Final Exam - Intro to Ethics
Spirited/emotional
How feelings fuel your actions
"I want people to know that I am honest, so I should never lie." is best described as an example of a _________.
Hypothetical imperative
Imagine that you are walking home from a football game, when you notice Aubie is being attacked by fans from the competing school. Which of the following things should you consider in order to determine the Golden Mean of courage in this situation? Select all that apply.
If I am too weak to intervene, is there an authority (e.g., Campus Security) that I can call to ask for help? What would my courageous friend do if she saw Aubie being attacked? Am I strong enough to safely intervene without causing unnecessary injury to myself or others?
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. Using virtue ethics to defend his argument, Raja Halwani argues that it is not inherently morally wrong to objectify other people, since we are capable of using others while still treating them with respect and care.
True
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. Mark Wheeler's position is that celebrity promotion of charities can be a more effective means of foreign policy than some government interventions because people connect to celebrities in a way that they no longer do to politicians.
True
What is the purpose of the Socratic Method
To seek truth through dialogue with your interlocutors.
According to Elizabeth Blair's NPR audio piece, which of the following actions would count as authentic celebrity philanthropy?
A celebrity doing research on the most effective charitable organizations and donating their own money directly to those effective charities.
According to Richard Thaler, nudging occurs when ________.
A choice architect structures a decision to lead us toward different choices
Within the context of Williams' article on violations of integrity that are caused by utilitarianism, which of the following most closely matches with William's concept of a "commitment"?
A commitment is a type of project that is deeply held, and plays a central role in one's identity
Premise
A premise is a basic idea or statement that is used to support an argument or claim. It is like a starting point for a discussion, and it helps to convince someone of a particular point of view.
Which of the following best describes what is meant by the concept "argument by analogy" in the context of the Alastair Norcross article against eating meat? An argument by analogy is...
A style of philosophical argument in which we identify two analogous actions or cases, and use the similarities of those cases to say that we ought to have consistent moral judgements in either situation.
"It is morally wrong to eat mass-produced or factory farmed meat, since doing so is needlessly cruel towards animals." Which of the following defenses of this conclusion would Tom Regan most likely say is an acceptable way to defend your moral viewpoint?
According to studies about factory farming, data and evidence suggest that animals experience extreme pain and distress before being killed in a factory farming setting.
Imagine the following scenario: Aubie is back on the dating scene after just getting out of a three-year relationship with Big Al, Alabama's mascot. He misses the connection and pleasure that he got out of his previous relationship, so he begins going out nightly to find different casual sex partners. Over time, Aubie begins being late to football games and events, and cancelling plans with friends, because he is so preoccupied with hooking up with other mascots in order to feel connected to other people. According to Halwani's view, why is Aubie's behavior in this situation morally wrong?
Aubie let casual sex consume his life, and is now so focused on having sex that he is unable to live a full and enriching life.
According to Kant, which of the following are qualities of reason highlighted in this week's course material?
Being able to reason is essential to human autonomy Reason can be used to determine what the moral duties are Reason can be used the grounding for objective moral duties Humans have inherent dignity in part due to the ability to reason Reason can be applied universally to all humans
How does Halwani define casual sex?
Casual sex is any sex that occurs outside of the context of a love relationship
Which of the following is not a reason that Ilan Kapoor gives against celebrities promoting charities?
Celebrity charities are too narrowly focused on the celebrities' favorite causes, and do not maximize the net utility of charitable donations.
In order to defend normative cultural relativism, Ruth Benedict introduces the example of the aboriginal civilization of the Kwakiutl people. What is the main thing that Benedict intends to demonstrate or prove by using this example?
Cultures may differ in what they understand as "normal", since "normal" is a concept that is defined by individual culture/societies
Take the basic good "Educate one's offspring." Which of the following is the best example of a prohibition that helps promote this basic good?
Do not abandon your family to run off and join the circus
Aubie learned in his Environmental Studies class that global warming is having terrible effects on the planet, which jeopardize the health and safety of his tiger friends. He calls philosopher Walter Sinnott-Armstrong to ask what he is morally obligated to do to help address this problem and save his friends. Which of the following pieces of advice is Sinnott-Armstrong most likely to give Aubie based on his paper from this week?
Elect Senators who can help impose new environmental regulations on companies whose businesses produce significant levels of greenhouse gases.
Which of the following best captures the role that emotion plays in Kantian deontology?
Emotion must be removed from moral decision making in favor of relying exclusively on reason to determine moral duty.
