Introduction to Ethics Final Review
A man is talking on the phone with his lover when his wife walks into the room. She asks him, "Who are you talking to?" He replies, "My lover." She laughs and walks out of the room. Applying the second version of the Categorical Imperative, did the husband use a deceptive truth to treat his wife as an object, as a means to his ends? A. He did. B. He did not.
A
According to Arendt, the banality of evil refers to the fact that: A. All the other choices are correct. B. acts of evil are often committed by normal everyday people and not perverted or sadistic people. C. acts of evil are perceived by those who commit them as normal everyday acts and not as anything extreme or immoral. D. acts of evil are often performed out of duty to one's job or country.
A
According to psychologists, a child must have developed a sense of values by the age of ____ in order to become an adult with a conscience. A. 7 B. None of the above. C. 3 D. 5
A
Act so that when you borrow money you do not pay it back. A. Trick Question: None of the other choices are correct. B. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism C. Categorical Imperative
A
All of the following are parts of arguments against utilitarianism, except: A. All of the other choices are parts of arguments against utilitarianism. None of the others choices are correct. B. It is difficult to make a utilitarian choice when you don't know the exact outcome of your intended action. C. The capacity for suffering makes one a member of the moral universe. D. Can a minority be sacrificed for the sake of the majority? And if so, under what circumstances? E. Beware The Hidden Premise or Value Statement: Going from an Is to an Ought.
A
Altruism is not possible. A. Psychological Egoist B. Objectivist, Ethical/Rational Egoist C. Both Psychological Egoism and Objectivism D. Neither Psychological Egoism or Objectivism
A
Altruism is possible. A. Objectivist, Ethical/Rational Egoist B. Both Psychological Egoism and Objectivism C. Neither Psychological Egoism and Objectivism D. Psychological Egoist
A
As an advocate of communitarianism this philosopher argued "We need to loosen the hold that the atomistic model has on our thinking, and recognize the importance that theory has on our judgments and our moral condition." A. Elizabeth Wolgast B. Marilyn Friedman
A
Ayn Rand emphasizes the following negative rights except the: A. right to work. B. right to property. C. right to liberty. D. right to life.
A
For Kant, "What is the foundation for all rational morality?" A. Good will to act only in accordance with the universal moral law. B. Gifts of intellect by which we can know the good. C. Gifts of nature which guide us in doing the good. D. Qualities of character to know the right.
A
For Kant, why must we never treat others as means to our ends? A. They are rational creatures like us. B. It is not good. C. All of the other choices are correct. D. Trick Question: We can and should treat others differently than we treat ourselves.
A
If it feels good do it A. None the other choices are correct. B. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism C. Categorical Imperative
A
Kelly distrusted the man's offer to carry her groceries in the example from Gift of Fear. Her intuition was: A. non-rational - using subconsciously processed accurate information before it ever rose to a conscious level. B. silly - sexist justification which supposedly only women possess. C. irrational - against reason. D. illusion - self delusion not based in reality.
A
Necessarily, if something is intrinsically good, then: A. its value depends on features that are inherent to it. B. its value depends on its relationship to something else that is intrinsically good. C. it is an action that is morally right. D. it is also intrinsically value-neutral.
A
Pleasure is the only intrinsic good. A. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism. B. None of the other choices are correct. C. Categorical Imperative
A
Sometimes we do not act as we want to act, we act as moral agents. For Kant this means we must act: A. Out of a sense of duty/obligation to follow the universal law as an intrinsic value. B. Irrationally, we act in what is not our best interest because we desire to become martyrs. C. Out of a desire for pleasure for self and others equally. D. None of the other choices are correct.
A
There are five common approaches to punishment. Out of these five, select the one that is not considered legitimate by most legal experts. A. Vengeance B. Deterrence C. Incapacitation D. Rehabilitation E. Retribution
A
Three major criticisms against psychological egoism are listed in the textbook. All of the other choices should be on the list, except: A. The theory misinterprets the old saying "Ought implies can" to mean "If I ought to do something, then I will be able to do it." B. The theory has problems with the language it uses, including the fallacy of the suppressed correlative. C. Falsification is not possible, because psychological egoism doesn't allow for the possibility that some people are not selfish all the time. D. The theory mistakenly assumes that doing what we want and feeling pleasure doing it is always selfish.
A
Three thinkers mentioned in the textbook agree about the three negative rights. Which thinker shouldn't be on the list? A. John Rawls B. John Locke C. John Hospers D. Ayn Rand
A
To Thomas Hobbes, charity [defined as acting from a concern for others], is just: A. Showing off our superiority. B. None of the above. C. Thinking with the heart. D. Good business.
A
To a Psychological Egoist, "How often does a person act out of self-interest?" A. All the time. B. Some of the time. C. None of the time. D. All of the other choices are correct.
