Ethics final

People usually feel envy to those who are far-removed from their lives and those who are vastly more successful than themselves (e.g. celebrities and professional athletes).

False

Aristotle believed that every human action and feeling admitted of a "golden mean" or right way to be done or felt.

False. Aristotle claims that certain feelings, such as spite, or actions, such as murder, are always wrong. There is no right or virtuous ways to do these actions or have these feelings.

Which of the following are remedies for avarice suggested by the author of Glittering Vices

make an ongoing commitment to repeated acts of generosity, such as through tithing take a month long break from viewing ads, going to malls, and other forms of consumerism document our expenses for a month and look back and reflect on how many of those purchases were for things you didn't really need

Anger can become excessive when we come to think of ourselves as being responsible for making everything right through our own power and plans.

True

Sloth is accurately described as a resistance to the demands of love. Those who are slothful want unconditional love without doing the hard work of transforming their own selfish desires or making sacrifices for those whom they love.

True

The vice of vainglory involves hiding ourselves just as must as it involves showing off. For this reason, it poses an obstacle to being loved and known for who we truly are.

True

n Aristotle's view, vicious people are incapable of having friendships.

False. Aristotle believed that vicious people could have friendships of utility and pleasure--just not friendships of the good.

What is confirmation bias

'Confirmation bias' is the tendency we have to look for information that supports what we already believe or to interpret new evidence as confirmation of our existing beliefs or theories.

Why does Aristotle think that the life of honor is not the best life for a human being?

-It depends on other people to bestow the honors. -The thing one wants to be honored for is better than the honors. Aristotle rejects that the life of honor is the highest life both because it makes it not in one's power to live a good life since other people must bestow the honors and because even those living this life know deep down that the thing they want to be honored for is a better good than the honors are.

Read this dialogue: Person A: "I believe that an unborn human being is a human person with rights from the moment of conception. So, I think that abortion is wrong because it is never OK to violate someone's right to life." Person B: "I don't dispute that the fetus is a human person. But I believe that the mother has a right to control her body that outweighs the child's right to life." How would you characterize this disagreement?

A and B disagree about an ethical principle / theory concerning how to weigh or value competing rights. Both agree the fetus is a human person. But they disagree about whether the unborn child's right to life is superseded by the mother's right to control her body.

Which of the following is what Kant thinks is the highest good and the most important thing in life?

A good will. For Kant, a good will is the highest good because it is the only thing that is good in itself. Kant thinks that even happiness and virtue are not good unless they are put to use by a good will.

Which of the following examples were mentioned in the reading "Must you be a relativist to be tolerant of others?"

A roommate who is a good friend, but doesn't always clean up after himself.

In the middle ages, which of the following image was used to signify the seven deadly sins?

A tree trunk in which pride was symbolized as the trunk and the other deadly sins were branches which grew out from it

Which best describes the meaning of an objective truth?

A truth which is true whether or not anyone recognizes it or thinks about it.

Which of the following were examples of things that Michael Sandel said (in his article "What Isn't for Sale") could be bought and sold for money?

All answers are correct -the services of a surrogate mother in a foreign country -space on your forehead for displaying an ad -the right to shoot an endangered species

Which of the following are other vices which developed or spring from vainglory?

All are true: hypocrisy, boastfulness, love of novelties

Which of the following are examples of cultural practices discussed in the reading by Rachels?

All of the examples mentioned in the other answers for this question were discussed in the reading.

Which of the following best describes Kant's understanding of dignity?

All of the other statements are correct: Beings with dignity have a worth that transcends all market price. Beings with dignity are irreplaceable. Beings with dignity have a worth and value which does not depend on the wants or desires of other beings.

Which of the following is a true statement about Nozick's description of the experience machine?

All of these other statements are correct. Experiences, such as writing a great novel, could be simulated in the machine. There could be a library which would help people research and choose all of the experiences they would like to have. People would never remember or realize that they were plugged into the experience machine once they plugged in.

Which of these best describes the vice sloth?

An indifference to one's duties and a neglect of other human beings' needs

According to the letter, to prepare for their actions in Birmingham, MLK and his companions took which of the following steps:

Attendance at workshops on non-violence and mental preparation to accept physical violence done to oneself without retaliating attempts to negotiate with the leaders of the economic community

What steps can a person take to confront confirmation bias?

Be aware of the fact that there is such a thing as confirmation bias Research both sides of controversial issues

Why does Kant think that it is only within marriage that a sexual relationship is morally permisable?

Because in marriage one gives one's entire self to one's partner--not just one's body For Kant, the central reason for why sex is permissible within marriage alone is because in marriage two people are united in their entirety. They share all with each other--not just their bodies. So sex within marriage does not not involve cutting off a part of oneself and making it into an object as sex outside of marriage does.

How does Kant think that we can know what are duties are?

By considering the principle we are about to act on and asking ourselves whether we could will that everyone, always acts on this same principle Kant states the we can know whether an action is in accord with duty if we consider the principle behind it and whether it could be adopted as a universal rule for all people to follow. If we would not want to live in the world in which our principle was universalized, then we can know that the principle and the action it leads to is not in accord with duty.

How was the father-in-law able to change his character?

By doing gentle and mild actions, even when he felt angry inside.

According to the author of Glittering Vices, which of these are benefits that can be gained from the practice of fasting? (Check all that apply.)

