PHI101 Module 11

Derek, a generally honest man, is riding as a passenger in a car driven by his father-in-law. As they arrive in a parking lot, his father-in-law bumps into the car parked next to them. There is a large scratch and small dent in the other car. Nobody seems to have witnessed the accident. Derek's father-in-law pretends that nothing has happened. Derek decides to play along and also pretend the accident never happened. He chooses not to wait around for the owner of the other car and assume responsibility, or to leave a note with his contact information. How would you BEST evaluate Derek's personal moral system?

Derek has prioritized fidelity over integrity.

Leeann is being considered for a promotion at work. She is invited to her boss's house for a Saturday dinner, and her boss has spent all day preparing a meal. Every dish has been cooked in prodigious amounts of butter. Leeann arrives for dinner, sees the meal, and is horrified because she (unbeknownst to her boss) is a strict vegan who consumes no animal products. Despite the risk of offending her boss and compromising her chances at a promotion, she politely refuses to eat any of the dinner. How would you evaluate Leeann's personal moral system?

Her respect for all life and refusal to treat animals as a means to an end is a tier I moral principle.

Constructing a personal moral system:

In your list of characteristics of your personal moral system, identify those are most important and least important to you. Take ownership of characteristics you list as very important and realize why they are important to you. Look at the characteristic identifies as somewhat and least important to see if you would like to include some of those items as well. Review items to see if they logically cohere with one another.

Although ________ believed that only a single moral principle such as ________ was necessary for a personal system of morality, it is advisable for one to consider a broad range of moral principles and to decide which principles one finds most meaningful and compelling.

Kant; the categorical imperative

The Value of Life principle must be valued over the ________ because it is ________ prior.

Principle of Fairness, epistemically

The moral system that MOST explicitly discusses the necessity of the prioritization of moral principles is ________.

Ross's prima facie duties

When asked "why develop a personal moral system?" a co-worker responds that she wants to be a better person and set a better example for her son and her daughter. What underlying value system and assumption about personal moral systems does your co-worker reveal by responding this way?

She values self-improvement and character development.

Moral consistency means (1) that the principles we hold do not contradict one another, (2) that our principles are consistently applied across similar situations, and (3) that the application of our principles is internalized, disciplined, and unwavering. In the case of (3), a person that repeatedly applies his or her moral principles in a disciplined manner is referred to as ________.

a person of integrity

An old anecdote about President George Washington tells the story of a young George who needlessly chops down a cherry tree. When questioned by his father, he answers, "I cannot tell a lie, Pa," and immediately admits to his actions. What characteristic of a moral system BEST describes young Washington's ethics?

acting upon principles even if they may not benefit oneself

When developing a personal moral system, one should avoid ________.

adopting principles that prescribe contradictory acts

You can test your personal moral system for inconsistencies by ________.

analyzing your actions when they contradict your morals

Of the following, which is a way to determine priority of one's personal moral principles?

by the context in which a moral action occurs

Beginning with the first task of identifying the characteristics of a personal moral system (rather than the secondary task of identifying specific moral rules and principles) is important because ________.

characteristics determine the overall framework and underlying values of a personal moral system

What kind of consistency is used when asking if we ever use conflicting principles?

consistency among moral values

A twenty-one-year-old college student leaves a fraternity party after having a few drinks and runs a traffic signal resulting in the death of the driver of another vehicle. The college student is charged with involuntary manslaughter and incarcerated for three years as a result. A prominent citizen who rarely drinks leaves a wedding reception and runs over a pedestrian on a dark road. His blood alcohol is barely over the legal limit, so he is charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to community service. When considering these two scenarios, which should be checked for consistency?

consistency of application

After reviewing, ranking, and finally selecting specific characteristics desired in a personal moral system, it is advisable to ________.

evaluate them for coherence and comprehensiveness

Consistency is the most important factor of morality.

false

There are four kinds of consistency.

false

Although it is difficult to place all moral principles under a single, overarching category, it is MOST common when developing a personal moral system to ultimately choose principles that promote ________.

goodness

Prioritizing moral principles is necessary because it ________.

helps to establish the criteria for how one ought to act in a moral system

A personal moral system is based upon reasoned principles, but if these principles are contradictory, then this system is ________.