A
We can escape the force of an ought simply by renouncing the desire. "I do not want to get an A." is all I need say to get out of the obligation to score well on the test. This describes the: A. Hypothetical Imperative B. None of the other choices are correct. C. Categorical Imperative
A
What is a deontological theory? A: A. theory assessing the morality of an action in terms of whether it meets our duty to always follow the Categorical Imperative. B. deceptively consequentialist theory. C. theory about proper dental care. D. theory assessing the overall consequences of an action.
A
What is it when conclusions (results) correctly follow (can be inferred) from premises (supporting reasons)? If the claim does not contain "solid logic and true premises", it is not a good, sound, rational ______ . A. Argument. B. Intuition. C. Statement. D. Reduction.
A
When someone objects that their motivations for helping Joplin residents recover after the Enhanced Fujita Scale 5 tornado were not selfish, a psychological egoist would have told them they were: A. naïve or stupid. B. laudably introspective C. a liar. D. possessing a strong sense of self.
A
When speaking about rights, one can speak about persons or human beings at the beginning or end of their life cycle. Which term better describes someone who can breath on their own in the open air at the beginning of life and remains conscious rather than in a permanent vegetative state at the end of their life. A. Person B. Human Being
A
Which of the following is a characteristic of Socrates' dialectic method? A. Trick Question: all of the other choices correctly describe Socrates' dialectic method. B. dialogue between people. C. rational examination of values. D. questions and answers.
A
Who argues that there is a culture-neutral standard: "Whether the social practice in question is harmful or beneficial to the people who are affected by it?" A. James Rachels. B. Alice Walker. C. Martha Nussbaum. D. Ruth Benedict.
A
Who illustrated the conceptual difference between equality and sameness in the short story, Harrison Bergeron? A. Kurt Vonnegut B. Philip Roth C. Joseph Heller D. O. Henry
A
Who would cite the Aesop Fable tale about the Grasshopper and the Ant? A. A negative rights supporter who would speak against John Rawls' ethic of distributive justice. B. A positive rights supporter who would speak in support of John Rawls' ethic of distributive justice.
A
Who would say that nonmoral judgments like choosing vanilla or chocolate ice cream are like moral judgments, such as deciding whether to lie, keep secrets, break promises or commit violence? All are matters of taste, whim or opinion and they need no justification. A. Subjective relativists / ethical subjectivist. B. Objectivists / ethical or rational egoists. C. Psychological egoists. D. Cultural relativists.
A
Who wrote, "Despite its fragility and selectivity, the capacity to care for others is the bedrock of our moral system. It is the only capacity that does not snugly fit the hedonic cage in which philosophers, psychologists, and biologists have tried to lock the human spirit"? A. Frans de Wall B. Thomas Hobbes C. Ayn Rand D. David Hume
A
Why do we more often feel pity for a good person than a bad person according to Thomas Hobbes? Ex. House burns down due to smoking crack in bed and falling asleep. A. We more readily identify ourselves with the good person. B. All of the other choices are correct. C. Justice demands pity for the good person. D. God commands us to feel pity for the good person.
A
An ethical or moral person must demonstrate: A. Good character. B. Right actions. C. Sharp intellect. D. Ability to look out for number 1.
A & B.
According to Mill, what kind of harm qualifies as the criterion for intervention by the government and/or individuals? A. indirect harm to others. B. direct harm to others. C. direct harm to oneself. D. indirect harm to oneself.
B
According to Rachels, there are at least three soft universal moral values. Which one of these is not on his list? A. A rule against lying. B. A rule against incest. C. A policy of caring for enough infants to keep society going. D. A rule against murder.
B
According to psychologists, a child must have developed a sense of values by the age of ____ in order to become an adult with a conscience. A. 3. B. 7. C. None of the other choices are correct. D. 5.
B
All of following are likely conclusions to be drawn from Zimbardo's work, except: A. Prisons can psychologically harm both prisoners and guards. B. People with strong moral values are less likely to be corrupted by immoral circumstances. C. Human nature is capable of both compassion and cruelty. D. Abu Ghraib prison should not have surprised us.
B
All of the following theories are associated with David Hume's philosophy. Which is least associated with his philosophy? A. Emotionalism B. Egoism C. Soft Universalism D. Altruism
B
Always act so that you treat other persons as ends in themselves and never as a means to your ends. A. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism B. Categorical Imperative C. None of the other choices are correct.
B
Bentham and Mill disagreed over what "greatest" meant in the phrase "greatest good for the greatest number." In whose version did quality of pleasure count more than for quantity of pleasure? Who would say the greatest good is better met by getting an education or learning to play an instrument rather than getting drunk on gin? A. Bentham B. Mill
B
Bentham and Mill disagreed over what "greatest" meant in the phrase "greatest good for the greatest number." In whose version did quantity of pleasure count more than for quality of pleasure? Who would say the greatest good can be met whether most citizens are getting drunk or attending the opera as long as the balance of pleasure over pain is increased in the world? A. Mill B. Bentham
B
Classic or Hedonistic Utilitarians would agree to which of the following statements? A. Pleasure is the only intrinsic good. B. All of the other choices are correct. C. It is morally praiseworthy to include what is happiness for you as well as what is happiness for everybody else when you are deciding the right thing to do. D. You should spread well-being or sufficiency of needs as widely and as evenly as possible.