By giving up certain eating practices or foods, you can come to understand how attached to them you are. Fasting can lead us to appreciate material goods more. Food will taste more pleasant after fasting. Fasting from food increases our desire for spiritual goods and makes us aware of our dependence on God.

All disagreements about debated issues in society come down to people disagreeing about the facts of the situation.

False In the reading "Two types of disagreement" it was stated that sometimes people agree about all of the facts, but they take different positions on an issue because they disagree about the ethical theory or principles which they apply to the facts.

The author of our reading on cultural relativism James Rachels agrees that cultural relativism is a correct view of morality. The point of the reading was to convince you to be a relativist too.

False The reading provided arguments against cultural relativism and a main aim of the reading was show why the view must be rejected.

According to cultural relativism, there are universal moral truths shared by all human cultures.

False Universal moral truths are moral truths that apply for all people, at all times and places. Cultural relativism denies that there are any moral truths that apply for all people at all times and places.

Aristotle believed that trust and knowledge of character was a basic criteria required for any type of friendship.

False Aristotle thought that trust and knowledge of character were not required for utility and pleasure friendships.

Vainglory is an aspiration to do things that are truly an excellent and to have the genuine status of being the best

False this better describes pride. Vainglory does not lead people to strive to be excellent, but rather to strive for applause, whether their accomplish are excellent or not

One of the most common reasons women have abortions is because of rape and incest.

False- According to the Guttmacher institute study discussed in the video lecture, only one percent of abortions were chosen because of rape. The most common reasons why women in that study chose abortion was because of negative impacts they thought a pregnancy would have on their lives (e.g. career, school) and finances.

Aquinas believed that once one came to an understanding of natural law, human laws could be done away with (i.e. they were no longer necessary to serve a function).

False- Aquinas thought that even if people in general knew most of the precepts of natural law, human laws would still be necessary to apply the natural law to specific situations.

MLK praises and thanks the white Christian community for standing by and supporting their fellow African American Christians.

False- MLK expresses his great disappointment with the white Christan community

Murder is one of the seven deadly or capital vices

False- Murder is an action that Christians recognize as sinful, but it is not on the list of the seven deadly sins or capital vices. This is because murder is an action and not a habit of character from which further sins arise. Murder is one of the sins that one can be led to commit because of one of the seven deadly sins/capital vices. (See p. 33 for the claim that murder is not one of the seven deadly sins).

All of the women who shared their abortion stories on the video on "four women's abortion stories" regretted that they chose abortion. They each wishes they would have chosen to bring their children into the world.

False- One of the women, who was quite emotional, explained that she regretted that she was not ready at the time she had her abortion. But she said that she did not regret having the abortion.

According to Aquinas, anger is always bad. To be virtuous one must rid oneself of all anger.

False- anger is not only bad when it attacked the "wrong target" or "gets out of control"

Christians believe that it is sinful to take pleasure in eating since eating is lower level activity we do just to keep our bodies alive. We should only take pleasure in higher level acts like praying or thinking

False- it is a vice to take any pleasure in eating. It is good to take an appropriate level of pleasure in eating

Sloth is another name for laziness. If you are busy and hardworking, sloth is not a vice you have

False- sloth is not laziness about work. Sloth can exist with workaholism

Aquinas thought that one had a moral obligation to follow all of the laws that your society has made.

False-Aquinas thought that there was no obligation to follow unjust laws. He writes: "[T]hat which is not just seems to be no law at all." (IaIIae.95.2) and "But if in any point [human law] deflects from the law of nature, it is no longer a law but a perversion of law." (IaIIae.95.2)

Gluttony has to do with how much we eat. By knowing how much a person eats, we can know whether they have the vice of gluttony.

False-Gluttony has to do with how much pleasure we take in eating food and why. A person can be suffering from gluttony while eating any quantity of food.

The first precept of the natural law is treat others how you would like to be treated.

False-The first precept of the natural law is "Do good and avoid evil."

According to Mill, a person's motive for acting is important for determining whether his/her action is morally right or wrong.

False. Utilitarians, like Mill, claim that only the consequences of an action matter for determining whether it is morally right or wrong.

Kant believes that human skills, such as carpentry, have dignity.

False. According to Kant, the type of value that human skills, wit and intelligence have is market value. These skills have worth because they allow us to do jobs which are useful and are compensated with money.

Utilitarians do not think it is morally permissible to do an action which leads to some people having an extraordinary share of happiness while others have significantly less. They believe that we should strive to make all people's happiness levels equal.

False. According to utilitarianism, what matters is the total sum of happiness--not how that sum is distributed. If a certain act led to person A having 7 units of happiness and person B having 2 units of happiness (9 total units), this would be better than an act which led to both A and B each having 4 units of happiness (8 total unites).

Aristotle believes that when it comes to acts of giving or generosity, we can identify a certain amount or percentage of income, which will be the virtuous amount for every person to give.

False. Aristotle believed that there was no amount of money or percentage of income that could constitute the mean for every person. What is the mean for a particular person depends on his or her financial means and other financial responsibilities.

Aristotle thought that a person could become morally virtuous on their own by reading good books.

False. Aristotle believes that moral virtue cannot be achieved on one's own because a moral teacher is needed to help one identify what is the virtuous action to do in the particular situations one finds oneself in. Intellectual virtue, by contrast, can be learned from books. Examples of intellectual virtues are sciences like chemistry or English grammar.

