ethics final

A strong moral principle is a principle that always counts as a reason in favor or against a particular action. However, it might be permissible to violate the principle in certain circumstances when it conflicts with another moral principle.

False

According to Aristotle's idea of virtue, it is not possible for someone to be too courageous.

False

According to Aristotle's idea of virtue, it is possible for someone to be too courageous.

False

According to Aristotle, being virtuous is when one exhibits strength of will by overcoming one's bad impulses and doing the right thing.

False

According to Aristotle, eudaimonia (or well-being) is achieved by experiencing a life that contains more happiness than suffering.

False

According to Divine Command Theory, God's commands serve only to inform us about what is right and wrong.

False

According to Kant, there is a list of basic moral rules, none of which are reducible to another.

False

According to Kant, whether or how a feature is morally relevant depends on the context.

False

According to McNaughton and Rawling, one problem with deontological theories is that they cannot account for supererogatory actions.

False

According to Restricted Divine Command Theory, God's makes his commands based on his knowledge of what is good, which is independent from God's nature.

False

According to Ross, our duties can be analyzed in terms of one universal moral rule.

False

According to act-utilitarianism, there are times when we are morally required to act in a way that does not maximize the good.

False

According to act-utilitarianism, we should consider the net utility produced by the moral rules that we adopt.

False

According to consequentialism, an action is morally right if and only if the action is intrinsically good.

False

According to cultural relativism, exploiting young children (e.g. working in life-threatening conditions) is always morally wrong.

False

According to particularism, there is a list of basic moral rules, none of which are reducible to another.

False

According to rule-utilitarianism, we should consider the amount of net utility produced by each individual action.

False

According to virtue theorists, deontological theories focus too much on what kind of person it is best to be.

False

Applied Ethics is the division of ethics that proposes theories for how we ought to act.

False

Aristotle thinks that our emotions cannot be wrong.

False

Being a vegetarian is a character trait.

False

Cultural Relativism - in Ethics - is the view that a person's actions and/or beliefs should be understood in light of that person's own culture, rather than judged according to another culture's criteria.

False

Global Poverty is a topic covered in normative ethics.

False

Hursthouse argues that virtue ethics is not difficult to apply to every-day life. Other theorists are wrong in thinking that virtue ethics is complex.

False

In order to evaluate an argument, we need to first determine whether we agree or disagree with the conclusion.

False

Kant thinks that there are only weak principles that tell us that certain features always count for (or against) whether one ought to act in certain ways.

False

Metaethics is the division of ethics that focuses on particular scenarios or controversial ethical issues that we face in specific areas of our lives.

False

Moral Relativism is the view that the truth of moral statements is absolute, and not based on the traditions, practices, or convictions of an individual or group of individuals.

False

Normative Ethics is the division of Ethics that focuses on the nature of moral judgments.

False

One objection to utilitarianism is that it does not demand enough sacrifice from individuals.

False

One of the three important features of a utilitarian theory of value, according to our text, is that the good is up to each individual to define.

False

One potential problem for Restricted Divine Command Theory is that it includes the idea that God's commands are unnecessary for moral obligations or duties to exist

False

Philosophical method boils down to an exchange of opinions. There isn't any way to determine which ideas are better than others.

False

Restricted Divine Command Theory is an ethical theory that eliminates the role of God's commands as a foundational role in morality.

False

Ross thinks that there are strong moral principles that tell us that we are always required (or forbidden) to act in certain ways.

False

The distinction between a descriptive claim and a normative claim is the same thing as the distinction between a fact and an opinion.

False

The doctrine of the swine objection criticizes utilitarianism for advocating some actions that are - at least intuitively - morally wrong.

False

The theoretical aim of a moral theory is to provide a way to determine what one ought to do when faced with a moral dilemma.

False

Virtue Ethics cannot give guidance on what one ought to do when faced with a moral dilemma.

False

Descriptive Cultural Relativism is the view that there are differences between societies and cultures that can be investigated and described empirically.

True

Hursthouse argues that the complexity of virtue ethics is a good thing because it accurately reflects our experiences in making ethical decisions. It is difficult to do the right thing.

True

If I say an action is merely permissible, I'm stating that it is something that is neither obligatory nor wrong.

True

In order to evaluate an argument, we need to consider two things: the argument's structure, and the truth of the premises.