B
Descriptive Ethical Theory A. A theory that makes informative statements about what people do or think but it goes beyond simple description to make evaluative judgments which question, explain, or justify thoughts or actions. "What makes a right action right?" B. A theory that only makes informative statements about what people do or think, such as "Ethics is a only a synonym for cultural customs or norms since there are no universal ethical standards."
B
Habermas argues in The Future of Human Nature 2002 "that some forms of eugenics should be allowed, while others should be prohibited, based on Kant's principle of never treating a rational human being merely as a means to an end." He approves of which kind of eugenics? A. Trick Question: Habermas never approves of eugenics so the answer is None of the Above. B. Negative eugenics: Therapeutic genetic intervention which removes predispositions toward illness for the sake of the child. C. Libertarian eugenics: Parents have full freedom to decide for their child what genes their child will have. D. Positive eugenics: Eugenic enhancement which adds features to a child's DNA.
B
If the State of Nature is a thought problem, which of the following examples best demonstrates that a war of all against all can still exist in the world where differences cannot be settled without coercion? A. None of the other choices are correct. B. Between any two sovereign nations whose political ends or national interests differ. C. Between two states in the United States such as Nebraska and Oklahoma when the national football championship is being decided. D. Between citizens of a sovereign state during times of great natural disaster.
B
If the premises of a strong inductive argument are true, then the argument is cogent [compelling or convincing]. In a strong inductive argument the premises: A. ensure or guarantee the conclusion. The conclusion must by necessity follow from the premises. B. suggest that we have good reason to believe that the conclusion is probably true.
B
In 1909, "Standing before a Chautauqua assemblage, John Temple Graves, at once champion of lynching and apologist for lynchers, said, 'The mob stands today as the most potential bulwark between the women of the South and such a carnival of crime as would infuriate the world and precipitate the annihilation of the Negro race.' ... For 100 years after the Civil War white Southern culture justified the mob lynching of black American men and women and the Senate of the United States offered an apology in 2005 for never having passed any federal laws against the practice. Every traditionally southern Protestant denomination in this period had pastors who blessed Ku Klux Klan rallies. This is an example of: A. Subjective relativist / ethical subjectivism. B. Cultural relativism. C. Objectivism / ethical or rational egoism. D. Psychological egoism.
B
In Saving Private Ryan Captain John Miller agonizes over the simplicity and complexity of the hedonistic calculus. As an officer in the US Army in WWII, he must treat his men's lives as means to an end. He justifies this by saying that for every life lost under his command he was told that he had saved ten other lives. He must use: A. Deontology B. Hedonistic Calculus C. Psychological Egoism D. Ethical Egoism
B
In a deductive argument the premises: A. suggest the conclusion. If the premises are true the conclusion is probably true. B. ensure or guarantee the conclusion. The conclusion must by necessity follow from the premises.
B
In comparison with subjects with healthy and undamaged brains, scientific studies indicate that subjects with damage to their ventromedial frontal lobes (prefrontal cortex): A. are unable to make decisions of any sort. B. are more likely to make tough decisions involving other people's lives. C. are equally likely to make tough decisions involving other people's lives. D. are less likely to make tough decisions involving other people's lives.
B
In ethics, the terms "right" and "wrong" are used primarily to evaluate the morality of: A. Intentions. B. Actions. C. Persons. D. Consequences.
B
In ethics, the terms "right" and "wrong" are used primarily to evaluate the morality of: A. intentions. B. actions. C. consequences. D. persons.
B
Kant has three main themes in his book Grounding. Which of the following is not one of those themes? The: A. theory of the categorical imperative. B. theory about the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness for rational beings. C. theory that people should be treated as ends in themselves. D. theory of people forming a moral community, the Kingdom of Ends.
B
Kelly distrusted the man's offer to carry her groceries in the example from Gift of Fear. Her intuition was: A. silly - sexist justification which supposedly only women possess. B. non-rational - using subconsciously processed accurate information before it ever rose to a conscious level. C. irrational - against reason. D. illusion - self delusion not based in reality.
B
Making prisoners suffer since they have committed a crime serves a good purpose as a form of backward looking justice. Who would say this? A. Jeremy Bentham B. Immanuel Kant
B
Martha Nussbaum claims that: A. narratives cannot communicate about values. B. emotions can have cognitive value. C. philosophical examples are superior to stories in conveying a philosophical issue. D. Aristotle warned against paying attention to stories.
B
Necessarily, if something is intrinsically good, then: A. its value depends on its relationship to something else that is intrinsically good. B. its value depends on features that are inherent to it. It is good in itself and not a means to another worthwhile value. C. it is also intrinsically value-neutral. D. it is an action that is morally right.
B
Negative Rights A. Actions so intrinsically good that individual actions must be promoted by the majority. This implies entitlements provided by others (usually governments). B. Actions so intrinsically good that individual actions must be protected from the majority. This implies noninterference from others (usually governments).