Aristotle believes that in order to be a virtuous or good human being, one must eliminate all emotions from oneself.

False. Aristotle thinks that having too little emotion is not good for a human being. It is a type of vice. He believes that virtue is having the right amount of an emotion--not no emotion.

In Aristotle's view, there are some virtuous people who don't find behaving morally to be particularly easy or fun. They struggle against their passions to do the right thing and this is what makes them virtuous.

False. For Aristotle, this description applies to the continent person. The virtuous person does acts of virtue with pleasure and ease.

In Kant's view, we can know whether a person is living a moral life by observing his or her actions from the outside over time.

False. In Kant's view, you cannot know whether a person is living a moral life by observing his or her actions from the outside since for him the agent's motive is crucial for evaluating the morality of his or her actions. Kant thinks that it is possible for a person to do external actions which seem moral, but in fact have no moral worth if the motive was pleasure or external gain.

One strength of utilitarianism is that it is usually quite easy to predict the consequences of our actions.

False. In the lecture on objections to utilitarianism, the point was made that often we cannot know what consequences our actions will have.

Kant thinks that moral actions, such as volunteering to help others, have more moral worth if the agent takes pleasure in doing the action.

False. Kant actually thinks that an agent is worse off if he or she takes pleasure in performing a moral action because then he or she will not be able to know whether the act was chosen because of duty or because of the pleasure one derives.

Kant believes that moral actions of human beings have an economic or market value.

False. Kant believes that there is no price tag that attaches to moral actions. They do not have monetary value. Rather, the value or worth of moral actions is the type of value or worth which is dignity.

Kant thinks that it is always immoral for me to hire someone else to do a job that I am perfectly capable of doing myself because in that case, I use the other person as a means to my end.

False. Kant thinks that it is not in principle immoral to employ other people to do jobs for us. Such arrangements can be moral if we treat our employees as ends in themselves. This involves giving the employee a just wage and humane working conditions. By doing these things, the employee is respected as an end in him or herself, even while they are helping the employer reach his or her ends.

Nozick is one of the most famous living utilitarian philosophers.

False. Nozick is a critic of utilitarianism. Later in this unit, you will learned about Peter Singer who is a famous contemporary utilitarian,

Mill thinks that one must abandon belief in God if one wishes to be a utilitarian.

False. On the contrary, Mill claims that utilitarianism fits quite well with belief in God. He says that God would will all of his creatures' happiness and that the moral teachings given by God are guides to how to maximize happiness.

Kant thinks that in some extreme cases it is OK to lie or cheat or steal if it is necessary to save a human life or prevent grave harm to innocent people.

False. One of the more controversial aspects of Kant's theories is that he thinks that the moral law can never be broken. He thinks that even in extreme case, such as those in which a life is on the line, we must still follow the moral law.

Peter Singer said in the BBC interview that he believed it was immoral to torture the innocent daughter of a kidnapper in order to save the lives of 10 other innocent children being held hostage.

False. Singer said that he would be willing to allow the innocent daughter to be tortured if it would save more lives. This illustrates his utilitarian logic. It is justified on utilitarianism to allow an innocent person to suffer if it yields the greatest total happiness.

Utilitarians believe that there are certain actions, such as harming young children and the elderly or infirm, which should never be done under any circumstance.

False. Utilitarians believe that actions are right or wrong based on their consequences. It does not matter what an act involves in itself for assessing its morality. It can be morally permissible to do any action so long as that action increases total happiness.

Which of these is envy opposed to?

Love

Which virtue opposes wrathful or excessive anger

Gentleness or self-possession

According to Aquinas which of the following are obstacles that people face to having the virtuous habit (generosity) which allows us to be free from excessive attachment to money?

Having known the experience of poverty A sense that one's money is one's own since it was earned through one's own hard work

Which of the following best captures Mill's views about how to rank pleasures?

Intellectual pleasures are better than sense pleasures. Mill says that intellectual pleasures which can only be experienced by human beings have a higher value and quality than sense pleasures which other animals can enjoy as well. Mill supports this point by saying that no human would prefer to be transformed into a lower animal. This shows, in Mill's opinion, that intellectual pleasures are more valuable.

Why does Kant think that casual sex is immoral?

It cuts the body off as an object from the rest of the person. Kant does not argue against casual sex based on the consequences it can have. Rather he argues that it is immoral because in casual sex one gives his or her body to another while with holding the rest of one's self.

Consider the traffic law in the US that dictates that drivers must drive on the right, rather than the left, side of the road. How does this law relate to the natural law?

It is a specification or determination of the natural law Precepts of the natural law include "do not endanger others." A traffic law that dictates which side of the road drivers should drive on serves to make specific how to live this general precept out in the situation of driving. The law could have been drive on the left. It doesn't logically follow from the natural law that we must drive on the right. But to apply the natural law of not endangering others to our situation of driving, we need a human law that makes more specific how we will live out this precept on the road.

Which of the following are statements Kant would agree with?

It is possible to use yourself as a means to an end Kant thinks that persons differ from objects and cannot be owned by anyone. You don't own yourself in Kant's view. He thinks that prostitution is immoral even when done freely because the prostitute treats herself as an object from which to derive a profit. She uses herself as a means.

What is one of the problems which the Princeton student James Clark believes is present in the hook-up culture at his school?

