Ethics midterm's answers

Argumentation and persuasion are fundamentally the same thing.

False

Imperfect duties are always to be followed; there are no exceptions.

False

The Golden Rule is identical to the means-end principle.

False

We are usually justified in rejecting a claim because of the characteristics of the person who makes it.

False

Considered moral judgments help shape moral theory, and a good theory sheds light on judgments and helps adjudicate conflicts among judgments and other moral statements.

True

Cultural relativism implies that social reformers of every sort would always be wrong.

True

Equivocation is the assigning of two different meanings to the same term in an argument.

True

The doctrine of double effect says that performing a good action may be permissible even if it has bad effects, but performing a bad action for the purpose of achieving good effects is never permissible.

True

The principle of impartiality demands that we treat equals equally.

True

Utilitarianism is an example of a consequentialist moral theory.

True

Cultural relativism implies that:

WRONG ANSWER d. there are at least some universal moral standards

Another term for a nonconsequentialist is:

a. a deontologist

In a typical moral argument, at least one premise must be a moral premise and:

a. at least one premise must be a nonmoral premise

Nonconsequentialist moral theories say that an action is right not because of what it produces, but:

a. because of what that action is

Nonconsequentialist moral theories say that the rightness of an action:

a. does not depend entirely on its consequences

Something that is valuable in itself, rather than as a means to something else, is ________ valuable

a. intrinsically

Critics of rule-utilitarianism say that:

a. it collapses into act-utilitarianism

If we wish to study the moral principles, rules, or theories that guide our actions and judgments, we must delve into:

a. normative ethics

Cultural relativism is the view that an action is morally right if:

a. one's culture approves of it

Ethics, or moral philosophy, is:

a. the philosophical study of morality

A moral theory is:

b. an explanation of what makes an action right (or wrong) or what makes a person or thing good (or bad)

The primary argument for ethical egoism:

b. depends heavily on psychological egoism

A major criticism of ethical egoism is that it:

b. is not consistent with our considered moral judgments

Philosophers distinguish three major divisions in ethics:

b. normative, meta, applied

Act-utilitarianism is the theory that:

b. right actions are those that directly produce the greatest overall good, everyone considered

Which of the following is NOT true about virtue ethicists?

c. They use the hedonic calculus to measure happiness.

For Kant, to act with a good will is to:

c. act with a desire to do your duty simply because it is your duty

The principle of universalizability demands that a moral statement that applies in one situation must apply in:

c. all other situations that are relevantly similar

A moral theory is:

c. helpful in our attempts to make sense of moral judgments and principles

Kant thinks that criminals should be punished:

c. only because they committed crimes

Generally, in virtue ethics, moral obligations are derived from:

c. virtue

The first step in theory assessment is to ensure that the theory meets the minimum requirement of:

coherence

One criterion of adequacy for moral theories is:

consistency with considered moral judgments

People often differ in their moral judgments because they:

d. have divergent nonmoral beliefs

Consequentialist moral theories say that what makes an action right is:

d. its consequences

Aristotle insists that there must be room in morality for:

d. moral achievement

The idea that we must always treat people as ends in themselves, never merely as a means, is known as

d. the means-end principle

Moral theories concerned with the rightness or wrongness of actions are known as:

d. theories of obligation

Moral premises cannot be evaluated but must be either accepted or rejected.

false

Utilitarianism reminds us that the consequences of our actions do indeed make a difference in our moral deliberations.

true