PHIL 230 Exam 1 Answers

Consequentialists hold that lying is wrong, because it's never right to pursue good results using immoral means.

False

Cultural relativism is the view that different cultures have different moral values.

False

True or false: A valid argument can have false premises and a false conclusion.

False

True or false: Good abductive arguments are valid.

False

True or false: If statement A is evidence for statement B, and A is true, then B must also be true.

False

A survey of Iowa voters showed that 43% of Democratic caucus voters are more likely to identify as 'socialist' than 'capitalist.' Generalizing to the broader class, we can infer from this that approximately 43% of US democrats identify as socialist. What kind of argument is this?

Inductive argument

If you know that an argument is Deductively Valid, then you know that: a) The premises are true, and the argument is truth-preserving b) The premises may or may not be true, but if they're true then the conclusion is true, too c) The conclusion of a valid argument is true and well-supported by the premises

The premises may or may not be true, but if they're true then the conclusion is true, too

True or false: A valid argument can have a false conclusion.

True

True or false: A valid argument can have false premises and a true conclusion.

True

True or false: A valid argument can have false premises.

True

True or false: A valid argument cannot have true premises and a false conclusion.

True

True or false: According to Error Theorists, the statement "It is wrong to steal from other people" is false.

True

According to Wolf's paper "Property Rights, Economic Inequalities, and International Obligations," a) Inequalities might not be so bad as long as everyone has enough b) Inequalities in wealth lead to terrible social disadvantages c) Inequalities do not matter from the stand point of justice - what matters is that people get what they are entitled to d) We should eliminate private property and redistribute the surplus wealth equally so that no one will be poor, and no one will be rich

a) Inequalities might not be so bad as long as everyone has enough

According to Rousseau, the fundamental natural human motives are a) self-preservation and pity b) the desire for power and fear of death c) desire for food, shelter, and companionship d) Rousseau believes that reason motivates us independently of and antecedent to our desires

a) self-preservation and pity

Which of the following is a true statement about Divine Goodness Theory (DGT)? a) If DGT is true, then God's commandment is the essential feature that makes right acts right b) If DGT is true, then moral standards are substantially independent of God's command c) If DGT is true, then there is no standard of goodness other than God's command d) a and c are both correct

b) If DGT is true, then moral standards are substantially independent of God's command

Which of the following statements is true? a) If true, psychological egoism would provide evidence that ethical egoism is also true b) If psychological egoism and ethical egoism are both true, then everyone behaves rightly all the time c) Psychological egoism is inconsistent with ethical egoism: they cannot both be true

b) If psychological egoism and ethical egoism are both true, then everyone behaves rightly all the time

Contractarianism is the view that a) Moral requirements are requirements of reason - they are the principles we would accept if we reasoned together about which principles are true and which are false b) Moral requirements are the principles we would accept as a fair bargain, since what we give up is worth less than what we gain c) People in the state of nature are free and equal, and it is only once we enter civil society that things start to go bad

b) Moral requirements are the principles we would accept as a fair bargain, since what we give up is worth less than what we gain

An action is a dominant choice just in case a) No matter what other people do, the outcome of that choice will be the best for the actor b) No matter what other people do, that choice will enable you to gain power over the other people involved c) No matter what other people do, the dominant choice will yield the greatest good for the greatest number of people (GHGN)

b) No matter what other people do, that choice will enable you to gain power over the other people involved

Hedonism is the view that... a) Actions are right if and only if they produce the greatest good for the greatest number b) Outcomes are good when they include more pleasure than pain c) Outcomes are good when they produce more overall human flourishing, even if those who flourish experience less pleasure than they might d) Outcomes are right if and only if they are the result of actions done in accordance with principles (maxims) that involve treating persons as ends in themselves, not as mere means

b) Outcomes are good when they include more pleasure than pain

Immanuel Kant argues that: a) We should always act on those rules (maxims) that will produce the best result for everyone b) The fundamental principle of morality does not take the consequences of our actions into account c) To act morally, we should be compassionate to others and sympathize when they are in a bad situation d) God's divine will shows us, by intuitive revelation, that the categorical imperative is the fundamental principle of morality

b) The fundamental principle of morality does not take the consequences of our actions into account

Which of the following is a true statement about the Divine Command Theory (DCT)? a) If DCT is true, the God commands right acts because God is good b) If DCT is true, then God cannot help acting rightly because of God's essential nature c) If DCT is true, then God's commands are arbitrary and unprincipled

c) If DCT is true, then God's commands are arbitrary and unprincipled

Ethical Subjectivism is the view that a) We are all ethical subjects - that is, we are the authors of our own choices, and must make ethical decisions for ourselves b) All creatures that have subjective mental states, including people and animals too, are appropriate subjects of moral obligation c) Moral judgements are not objective judgments, since they are made true or false, in part, by our thoughts and attitudes d) When people make moral judgments they are usually wrong and nonobjective, because our conclusions derive from their own subjective perspective

c) Moral judgements are not objective judgments, since they are made true or false, in part, by our thoughts and attitudes

According to Rousseau, a) People in the "State of Nature" live lives of squalid misery - their lives are solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short b) People in the "State of Nature" lived together in small roving bands, trying to support one another through cooperation c) People in the "State of Nature" lived solitary lives of perfect liberty, and were able to satisfy their needs directly by taking what nature provides d) People in the "State of Nature" might try to let their guard down ("I'll drop my sword fi you will drop yours!") but would be unable to trust one another enough to achieve peace

c) People in the "State of Nature" lived solitary lives of perfect liberty, and were able to satisfy their needs directly by taking what nature provides

Which of the following is an accurate statement of rule utilitarianism? a) We should always act on those rules that we could will as universal laws b) We should always act so that our actions produce the greatest good for the greatest number c) We should always act on those principles which, if followed by everyone, would produce the greatest good for the greatest number d) We should always act on those principles which, if followed, would avoid practical contradictions of the will

c) We should always act on those principles which, if followed by everyone, would produce the greatest good for the greatest number

Which of the following is a reasonable criticism of the argument presented? a) The argument is invalid because Iowa democrats may be different from democrats nationally b) The sample is nonrepresentative, since Iowa democrats are more liberal than democrats nationally c) The explanation is inappropriate, since there are other hypotheses that would explain the high proportion of Iowa democrats who identify as socialist d) The argument is invalid because the sample is too small e) More than one of the above answers is correct

e) More than one of the above answers is correct