It objectives or dehumanizes people since the personal identity of the sexual partner is not important or even irrelevant to the sexual encounter. The other answers express problems others have noted with the hook-up culture on university campuses. But they are not the main problem raised by Clark. Clark, like Kant, focuses on the aspect of casual sex which involves giving the body to another without giving the rest of your self.

What is the point of Nozick's discussion of the experience machine?

It shows that there are other things in life which many people value more than pleasure The experience machine shows that most people do not value pleasure more than anything. Nozick assumes that most people would not plug into the machine. If people value having real or true experiences over merely feeling good while being plugged into the machine, then pleasure is not the highest good.

Which of the following are remedies which the author of Glittering Vices suggests for overcoming the vice of excessive anger (wrath)?

Keeping track in a journal of the times we become angry. Note how long we stayed angry and why we became angry. Later when we have cooled off, we can look back and assess whether we were angry for appropriate reasons and lengths of time. Exercise and get appropriate rest Trust in God to handle things and let go of the idea that we must set every wrong right

Suppose that in society A, the majority of people approve of a parent's choice to kill his or her newborn child because of it was not of the desired gender. According to cultural relativism, in society A, is it wrong for a parent to kill his/her daughter if he/she wanted a son?

No. It is morally wrong. You may have chosen "Yes. It is morally wrong." for your answer because you believe that it is always wrong to kill an innocent and helpless baby. But the question was asking you to evaluate this action from the point of view of cultural relativism. Cultural relativists believe that any action which is approved of by the majority of a society is morally correct in that society.

Suppose we are in Nazi Germany and the year is 1942. Let us suppose that in a certain German town, there were 10,000 inhabitants. 9,500 of these people approved of the Nazi's deportation of Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, Catholic priests and others to concentration camps. There were 500 people against the deportation. In that German town, was it wrong, according to cultural relativism, for certain residents to be taken to concentration camps because of their religion, race, sexual orientation or occupation?

No. It is morally wrong.' You may have chosen "Yes. It was morally wrong" because you strongly believe that the Holocaust was a grave moral evil and are certain that the Nazi actions were morally wrong. From the point of view of cultural relativism, however, if the majority in a town approved of an action, then that action was morally correct in that town.

Nozick believes that people in general care most about the total sum of happiness which they experience in their life, rather than about how this happiness is distributed over the course of their life.

Nozick states in the reading that people in general would likely trade some of the total happiness in the life in exchange for a certain distribution of happiness over the course of their lives. People desire to have an upward increase over time in their happiness levels even if it means sacrificing some of their total happiness.

Which best describes how people acquire moral virtue according to Aristotle?

One becomes virtuous by repeatedly performing virtuous actions. While people can be born with certain pre-dispositions regarding virtues and vices, no one is born with a moral character. Virtues and vices are acquired through repeated moral actions. Later Christian thinkers thought God could infuse moral virtues into people. But Aristotle does not hold this theory.

Which friendships are able to be formed quickly and dissolve quickly?

Pleasure friendships Utility friendships Aristotle thought that friendships of pleasure and utility could form quickly and dissolve quickly since they do not require knowledge of character and trust.

Which describes the difference between the vice of wrath and righteous anger? (Choose all correct answers.)

Righteous anger lasts an appropriate ammount of time, while wrath might be an anger that simmers for too long While righteous anger is directed at an injustice, wrath is directed at things not going our way. Righteous anger can be outwardly expressed and its outward expression can be a powerful tool for correcting injustices. Righteous anger arises in response to injustice and the person who has righteous anger cannot will this anger to go away when it arises since it is a response to an unjust situation.

Why does Kant think that suicide is not a morally permissible action?

The act of suicide involves using oneself as a means to an end (i.e. relieving pain and suffering) without also respecting oneself as an end. Kant does not think that humans are property (even of God). He thinks that consequences are irrelevant to evaluating morality, so he would not appeal to the pain and sadness that suicide causes families and friends to establish that it is not a morally permissible action. Kant focuses on how in the act of suicide one disrespects one's own dignity by taking one's own life as a means to be free of pain and suffering.

Which of the following factors does Kant think we need to pay attention to when evaluating the morality of an action?

The agent's motives. For Kant, the consequences of an action do not matter. All that matters is that the action conforms with duty and that the agent is motivated to do the action solely because it is his or her duty. Kant thinks that cultural norms or values are not relevant to evaluating morality. Even if everyone in a culture approved of an action, the act would still be immoral if it violated duty.

Which of the following was an example used in the Wireless Philosophy critique of utilitarianism videos?

The case of a person whose is crushed by a transmitter while many others are watching the world cup.

Which of these were points that Dr. Kathi Aultman mentioned in her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee?

The experience of working to save wanted babies through neo-natal care who were the same age as the unwanted babies she was aborting. The experience of seeing patients who chose to have a baby through an unintended pregnancy who ended up doing very well with the choice. She did not talk about any of her patients dying as a result of abortion and she did not talk about ever having a baby born alive by accident in an abortion procedure. Both of these have occurred in the US, though there is no evidence in the video that these events have been faced by Dr. Aultman in her medical career.

Why does Aristotle think that the life of pleasure is not the best life for a human being?

The life of pleasure does not engage the higher abilities we have as human beings. Aristotle argues that the life of pleasure is not the best life for human beings because it is a life that non-human animals can live. It does not make use of our distinctive capacity to think and reason.