True

In the early twentieth-century, virtue ethicists had difficulty participating in contemporary debates about applied ethics issues like abortion and euthanasia.

True

Moral Relativism is the view that the truth of moral statements is not absolute, but is relative to the traditions, practices, or convictions of an individual or group of individuals.

True

Normative Ethics is the division of ethics that proposes theories for how we ought to act.

True

One objection to utilitarianism is that its moral demands are too severe.

True

One of the three important features of a utilitarian theory of value, according to our text, is that everyone counts equally. No one's pleasure or pain is more important than anyone else's

True

One of the three important features of a utilitarian theory of value, according to our text, is that something can only be good or bad in virtue of its effects on the lives of individuals.

True

One of the three important features of a utilitarian theory of value, according to our text, is that the good is additive.

True

One potential problem for Restricted Divine Command Theory is that if God does not exist, then morality would not exist either.

True

Restricted Divine Command Theory is an ethical theory that preserves the role of God's commands in morality, but avoids the problems of the Euthyphro Dilemma

True

Ross thinks that there are only weak principles that tell us that certain features always count for (or against) whether one ought to act in certain ways.

True

The doctrine of the swine objection criticizes utilitarianism for considering sensual pleasures to be just as valuable as intellectual pleasures.

True

The method of philosophy involves presenting arguments and evaluating those arguments according to the standards of logic.

True

The theoretical aim of a moral theory is to discover the underlying features of actions that make them right or wrong, good or bad.

True

Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory.

True

Virtue Ethics analyzes right action in terms of what a fully virtuous person would do in those circumstances.

True

Virtue Ethics has been criticized for not being able to provide moral guidance.

True

The Argument from Moral Objectivity for Divine Command Theory claims the following:

Without God, moral rules cannot be objective.

According to Divine Command Theory, it would be wrong for you to kill another individual because

doing so would violate God's command.

An example of an action that is illegal in the U.S., but not immoral is:

driving on the left side of the road.

According to utilitarianism, we can determine what the right action is by calculating net utility. Net utility is calculated by:

subtracting the amount of unhappiness likely to be produced by the action from the amount of happiness likely to be produced by the action.

According to cultural relativism, forcing a child to work in coal mines at the age of 4 is morally wrong in the US today, but is morally permissible in other cultures (e.g. 18th Century England).

True

According to particularism, whether or how a feature is morally relevant depends on the context.

True

According to rule-utilitarianism, we should consider the net utility produced by the moral rules that we adopt.

True

According to virtue theorists, deontological theories do not focus enough on what kind of person it is best to be.

True

An argument, according to the philosophical use of the word, is not one's firmly stated opinion.

True

Anscombe argued that we do not need to find a perfectly virtuous individual in order to know what we ought to do because we all know what a virtuous person would do. He or she would act in accordance with virtues.

True

Aristotle thinks that our emotions can be mistaken.

True

Being a vegetarian is not a character trait.

True

Cultural Relativism - in Ethics - is the view that cultures or societies create moral standards.

True

An example of an agent-neutral duty is:

promoting the good

The end-in-itself formulation of the categorical imperative states the following:

Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a means.

The universal law formulation of the categorical imperative states the following:

Act only according to the maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.

Which of the following is a problem for Cultural Relativism?

All of the above.

Our desires and emotions are part of which part of our soul or psyche according to Aristotle:

Appetitive

Which of the following ideas of virtue as a mean is, according to Rosalind Hursthouse, "not very interesting to modern virtue ethicists?"

Aristotle's idea of the Golden Mean - that every virtue is a mean between two vices.

Which of the following ideas of virtue as a mean is more interesting to contemporary virtue ethicists, according to Rosalind Hursthouse?

Aristotle's idea that virtue is effective at hitting upon the mean in actions and feelings.

A good argument must have the following features:

Both a & b

The following would be a question covered by Metaethics:

Can moral statements be true or false?

Imagine that there is a culture (Culture A) that thinks that it is morally wrong to require a woman to stay at home and care for her children, but Culture B believes that it is a woman's duty to stay at home and care for her children. It is morally wrong for a woman who is part of Culture B to work full-time when she has children, but morally permissible for a woman who is a part of Culture A to do so according to ______________.

Cultural Relativism

Select the branch of philosophy that studies topics like what counts as knowledge as opposed to just belief.

Epistemology

Select the branch of philosophy that studies how we should live and what we ought to do.

