PHL 444

True or False: All deontological theories are rights-based theories.

False

True or False: All ethical theories that talk about duties posit rights that correspond to those duties.

False

True or False: All human beings are considered to be autonomous.

False

True or False: All rights theorists believe that, of living organisms, only human beings have rights.

False

True or False: According to the reading [internet encyclopedia of philosophy], all human rights can be reduced to, or are exclusively identified with, legal rights.

False

True or False: According to physician interviewed for the the video/transcript you were provided, genetic testing results are self-explanatory and can be acted on immediately if needed.

False

Which of the following is/are NOT concerns raised in lecture about Rachels' position on euthanasia [choose ALL that apply; there will be at least one answer, and there MAY be more than one]. - We may think that there are values other than good or bad consequences that should be considered when we think about the morality of euthanasia -Rachel thinks that passive euthanasia is always and immoral action -Rachel's way of thinking might lead us to think that involuntarily euthanizing people is the right thing to do -Rachel thinks that all euthanasia is the right thing to do

-Rachel thinks that passive euthanasia is always an immoral action -Rachel thinks that all euthanasia is murder

Which of the following factors would be considered by an act utilitarian in determining whether it is moral for Chris to purchase and use a private DNA testing kit from a company like 23andMe? Please choose all answers that apply (there may be more than one). -The test may suggest that Chris' beliefs that his parents are his biological parents is incorrect -Using the test would involve treating DNA researchers only as means to an end -Chris' purchase may contribute to the growth of the company that makes the testing kit, ensuring new jobs for their local community -The test may violate the privacy rights of some of Chris' genetic relatives, who may not want him to know about their ethnic backgrounds. -The test may suggest that Chris go to his doctor for further testing as he's at high risk for colon cancer -The test may uncover distant relatives with whom Chris has had no previous contact

-The test may suggest that Chris' beliefs that his parents are his biological parents is incorrect -Chris' purchase may contribute to the growth of the company that makes the testing kit, ensuring new jobs for their local community -The test may suggest that Chris go to his doctor for further testing as he's at high risk for colon cancer -The test may uncover distant relatives with whom Chris has had no previous contact

Imagine a case in which a patient, Alex, refuses medications which would delay his death from cancer. Let's say that the physician agrees to do as Alex requests and doesn't prescribe these medications. Which of the following is/are accurate representation/s of Sullivan's response/s to this situation? (choose any / all that apply; there may be more than one answer)

-if alex is refusing the medication so as to hasten his own death, Sullivan would say that Alex is morally wrong to do so -Let's say that the physician has agreed to withhold medications on Alex's request becasue she, the physician believes Alex will die more quickly that way and thus suffer less. While Rachels would think the physican is doing the ethically correct thing, Sullivan would think that she's not behaving ethically.

Which of the following does Sullivan think are potential criteria for judging a treatment to be considered extraordinary? (Please choose ALL that apply; there may be more than one answer). -treatment is burdensomely expensive -treatment provides minimal or no benefit for the patient's condition -removal of the treatment would cause the instanteous death of the patient -there is no other treatment available for this disease

-treatment is burdensomely expensive -treatment provides minimal or no benefit for the patient's condition

True or False: According to the Roy reading, Kantian philosophy is a kind of consequentialism.

False

True or False: According to the cloning reading, Kantian philosophy is a kind of consequentialism.

False

When Rachel talks about the pain and suffering of someone dying of throat cancer, he is making which of the following types of ethical argument

A consequentialist argument

When Rachels talks about the pain and suffering of someone dying of throat cancer, he is making which of the following types of ethical argument? [choose the one best answer]

A consequentialist argument

According to lecture which of the following might be the source of rights ? Please choose ALL that apply. -A deity or deities -Laws created by humans or by human society -Social structures (non-political, non-legal ones) -Something inherent in human beings (something about the fact of being human confers rights)

ALL

According to the Human Genome Research Institute, which of the following may contribute to the risk of disease/illness? Please choose all that apply. -Genetics -Environmental exposures -Diet -Lifestyle

ALL

A carpenter is in the later stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Her spouse, who works as a children's book editor, has a standing barbiturate prescription for the treatment of her hand tremor (she has a neurological condition that makes her hands tremble most of the time, which makes editing different). The carpenter asks her spouse to stash away enough barbiturate that she can take it when the ALS has progressed to the point of leaving her wheelchair bound. Her spouse does, and the carpenter takes the overdose and dies peacefully at home.

Active, Voluntary euthanasia

True or False: According to the principle of justice, the ONLY way to distribute health care goods is by giving everyone the same goods in the same amounts.

