Morality and Justice Exam 1

According to Rachels and Rachels' minimum conception of morality, we must:

give equal weight to the interests of everyone

Ethical Egoism

something is morally right because it promotes your own self-interest (what you want vs. self interest; not the same thing)

Social Contract Theory

state of nature, come together to form a society where laws are followed for the best interest of people, or else everything would be man vs. man

According to the Error Theory, when Michelle Bachman says "homosexuality is wrong", this:

states that homosexuality is objectively wrong, and is false because nothing is objectively right or wrong.

According to Simple Subjectivism, when Michelle Bachman says "homosexuality is wrong", this:

states that she disapproves of homosexuality, and is true if she disapproves of it.

According to Jeremy Bentham, the relevant question to ask to determine the moral status of animals is:

Can they suffer?

Which of the following best captures the serious problem that Rachels and Rachels claim Rule Utilitarians face in cases where an act that is forbidden by the relevant rules has the best consequences?

Either Rule Utilitarianism collapses into Act Utilitarianism or it becomes an objectionable form of "rule worship"

The following argument is logically valid. P1. If what's unnatural is bad, sexual activity that is not connected with procreation is bad. P2. Sexual activity that is not connected with procreation is bad. C. So, what's unnatural is bad.

false

Issue with the divine command theory

does god command it because its right or is it right because god commands it, God is no longer the base of morality

Singer thinks that some person's physical proximity to us...

does not show that we should to help that person rather than another person who happens to be further away may make it more likely that we will assist that person

According to Emotivism, when Michelle Bachman says "homosexuality is wrong", this:

expresses her feelings about homosexuality and/or commands people not to be homosexual.

According to Singer, you have less of an obligation to save a drowning child if there are other people nearby who have also noticed the child but are doing nothing.

false

Psychological Egoism is the view that each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively.

false

The Principle of Utility requires us to never intentionally kill an innocent person, no matter what.

false

Rachels and Rachels claim that Socrates' question in the Euthyphro is about whether God makes the moral truths true or merely recognizes their truth.

True

The Principle of Utility requires us, in all circumstances, to produce the most happiness and the least unhappiness that we can.

True

An action is morally correct if it is endorsed by what?

culture

Cultural Relativism

culture determines what is morally right or wrong

What are some issues with Cultural relativism?

-There are facts in life, can't disagree about everything -no minorities within cultures -The idea of moral progress is called into doubt

Rachels and Rachels consider which of the following defenses of utilitarianism? [Select all that apply.]

Accepting Rule Utilitarianism, Rejecting common moral consciousness, Contesting the consequences

Rachels and Rachels consider which of the following defenses of utilitarianism? [Select all that apply.]

Accepting Rule Utilitarianism, Rejecting common moral consciousness, Contesting the consequences

Rachels and Rachels claim that for a follower of Aquinas, a fetus does not have a soul until:

After the first month or two of pregnancy

Complete the following argument with a modus tollens structure for the conclusion "Kant's retributivism is not true." P1. If , then P2. C. So, Kant's retributivism is not true

Answer 1: Kant's retributivism is true Answer 2: we should punish someone who has committed a crime even when doing so makes them suffer and does not make anyone else better off Answer 3: we should not punish someone who has committed a crime even when doing so makes them suffer and does not make anyone else better off Answer 4: Kant's retributivism is not true

Complete the following two premises to produce a valid argument with a modus tollens structure for the following conclusion: "Utilitarianism is not true". P1. If _____ , then _______ P2. _____ Therefore, ________

Answer 1: utilitarianism is true Answer 2: we should punish the innocent when this would have the best consequences. Answer 3: we should not punish the innocent when this would have the best consequences. Answer 4: utilitarianism is not true

Which of the following do Rachels and Rachels NOT consider as a possible interpretation of what "unnatural" might mean (in relation to claims such as "homosexuality is wrong because it is unnatural"): Involving a use of parts of the body for something other than their natural purpose Statistically rare Artificial Contrary to what a person ought to be

Artificial

According to Rachels and Rachels, there are no moral values that all societies must embrace.

False

According to Rachels and Rachels, the Social Contract Theory allows us to ignore the interests of the following groups when writing up the "mutually beneficial" rules of society

Future generations, Oppressed populations, Nonhuman animals

[For this question, select every answer that is correct.] According to Rachels and Rachels, if morally right conduct is right because God commands it, then: Rightness exists prior to God's commands and is the reason for them. If God didn't exist, child abuse wouldn't be wrong. God's commands are arbitrary. Morality is mysterious.

If God didn't exist, child abuse wouldn't be wrong. God's commands are arbitrary. Morality is mysterious.

Utilitarianism

If it maximizes utility, greatest good for the greatest number of people, when the good outweighs the bad

The premises of Norcross' main argument are that:

If it's wrong to torture puppies for gustatory pleasure, it's wrong to support factory farming; and, it is wrong to torture puppies for gustatory pleasure.

Complete the following valid argument. If manipulation is wrong, then rehabilitation is not an acceptable justification for punishment. Rehabilitation is manipulative. So, rehabilitation is not an acceptable justification for punishment.