Ethics

The Authority of Obligation Argument for Divine Command Theory claims the following:

In order to have moral rules or moral obligations, a divine authority - God - must exist.

Ariana asks Serena whether or not the outfit that she has tried on is flattering. Serena does not want to hurt Ariana's feelings by telling her that it doesn't look very good on her, but Serena thinks that it looks quite bad. In fact it's the worst thing that Ariana has tried on that day - even though it is clear that it is Ariana's favorite. What should Serena do, according to consequentialism?

It is not clear what Serena should do according to consequentialism. It depends on what one values (e.g. how one defines the "best consequences").

Jon has become quite stressed out about the end of the semester and has realized that he has not done nearly enough research to write a good paper on how medieval societies were able to defend themselves against the threat of outside military forces. He does know, though, that his friend Sansa has done this research. He decides to steal Sansa's paper and submit it as his own work. Which of the following is an explanation of why Jon's action was wrong according to the end-in-itself formulation of the categorical imperative?

Jon should not have stolen the paper from Sansa because he is not treating her the way we should treat other rational persons. He is using her knowledge and effort in order to get a better grade for himself rather than considering her as an individual, herself.

Jon has become quite stressed out about the end of the semester and has realized that he has not done nearly enough research to write a good paper on how medieval societies were able to defend themselves against the threat of outside military forces. He does know, though, that his friend Sansa has done this research. He decides to steal Sansa's paper and submit it as his own work. Which of the following is an explanation of why Jon's action was wrong according to the universal law formulation of the categorical imperative?

Jon should not have stolen the paper from Sansa because it is not rational to do so. If he would have considered it fully, he would have realized that he was making an exception for himself. This is not a rule that he would want to be applied universally.

on has become quite stressed out about the end of the semester and has realized that he has not done nearly enough research to write a good paper on how medieval societies were able to defend themselves against the threat of outside military forces. He does know, though, that his friend Sansa has done this research. He decides to steal Sansa's paper and submit it as his own work. Which of the following is an explanation of why Jon's action was wrong according to an Aristotelian theory of ethics?

Jon should not have stolen the paper from Sansa because stealing the paper is dishonest. A virtuous person would have realized that it is important to act with integrity.

Jon has become quite stressed out about the end of the semester and has realized that he has not done nearly enough research to write a good paper on how medieval societies were able to defend themselves against the threat of outside military forces. He does know, though, that his friend Sansa has done this research. He decides to steal Sansa's paper and submit it as his own work. Which of the following is an explanation of why Jon's action was wrong according to Ross's deontology?

Jon should not have stolen the paper from Sansa because we have a prima facie duty not to harm others and Jon's actions would result in psychological harm to Sansa since she would be upset about the loss of her paper and potentially receive a bad grade in the course.

Select the branch of philosophy that studies topics like personal identity, free will, or the existence of God.

Metaphysics

Elijah began taking calculus at the age of 13. Most of his teachers think that his ability to solve differential equations is astounding at his age. He takes the time to show his friend Jacob how to do complex math problems and Jacob begins to excel in math as well. Does Elijah demonstrate phronesis in teaching Jacob?

No

Rory, on his third birthday, chooses to share all of his new toys with his friends Gianna and Carolina. When asked why he chose to share with his friends, Rory says "because I knew that they would love my toys and I love my friends." Does Rory demonstrate phronesis in sharing with Gianna and Carolina?

No

Ariana asks Serena whether or not the outfit that she has tried on is flattering. Serena does not want to hurt Ariana's feelings by telling her that it doesn't look very good on her, but Serena thinks that it looks quite bad. In fact it's the worst thing that Ariana has tried on that day - even though it is clear that it is Ariana's favorite. What should Serena do, according to act-utilitarianism?

Serena should lie. Telling the truth would make Ariana unhappy, and there wouldn't be any negative consequences if Serena lied to Ariana.

Ariana asks Serena whether or not the outfit that she has tried on is flattering. Serena does not want to hurt Ariana's feelings by telling her that it doesn't look very good on her, but Serena thinks that it looks quite bad. In fact it's the worst thing that Ariana has tried on that day - even though it is clear that it is Ariana's favorite. What should Serena do, according to rule-utilitarianism?

Serena should tell the truth. Lying violates a moral rule, and following that rule results in more overall happiness.