B
Positive Rights A. Actions so intrinsically good that individual actions must be protected from the majority. This implies noninterference from others (usually governments). B. Actions so intrinsically good that individual actions must be promoted by the majority. This implies entitlements provided by others (usually governments).
B
Ronald Dworkin is in favor of what he calls the second model: A. We must seek a balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of society. B. A basic right should not be abridged because of possible harmful social consequences.
B
The Hedonistic Paradox states that the more we pursue happiness, the further it will elude us. You don't find happiness by looking for it but by enjoying life along the way while you focus on other things. Who said "Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so?" A. Aristippus B. John Stuart Mill C. Immanuel Kant D. Aristotle E. Epicurus
B
The values of any one culture are neither superior nor inferior to those of another - they are all on the same moral plane. Who would say that all cultures base their ethical systems on what they define as normal, so all culturally defined ethical systems are defined only by their sense of normal. Since there are no universal standards to judge the norms of any culture better or worse than any other culture, this means female genital mutilation is right or normal in some cultures while at the same time it is wrong or abnormal in other ethical systems. A. Subjective relativism / ethical subjectivism. B. Cultural relativism. C. Objectivism. D. Psychological egoism.
B
There are three major reasons given in the text for why psychological egoism is an appealing theory. Which shouldn't be listed? A. The theory appeals to our modern-day cynicism. B. The theory allows us to choose when to be selfish and when to consider the feelings of others. C. The theory serves as an excuse for not trying to do something for others. D. The theory appeals to our honesty.
B
This 18th century philosopher advocated that everyone had an inalienable right to Life, Liberty, and Property. A. Mill B. Locke C. Trick Question, no famous philosopher believed in natural rights since they are a 20th century fiction. D. Jefferson
B
This ethical theory has no conflict-solving capacity. A. Cultural Relativism B. Subjective Relativism/Ethical Subjectivism C. Both of the other choices are correct. D. None of the other choices are correct.
B
This ethical theory has no conflict-solving capacity: A. Cultural relativism. B. Subjective relativism / ethical subjectivism. C. None of the other choices are correct. D. Both of the other choices are correct.
B
Training a dog not to pee on the floor is like trying to mold a prisoner by rehabilitating him. Neither training nor rehabilitation accepts that the recipient is a rational being who chooses their behavior for rational reasons. This violates the Categorical Imperative. Who would say this? A. Jeremy Bentham B. Immanuel Kant
B
We must act to maximize the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness for the greatest number of people. A. Categorical Imperative B. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism C. Trick Question: Both of the other choices are correct.
B
We should kill rather than rehabilitate those who criminally kill other persons because this upholds the killers' dignity as rational creatures. Who would say this? A. Jeremy Bentham B. Immanuel Kant
B
When speaking about rights, one can speak about persons or human beings at the beginning or end of their life cycle. Which term better describes the the moment of conception when all 46 chromosomes are created which remain determinative and whatever physical, mental or environmental challenges they meet throughout their lifespan they completely and utterly remain a member of the same species. A. Person B. Human Being
B
Which of the following best summarizes Kant's first version of the categorical imperative? A. "Let your conscience be your guide" B. "You should only do, what everyone else should do." C. "Don't be cruel" D. "Follow your heart"
B
Which one of these is a definition of the theory of moral naturalism? A. It explores the natural laws of science. B. It is the view that individuals come equipped with a moral intuition, hardwired from birth. C. It explores the legal ramifications of nudity on beaches. D. It claims that any moral behavior that derives from human nature should be legal.
B
Who would say that nonmoral judgments like choosing vanilla or chocolate ice cream are like moral judgments, such as deciding whether to lie, keep secrets, break promises or commit violence? All are matters of taste, whim or opinion and they need no justification. A. Psychological Egoists B. Subjective Relativists/Ethical Subjectivists C. Objectivists/Ethical or Rational Egoists D. Cultural Relativists
B
"There is no universal moral truth." A. None of the other choices are correct. B. Moral absolutism. C. Cultural relativism. D. Soft universalism.
C
According to Thomas Hobbes, the reason we feel pity toward others is because: A. we are stupid. According to Hobbes, smart people don't feel pity. B. we are afraid they will find out that we don't care about their misfortune. C. we are afraid their misfortune might happen to us someday so we help them hoping someday when we need it, someone will help us. D. we are benevolent by nature and feel sympathetic toward others.
C
All of the following are sound rational arguments, be they inductive or deductive logic, except: A. My compass points north. All compasses have pointed north ever since Greek or Chinese compasses before the common era (bce). Tomorrow my compass will again point north. B. Trick Question: all of the above correctly are Rational Arguments so none of the other choices are an exception. C. If you ask a man sitting on a beach wearing a Hawaiian shirt which is closer - the moon in the sky or New York City - he will point to the moon because he can see it. D. Only humans are born naturally from a woman's body. Jack was born naturally from a woman's body. Jack is human.
C
An argument is rational when you are able to infer the conclusion from the: A. Hypotheses. B. Inductions not deductions. C. Premises. D. Deductions not inductions.