Kant thinks that behaving morally in sexual relationships is particularly challenging for which of the following reason(s)?

The sexual desire is a desire for another person, rather than for an inanimate object Kant thinks that the sexual desire has a danger of leading to people being used as a means since the sexual desire is a desire to enjoy another person.

The author of Glittering Vices agrees with which of the following positions:

The value of possessions can sometimes extend beyond their "monetary" value. It can be morally just to buy luxury items if they are used well to serve others and express values such as love and friendship or promote spiritual well-being.

Why are the seven capital vices called the seven capital vices

They are the source vices that lead to other vices Capital comes from the latin word for head or caput or capitis. Therese are called head vices in the sense of the fountainhead that gives rise to further vice

Which best describes the "incontinent" person?

They know what is right, but they cannot overcome their passions to do the right thing. They behave badly, but understand that their acts are wrong. The incontinent person knows what the right thing to do it, but he or she does not do it because his or her feelings or desires are for the wrong thing. The continent one knows and in fact does the right thing, although her feelings and desires are similarly for the wrong things.

Consider this action: According to Aquinas, suicide is morally wrong because it is intentionally ending an innocent human life. Suppose that during a war, a soldier throws himself on a live grenade in order to save the lives of his comrades. He dies as a result of doing this. According to the PDE, is action A permissible or not?

This act is morally permissable according to the principle of duoble effect The action of throwing oneself on the grenade is morally permissible. It is not intrinsically wrong to throw one's body on a physical object. The act in this case has two consequences: the death of the solider and the saving of the comrades. The death of the soldier is not intended by him. This is why his action was not suicide. His goal was not to die. His goal was to save the lives of his friends. His death is not a means to saving them. He were to have miraculously survived, they still would have lived. The saving of several lives outweighs the loss of one life

Consider this action and choose the best answers from below about how the principle of double effect applies to it: Doctor Brown kidnaps a homeless man and steals one kidney and one liver, in order to save his two patients who would otherwise die. The homeless man does not die as a result, but his health is greatly compromised

This act is not morally permissable according to the principle of double effect This act fails the first criteria because it intrinsically wrong In this scenario, the action is the stealing of organs. The good effect is the saving of two lives. The bad effect is the negative health consequences to the homeless person. The action of stealing organs is bad in itself and this is why this case fails to be morally permissible according to double effect. The doctor does not intend the negative health consequences to the homeless person and these negative consequences are not intended as the means to saving the lives. The lives would still be saved even if the homeless person afterward had recovered to good health. Lastly, saving two lives outweighs negative health effects in one person.

Consider this action: The US is at war with country X. A certain general proposes that we target their most populous city with several nuclear missiles. Let action A be the contemplated action of executing a nuclear strike against the city. The bad effect would be the death of the 5 million inhabitants of the city. The good effect would be ending the war by convincing country X to surrender. The reason that the most populous city is targeted is this: if we kill a large number of their citizens, there will be pressure on the leaders of country X to surrender. According to the PDE, is action A permissible or not?

This act is not morally permissable according to the principle of double effect In this case, the death of civilians is intended as a means to get the country to surrender. Thus, the third criteria is clear failed. The action may fail other criteria as well. It is difficult to know whether the good effect outweighs the bad effect (fourth criteria) without knowing about how many casualties would be prevented by ending the war sooner

Consider this action: Your parents are going through a rough time and you know it would make them happy if you earned good grades. You decide to cheat on some of your finals to ensure that you get good grades. According to the PDE, is action A permissible or not?

This act is not morally permissable accrding to the principle of double effect. Cheating is intrinsically wrong. Aquinas would see it as a violation of the precept "do not lie" since it involves presenting work which is not your own as if it were your own. Humans have a natural inclination to know truth and any form of cheating goes against this inclination. Since cheating is intrinsically wrong, it cannot be justified no matter what good consequences may come from it.

Which statement best describes the purpose of direct non-violent action according to MLK?

To create a crisis and tension so that communities can no longer ignore injustices MLK's actions were also described as civil disobedience since they involved breaking unjust laws. MLK never states that he intended to provoke others to violence.

Which of the following describes what it means to be tolerant?

Treating all people respectfully and fairly regardless of their different opinions, backgrounds, customs and beliefs Tolerance involves how we act toward other people. You can treat a person fairly and respectfully, while believing that his or her actions are morally wrong. You can also believe that there is an objective truth about which actions are right or wrong, while respecting and acting fairly toward those who disagree.

If cultural relativism is true, then there is no objective standard of morality which we could use to evaluate the code of our own society and/or judge that changes made in our society are moral progress.

True Cultural relativism denies that there are objective standards of morality. All morality is relative to the opinions of a society. So, if the majority of a society believes that a certain action is morally correct (e.g. slavery), then that action is correct for that society. There is no other standard except for the majority opinion of the society. So without an independent standard, there is no criteria for judging the practices of the society as immoral.

One reason why some people believe cultural relativism is true is the fact that difference societies have different moral codes.

True The main argument used in support of cultural relativism is the fact that societies disagree about the morality of certain actions. This is supposed to show that there is no universal moral truth which applies to everyone across societies.

In Aquinas's view, the basic precepts of the natural law can never be changed.