Suppose that it is morally wrong to act disrespectfully to one's professor or teacher. A graduate student calls his Professor "Bob" in class, as he has been instructed to do by Professor Smith. A high school student calls his Algebra teacher "Bob" in class, even though everyone in the school refers to their teachers by their last names (e.g. Mr. Smith). The fact that calling a teacher or professor by his first name is wrong for the high school student, but not wrong for the graduate student is an example of:

The Context Sensitivity Thesis

The Anthropologist's Argument argues that Cultural Relativism is true based on:

The Moral Diversity Thesis - which states that the basic moral norms (or rules) of some cultures conflict with the basic moral norms of other cultures, and that these differences are widespread.

The Context Sensitivity Thesis states that:

The rightness or wrongness of an action is partly dependent on nonmoral facts related to the people who perform the action and/or their circumstances.

Imagine there is a surgeon who has five patients who are in need of a transplant in order to survive. The patients will die very soon if they do not receive a transplant. Then, the surgeon sees a healthy man enter the hospital - this man has the exact same blood type as the five patients. If the surgeon were to kill the healthy man and take his organs, he would be able to save the five patients. Which of the following responses do you think best represents the view of an act-utilitarian?

The surgeon should kill the healthy man, as doing so would allow the surgeon to save five other patients

Imagine there is a surgeon who has five patients who are in need of a transplant in order to survive. The patients will die very soon if they do not receive a transplant. Then, the surgeon sees a healthy man enter the hospital - this man has the exact same blood type as the five patients. If the surgeon were to kill the healthy man and take his organs, he would be able to save the five patients. Which of the following responses do you think best represents the view of a rule-utilitarian?

The surgeon should treat the healthy man for the ailment that he came in for, as the moral rule that doctors must avoid harming their patients results in more overall happiness than the alternative.

A weak moral principle is a principle that always counts as a reason in favor or against a particular action. However, it might be permissible to violate the principle in certain circumstances when it conflicts with another moral principle.

True

According to Aristotle, being virtuous is when one's emotions and desires are in harmony with our reason, which means that we desire to do the right thing for the right reasons.

True

According to Aristotle, eudaimonia (or well-being) is achieved by living what we would call the morally good life.

True

According to Divine Command Theory, God's commands are what make an action right or wrong.

True

According to Kant, our duties can be analyzed in terms of one universal moral rule.

True

According to Restricted Divine Command Theory, the source of God's commands is God's nature, which is perfectly good.

True

According to Ross, there is a list of basic moral rules, none of which are reducible to another.

True

According to act-utilitarianism, we should consider the amount of net utility produced by each individual action

True

According to consequentialism, an action is morally right if and only if the action produces the best consequences

True

Rose always seems to know how best to tell the truth. She has lived a long life and has experienced many situations in her life when she had to decide whether or not it was appropriate to tell the truth and how to do so. Her grandchildren always come to her for advice on how to be more honest, but remain considerate of others' feelings when doing so. For Rose, understanding how to be honest just seems to be part of who she is. Does Rose demonstrate phronesis?

Yes

"Most Republicans think that we ought to stand during the national anthem" is an example of:

a descriptive claim

Promoting the good (justice) is an duty.

agent-neutral

Promise-keeping is an duty.

agent-relative

Being virtuous, according to Aristotle, means...

all of the above.

According to rule-utilitarianism:

an action is morally permissible if and only if the rules with the greatest expected utility would allow it.

According to act-utilitarianism:

an action is right if and only if that action is the one that promotes the greatest amount of net happiness for the greatest amount of people.

The three common-sense moral considerations that McNaughton and Rawling argue are left out of a consequentialist picture are as follows:

constraints, options, and special obligations

If God has divine rationality, then he...

does everything for a reason

If God has divine moral perfection, then he

has every moral virtue to the highest degree possible

Another way to refer to actions that are morally optional is by saying they are:

morally permissible

Another way to refer to actions that are morally obligatory is by saying that they are:

morally required

The three fundamental categories we can divide actions into when discussing whether they are right or wrong are:

obligatory actions, wrong actions, & optional actions

A thought experiment is useful tool in philosophy that is used to...

test our intuitions and discover what basic principles we are committed to.

When we are deliberating on what we ought to do based on the expected consequences of an action, we are:

thinking about which action is best out of our available alternatives by accounting for all of the consequences that a reasonable and conscientious person in one's circumstances could be expected to know.

According to Consequentialism,

whether an action is right or wrong is determined solely by the consequences of that action