C
Bigotry and prejudice (like judging a person's intelligence by their hair color) is: A. Inductive reasoning. B. Non-rational. C. Irrational. D. Deductive reasoning.
C
Equity means: A. One person, one vote. B. All citizens are equal before the law. C. Equal treatment for equals and unequal treatment for unequals. D. The first shall be last the last shall be first.
C
In Abandon Ship the first officer commanded that extra passengers be set adrift from the lifeboat so the remaining passengers could better survive. His actions were based on the assumption that consequences should determine his behavior if he and the selected lifeboat passengers were to survive this real life problem. His attitude was: A. Trick Question: None of the other choices are correct. B. Deontology. C. Hedonistic Utilitarianism.
C
In ethics, the terms "right" and "wrong" are used primarily to evaluate the morality of: A. animals. B. persons. C. actions. D. intentions.
C
Leviathan, or the Matter, Form, and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil (1651), by Hobbes describes what it is like to have "no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." This war of all against all is: A. Social Contract. B. Hell on earth. C. State of Nature. D. World war.
C
Martin L. King, Jr. acknowledged that he persuaded U.S. citizens to willfully and knowingly break the civil law by following the higher moral law of God. By what test did he defend these actions in Letter from the Birmingham Jail? A. We may break local laws if we are to raise a nation's moral standards. B. All the other choices are correct. C. All laws must be broken by peaceful civil disobedience, never violence and the lawbreakers must accept their subsequent legal but unjust incarceration. D. We may break local laws if we must meet violence to homes and families by whatever means necessary to protect those homes and families.
C
Never treat a person as a thing. A. Trick Question: None of the other choices are correct. B. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism C. Categorical Imperative
C
Nobody helps me, so I won't help anyone else. A. Categorical Imperative B. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism C. None of the other choices are correct.
C
There are three factors separating retribution from vengeance. Which one is an exception? A. Retribution is based on logic, whereas vengeance is an emotional response. B. Retribution wants punishment to fit the crime, whereas vengeance may exceed the damage done by the criminal. C. Retribution is forward-looking, whereas vengeance is backward-looking. D. Retribution is a public act, whereas vengeance is a private enterprise.
C
What is the fallacy of the suppressed correlative? A. It states that you can understand yourself by suppressing your memories of your family history. B. It is the same as an ad hominem argument. C. It is a phenomenon where something becomes meaningless if it doesn't have any opposite. D. It is one way of criticizing ethical egoism: you can't really achieve happiness if you think you can avoid a problem by suppressing it.
C
Which description best characterizes the original position or the veil of ignorance? A. the fetal position. B. the famous concept of "workfare not welfare." C. a principle for fair distribution: make rules as if you didn't know who you might be when they take effect. D. the first premise in any argument.
C
Which of the following is an ethical theory in which intended consequences or results of actions are the criteria for their rightness. "Telling the truth is the right action because it achieves the greatest good for the greatest number." A. Ethical Egoism B. Deontology C. None of the above. D. Moral Naturalism E. Cultural Relativism
C
Which of the following is an ethical theory in which one's intent to perform one's duty is the criterion for moral action. "You ought to tell the truth not because of the consequences or results of your actions, rather you should tell the truth because it is your duty to tell the truth. You ought to tell the truth because it is the right thing to do." A. Principle of Hedonistic Utilitarianism B. None of the other choices are correct. C. Categorical Imperative
C
Which one of these four arguments is not an criticism against Cultural Relativism? A. Cultural Relativism forces us to bow to majority rule. B. In Cultural Relativism it is hard to determine whether the morality which the culture follows is professed morality or the actual morality of the majority in a group. C. Cultural Relativism permits people to do anything they want, since there are no universal moral rules. D. If Cultural Relativism is followed to its logical conclusion, then there will be no basis for condemning or praising other cultures.
C
Which philosopher seems to commit the Bifurcation Fallacy because he does not accept that animal consciousness is a matter of difference in degree from human consciousness. A. Epicurus B. Aristippus C. Immanuel Kant D. John Stuart Mill
C
Which philosophical position always reinterprets motives since it maintains that there is only one motivation for all human behavior? A. Cultural Relativism B. Objectivist, Ethical/Rational Egoist C. Psychological Egoism D. Social Contract
C
Who argues that the attempt at explaining human behavior as a predictable evolutionary pattern determined by survival must fail because of its inability to take human choice and preference into account? A. Ayn Rand B. Thomas Hobbes C. Mary Midgley D. Richard Dawkin
C
Who claimed that the best mechanism to bring about two principles of justice: equal right to liberty and equal opportunity would be for legislatures to assume an "original position" or a "veil of ignorance" regarding their own standing and situation within that idealized society? A. Plato B. Locke C. Rawls D. Jefferson
C
Who is an autonomous lawmaker in the world of ends? A. someone who is capable of influencing the legislation in his or her own favor. B. a person who follows hypothetical imperatives. C. a person who follows the categorical imperative. D. a member of the government who cannot be bribed.