True- Aquinas thought that since human nature and God's wisdom is unchanging, the basic precepts of the natural law based on them cannot be changed. The human laws that specify how to live out the natural law in determinate situations can change with changes in these situations.

According to a 2017 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, there is a 20% chance increase in risk for breast cancer for those who take/have taken hormonal contraceptive pills

True- Long before 2017 doctors have had some awareness of the cancer risk posed by birth control pills.The news anchor in the video about the study shared that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago, the two questions she was asked were does your family have a history of cancer and have you ever taken hormonal contraceptives.

Some people who are pro-choice (i.e. they believe that abortion is a morally acceptable choice for a woman to make) also believe that the fetus which will be aborted has value and worth.

True- Yes, some do hold this position. As discussed in the lecture and the BBC arguments in favor of abortion, those who hold this view think that the woman's right to self-determination and to control her body outweigh the rights and value of the fetus.

Avarice is the excessive acquisition or retaining of money or possessions. It involves trusting in money or possessions for happiness or security

True- avarice is greed

During a sexual encounter, the human brain releases powerful chemicals that bond two people together on an emotional level. These chemicals are released in causal sex regardless of whether the people know each other or not.

True.

The story included this advice: If you are not a happy person, act happy. Happiness will come after.

True.

Aristotle thought that all three of the types of friendship include good will.

True. Good will is a basic criteria for any friendship. Pleasure and utility friendships include good will but the reason the friend wills good to other other is because of what he will get for himself from the other.

To apply the utilitarian theory to real life situations, it is necessary to be able to weigh the comparative value of intellectual and sense pleasures.

True. If we are to apply utilitarianism to concrete situations we must be able to judge which action would promote the most happiness. When calculating what outcome constitutes the most happiness we must know how to measure or weigh different types of pleasure against each other.

Sandel agrees with Kant's idea that there are some goods that are corrupted or devalued when they are given a market price. Correct!

True. One of Sandel's central theses in the article is that not all goods can be treated as commodities which can be sold because this degrades them. Sandel states that there are some goods that cannot be "properly valued" in economic terms (i.e. in terms of a price in a monetary currency).

According to Kantian morality, even heinous criminals retain human dignity. Kantians believe it is wrong to use even a violent criminal as means to save innocent people.

True. The German reporter interviewed in the BBC interview expressed and defended this perspective.

According to the BBC interview, in Germany it is illegal for the police to threaten a criminal with torture even if such a threat will yield information that saves lives.

True. The video describes the case of a Frankfurt police chief who was prosecuted for threatening a kidnapper with torture in order to try to save his victim's life.

Which of the following was the point of the "utility monster" objection to utilitarianism?

Utilitarians, can lead to injustices because it claims that it does not matter how happiness is distributed among people. Only the total sum of happiness matters. Utilitarian could justify an action which leads to one person being extraordinarily happy, while all others are suffering. The "utility monster" thought experiment shows that if, thinking hypothetically, there were a being which could experience really high levels of happiness the greatest total happiness might involve that being having all happiness, while others have none. This shows that the utilitarian thesis that only the greatest total happiness matters is problematic. When thinking about what the best course of action is, we ought to care about how the happiness or unhappiness it produces is distributed, rather than just its total amount.

How does Mill respond to the objection that sometimes we do not have enough time to weigh all of the factors which utilitarians say are necessary to consider for evaluating whether an act is right or wrong?

We can rely on the general rules for action which humans before us have figured out and handed down. \ Mill believes that by reflecting on actions and their consequences over time, the human race as come to certain general moral rules (e.g. do not lie) which we can follow as guides to what actions usually produce the greatest happiness. We don't have to weigh all of the consequences every time we act ourselves because we can use these rules.

If you are in a difficult situation and trying to figure out whether you should take a certain course of action, what would Kant say you should think about?

Would I want to live in a world where everyone acted the way that I am considering acting? Does this action respect other people as ends or does it involve using another person simply as a means to my ends The two correct answers are two different tests which Kant provides for determining what one's duties are. The first answer is close to what Aristotle might suggest and the second answer is what Mill would suggest.

What is a habit? (You may mark more than one answer.)

a state of character acquired through action traits of people that make it easy for them to act in certain ways Habits are traits that we acquire through repeatedly performing certain actions. Once a habit is developed it is easy to perform the relevant action again. No one is born with habits. They are acquired through action. It is challenging, but you can work to change your habits by avoiding certain habitual actions or replacing them with new actions.

Which of the following were noted in the chapter as consequences of viewing pornography

addiction quickly results for a large percentage of viewers "normal" sex loses its appeal to the viewer and more perverse or brutal pornography is required to arouse the viewer

Which of the following are duties that Kant thinks that human beings have?

all of these are duties which Kant thinks humans have: keep promises preserve our lives cultivate our talents help those in need In the second assigned reading from Kant's primary texts, he explains how these four duties are derivable from his two tests for duty (i.e. the two versions of the categorical imperative).

What is the vice of vainglory?

an excessive desire for the recognition and approval of others

Why is lust a vice

because it reduces sex to its physical dimension and takes it out of the context of a relationship to another person / to future generations

What advice does the Rabbi give to the father-in-law?

become a flatterer for 8 days

In his letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King mentions which of the following injustices suffered by African Americans?

bombings of homes and churches police brutality refused access to hotels and amusement parks questionable methods used to prevent voter registration

How does Aquinas think we can know which actions are moral or immoral?

by using reason to reflect on our natural instincts Aquinas thinks that God has revealed some moral laws to human beings (e.g. the 10 commandments). But he thinks that people who have no knowledge of these commandments or those who existed before these were revealed could know what actions were right or wrong by using reason to think about what courses of action best fulfilled human beings natural instincts.