Olivia Muenter reflects on the difficulties of supporting fast fashion brands. Which of the following most closely represents Muenter's view on fast fashion as it relates to global warming?
Fast fashion brands are worse for the environment, but they are often the only accessible option that people, including plus-size customers, have for buying clothing
In 3-5 sentences, describe at least 2 roles that emotions may play in helping us follow virtue theory according to the readings and lecture for this week. Give examples to support your response.
Emotions can play a significant role in helping us follow virtue theory by providing the motivation and guidance needed to cultivate virtuous habits. For example, a sense of gratitude and empathy can motivate us to act in ways that are kind and compassionate towards others, helping us to develop the virtue of compassion. Similarly, feelings of guilt or shame can guide us towards behaviors that align with our values and ideals, helping us to cultivate the virtue of honesty and integrity.
Which of the following is NOT a feature of ethical theories?
Ethical theories only apply to a few specific cases and cannot provide general guidance
Which of the following ethical principles is Norcross most likely to endorse, based on the reading?
Even small risks of severe harms should be avoided if possible
Which of the following is not a possible moral justification Norcross considers regarding different ethical responses to treatment of animals on factory farms and versus treatment of puppies in Fred's Basement?
Factory farm animals provide more significant nutritional value than the chocolate the puppies allow Fred to taste, so the consequences justify the treatment.
Determine whether the following is true or false: According to Raja Halwani, casual sex inherently and universally involves objectifying others, which is always morally wrong since people have value and dignity
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. English argues that there is no difference between our moral duty (what we ought to do) and what we owe others.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. Utilitarianism and Natural Law Theory are examples of ethical principles.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. While Hugh Lafollette argues that parental licensing programs are theoretically desirable, he does not think that they can be practically established.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. According to Peter Singer's views, we do not have an individual obligation to be altruistic, since the responsibility to mitigate global poverty is shared equally among all individuals with relative wealth.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. According to all of the ethical theories we've studied, we are morally required to do supererogatory actions, since those actions are the best or greatest actions we could possibly take.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. According to philosopher Tom Regan, if something is a subject of a life they are merely alive and conscious in a way that gives them inherent value, but they lack any sophisticated ability to reason or pursue their own goals.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. Alastair Norcross thinks, like Sinnott-Armstrong, that individual actions do not have a meaningful impact on large scale problems and that an individual's only moral responsibility is to petition governments for change.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. In Marion Hourdequin's article advocating for individual moral obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she argues that individual emissions contribute meaningfully to the harms of global warming.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. Tunnel vision/ethical fading is what happens when someone acts on all relevant considerations.
False
Determine whether the following statement is true or false. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong's view that individuals do not have obligations to address global warming is a utilitarian claim (of the sort that Peter Singer provides) since he defends this view by saying that individuals do not cause any harm by driving gas guzzling vehicles.
False
T or F All of the papers we read for this class have equally strong philosophical arguments. If we read a paper for this course that shows that Dr. Frazier believes the argument in the paper is a good argument that we can and should endorse
False
T or F Moral Facts only exist if we are aware of them. If we did now know a moral fact, it would not exist or apply to us.
False
T or F A moral theory can still be considered good even if it occasionally says people are morally required to do things that are not possible.
False
T or F According to Kant, autonomy in a moral context means that a human ought to be able to do whatever they want with their own body
False
T or F According to Kant, it is never morally permissible to use another person as a means to an end under any circumstances
False
T or F According to utilitarianism, I CANNOT consider my own pleasure when deciding what action I should take.
False
T or F If we are following Kantian deontology, the motives behind do not matter in deciding whether something done is morally right as long as the action matches up with moral rules
False
T or F You cannot emulate a moral exemplar if you are merely continent, since you lack the virtues your exemplar possesses.
False
What does Williams conclude about idea that utilitarianism force us to abandon our commitments?
Forcing someone to violate their commitments alienates them from their own convictions and integrity
Bernard Williams presents the case of George the Chemist. According to Williams, in the case of the George the Chemist a utilitarian would say that _________________.
George should accept the job he is offered, and it is obvious that he should take that job
In the NPR episode on Toby Groves, Ann Tenbrunsel, Lamar Pierce, and Francesca Gino explain some of the reasons why Groves failed to act ethically despite his previously held/expressed beliefs and commitments. Which of the following does NOT explain why Groves violated his own moral beliefs (according to the explanations given by psychologists in the episode)?