If rehabilitation is manipulative, then rehabilitation is not an acceptable justification for punishment.

Anscombe challenged which of the following three steps in Kant's reasoning about whether it is morally permissible to lie if doing so is necessary in order to save someone's life?

If you were to lie, then you would be following the rule "It is okay to lie."

Rachels and Rachels reject Ayn Rand's argument for Ethical Egoism because they argue that:

It ignores the middle ground view that we should strike a balance between our own interests and the interests of others.

The conclusion of Norcross' main argument is that:

It's wrong to support factory farming.

Which of the following best summarizes Rachels and Rachels' conclusion about Kant's view?

Kant was right in thinking that morality requires us to be consistent, but wrong in thinking that consistency requires rules that have no exceptions.

What objection(s) do Rachels and Rachels make to Kant's argument in 'On the Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives'? [Select all that apply.]

Kant's argument makes the implausible assumption that we would be morally responsible for any bad consequences of lying, but not responsible for any bad consequences of telling the truth. Kant's argument depends on an unreasonably pessimistic view of whether we can know the consequences of lying.

Rachels and Rachels list which of the following as big costs of maintaining current laws that prohibit marijuana:

Losing revenue. Fueling drug wars around the world. Imposing harms on offenders through punishment. Generating ill will towards law enforcement in minority communities.

What premise would you need to add to the following argument for it to be logically valid? [P1: ...] P2: Different cultures have different moral codes. C: Therefore, there is no objective truth in morality.

P1: If different cultures have different moral codes, then there is no objective truth in morality.

P1. If any two moral rules can conflict, no two moral rules can be absolute. ... C. No two moral rules can be absolute.

P2. Any two moral rules can conflict.

P1. If the intentional killing of innocent people is always wrong, euthanasia is always wrong. C. So, the intentional killing of innocent people is not always wrong

P2. Euthanasia is not always wrong.

P1. If the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised is to prevent harm to others, we should allow euthanasia; C. So, we should allow euthanasia.

P2. The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised is to prevent harm to others

Complete these logically valid arguments. P1. If there is more than one absolute moral rule, there can be irresolvable conflicts between moral rules. ... C. It is not the case that there is more than one absolute moral rule.

P2. There cannot be irresolvable conflicts between moral rules.

Which of these premises would you need to add to the following argument for it to be valid? P: Moral values do not exist in the same way that planets and spoons exist C: So, moral values are just the expression of our subjective feelings.

P: If moral values do not exist in the same way that planets and spoons exist, then moral values are just the expression of our subjective feelings

On Kant's view, punishment should be governed by which of the following principles:

Punishment should be proportionate to the seriousness of the crime. People should be punished simply because they have committed crimes.

What are the three theories within Subjectivism and Ethics?

Simple subjectivism, emotivism, error theory

Rachels and Rachels quote Elizabeth Anscombe's response to defenders of Truman's decision to order the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Which of the following best summarizes her view?

The bombing was morally impermissible even if maximized value.

According to Rachels and Rachels, the claim that is at the heart of cultural relativism is:

The moral code of a society determines what is right and wrong within that society.

Rachels and Rachels offer the Peeping Tom example as a challenge to which commitment of classical utilitarianism?

The morality of an action depends solely on the consequences of the action

Singer uses his 'child in a pond' example as an application of which moral principle?

The principle that if it is within our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it.

Hobbes thought that the state of nature would be awful because it ignored which of the following basic facts about human life (select all that apply):

There is equality of need. There is scarcity. There is the essential equality of human power There is limited altruism.

What do the three theories of subjectivism and ethics have in common?

They all don't appeal to objective moral facts

According to Rachels and Rachels, if cultural relativism were true, we could no longer criticize the moral code of our own society.

True

P1. If we should maximize happiness, we should allow euthanasia; C. So, we should allow euthanasia.

We should maximize happiness

Issues with ethical egoism

Wickedness: can harm others which is unethical

Divine Command theory

an action is morally correct if God commands it

Emotivism

boo/hooray theory, not all things are true or false, not expressing opinion, rather expressing feelings towards it

Mo Tzu condemns music because

it brings no benefit to the common people

Rachels and Rachels claim that we should treat slippery slope arguments with caution because:

it is easy to make predictions and hard to disprove them

Simple Subjectivism

moral claims are expressing their own view/opinion

What is the issue with simple subjectivism?

no disagreement, no moral facts

Error Theory

no such thing as morally right or wrong, moral truths don't exist, all things are false or unintelligible

According to Rachels and Rachels, one of the main things we can learn from cultural relativism is that we should:

not assume that all of our practices are based on some absolute rational standard.

If you were to pay a mechanic to fix a problem with your car, on Kant's view this would be:

not morally wrong because although you treat the mechanic as a means, you also treat her as an end-in-herself.

According to Rachels and Rachels, natural law theory rests on the view that values and purposes are built into the very nature of the world.

true

Is cultural relativism tolerant of other cultures beliefs and morals?

yes

What is the issue with emotivism?

you cant make any moral arguments at all