PHIL 2 Midterm 2 HW

Mill argues that all pleasures are qualitatively the same.

False

According to Mill, a completely contented fool is happier than an intelligent person who is not fully satisfied with his or her lot.

False

According to Mayo, the ethics of principle has a greater logical simplicity than the ethics of character.

True

According to Mill, happiness is the only thing desirable for itself and not as a means to some other end.

True

Mill argues that we are incapable of choosing a good we know to be less valuable than some alternative.

False

Rawls believes that basic liberties can be infringed on so long as the result is greater social and economic advantages for all, particularly the least fortunate.

False

Rawls believes that human beings once enjoyed an "original position" of perfect equality.

False

Rawls's theory of justice rests on those principles that a purely disinterested observer would select.

False

The domination of others, according to Hobbes, is intrinsically immoral.

False

The fundamental law of nature, Hobbes says, is to seek peace.

True

Mill thinks it is generally immoral to lie because lying undermines trustworthiness, which is indispensable to human well-being.

True

On Hobbes's account, human beings have a natural right to do whatever they think prudent to preserve their own lives.

True

Mayo takes Aristotle's basic moral question to be which of the following?

What shall I be?

Hobbes thinks we should be willing to content ourselves with only so much liberty against others as we would allow them to have against us.

True

If rule utilitarianism is correct, then sometimes the moral thing to do is an act that does not maximize happiness.

True

In Kant's ethics, prudence is governed by a hypothetical imperative.

True

Rawls believes that natural ability should not give one a leg up in a quest for political and economic advantage.

True

The ethics of care values emotion as an aid to discerning what morality recommends.

True

According to Mayo, an Aristotelian answers the question "What ought I to do?" by quoting a character trait (e.g., "Be brave").

True

According to Mill, the moral principles inherited from earlier generations can be indefinitely improved.

True

According to Mill, the precept to love one's neighbor as oneself is consistent with his understanding of utilitarian ethics.

True

According to Rawls, positions of authority in a just society must be open to all.

True

According to act utilitarianism, an act isn't right if any available alternative results in more good.

True

Hobbes believes that the laws of morality apply both during war and during peace.

False

According to Aristotle, human beings have a particular function.

True

According to Kant, only a rational being can have a will.

True

According to Kant, we have a duty to assist others in need.

True

According to Kant, we have a moral duty to cultivate our natural talents.

True

According to Hobbes, justice consists in which of the following?

Keeping valid covenants

The ethics of care stresses which of the following?

Actual relations between particular human beings

According to Aristotle, how does moral virtue arise?

Through habitation

According to the ethics of care, impartiality is a fundamental criterion of correct moral reasoning.

False

By "care," Held means the benevolent disposition of one individual toward another.

False

According to Mill, what leads people to lose their capacity for intellectual pleasures?

Addiction to sensual pleasures; lack of time or opportunity to indulge in intellectual pursuits; social influences,

Which of the following does Kant consider good without qualification (unconditionally)?

A good will

In what does happiness consist, according to Aristotle?

Activity of the rational part of the soul exhibiting excellence.

Which of the following bits of practical advice does Aristotle give for becoming more virtuous?

Aim away from the extreme you feel yourself naturally drawn toward.

Which of the following is NOT something cited by Hobbes as evidence of the basic equality of all people? a. Almost all people are contented with the amount of wisdom they have. b. The weakest person can find a way to kill the strongest. c. All are born with roughly the same scientific ability. d. All are able to learn from experience.

All are born with roughly the same scientific ability.

Which of the following does Hobbes cite as a principal cause of enmity between people? a. Glory b. Diffidence (lack of confidence) c. Competition d. All of these

All of these

Which of the following is an advantage of rule utilitarianism over act utilitarianism? a. All of these b. Its allowance for greater publicity c. Its acknowledgement of our needs for rest and entertainment d. Its conformity with our rule-following nature

All of these

Which of the following would violate Kant's categorical imperative? a. A fraudulent mortgage contract b. All of these c. Sexual harassment in the workplace d. Telling a lie to save the life of an innocent person

All of these

According to Kant, which of the following imperatives is categorical?

Always treat humanity as an end and never merely as a means.

According to Mill, in promotion of utilitarian ethics, education should strive to instill which of the following in each person?

An associate of their individual happiness with the good of all.

In Kant's ethics, why am I not necessarily acting immorally when I use a bank teller to cash my paycheck?

Because the teller can consent in principle to being used in this way.

Held understands care as ________.

Both a value and a practice.

How does Mill respond to those who point out that some people desire virtue as good in itself?

By arguing that virtue, like power, fame, or money, can become an ingredient of (and not just a means to) happiness.

Hobbes believes that all acts of conquest are motivated by the desire for security.

False

How does Mill think his assertion that happiness alone is desirable in itself can be proven?

By observing the fact that people actually do desire it, and only it, as a good in itself.

According to Kant, what kind of imperative is the imperative of morality?

Categorical

The principles Rawls thinks would be chosen by those in Rawls's original position would require which of the following? a. Equality of basic rights. b. Social ownership of the means of production. c. Equality of authority. d. All of these.

Equality of basic rights.

