective all thinking people can understand C) That we care whether or not other people resent us, and this is a sufficient motive to avoid doing the kinds of things we resent other people for doing D) That it is important to follow the laws and rules of one's society, as long as following these rules benefits as many people as possible
B
Which is true of prudence, according to Aristotle? A) It is the most exact form of scientific knowledge B) It is a state concerning the human good C) It can be forgotten D) It is concerned with craft rather than action
B
Which of the following could NOT be called temperate, on Aristotle's view? (Select TWO answers.) A) Someone who avoids seeking sex too frequently. B) Someone who finds moderate pleasure in adulterous sexual activity. C) Someone who derives excessive enjoyment from fine art. D) Someone who regularly goes out of her way to pursue greasy food.
B and D
According to Kant, what makes a good will good? A) Its usefulness B) The positive effects it has on the world C) Its willing D) Its fitness to attain some end
C
According to Mill, is it expedient to tell a lie to avoid a momentary embarrassment? Why? A) Yes, because doing so gives us an advantage B) No, because doing so violates our obligation to the person we are lying to C) No, because doing so weakens trust, on which human society is based D) Yes, because doing so is instrumental
C
According to Singer, which of the following facts about our society would NOT be upset by his argument? A) We do not feel guilty about spending money on a new car instead of giving it to famine relief B) We spend money on new clothes instead of wearing our old clothes and giving the money away C) We believe the government has an obligation to contribute to foreign aid D) Giving money to aid agencies is considered charitable and generous
C
How does Mill illustrate the claim that the morality of an action does not depend on the motive? A) If you betray a friend who trusts you, there is nothing wrong with this if your goal is to help another friend B) If you save someone from drowning because you want to be paid for it, you haven't done anything morally worthwhile C) If you save someone from drowning, you've done the right thing even if your goal is to be paid for it D) To be a good utilitarian, you have to be motivated by a desire to help all of humanity
C
In which of these cases can we be certain that someone's actions have moral worth, on Kant's view? A) When a person seeks her own happiness in accordance with duty B) When a person finds an inner pleasure in spreading joy around them C) When a person preserves their own life out of duty despite wishing for death D) When a dealer charges his customers fairly out of love for them
C
The claim that it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied is meant to support which point in Mill's argument? A) That it is always better to be dissatisfied than to be satisfied B) That having less developed intellectual capacities is likely to lead to more satisfaction and more happiness C) That having more developed intellectual capacities may lead to less satisfaction but more happiness D) That being dissatisfied is incompatible with being happy
C
Which of the following is NOT true of happiness, according to Aristotle? A) Happiness includes pleasure. B) Happiness is complete: we choose it for its own sake, and not for the sake of something else. C) No one can be happy until they are dead. D) Non-human animals and children cannot be happy.
C
Which of the following, according to O'Neill, would NOT involve using others as mere means? A) Diverting goods onto the black market to profit from others' desperation B) Threatening someone with bankruptcy unless they agree to go along with one's plan C) To have no maxims involving those suffering from famine and thus not do anything for them D) Attempting to get more than one's fair share in cases where there is a rationing scheme
C
Why, according to Aristotle, is it difficult to be virtuous? A) It is too difficult to find virtuous people to imitate. B) It is impossible to know what virtue requires us to do. C) There are many ways to make mistakes, but only one way to get it right. D) There are too many ways that one could be virtuous.
C
Why, according to Mill, is it impossible to prove the correctness of Utilitarianism in the ordinary sense of "proof"? A) It is impossible to prove something without having evidence B) There is no way to determine the intellect to give its assent to the doctrine C) To prove that something is good, you have to show that it is good for something else D) Acceptance of it must depend on a blind impulse or arbitrary choice
C
Which of the following would NOT count as a brave action, according to Aristotle's view? (Select two answers.) A) Defending one's city against an invading army. B) Refusing an order to kill women and children. C) Fighting on the front lines to avoid being punished by one's commanding officer. D) Sleeping with someone whose spouse has a gun collection.
C and D
According to Aristotle, which of the following is NOT needed for happiness or blessedness? A) Friends B) Having good children C) Wealth D) Being honored by the many
D
According to Bentham, when someone argues against the principle of utility, where do they get their reasons? A) From religious views B) From virtue ethics C) From common sense D) From the principle of utility
D
According to Nagel, what is significant about the fact that you would resent someone if they acted in an inconsiderate way toward you? A) If you resent someone for doing it, you think it's okay for them to do it, although you wouldn't do it. B) If you would resent someone for doing it, you're missing the point of the question. C) If you resent someone for doing it, you wouldn't like it if they did it, but you really can't complain. D) If you resent someone for doing it, you think they have a reason not to do it.
D
Aristotle notes that cultivated people think that happiness requires honor. Why does he think this view is mistaken? A) It depends too much on the person honored and not enough on the one who honors B) This is a life that is not choiceworthy in itself, but only for some other end C) This kind of life is only fit for grazing animals D) They want to be honored for their virtue, so it is really virtue and not honor that they think is happiness
D
In what sense does O'Neill think Kantian ethics is more precise than utilitarianism? A) It can be difficult to know at what point outward forms of political and commercial negotiation have become coercive B) Actions with positive consequences might still be wrong if they violate duties of justice C) Even if you don't use others as mere means, you have a duty to foster their pursuit of their ends D) Even if you don't know what consequences your action may have, you can tell whether it uses others as mere means
D
What, according to Mill, is generally the reason why people who are fairly well off do not find enough enjoyment to make life valuable to them? A) They are willing to sacrifice themselves for others B) They are too concerned with being noble and not sufficiently concerned with being happy C) They are dissatisfied due to having developed intellectual capacities D) They don't care about anyone other than themselves
D
What, according to Nussbaum, is the difference between the "thin" and "thick" account of a virtue? A) The former refers to any way of acting within a sphere of experience; the latter refers to a specific way of acting within that sphere B) The former refers to what Aristotle thought of the virtue; the latter refers to what the virtue actually is C) The former refers to a sphere of experience; the latter to a way of being disposed to act in that sphere D) The former refers to whatever it takes to be disposed to act well in some sphere; the latter specifies what this involves
D
Which of the following is NOT necessary for an action to be virtuous? A) It must be done to the right person. B) It must be done for the right end. C) It must be done in the right way. D) It must be done according to the right rule.
D
Which of the following is NOT one of the properties we need to consider in determining the value of a pleasure or pain, according to Bentham? A) The probability of it happening B) How long it lasts C) How far away it is D) How likely it is to be caused by something good
D
Which of the following is necessary for a deductive argument to be valid? A) It must have true premises B) It must have a true conclusion C) It must have true premises and a true conclusion D) If its premises are true, its conclusion must be true
D
Why does Aristotle think there must be something that we desire for its own sake, and which gives us a reason to desire other things? A) Otherwise, nothing we desired could be choiceworthy B) Otherwise, it would be impossible for any activity or decision to seek some good C) Otherwise, we would only desire things for their own sakes D) Otherwise, there would be no point in desiring anything
D