C
Who maintains that a culture defines which actions are normal and that is all that the terms moral or ethical mean? A. James Rachels. B. Alice Walker. C. Ruth Benedict. D. Aristotle.
C
Who said natural rights were "nonsense on stilts?" A. Ayn Rand B. Richard Dworkin C. Jeremy Bentham D. Immanuel Kant
C
Who was the philosopher of ideal altruism? He said, "Faith is not whether you believe in God or not, it is believing that love without reward is valuable." A. Immanuel Kant B. Mary Midgley C. Emmanuel Levinas D. Peter Singer
C
A question-and-answer dialogue in which propositions are methodically scrutinized to uncover the truth is known as: A. A debate. B. The Socratic jest. C. An argument. D. The Socratic method.
D
A store owner is trying to decide whether or not to cheat her customers. Which one of her arguments would qualify as a moral decision, according to Kant? A. She decides not to cheat her customers because she likes them and does not want to disappoint them. B. She decides to try to cheat her customers on random occasions when she is certain she can get away with it. C. She decides not to cheat her customers because it would not be prudent: She might be found out and lose all her customers. D. She decides not to cheat her customers because such an act could not be made into a universal law.
D
According to Ayn Rand, which of the following need not be displayed by a rational person? A. Honesty B. Integrity C. Independence D. Empathy
D
According to Rule Utilitarianism the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on: A. that action's relationship to the operative rules of law. B. the logical consistency behind the motive of actions of the same type. C. whether a virtuous person would endorse a rule requiring, permitting, or prohibiting that action. D. whether that action is required, permitted, or prohibited by a rule the consequences of which are best.
D
All of the following are major criticisms of Kant's moral theory, except: A. Modern view of rationality is not as sanguine about proper reasoning leading all rational humans to the same conclusion. B. There are no exceptions to the categorical imperative. C. Sometimes the categorical imperatives prompts conflicting actions. D. The categorical imperative discriminates against people of no or low income.
D
All of the following arguments are criticisms of Cultural Relativism except: A. In larger more complex societies, uncertainty abounds about precisely who is included in the 'group' which determines what is moral. B. It is hard to determine whether the morality which the culture follows is professed morality or the actual morality of the majority in a group. C. The whole notion of moral progress is impossible since civil disobedience is always wrong until it becomes the norm. D. Trick Question: All of the other choices criticize cultural relativism so none of the other choices is the exception. E. We cannot compare the moral values of either geographically or chronologically different cultures.
D
All philosophers believe that: A. both logic (rationality) and emotions should play major roles in moral decision making. B. emotions and not logic (rationality) should be the basis for moral decision making. C. logic (rationality) and not emotions should be the basis for moral decision making. D. Trick Question: None of the other choices are correct since there are philosophers who separately take each of the other three positions.
D
Ayn Rand speculates the greatest altruist in history was: A. Jesus Christ B. Torquemada C. Mahatma Gandhi D. Joseph Stalin
D
Cultural Relativism maintains all of the statements below except: A. The concept of good is a variant of what a culture defines as normal. B. Since the majority of any group conforms to the values of what the group defines as normal; most often the deviants are few and defined as abnormal. C. Normality is culturally defined. D. Trick Question: all of the other choices correctly describe Cultural Relativism so none of the other choices are an exception.
D
For Kant the value of a human being is absolute because: A. Trick Question: None of the other choices are correct. B. We are created in God's image. C. We are capable of suffering. D. We are rational and so we may discern the categorical imperative.
D
Glaucon, with his hypothesis of the two rings in the text by Plato, points to the fact that: A. if an invisibility ring was given to a just man and another to an unjust man, the just man will do good deeds with it and the unjust man will do bad deeds. B. if an invisibility ring was given to a just man and another to an unjust man, the just man will do bad deeds and the bad man will do good deeds. C. any man who has two rings ought to give one of them to a needy person. D. if an invisibility ring was given to a just man and another to an unjust man, the just man and the unjust man will both behave selfishly.
D
Hedonistic Utilitarianism would agree to which one of the following statements? A. Might makes right. B. God determines the ultimate values of good and evil. C. It is morally praiseworthy to disregard one's own interests for the sake of other people D. The end justifies the means.
D
How does Mill propose to determine which pleasures are higher and which are lower? A. by taking a poll in a local region B. by reading the newspapers C. by selecting answers from people capable of appreciating higher pleasures and having no experience with lower pleasures D. by asking 100 persons who have experience with both kinds of pleasure
D
In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's main concern is to make people understand that: A. the Bible is always right. B. they should always keep other people's interest at heart before their own. C. it is everyone's responsibility to make certain that no one goes hungry in this world. D. it is everyone's right to protect himself or herself from being used by others who want something for nothing.
D
Jeremy Bentham was critical of the concept of rights. He attempted to explain rights on the basis of utility by claiming that: A. All of the other choices are correct. B. there are no moral rights; there is only utility. C. a moral right is a kind of claim that is justified by the fact that its recognition will not diminish overall welfare. D. a moral right is a kind of claim that is justified by the fact that its recognition will contribute to the maximization of overall welfare.
