Ethics Chapter 2

27. The study of ethics dates back to the time of __________, who faced an unjust death penalty rather than take advantage of an opportunity to flee into exile with his family.

Socrates

57. Two philosophers closely associated with utilitarianism are a) Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. b) Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham. c) Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. d) John Stuart Mill and John Rawls. e) Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Rawls.

a) Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

58. Utilitarianism is an example of a) a consequentialist theory. b) the social contract theory. c) a non-consequentialist theory. d) a practical implementation of the divine command theory. e) a relativistic theory.

a) a consequentialist theory.

69. According to Aristotle, deriving pleasure from a virtuous act is a sign that you a) have developed the virtue. b) have not yet developed the virtue. c) are egotistical. d) are hedonistic. e) have not done enough good deeds lately.

a) have developed the virtue.

59. The problem of moral luck is raised as a criticism of a) the divine command theory. b) act utilitarianism. c) rule utilitarianism. d) cultural relativism. e) Kantianism.

b) act utilitarianism.

51. Ethical egoism is a) not based on reason or logic. b) based on determining long-term beneficial consequences. c) the divine command theory by another name. d) Kantianism by another name. e) utilitarianism by another name.

b) based on determining long-term beneficial consequences.

43. According to James Moor, taking "the ethical point of view" means a) abiding by your religious beliefs. b) deciding that other people and their core values are worthy of your respect. c) choosing to sacrifice your own good for the good of someone else. d) putting self-interest above the interests of everyone else. e) refusing to accept help from other people.

b) deciding that other people and their core values are worthy of your respect.

50. Which of the following is an argument in favor of the divine command theory? a) The divine command theory is not based on reason. b) It is fallacious to equate "the good" with "God." c) God is all-knowing. d) Some moral problems are not addressed directly in scripture. e) The Bible has contradictory moral teachings.

c) God is all-knowing.

37. We call utilitarianism a ______________ theory, because it focuses on the consequences of an action.

consequentialist

33. The theory that each person should focus exclusively on his or her own self-interest is called ________________.

ethical egoism

41. An absolute right is a right that ___________________.

is guaranteed without exception

46. The theory that morality exists outside the human mind is called _____________.

objectivism

25. Ethics is the ________ of morality.

philosophical study

29. The theory that people decide for themselves what is right and wrong is called _____________.

subjective relativism

32. The logical error of trying to equate two things that are similar is called _____________.

the equivalence fallacy

43. John Rawls proposed the difference principle, that says any social and economic equalities must be "to the greatest benefit of _______________."

the least-advantaged members of society

38. Thomas Hobbes argued that everyone living in a civilized society has implicitly agreed to two things: (1) establishment of moral rules to govern relations among citizens, and (2) a government capable of enforcing these rules. Hobbes calls this arrangement ________________.

the social contract.

36. According to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, an action is right (or wrong) to the extent that it increases (or decreases) ______________.

the total happiness of the affected parties

26. Ethics is focused on the _________, moral choices people make.

voluntary

47. A relativist claims that a) there are no universal moral principles. b) morality has an existence outside the human mind. c) morality and law are identical. d) there is no such thing as free will. e) God does not exist.

a) there are no universal moral principles.

54. According to Kant, the moral value of an action depends upon a) its consequences. b) the underlying moral rule. c) how closely it aligns with Biblical teachings. d) how closely it aligns with the law. e) the extent to which it produces happiness.

b) the underlying moral rule.

45. Rules of conduct describing what people ought and ought not to do in various situations are called a) denominations. b) ideals. c) morality. d) philosophy. e) virtues.

c) morality.

34. Immanuel Kant concluded that the only thing in the world that can be called good without qualification is ___________

good will

15. Describe similarities and differences between subjective relativism and ethical egoism.

Both theories allow the individual to define morality for himself. Ethical egoism differs in that it encourages a person to make the decision that will provide maximum benefit to oneself. Subjective relativism does not have that measure.

17. Describe similarities and differences between social contract theory and cultural relativism.

Both theories allow the peoples that are beneath the rule to develop their own ethics depending on their culture and their needs. Relativistic theory: Cultural relativism theorizes that the meaning of right and wrong rests with a societies moral guidelines. These guidelines very from place region and time. Objective theory: Social contract theory holds that logical people decide which sets of moral rules should govern their society and then establish a power to enforce those rules.

16. Describe similarities and differences between rule utilitarianism and social contract theory.

Both theories compare the effects of a decision on a larger scale: the effects of all involved Rule utilitarianism rules on the basis of increasing the total good. The social contract theory looks at Weser or not rational people would collectible accept it as binding because of the resulting benefits of the community.

12. Decide if you agree or disagree with the following statement: "If everyone were moral, there would be no need for ethics." Explain why you believe the statement is true or false.

Bs

13. Decide if you agree or disagree with the following statement: "If each individual decides what is right or wrong for himself or herself, then the study of ethics is meaningless." Explain why you believe the statement is true or false.

Bs

19. Imagine using the question "What would Jesus do?" as your principal guide to moral decisionmaking. Describe the similarities and differences between this philosophy and virtue ethics.

Bs.