False

I'm going to give you some information here which you should take to be true. Then I'm going to ask you a true/false question. Your answer to this question should only reference the true/false question - it does not need to evaluate the information I've given you. Information There is an ethical theory called egoism. The theory of ethical egoism is the idea that, to be ethical, a person should choose the action that has the most good consequences for him/her/themselves. Question True or False: Ethical egoism is the same as Act Utilitarianism

False

I'm going to give you some information that you can take as accurate/correct. I'm then going ask you to asssess statement based on that information as true or false. Information: "Brain death is defined as the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem. The three essential findings [that means, three things that result from the irreversible loss of all brain function] in brain death are coma, absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnoea [not breathing]" Question: True or False: At the end of her article, Dr. Zitter describes the deaths of three different "Code Death" patients. Given what happens to each after removal of life-support, all three patients were probably brain dead (by definition above) prior to removal of life-support.

False

Imagine that I go to the store to buy a quart of milk and some almonds. I take the milk and nuts to the cash-register and ask the clerk for a paper bag. In the midst of the transaction, the store manager stops by and tells the clerk that his paycheck has been left in his mailbox for him. I am little tired, so I don't make small talk, but after I pay, I thank the clerk. I then leave with my groceries. True or False: Kant would say that I've done something immoral since I've used that clerk as a means to an end (getting milk).

False

James Rachels thinks that in all cases, voluntary active euthanasia is more ethical than voluntary passive euthanasia

False

Let's say that, ethically, murder is defined as unjustified killing of one person by another person or persons (this is how we legally distinguish murder from self-defense or justifiable homicide). Therefore, it must be true that all killing is, ethically speaking, murder.

False

True or False: Consequentialists never consider feelings/emotions

False

True or False: Genetic testing results do not require interpretation.

False

True or False: Growth Attenuation Therapy is used to help kids who might not reach a typical height (who will be "too short" as adults) to grow taller, to a more typical or acceptable height.

False

True or False: If you test positive for an inherited genetic disease, it means that you will inevitably develop that disease.

False

True or False: James Rachels thinks that in all cases, voluntary active euthanasia is more ethical than voluntary passive euthanasia.

False

True or False: Kant thinks that it is never morally allowable to use other people as means to an end.

False

True or False: Kantians identify rights to determine how to act ethically.

False

True or False: Most people agree that every instance of killing is, and should be called, "murder."

False

True or False: Newborn genetic testing is the same as (the same person receives the test, and the test provides the same information and should be used in the same way) as Carrier genetic testing.

False

True or False: One problem with act utilitarianism is that it doesn't take into account ethics or morals.

False

True or False: Rachels primary argument in favor of active euthanasia for an infant with an intestinal defect and Down syndrome is that the infant has a right to die.

False

True or False: Rachels uses the example of the baby with Down syndrome to show that all people with intellectual disabilities should be euthanized.

False

True or False: Relativism is the idea that you adopt the morals that your relatives taught you.

False

True or False: Rule utilitarianism and Kantianism are the same ethical theory because they both rely on rules (maxims)

False

True or False: Sullivan thinks that Rachels' distinction between active and passive euthanasia is not morally relevant and covers up the important moral distinction between intended and unintended consequences of medical actions.

False

True or False: Sullivan thinks there's no moral difference between the following two situations: 1) giving someone more morphine for the purposes of relieving that person's pain, which accidentally shuts down their respiration, which in turn eventually kills the patient 2) giving someone morphine for the purposes of killing them by shutting down their respiration, in the hopes that death will result in the patient's pain being relieved.

False

True or False: The AMA position provides proof that in fact all people always think of death as the greatest evil (bad thing that could happen).

False

True or False: The Human Genome Project has made available the DNA sequence of a single, anonymous, person.

False

True or False: The point of the Smith/Jones examples in James Rachels' arguments is to show that active euthanasia is always morally/ethically better than passive euthanasia.

False

True or False: The principle of autonomy states that health care workers should only treat children (for example, for an infection) if the child wants to be treated.

False

True or False: The principle of beneficence is that we as health care workers should do no harm to patients.

False

True or False: The results of private genetic testing have no implications for anyone other than the person who has been tested.

False

True or False: We do not use religion as the basis of moral argument in this class, because religious beliefs and preferences do not influence people's moral decision-making, nor do they tell us anything about people's moral thinking.

False

True or False? Act utilitarians determine whether an action is right or wrong depending on whether someone's rights have been violated.