D
John Rawls' principle of fair distribution might be described in the following way. If one child cuts the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in half, the other child: A. chooses the smaller half. B. chooses the bigger half. C. closes his eyes and picks one. D. How the second child chooses is not as important as the principle that the first child may not benefit from how they cut the sandwich.
D
Morality consists in the set of rules, governing how people are to treat one another, that rational people will agree to accept, for their mutual benefit, on the condition that others follow those rules as well. A. Cultural Relativism B. Ethical Egoism C. Psychological Egoism D. Social Contract Theory
D
Since there is no universal moral code that all societies share, there is no objective way to judge one society's standards as better or worse than another. The only thing that ethics and morals can objectively mean then is the ethos, mores, or customs of a society. Each society determines what is normal and whatever is normal in that society is declared moral or ethical. This theory of ethics is called: A. Objectivism. B. Psychological Egoism. C. Subjective Relativism. D. Cultural Relativism.
D
The part of the brain that plays a pivotal role in our development of a moral sense is the: A. Limbic system. B. Central sulcus. C. Cerebellum. D. Prefrontal cortex.
D
The selfish gene theory says that: A. people are genetically programmed to act in ways that promote their own survival. B. genes have a free will and tend to act selfishly. C. people act selfishly or altruistically depending on whether they carry one set of genes or another. D. people are genetically programmed to act in ways that promote the survival of their genes.
D
There are three classical definitions of equality. Find the one not discussed in the text. A. Equity B. Social Equality C. Fundamental Equality D. Natural Equality
D
What do subjective relativists and cultural relativists have in common? A. They have excellent problem-solving capacities. B. They force us to bow to majority rule. C. They have nothing in common. D. They view moral values as relative.
D
What is your only natural duty as an Objectivist, Ethical/Rational Egoist? A. To do what is best for my spouse. B. All of the other choices are correct. C. To do what is best for my children. D. To do what is best for myself.
D
Which philosopher would be most likely to associate rights with duties and responsibilities? A. Rand B. Bentham C. Singer D. Kant
D
Whose ethical theory best expresses the claim "Mankind has always preferred to say, It is morally good," rather than "it is habitual."... But historically the two phrases are synonymous"? A. Martha Nussbaum B. James Rachels. C. None of the other choices are correct. D. Ruth Benedict.
D
According to Rawls, who must benefit from the unequal distribution of wealth and income? A. Workers B. The unemployable C. Women D. The least advantaged E. Everyone
E
T/F: "Ought implies can" usually means the same as "if there is a will there is a way."
F
T/F: An ethical egoist is a person who believes that everybody is selfish.
F
T/F: Both Kant and Mill claim their philosophies demonstrate that there are no universal moral truths, only relative moral truths.
F
T/F: Convergent evidence indicates that nonhuman animals do not have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states.
F
T/F: David Hume believes that all humans are selfish at heart.
F
T/F: Egoism and Egotism are two words for basically the same thing.
F
T/F: For Kant, morality must be based on what is necessary and universal, that is decisions on how to act are absolutely binding on everyone alike. Using the Categorical Imperative as a test for moral action which requires all morality be based on abstract maxims and not particular cases, we ought to shoot the first prisoner so as to save the lives the next 19 prisoners in an example from the lecture.
F
T/F: For Rawls, it is acceptable to allow an inequality as long as only a small minority of the population suffer because of it.
F
T/F: Glaucon claims that if we gave away two invisibility rings, one to a just person and one to an unjust person, the unjust person would take advantage of the ring, but the just person would not.
F
T/F: Hume believed that competition is the human feeling which holds society together.
F
T/F: If a theory cannot be falsified under any circumstances, it must be true.
F
T/F: In the Friends episode narrative, Phoebe sets out to prove to Joey that everyone is selfish. Joey tries to prove her wrong by doing unselfish things.
F
T/F: It has been proven to the satisfaction of most scientists that chimpanzees have no trace of moral rules in their society.
F
T/F: Peter Singer claims in his story of two hunters meeting a smilodon, that it is to everyone's evolutionary advantage to look after their own interests and disregard the interests of others.
F
T/F: Ruth Benedict claimed that some actions are wrong no matter who you are or where you live.
F
T/F: Since we can verify that the earth is round, we can also verify which moral viewpoints are objectively true and thus settle the differences between persons who are pro-choice and those who are pro-life.
F
T/F: Social Contract Theory by Thomas Hobbes is based on the assumption that morality must be based on citizens who are altruistic or at the very least citizens who care as much about their neighbors as much as themselves.
F
T/F: The First Amendment to the United States Constitution gives American citizens the right to speak their minds, attend or not attend a religious service, publish their thoughts on a personal webpage, peacefully gather together in public & to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
F
T/F: The right to free speech is an example of a positive natural right.
F
T/F: There is no significant difference between what is moral and what is legal.
F
Test 2
Start
T/F: A good way to test a moral theory is to examine its capacity for solving problems.
T
T/F: A positive right is the same as an entitlement.