Which of the following does the author of Glittering Vices suggest as a remedy for sloth?

commiting ourselves to daily practices and discipline even when we don't feel like it seeing love as an ongoing choice and commitment, rather than a feeling

Which of the following are guidelines discussed in Glittering Vices to determine whether you are enjoying food in an moderate or virtuous way?

consider whether your eating choice are contributing to your overall health think about whether your food or eating choices are in any way harming the good of others

Which of the following did Aquinas identify as instincts of the human being which can be reflected upon to arrive at precepts of the natural law?

desire to know trith desire to live in society desire to preserve one's life

Which of the following are the good or virtuous opposites of sloth? (You may choose more than one answer.)

diligence Obeying God's command to rest on the Sabbath and finding one's rest in God alone

What is the first precept of the natural law according to Aquinas?

do good and avoid evil Aquinas says that "Do good and avoid evil" is the first precept of the natural law. Whenever we do any action that fits with the natural law, we are also "doing good and avoiding evil." So, by following every other precept, we are following the most foundational precept of "do good, avoid evil."

What is the difference between envy and covetousness? (Choose all correct answers.)

envy has to do more with internal qualities which give a person worth, honor, and status that with things the envious person is just as concerned with her rival not having a good as she is with having the good for herself

Natural law describes human beings' participation in which other type of law:

eternal -Aquinas believed that human beings participate in the natural law more perfectly than any other creature since we can understand the instincts God gives us in the eternal law and we can choose to fulfill them in good ways.

Mill thinks that when deciding whether it would be moral to do a certain action, the agent should consider only how the action would impact his or her own personal happiness.

false- According to Mill, actions are right or wrong based on whether they produce the greatest total happiness. The agent must consider everyone who would be impacted by the action. The agent can give no special preference to his or her own happiness or the happiness of family/friends

According to Mill, there are some actions (e.g. killing innocent people) that are always wrong no matter what.

false- According to utilitarianism, any action can be morally justified if has the consequence of producing the greatest total happiness.

Kant believes that any action can be morally permissible as long as the agent doing the action has good intentions.

false- Kant believes that for an action to be morally right it must conform with the moral law/duty. In Kant's view certain actions, such as lying, are violations of the moral law/duty and these actions should never be done

When you have a different position than someone else on a controversial moral issue, it is not a good idea to express points upon which you agree because then others listening to the debate will become confused about what your views really are.

false-According to the reading "Tips for Respectful and Productive Dialogue," it is a good idea to express points of agreement when you have different positions because "we need to see each other as working together to come to a shared understanding of each other's perspectives and as partners working together for solutions that will promote the common good of our society."

Which virtue is apposed to avarice

generosity

Sandel believes that the extension of the market into aspects of life beyond material goods has the following consequence?

greater inequality between the rich and the poor Sandel believes that as more and more aspects of our society are put up for sale (e.g. private education, hospitals) there will be a greater gap between the rich and the poor. The poor who cannot afford much will not be able to purchase what the rich can afford.

The video "What does science have to say about the pre-born" shared which of the following information:

heart surgery can be performed on unborn embryos at week 6 an unborn embryo has a brain and brain waves can be detected at week 8 every organ is present and finger prints begin to form

Which of the following is the main topic of Michael Sandel's article?

how the practice of buying and selling is entering into nearly every aspect of our lives Sandel's primary concern in the article is to examine how the practice of buying and selling through markets has reached far beyond material goods in our society. We sell many non-material goods (e.g. spaces in lines, medical care, education) in way that has not been seen in earlier times. Sandel would like to initiate a discussion about whether this is a good idea.

According to Mill what should be the goal of everything we do in life?

increasing the total happiness of everyone who is affected by our actions Mill believes that to be living well we must aim to promote the total happiness of everyone, not just ourselves or our relatives' happiness.

The author of Glittering Vices offers the following remedies for envy:

invest ourselves in activities in which everyone enjoys a good thing together without there being winners or losers (e.g. going on a hike, enjoying music or art) work on diminishing the vice of vainglory by doing small acts of kindness for those with little status

Which of the following is an objection to the utilitarian theory?

it allows individuals to be harmed or killed for the sake of overall happiness The utilitarian theory is not concerned only with the agent's happiness. Rather it is concerned with increasing the total happiness of everyone. The utilitarian believes that we should not give preference to family and friends in our actions. The utilitarian cares about intellectual pleasures as well as sensual pleasures.

Which of the following are true statements about eternal law?

it applies to all livng creatures God guides creatures to what is good for them Aquinas thinks that the instincts that living organisms have to do the actions that are good for them is God's eternal law imprinted on them. It applies to all living creatures--not just humans. The third answer describes divine law

Which best describes the status of the embryo at the moment of conception

it is a unique organism of the human speccies From the moment of conception, the unborn embryo is a member of the human species. It is not like human eggs, sperms or tissue cells because it is a complete organism that can mature into an adult member of the species. It has its own unique DNA (i.e. its DNA differs from the mother's). These are matters of scientific fact, rather than religious opinion

According to chapter 8, why is sex such a big deal and why is approaching it virtuously so important for human flourishing?

it is the act that bonds two people together into a "one-flesh" union It is the act by which new human beings come into existence

Which of the following best describes chastity?

keeping the good of sex ordered to love and the good of the whole person

Which of the following are components of Aquinas's definition of law?

made by one who has care of community in ordinance of reason Aquinas defines law as: "an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community, and promulgated."