Groves was fully aware that what he was doing was wrong in the moment, but chose to do the wrong thing anyways.
Aubie decides he is going to be a good choice architect by nudging students to not cheat on their final exams. Which of the following actions of nudging could Aubie take to best demonstrate a commitment to the principles of good choice architecture?
Have students sign an integrity pledge before taking their exam, so that they are reminded of their own commitments to be good students who abide by the academic honesty policy at Auburn.
Peter Singer presents the Singer Solution to Global Poverty, a view which is supported by the ethical theory of utilitarianism. How does Singer's view reflect a utilitarian mindset?
He argues that we must do the most good we can, which requires us to donate all of our excess income to effective charities rather than stopping at donating merely $200.
Which of the following best explains how the Singer Solution to world poverty utilizes utilitarian logic to motivate donating excess income to charities?
He is arguing that we must bring about not just good consequences, but the BEST consequences we possibly can. This demands that we donate the majority of our excess income to charities rather than spending it on unnecessary luxury goods.
One of the practical objections raised in response to Lafollette's view is that it is not possible to discover adequate criteria of "a good parent." How does Lafollette respond to this objection?
He says that while we cannot establish this criteria, this is not required for parental licensing. Parental licensing is designed to exclude very bad parents, and we do have established criteria to determine who is a bad parent (e.g., because they abuse or neglect their children).
In addition to discussing objections to the most common defenses of eating meat, we also discussed reasons why those defenses may be philosophically strong. Which of the following philosophical concepts or views is able to support or strengthen the "cultural norms" defense of eating meat?
If normative cultural relativism is true, then we have good reason to believe morality is defined by our cultures. Thus, if a culture says eating meat is morally permissible, NCR can help justify this defense.
Both Peter Singer and Marion Hourdequin argue that we should not be hypocritical in our actions. Why do these authors argue that hypocrisy is concerning in a morally relevant sense?
If we are hypocritical we may act against our own moral values, which calls into question whether we truly believe those moral judgments and have integrity.
This week we began our unit on applied ethics. Which of the following best describes the difference between applied ethics and normative ethics?
In applied ethics we investigate specific ethical issues and questions, whereas in normative ethics we examine more abstract and generalized theories regarding what is morally right or wrong.
What role do inclinations/desires play in determining the basic goods, according to Natural Law Theory?
Inclinations/desires reveal humanity's nature and guide us to knowing the basic goods
Imagine Aubie works at Meat Makers International, a leading supplier of bacon in the southern US. Their company asks its employees to offer suggestions about ways to improve their industrial agriculture Aubie asks you what suggestions they should make to Meat Makers. You endorse the animal activist position highlighted in the article on compromise by Fischer and McWilliams. Based on the animal activist position from that article, what suggestions should you tell Aubie to make to their employer in industrial agriculture?
Industrial agriculture, or factory farming, is an unjust industry. Rather than seeking to change and improve the company, Meat Makers International needs to dissolve the business because we should not reform unjust institutions.
Based on Martha Nussbaum's classification of different modes of objectification, how do instrumentality and fungibility differ?
Instrumentality involves treating someone merely as a tool, whereas fungibility involves treating someone as interchangeable with other objects or people.
Which of these is not one of the values/virtues that Hourdequin identifies with integrity?
Integrity will make you honest and have strong moral principles
Which of the following is something you would investigate in the value theory area of ethics?
Is individual pleasure or community harmony the ultimate moral good?
Which of the following is a possible strength of virtue ethics as discussed in class this week? Select all that apply
It acknowledges how human psychology works, since it allows us to balance our emotions and reason Since it rejects that we should identify universal moral rules, it helps us avoid having conflicting moral rules (like the conflicting rules found in NLT) It allows us to focus on growth and improvement It allows us flexibility, since the Golden mean is determined by reflecting on the specific and complex features of a moral decision/dilemma
According to lectures and learning materials from this week, which of the following is true of moral psychology? Select all that apply.
It allows us to think about how we can use what we know about our psychology to make better choices It allows us to understand how our psychology interacts with and influences our moral decision making
What is the main ethical value or principle that Lafollette uses to support his argument that we should require parental licenses?
It is legitimate to limit freedom in circumstances where an activity may be potentially harmful to others.
Imagine that you are a moral subjectivist... You make the following claim: "Killing innocent people is never morally justified." As a moral subjectivist, when you make this claim what do you mean?