T
T/F: A theory must be theoretically falsifiable in order for it to be viable or philosophically acceptable.
T
T/F: According to Nussbaum, we understand ourselves and our emotions best through narratives.
T
T/F: According to the experiments of Milgram and Zimbardo, normal and decent people are capable of committing evil acts such as murdering innocents under extreme and unusual circumstances.
T
T/F: Animals have moral worth to Jeremy Bentham because they can suffer.
T
T/F: By saving a small boy the gorilla Binti Jua was thought by many people to show that apes can display both compassion and logical thinking.
T
T/F: Cloning is asexual reproduction by chemically manipulating cells so that they create duplicates of themselves.
T
T/F: Confucius taught his students a version of the Golden Rule: "What you do not like when done to yourself, do not do to others." This is sometimes known as the "Silver Rule."
T
T/F: Cultural Relativism has a conflict resolving capacity. Whatever is a culturally accepted action is right.
T
T/F: Cultural relativism bases itself as a descriptive theory, but it implies a normative component when it equates cultural norms and right actions.
T
T/F: Dawkins says that when a person displays altruistic behavior that does not promote the survival of their genes the person is just making a mistake.
T
T/F: Distributive justice is a theory that deals with how society's wealth, opportunity, and power should be distributed.
T
T/F: Emmanuel Levinas expressed the idea that other people are always more important than yourself.
T
T/F: Ethical relativism cannot logically make a claim that tolerance is universally good, since it also claims that there are no universal values.
T
T/F: For Kant, if you are irrational you are necessarily immoral.
T
T/F: For Kant, morality is a matter of what we ought to do. It is an obligation which is unconditional and categorical.
T
T/F: For Kant, when I lie to you, I make you a means to my ends rather than treating you as a rational being who has ends of your own.
T
T/F: For Rawls, a society is just only if it is truly fair.
T
T/F: For Rawls, the original position is a thought experiment which emphasizes that justice means fairness when all are treated equally.
T
T/F: Habermas argues that science is, fundamentally, value-free.
T
T/F: Hedonistic Utilitarianism is a form of social hedonism. We must act to bring pleasure, but we must act only to bring about the greatest pleasure over pain for the greatest number.
T
T/F: If moral rightness means what people think is normal in their culture, then morality has no other meaning than normal customary behavior. We can observe the differences between cultures but we cannot judge them. The goal of cultural relativism is noninterference, not mutual understanding. These are descriptive statements. Yet the implication is the normative statement that the values of any one culture are morally right for that culture and are neither superior nor inferior to those of any other culture's normal customary behavior. Without transcultural moral standards resulting from mutual understanding, all cultures are on the same moral plane since each culture's customs or mores must be morally right for that culture since that think they are morally right for them and are as valuable as any other culture's socially approved customs or mores. This argument defends Cultural Relativism.
T
T/F: Kant asserts that since we cannot know for certain the consequences of our actions, we must do our duty and tell the murderer where his victim has gone.
T
T/F: Kant states that absolute moral rules derive from the Categorical Imperative.
T
T/F: Marilyn Friedman argues that community traditions may often be oppressive to women.
T
T/F: Mary Midgley suggests that instead of being fundamentally selfish, we extend our caring capacity to strangers, thus making them honorary relatives for a while.
T
T/F: One culture we examined felt that it was their moral duty to dispose of their seniors when they became unproductive.
T
T/F: Our textbook argues that the science in Jurassic Park and the Terminator movies is either now here or rapidly approaching.
T
T/F: Philosophers believe that reason as a tool of ethics can be a bridge builder among religious people, atheists, and agnostics.
T
T/F: Recent research of the brain suggests that the "normal" brain has evolved to recognize the value of a human life emotionally and thus is reluctant to kill others.
T
T/F: Retributive justice is a theory that deals with how societies should treat those who violate laws.
T
T/F: Stephen Nathanson argues that murderers should not be killed by the state. They should serve life sentences because of their inalienable and nonforfeitable right to be treated with respect and dignity as human beings even when they heinously destroy victims without showing any respect for their dignity as human beings.
T
T/F: The altruism theory states that the only moral duty we have is to serve the needs of other people.
T
T/F: The story of the Ring of Gyges maintains that humans will take advantage of any situation if they can get away with it.
T
T/F: The unfalsifiability of a theory demonstrates the logical fallacy of circular reasoning or begging the question; that is, it assumes that what it is supposed to prove is already true. The premise is the same as the conclusion.
T
T/F: Things that are not moral values such as tastes; preferring chocolate over vanilla frozen custard, or facts such as I left last Thursday not Tuesday are neither intrinsically good nor intrinsically bad as moral values.
T
T/F: Thomas Hobbes thought that all acts, even acts of pity, could be attributed to a natural tendency toward selfishness.
T
T/F: To say that persons are ends in themselves is to say that they have a special worth or value that demands of us that we have a certain positive regard for them.
T
T/F: Universal education for the young from Kindergarten - 12 grade paid for by universal public taxation is an example of a positive right.
T