inconsistent, and therefore partly irrational

Which of the following principles allows MOST for a degree of flexibility among different personal moral systems?

individual freedom

Larry strongly believes in the principle of individual freedom and the principle of equality yet regularly uses racial slurs when spending time with close friends. What seems to be in conflict?

individual freedom and equality

Evaluating one's personal moral principles, actions, and inner-self for consistency requires ________.

life-long discipline and continued self-assessment

Dahlia has painstakingly identified the characteristics of her personal moral system and proceeded to develop a set of moral principles to guide her actions. Her diligent reading and study has made her an expert in moral principles and ethical systems. This, however, does NOT guarantee that Dahlia will act morally, because _______.

moral principles must be adhered to in order to develop moral character

The idea that people should avoid being involved in situations that require them to prevent badness or wrongness directly violates the moral principle of ________.

nonmaleficence

A twenty-one-year-old college student leaves a fraternity party after having a few drinks and runs a traffic signal resulting in the death of the driver of another vehicle. The college student is charged with involuntary manslaughter and incarcerated for three years as a result. A prominent citizen who rarely drinks leaves a wedding reception and runs over a pedestrian on a dark road. His blood alcohol is barely over the legal limit, so he is charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to community service. What seems to be inconsistent?

principle of justice

Tamika's personal moral system emphasizes love (in the sense of unconditionally promoting positive feelings, encouragement, and self-esteem) and absolute honesty (or truth-telling). Her boyfriend gets a new haircut, which she finds completely hideous and unflattering. Thus, her moral principles of love and absolute honesty may be in conflict, since absolute honesty with her boyfriend may be seen as insulting, unloving, or hurtful. In Tamika's case, her moral principles likely require ________ or ________.

prioritization; an adjustment to her principle of absolute honesty so that it allows for loving expression

John fully embraces agapistic ethics. This implies that ________ play(s) a strong role in John's personal moral system.

religious authority

Margot has adopted rule nonconsequentialist principles for her moral system. This implies that ________ is/are important to her moral system.

rules

In constructing a moral system, it would be problematic if one values utilitarian principles and ________ because ________.

self-interest, they would prescribe conflicting obligations

It is possible to prioritize certain principles when one is faced with a moral situation where one's principles are in conflict. This is because some principles can be ________.

subsumed under others

What does consistency in morality really entail?

that one's principles, actions, and desires are in harmony

Miguel works very hard to earn everything that he has and sees government help as an unwanted handout. He is also devoted to fairness, in that each person obtains what he deserves in relation to how hard he works. Miguel is MOST LIKELY to accept ________.

the deserts theory of ethics

The principle of goodness is a ________ moral principle because it is both ________ and basic to the existence of morality itself.

tier I; rooted in logic

The Principle of Goodness should be a part of every moral system and requires that humans do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

treat other human beings with esteem

Checking for consistency in principles involves examining your set of principles to see if any contradict each other.

true

Ideas are consistent if they are compatible or harmonious with one another.

true

Imagine yourself as a passenger on the RMS Titanic in 1912. The ship is sinking and you have been fortunate enough to secure a place on board a lifeboat. More than 1,500 other passengers are not so lucky. Your lifeboat is filled to capacity and in danger of sinking, yet you are surrounded by people asking for help. In this situation, which moral principles would likely be in GREATEST conflict?

value of human life and equality

When applying moral principles to the topic of assisted suicide, which two ethical principles might come into conflict?

value of human life and human dignity

When prioritizing one's personal moral principles, which are usually placed as tier I or more basic than others?

value of life and goodness

Which of the following reflects a reasonable prioritization of moral principles for a personal moral system?

value of life, goodness, justice, honesty, freedom

The first step involved in developing a set of moral principles for a personal moral system is to consider one's basic ________, then, through careful analysis and rational justification, ________.

values; divide them based upon whether they belong to the moral or non-moral sphere

When asking the question, "Do I consistently act similarly in similar situations," one is examining ________.

whether one applies his or her moral principles in the same way in comparable circumstances

If one wants to adopt a moral system that is similar to deontological moral systems and in which the role of emotion is downplayed, what aspects of building a moral system would one MOST LIKELY emphasize?

whether the moral system has a rational foundation