It is your moral belief or attitude that it is morally wrong to kill an innocent person
According to Kant, the good will is always good in and of itself because:
It wants to do the right things strictly because it is the right thing
According to Bentham's utilitarianism, we should act as to
Maximize net pleasure
According to the course materials, which of the following is not a motivation Utilitarians have for defining morality in terms of pleasure?
Morality is subjective and so is what people find pleasurable
Why does Xunzi argue that mournful rituals are an appropriate response to death?
Mournful rituals may seem unnatural, but actually acknowledge our natural disgust towards death and the decay of a corpse
Which of the following is not a common defense of normative cultural relativism?
NCR is a strong view because societies tend to be monolithic in their moral views. When we look within societies, there is universal agreement about morality when we compare different cultures, which suggests they must be relative.
Harry Gensler and Mary Grace Tokmenko offer many criticisms or objections to normative cultural relativism. Which of the following is a criticism they provide?
NCR makes it difficult to reject societal values, which stifles social change NCR seems implausible. It is a view that says societies disagree about morality, but we have evidence that many societies have shared moral values and principles (such as the Golden Rule) NCR promotes intolerance and is divisive, since it creates a boundary between "our moral norms" and "their moral norms". NCR makes it difficult to think for yourself, since the majority determines what is morally right.
Common objections to Natural Law Theory.
NLT makes the incorrect assumption that just because things are a certain way that means things should be that way NLT assumes that there are no better explanations for why we might adopt certain rules than basic instincts NLT ultimately relies on God to ground morality which is only successful if a person believes in God NLT suggests that people who are incapable of following certain natural processes like having children are incapable of being moral
According to Jane English, grown children owe their parents ________________________.
Nothing
Imagine you are reading an essay written by Aubie, in which he defends the view that Auburn's basketball team could beat Alabama's team in a basketball game. (In other words, Aubie believes Auburn's team could beat Alabama's team in basketball.) Since Aubie cares about making the strongest argument possible, he considers and responds to several possible objections to his view. Which of the following phrases would best help signal to you (as the reader) that Aubie is about to introduce an objection to his view?
One worry with my position is that Alabama has a better record in this year's March Madness basketball tournament than Auburn has.
This week we read two articles that are in conversation with one another, by Sinnott-Armstrong and Hourdequin. Which of the following statements is something that both philosophers would agree with or use as a starting assumption in the articles we read? Select all that apply.
Our individual actions do not cause harm in the context of global warming Global warming exists We should make the government do work towards mitigating the harms of global warming It would be morally better if we stopped engaging in activities like wasteful driving
Tripartite soul
Plato believed that humans had a _______ soul which governed our thoughts and behavior
Why are Fischer and McWilliams concerned about having "purity of principle"?
Purity of principle often gets in the way of our other moral duties. By focusing on following one moral principle too strictly, we may unintentionally violate other, competing moral principles.
According to Regan, why is it wrong to appeal to personal preferences (e.g., "I do not like liars") as a way of answering moral questions?
Regan believes moral judgements are a different kind of judgement than those of personal preference. He thinks there is no right and wrong when it comes to matters of taste, but that moral judgements are more objective and universal
According to Jane English, what is the difference between relationships of reciprocity and relationships of mutuality?
Relationships of reciprocity are ones where people owe one another for favors, and any owing ends once one has repaid this debt. Relationships of mutuality are built off of shared love and care, and any ethical obligations in this context continue as long as the relationship continues.
Lafollette argues that there are three conditions under which we typically find it legitimate to regulate behavior through licensing. Which of the following is not part of the rationale we ordinarily provide to defend licensing?
Restricting one's ability to perform the activity in question would not severely inconvenience them or restrict their freedoms.
Rational/logical
Seeks truth and is swayed by facts and arguments
According to Daniel Kahneman, the complex and effortful reasoning used to answer a difficult math problem is known as _____________.
System 2 thinking
The purpose of doing thought experiments like The Trolley Problem is______?
To help you identify and critique your own philosophical and moral intuitions and values
Which of the following is not an ethical principle that Sinnott-Armstrong considers (and rejects) as a possible justification for individual moral obligations to reduce global warming?
The supererogatory principle
According to the readings for this week, ethical fading and motivated blindness are concerning because of the effects they have on people. Which of the following is NOT a reason why we should be concerned about ethical fading and motivated blindness?
They are a sign that a person has completely bad/corrupt ethical values
According to Marielle Elizabeth, how can we most effectively convince consumers to switch from fast fashion to supporting more ethical and sustainable clothing brands?