Which of the following is the best synonym for "justice" as Rawls understands it?

Fairness

A utilitarian could never condone slavery.

False

According to Aristotle, the moral virtues are inborn.

False

According to Aristotle, the standard of virtue is one and the same for all people.

False

According to Kant, an action is not morally praiseworthy unless it is done in accordance with one's deepest inclinations.

False

According to Kant, it is always immoral to use someone as a means.

False

According to Kant, it is impossible to treat oneself as a means to some other end.

False

According to Kant, morality requires that we act to promote the happiness of as many people as possible.

False

According to Kant, suicide is morally justifiable in certain circumstances.

False

According to Kant, we act out of duty whenever we promote the well-being of others.

False

According to Mayo, virtue ethics has more difficulty accounting for motives than the ethics of principle.

False

According to Pojman, rule utilitarianism is relativist, because it may endorse different rules in different cultures.

False

According to Rawls, the principles chosen by people in the original position would eliminate all inequality.

False

According to rule utilitarianism, morality requires doing whatever will produce the most utility in a given situation.

False

Which of the following passions inclines people toward peace, according to Hobbes?

Fear

According to the ethics of care, someone in a genuinely caring relation acts ________.

For self-and-other together

Which of the following are the two cardinal virtues during war, according to Hobbes?

Force and fraud

What does Aristotle identify as the chief good, the one thing that we desire for its own sake?

Happiness

According to Kant, having a will means which of the following?

Having the capacity to act in accordance with principles.

How does Mill answer the objection that a person faced with a moral dilemma does not have enough time to calculate all the possible consequences of each alternative?

He argues that the course of human history has taught us what kinds of actions generally promote or generally harm human happiness.

Which of the following is NOT part of Aristotle's description of the condition of a virtuous agent when performing virtuous acts? a. He chooses acts that conform with the moral law. b. He has the relevant knowledge of virtue. c. He performs virtuous acts for their own sake. d. He freely chooses virtuous acts.

He chooses acts that conform with the moral law.

The ethics of care places particular emphasis on which of the following?

Human dependence

According to Pojman, how might a "sophisticated" utilitarian argue that torturing an innocent person is immoral, even when immediate utility concerns recommend doing so?

Human rights are outcomes of utility considerations and should not be violated lightly.

What kind of imperative commands an action to be done as a means to some other end?

Hypothetical

According to Aristotle, the person who performs a just act is not necessarily a just person.

True

Proponents of the ethics of care often object to the dominant moral theories as ________.

Impractical

hich of the following is a Kantian explanation of why lying is wrong?

It involves treating another person as merely a means to an end.

The usefulness of Rawls's original position is that ________.

It makes it impossible to tailor principles to one's own advantage.

According to Mayo, the ethics of character has which of the following advantages over the ethics of principle?

It makes room for ideals, which we can approximate by degrees.

In what sense is moral virtue a "mean," according to Aristotle?

It occupies the middle ground between excessive and deficient possibilities of feeling and acting.

Which of the following is true? a. According to utilitarianism, any act that runs counter to deeply felt moral intuitions must be wrong. b. The utilitarian standard of right action is the happiness of the one performing the action. c. Mill condemns as immoral all actions not motivated by duty. d. None of these.

None of these

Which of the following values does utilitarianism recognize as absolute? a. Honesty b. Personal integrity c. Justice d. None of these

None of these

According to Kant, to do one's duty is to act ________.

Out of respect for the moral law.

How does Mill define happiness?

Pleasure and the absence of pain

According to Kant, we are obligated to do all of the following except which one?

Put the interests of others before our own

According to Aristotle, the virtuous character of one's acts aren't enough to make one virtuous, since virtuous acts could be done by accident or under orders.

True

According to Kant, all rational beings necessarily desire happiness.

True

What does Pojman suggest as an appropriate rule-utilitarian response to the objection that utilitarianism is far too demanding?

Rules prescribing rest and advising against preoccupation with the needs of distant people have a place in any utility-maximizing set of rules.

A virtue of utilitarianism is that it has a potential answer for every situation.

True

The term "maxim" in Kant's ethics refers to which of the following?

The guiding principle underlying a decision to act in a particular way.

On what grounds does Mill think some pleasures can be judged higher or better than others?

The preference for one kind of pleasure over another shared by all or most of those fully acquainted with both.

According to Kant, what gives an action its moral worth?

The principle of will that motivates it.

Which of the following is not one of the basic liberties identified by Rawls? a. The right to hold personal property. b. Freedom of assembly. c. The right to bear arms. d. Freedom from arbitrary arrest.

The right to bear arms

What does Rawls think is the basis of equality among those in the original position?

They are all rational beings capable of a sense of justice.

Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of people in Rawls's original position?

They do not know what "justice" means.

According to Aristotle, certain passions and actions are inherently wrong.

True

According to O'Neill, analyzing Kant, to use someone as a mere means is ________.

To use them in a way to which they could not in principle consent.

According to Kant, for an action to be moral, the principle motivating it must be which of the following?

Universalizable

Hobbes characterizes the natural state of human relations as ________.

War

On Rawls's view, can economic inequality be compatible with justice?

Yes, provided that it results in compensating benefits for the least advantaged.