Which of the following are claims that Aristotle makes about virtue?

mean of two extremes acquired by repeatedly performing virtous actions to meet the criteria for possessing a certain virtur an agent must take pleasure in doing the actions associated with this virtue Aristotle denies that there is a virtue for every single action or feeling. Some actions, such as adultery, and feelings, such as spite, are always wrong. There is no "mean" or virtuous way to perform these actions or feel these feelings.

Which of the following philosopher's believe that only the consequences of an action matter when determining whether the action is morally right or morally wrong?

mill- Mill defends the theory called utilitarianism. Utilitarians believe that what matters for determining whether an action is right or wrong is whether the action produces the greatest sum of pleasure.

Why did Aquinas think that God must reveal a law to human beings in addition to natural law?

people can have doubts about the natural law and whether they have reasoned correctly to its precepts the natural law does not give humans knowledge of what is spiritually good for them The divine law is the last topic discussed inthe lecture before the conclusion

Which of the following are forms the vice of gluttony can take on? (Check all that apply.)

requiring food to be prepared just a particular way in order to enjoy it eating without paying any attention to whether others around you at the meal have enough food (e.g taking seconds before everyone else has been served) demanding to only eat certain foods even when one's health or allergies do not demand this excessively seeking foods that give a feeling of fullness (e.g. heavy foods high in fat and carbs) eating snacks to get a quick pleasure whenever you feel down, tired, stressed, or anxious

What are virtues according to Aristotle?

states of character which allow a person to feel and act well Aristotle rejects that virtues are feelings or capacities. Rather, virtues are states of a person or ways he or she is which allow him or her to act well through his or her capacities and to feel feelings in the appropriate way.

What event in the story marked a turning point in the father-in-law's life by exciting a desire to change his character?

striking his son-in-law in a fit of rage over an unreturned pen

which of the following is a common good

the peace which exists in a country Common goods are goods which can be shared in by multiple people without being diminished. The pizza pie is not a common good because the more people who have a slice, the less there is for everyone. Similarly, my house is such that if I am living in it, then another family cannot also make it there home. The library book also cannot be shared as a common good. If one person has it checked out, others cannot use it. Peace is truly a common good because in a country which is at peace new people can move in and enjoy that peace without there being less peace for the other citizens.

According to Mill which of the following pleasure is higher than the rest of the options?

the pleasure of learning and understanding a challenging idea Mill says that intellectual pleasures are higher than physical pleasures

What point was the example of the Tuskegee medical experiment supposed to illustrate?

the utilitarian theory would justify doing harm to innocent people if doing so would produce the greatest happiness The Tuskegee experiment illustrates a case in which some people are permitted to suffer by not being given treatment for their illness so that knowledge can be gained which will contribute to producing the greatest happiness.

What does the term "hedonism" mean?

the view that pleasure is the highest good or the ultimate value in life

According to Aquinas, what is the reason for why the seven capital vices are the main sources of vice?

they have to do with the things which are most attractive to human beings-- they seem to promise us a shortcut for complete happiness The seven capital vices aim at goods, such as food, sex, and glory. These goods are very attractive to humans, so we can easily become excessively attached to them under the false pretense that these goods can make us completely happy or satisfied.

What is the main goal of pro-life feminists?

to change society so that women do not need to choose between their children and reaching their education and career goals Here is a quote from the reading "Why pro-life feminism is more important now than ever":"We began by listening to women and working with stakeholders on both sides of a contentious debate. We then developed a strategic plan and program components with this goal: that women would not be forced to choose between sacrificing their education and career plans and sacrificing their children

Envy is not just about wanting what another person has. It also has to do with comparing yourself to another, feeling your inferiority, and wanting what the other has to feel superior.

true

According to US law, individual states can outlaw third trimester abortions

true- Roe v. Wade allows states to outlaw abortions once the fetus is viable ( which R. v W. assumed happened in the third trimester) because states can take an interest in protecting unborn life.

The author suggests that those who struggle with lust should seek trusted friends in a community to keep each other accountable

true- suggestion that lust thrives in privacy and isolation

Which of the following are antidotes suggested in "Glittering Vices" as a remedy for vainglory? (Check all that apply.)

try to let our actions speak for themselves by being silent instead of trying to justify, explain and defend our actions when we suspect others are critical refelct at the end of the day on how much time and energy we devote to enhacing our image or calling attention to ourselves to gain others' approval fasting from advertising and shopping that is aimed at re-fashioning our image with superficial goods

According to MLK, which group posed the biggest stumbling block toward African Americans achievement of social equality

white people who care more about order and avoiding tensions than achieving justice

Aristotle thought that friendships of pleasure are most common among which type of people:

young Aristotle thought that these types of friendship were most common among the young. This was noted in the first video and Aristotle writes on pg.2 of our reading: "On the other hand the friendship of young people seems to aim at pleasure; for they live under the guidance of emotion, and pursue above all what is pleasant to themselves and what is immediately before them."