Think of ways to make those brands more inclusive and inviting so that people want to make more ethical choices
As we discussed during the lecture on Jane English's paper, Confucianism offers a different way of understanding relationships between parent and child beyond the two frameworks (reciprocity and mutuality) found in English's account. Which of the following best describes the parent/child relationship in Confucianism?
This relationship is based on filial piety, and requires that children (including grown children) show respect for their elders.
Determine whether the following statement is true or false: Good choice architects should offer choices to people that the person making the choice would think are good choices, rather than offering choices that just/only the choice architect decides are good or worthwhile.
True
T or F Moral Absolutism and Normative Cultural Relativism are incompatible. (In other words, if someone is a moral absolutist they cannot also endorse/believe in normative cultural relativism.)
True
T or F According to Aristotle, having a good/strong moral education was very important. If someone was raised without the right moral education as a child, it could be too late for them to learn to act virtuously as an adult.
True
T or F According to Mill, a person needs to personally experience both higher and lower pleasures for their own sake in order to be able to correctly judge which pleasures are more valuable.
True
T or F If we achieve eudaimonia, then we will be satisfied because we have achieved our telos as humans and are able to act virtuously.
True
T or F St. Thomas Aquinas believed that people who had never heard of and did not believe in God could still apply Natural Law Theory to figure out morality.
True
Which of the following is not a weakness of act utilitarianism, as discussed in class for this week?
Utilitarianism demands that we follow absolute moral rules, and does not allows us to make exceptions to those rules for any reason
What is one key difference between Virtue THeory and the other theories we've studied (Kantianism, Natural Law Theory, and Utilitarianism)?
Virtue Theory asks the question "What kind of person should I be in order to live a moral life?" Each of the other theories (NLT, util, and Kant) asks the question "What should I do in order to live a moral life?"
Imagine that you are utilitarian, and have time to add ONE additional activity to your plans for this weekend. Which of the following plans for this weekend would enable you to maximize utility as a utilitarian? (Assume your actions do not impact other people unless it says otherwise.)
Volunteer to help organize an activity at a nursing home, which is certain to bring joy to the 25 elderly residents who attend that activity
Which of the following best captures the role that practical wisdom plays in Virtue Theory?
We gain practical wisdom through experience, which helps us gain a better understanding of how to act virtuously.
Which of the following best describes the Singer Solution to World Poverty proposed by Peter Singer?
We ought to donate all or most of our excess income to effective charities rather than spending that money on luxuries, since these donations can help those in need.
Which of the following most accurately captures Regan's views on whether we should appeal to moral authorities to answer moral questions?
We should not appeal merely to moral authorities because we do not have infallible, universal moral authorities whose views can interpreted reliably and accurately.
We began class this week by discussing common defenses of eating meat, and philosopher David Yount's replies to those defenses. One defense we discussed says "I love the way meat tastes. I will not deprive myself of this pleasant sensation. Therefore, I should be able to eat meat." Imagine we used utilitarianism to help strengthen this defense of eating meat. Which of the following questions would a utilitarian most likely need to ask in order to determine whether eating meat maximizes pleasure?
What is the moral status of animals? Is their pain (e.g., from factory farming, or being killed) morally relevant?
Aubie follow NLT and believes that based on the basic good of living in society we have a prohibition that says we should not steal from others. Which of the following best represents the type of reasoning process Aubie could give to justify this prohibition based on the basic good of living in society?
When I steal from the people in my community, it makes them distrust me. When people distrust me, they are unwilling to work with or cooperate with me. If no one will cooperate with me, I cannot engage with other people. If I cannot engage with other people, I will be unable to live in society. So, in order to live in society I should not steal from others.
According to Mill's utilitarianism, which of the following should we consider when choosing the best action?
Will this action lead to more valuable pleasure? Will this action lead to guaranteed pain for myself and/or others? Will this action lead to more pleasure or pain after the initial consequences Will this action cause non consensual harm to others?
Which of the following is the best definition for what it means to be virtuous? Being virtuous means ___________.
You are able to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right amount, toward the right people, and with the right motivations.
Appetitive/physical
drives you to eat, have sex, and protect yourself
According to Kant, false promising for a loan is not universalizable (in other words, it fails to pass the categorical imperative of universalizability) because:
if everyone falsely promised, no one would loan out money
Conclusion
the conclusion is the end point of an argument or the final statement that is made based on the evidence presented in the premises. The strength of the conclusion depends on the strength of the premises that support it.