False

True or false: Active euthanasia is the same as involuntary euthanasia

False

Using the definition of "euthanasia" that was used in lecture, answer the following. True or False: In the Smith and Jones argument, both Smith and Jones are commiting euthanasia.

False

Act utilitarians determine that an action is immoral by adding up all of the action's potential harms/bad consequences/unhappinesses and comparing those to only the harms of other possible actions (including the possibility of no action).

False (they also need to look at the potential benefits/goods/happinesses from the action that's being considered

True or False: One can conclude that James Rachels believes that babies born with both Down syndrome and a related intestinal obstruction should be allowed to die of the obstruction rather than having the obstruction fixed.

False Good! Just to reiterate: This is wrong for a number of reasons: first, he clearly thinks that causing this kind of suffering (letting a baby "wither away") is wrong. Moreover, he doesn't say whether he thinks it's wrong or not - he just says that letting the baby die is using an irrelevant fact about the baby (the obstruction) determine whether the baby should die, if the real issue is the question of whether the baby's life is worth saving. In other words, he doesn't say whether he thinks that such a baby's life is worth saving. What he says is that if you think it is, then the fact that it has an obstruction shouldn't matter (it should be removed); if you think the baby's life isn't valuable, then you shouldn't just be sort of crossing your fingers and hoping the baby will have some kind of medical condition that will let you let it die.If you have questions about this, please talk to me.

True or False: There's no difference between a Living Will and a Last Will and Testament.

False The former is to help determine what should happe if you're incapacitated (medically speaking) and unable to make decisions; the latter is for disposition of property, care for your dependents and so on after you have died

True or False: James Rachels thinks the AMA position on passive euthanasia proves that all people always think of death as the greatest evil (bad thing that could happen).

False This is false. See "The reason why it is considered bad to be the cause of someone's death is that death is regarded as a great evil - and so it is. However, if it has been decided that euthanasia - even passive euthanasia - is desirable in a given case, it has also been decided that in this instance death is no greater an evil than the patient's continued existence." Keep in mind that the AMA has said that sometimes passive euthanasia is okay - so per Rachels, that means sometimes we do think death is a better option or at least less of an evil. Besides, anytime you see "never" or "always" in a quiz in this course - just like real life - be wary.

We do not use religion as the basis of moral argument in this class, because religious beliefs and preferences do not influence people's moral decision-making, nor do they tell us anything about people's moral thinking.

False. This statement is false for two reasons: 1) The main reason we don't use religious arguments in this class is that I want you to be able to convince other people that your ethical positions have merit, or may be an improvement over theirs, even if they don't share your religious beliefs. 2) Religion DOES tell us a lot about morality. Even if you don't believe in some particular religion, or any religion, looking at religion both in terms of what religions identify as moral behavior and what both similarities and difference in religions can help us understand about what's sometimes called "human nature."

Which of the following questions is NOT correctly paired with the "type" of question it is? [This is a hard question, because as you know, these types aren't simple. Pleasechoose the ONE best answer] -It is impolite to call a person a dork-etiquette question -given the weather, would I be less likely to get my feet wet if I wear boots or sandals today? Ethics question -should I start my letter 'Dear Ms. Wales' or Dear Mrs. Wales: etiquette -Is it morally acceptable for me to pay someone to write my class paper for me?": Ethics

Given the weather would I be less likely to get my feet wet if I wear boots or sandals today?: ethics

Each of the answers below consists of a pair including a position about an issue we've read about and a right which is invoked by some people holding that position. The format of each of these pairs is Position : Relevant Right Which of the following positions and rights are paired incorrectly? [Please choose the one best answer]

Involuntary active euthanasia is ethical; right to choose/autonomous choice

A terminally ill patient in Oregon has run out of treatment options. He has very few weeks left to live. He requests that his physician prescribe lethal medications and assist him in committing suicide when the pain is unbearable. He also requests that his spouse be present to assure his comfort during the dying process.

Physician Assisted, Voluntary Active euthanasia

A woman suffers from severe episodic psychosis (periodically has periods of "hearing and seeing things" (auditory and visual hallucinations), which does not seem to be improved by medications. During one of her lucid periods, she writes a letter asking that she not be put on life support should she have a life-threatening illness. She subsequently has a myocardial infarction (heart attack) that leaves her unconscious with little hope of long-term recovery because her heart has been so badly damaged. The staff and her family decide jointly to not place her on life support.