20. Can moral problems be solved in a completely algorithmic way, by following a fixed sequence of unambiguous, logical steps? Justify your answer.

Bs.

28. __________ is the theory that there are no universal moral norms of right and wrong.

Relativism

18. Why is it inaccurate to say that utilitarianism means "the most good for the most people?"

The most good of the most people ascribes to distributive justice, which is often at odds with utilitarianism.

48. Objectivism is based on the idea that a) there are no universal moral principles. b) morality has an existence outside the human mind. c) morality and law are identical. d) there is no such thing as free will. e) God does not exist.

b) morality has an existence outside the human mind.

63. A right that another can guarantee by leaving you alone to exercise the right is called a a) positive right. b) negative right. c) absolute right. d) limited right. e) proverbial right.

b) negative right.

49. The divine command theory is an example of a) relativism. b) objectivism. c) egoism. d) existentialism. e) materialism

b) objectivism.

62. An early proponent of the social contract was a) Jeremy Bentham. b) John Stuart Mill. c) Jean-Jacque Rousseau. d) Karl Marx. e) John Brown.

c) Jean-Jacque Rousseau.

52. Which of the following is an argument in favor of ethical egoism? a) Ethical egoism is supported by verses in the Bible. b) People are naturally altruistic. c) The community can benefit when individuals put their well-being first. d) It is not true that people naturally act in their own long-term self-interest. e) Ethical egoism treats all persons as moral equals.

c) The community can benefit when individuals put their well-being first.

55. According to the second formulation of the Categorical Imperative, a) the moral worth of a person depends upon that person's actions. b) one good turn deserves another. c) bad deeds should be punished. d) it is wrong for one person to "use" another. e) the moral worth of a person depends upon that person's intentions.

d) it is wrong for one person to "use" another.

68. According to Aristotle, moral virtue results from a) a good education. b) living a long life. c) a happy marriage and loving family. d) repetition of the appropriate acts. e) All of the above.

d) repetition of the appropriate acts.

31. The theory that good actions are those aligned with the will of God is called the _______________

divine command theory

40. A positive right is a right that obligates others to _____________.

do something for someone

46. Ethics is a) a rational examination of people's moral beliefs. b) a branch of philosophy. c) one way to determine which activities are "good" and which are "bad." d) a field of study more than 2,000 years old. e) All of the above

e) All of the above

53. According to Kant, our sense of "ought to" is called a) necessity. b) insecurity. c) paranoia. d) love. e) dutifulness.

e) dutifulness.

44. An association of people organized under a system of rules designed to advance the good of its members over time is called a a) business. b) constitution. c) government. d) monopoly. e) society.

e) society.

39. A negative right is a right that another person can guarantee by ____________.

leaving the person alone

44. In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle writes that happiness results from__________.

living a life of virtue.

42. A limited right is a right that __________________.

may be restricted based on the circumstances

35. Kant said we should act only from moral rules that we can at the same time will to be universal moral laws. He also said we should act so that we always treat ourselves and other people as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end. Kant called these duties _______________________.

the Categorical Imperative.

45. According to Aristotle, deriving pleasure from a virtuous act is a sign that ________________.

you have acquired that virtue

56. The Principle of Utility is also called a) the Categorical Imperative. b) the Difference Principle. c) the Greatest Happiness Principle. d) the Social Contract. e) the Ten Commandments.

c) the Greatest Happiness Principle.

21. Do you take both moral rules and anticipated consequences into account when making moral decisions? If so, give an example of how taking both rules and consequences into account leads to a better decision. If not, explain why using a single approach leads to a better decision.

Bs.

64. A right that is guaranteed without exception is called a a) positive right. b) negative right. c) absolute right. d) limited right. e) proverbial right.

c) absolute right.

14. Explain the difference between relativism and objectivism.

Objectivism asserts that morality has existence outside the human mind. Relativism asserts there are no universal norms of right and wrong.

60. Utilitarianism does not mean "the greatest good of the greatest number" because a) it is impossible to calculate "the greatest good." b) it focuses solely on "the greatest good" and pays no attention to how "the good" is distributed. c) some people have no moral worth. d) it is impossible to maximize "the good" without ruining the environment. e) All of the above

b) it focuses solely on "the greatest good" and pays no attention to how "the good" is distributed.

30. The theory that the meaning of "right" and "wrong" rests with a society's actual moral guidelines is called _____________.

cultural relativism

65. The idea that social and economic inequalities must be to the greatest benefit of the leastadvantaged members of society is called a) capitalism. b) communism. c) socialism. d) utilitarianism. e) the difference principle.

e) the difference principle.

61. Thomas Hobbes called life without rules and a means of enforcing them a) utopia. b) anarchy. c) democracy. d) communism. e) the state of nature

e) the state of nature

67. A character trait that prevents a human being from flourishing or become truly happy is called a a) fatal attraction. b) inverse virtue. c) negative virtue. d) tragic flaw. e) vice.

e) vice.

66. Modern writers often refer to moral virtues as a) intellectual virtues. b) philosophical virtues. c) psychological virtues. d) social virtues. e) virtues of character.

e) virtues of character.

47. According to social contract theory, we have a _________ obligation to obey the law

prima facie