FINAL EXAM - Chapter 5

Rule-utilitarianism has been accused of being internally inconsistent because the theory can a. easily lapse back into act-utilitarianism. b. be defended through act-utilitarianism. c. always fall back on rigid rules. d. never be understood.

a. easily lapse back into act-utilitarianism.

The philosopher Thomas Hobbes says that people are naturally a. greedy, selfish, violent, self-destructive, and desperate. b. compassionate, generous, and considerate. c. eager to believe in a religious doctrine. d. lazy and unambitious.

a. greedy, selfish, violent, self-destructive, and desperate.

John Stuart Mill says that humans by nature desire happiness and nothing but happiness; therefore happiness is the standard by which we should judge human conduct, and therefore the principle of utility is at the heart of morality. But this argument is controversial, because a. it reasons from what is to what should be. b. it equivocates on the word "happiness." c. it is internally inconsistent. d. Mill failed to defend his theory.

a. it reasons from what is to what should be.

Defenders of act-utilitarianism insist that the scenarios put forth by critics that seem to show utilitarianism in conflict with commonsense morality are a. misleading and implausible. b. likely to occur at least some of the time. c. too realistic. d. common but inconsequential.

a. misleading and implausible.

The philosopher who said that the greatest good is pleasure, and the greatest evil is pain, was a. Kant. b. Epicurus. c. Aquinas. d. Socrates.

b. Epicurus.

Some critics of social contract theory argue that few people have ever actually consented to the terms of a social contract. Some defenders of social contract theory reply that people are much more likely to have given their a. verbal consent. b. implicit consent. c. fictional consent. d. refusal to consent.

b. implicit consent.

Commonsense morality makes a distinction between doing our duty and doing more than duty requires, what are called supererogatory actions. This distinction seems to disappear in a. ethical egoism. b. social contract theory. c. utilitarianism. d. Kant's theory.

b. social contract theory.

If, according to Jeremy Bentham, only the total quantity of happiness produced by an action matters, then the person closest to the moral ideal would be a. the self-denying monk. b. the glutton. c. the academic scholar. d. a disciplined soldier.

b. the glutton.

Utilitarianism (in all its forms) requires that in our actions we always try to maximize utility, everyone considered. This requirement has given rise to a. ethical egoism. b. the no-rest problem. c. the maximization problem. d. the Golden Rule problem.

b. the no-rest problem.

Because people will renege on deals they enter, Hobbes believes that what is needed for enforcing the social contract is an absolute sovereign—a fearsome, powerful person he refers to as the a. Divine Father. b. Utility Monster. c. Leviathan. d. categorical imperative.

c. Leviathan.

Some utilitarians respond to the charge that act-utilitarianism conflicts with commonsense moral intuitions by a. switching to natural law theory. b. rejecting commonsense morality. c. denying that act-utilitarianism is a true moral theory. d. rejecting rule-utilitarianism.

c. denying that act-utilitarianism is a true moral theory.

John Stuart Mill says, "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied." This sentiment is an indictment of the glutton but also a pat on the back for those who a. make no distinction between higher and lower pleasures. b. avoid all pleasures. c. enjoy higher pleasures. d. achieve the greatest quantity of pleasure.

c. enjoy higher pleasures.

Joel Feinberg argues that someone who directly pursues happiness a. will find it faster than others. b. is insincere. c. is unlikely to find it. d. is unlikely to pursue anything.

c. is unlikely to find it.

Consider a scenario involving the possible killing of an innocent person for the good of others. Such an action could conceivably be sanctioned by a. Kant's theory. b. natural law theory. c. the means-end principle. d. act-utilitarianism.

d. act-utilitarianism.

Suppose a utilitarian judge decides to rule against a plaintiff in a lawsuit just because people in general would be happier if the plaintiff lost the case. Such a utilitarian move would conflict with a. rule-utilitarianism. b. commonsense views about happiness. c. divine command theory. d. commonsense views about justice.

d. commonsense views about justice.

Suppose you break your promise to visit your dying grandmother on the grounds that you can create more happiness by partying with your friends. This utilitarian view of the situation seems to conflict with our commonsense a. view of justice. b. view of rights. c. view of our obligations to other people. d. notion of utilitarian morality.

d. notion of utilitarian morality.

Ethical egoism seems to conflict with a. psychological egoism. b. our considered moral judgments and our moral experience. c. our considered moral judgments and our self-interest. d. our moral experience and self-indulgence.

d. our moral experience and self-indulgence.

A true ethical egoist chooses actions that a. are exceptionally altruistic. b. lead him to self-indulgent or reckless behavior. c. provide him with whatever he wants. d. promote his own self-interests.

d. promote his own self-interests.

Suppose for someone there are only two possible actions: (1) read Aristotle, or (2) spend a weekend on a tropical isle filled with intensely pleasurable debauchery. Under these circumstances, John Stuart Mill would likely a. spend a week in intensely pleasurable debauchery. b. refrain from making such a choice. c. combine reading Aristotle with debauchery. d. read Aristotle.

d. read Aristotle.

Utilitarianism reminds us that a. the consequences of our actions do not matter most of the time. b. not everyone counts equally in moral deliberations. c. some absolutist rules are necessary. d. the consequences of our actions make a difference in our moral deliberations.

d. the consequences of our actions make a difference in our moral deliberations.

One of the criticisms of social contract theory is that it's doubtful that those who are supposed to be parties to the contract have actually given a. due attention to morality. b. any thought to whether Hobbes was correct. c. any consideration to those who are not party to the contract. d. their consent to the terms of the contract.

d. their consent to the terms of the contract.