Physician Assisted, Voluntary, Passive euthanasia

A young basketball player collapses on the court during a big game, the result of a previously undiagnosed blood vessel defect. By the time the ambulence has rushed the player to the hospital many miles away, irreversible brain damage has occurred. The player's mother says, "I know he'd never want to live like a vegetable. He's always been so active; this isn't a life for him. He'd rather be with God, I know it." In view of the significant brain damage and likely multi-organ failure, the health care team and the parent decide to stop life support. The player dies an hour later in the hospital.

Physician assisted, non-voluntary, passive euthanasia

From the NYT article on GAT: "Parents who object to curbing growth prioritize their child's pleasure and comfort but never at the cost of...concerns like bodily integrity and self-determination." (emphasis added). Which of the following most accurately represents the view of these parents? (choose one best answer; more than one answer might look applicable, but pick the one that best represents the parents' views)

These parents place deontological values over increased pleasure in determining how to act

A negative right [also known as a liberty right] corresponds to a duty to not stop the person with the right from trying to obtain that right. In other words if Angel has a negative right to a cookie, Pat's duty is to refrain from stopping Angel from trying to obtain a cookie.

True

In "A Code Death," what Dr. Zitter describes as the procedure for a "Code Death" is more like the procedure of passive, non-voluntary euthanasia than it's like the procedure of active, voluntary euthanasia.

True

In James Rachels' article "Active and passive euthanasia, " the Smith/Jones example illustrates the point that there's no inherent ethical difference between an act of commission (something you've actively done) and an act of omission (something you haven't done) if the intentions and results of both acts (of commission and omission) are the same.

True

True or False: A benefit of Rule Utilitarianism is supposed to be that it helps avoid/resolve the scapegoat problem that may appear when in the use of Act Utilitarianism.

True

True or False: According to the lecture materials, using a person as an end in themselves means considering things including their own lives, what they want to do and who and what is important to them.

True

True or False: In the video/transcript case you were provided, Sara Altschule received her genetic test prior to having any symptoms of breast cancer (or any other disease); this would be considered presymptomatic/predictive testing.

True

True or False: Kant believes that using people as mere means can involve acting on maxims (rules) with respect to another person that that person could not, in principle, agree with.

True

True or False: One critique of the way Act Utilitarians determine whether an action is moral is that there's no objective way to measure one person's happiness or unhappiness against another's, so comparing and/or adding up "happiness and/or unhappiness points" to figure out what course of action will make more people happy is impossible.

True

True or False: One potential criticism of the doctrine of double effect is that it might let people who are naive, illogical, or unable to think into the distance get away with killing people in circumstances in which it seems pretty obvious that one ought to know that harm will result from their actions.

True

True or False: One problem with Sullivan's argument is that it's easy to introduce our personal biases into what counts as "ordinary" treatment vs. what counts as "extraordinary" treatment.

True

True or False: One reason that parents may wish their child to undergo growth attenuation therapy is to make it easier to physically maneuver their offspring (e.g. move them in and out of bed or into/out of a wheelchair).

True

True or False: Passive euthanasia can be voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary.

True

True or False: Removing a patient from life support machinery and medications might be an act of involuntary euthanasia.

True

True or False: Removing a patient from life support machinery and medications might be an act of non-voluntary euthanasia.

True

True or False: Removing a patient from life support machinery and medications might be an act of voluntary euthanasia.

True

True or False: Some natural rights theorists believe that rights are conferred by God (some deity or deities).

True

True or False: Some rights theorists believe that certain non-human living organisms have rights

True

True or False: Thomas Sullivan is arguing that stopping doing something (for example, removing medical care) in order to relieve the suffering (for example, suffering caused by that medical care) may be morally acceptable, but stopping doing that thing ( for example,stopping medical care) in order to hasten the patient's death is not morally acceptable, even if death will relieve the patient's suffering.

True

the doctrine of double effect says that if a person's action has an effect that was NOT intended, the person shouldn't be considered to be responsible for that effect

True

In the FAQ about Genetic Testing reading, the list of benefits and drawbacks provided would be most useful in which of the following ethical analyses? Choose only one best answer.

Utilitarian analyses

Choose the belief associated with "misattributed parentage" (choose the one best answer).

believing that one of the parents who raised you is your genetic parent when in fact they are not (and someone else is)

From the NYT article on GAT: "...parents who back growth attenuation tend to believe that maximizing pleasurable experiences and minimizing unpleasant ones is the best way to serve a child with extreme disabilities." Which best describes the type of ethical approach these parents are engaged in? [choose the one best answer--some may be "okay" but pick the one that's most accurate]

consequentialist thinking