phil 101 quizzes

The story of Mr. Lincoln and the pigs is supposed to illustrate the truth of the moral philosophy of altruism, doing good for others.

false

Utilitarianism holds that we ought to promote utility and not pleasure, since not all pleasures are good.

false

Utilitarianism is a relativistic moral theory, for it recognizes that what is good in some circumstances is not necessarily good in others.

false

Utilitarianism is an egoistic moral theory, since the happiness of the person who acts must also count in applying the utilitarian principle.

false

Whatever people value or desire can properly be said to have intrinsic value.

false

In general, Virtue Ethics can be said to

focus on personhood and character, rather than right action

According to Kant, we are morally responsible for which of the following?

for the motives of our actions

The method that Bentham invented for deciding which action to choose is called the

hedonist calculus

According to Natural Law Theory, what is good for us and how we ought to act can be discovered by

reason

Natural law theory holds that it is possible for human beings to find guidance in how to live their lives by

reasoning about human life and human nature

In general, Virtue Ethics can be said to

shift moral focus from action to character

According to Philippa Foot,

some virtues benefit oneself; some benefit others.

Two major characteristics of utilitarianism are that it is

teleological in orientation and consequentialism practice

As defined by Kant, the term 'will' refers to

the capacity to act according to reason

According to Kant, the moral worth of an act is determined primarily by

the motive of the agent of action

In moral philosophy, the term 'utility' refers to

the property of producing pleasure or preventing/reducing pain

A major criticism of virtue ethics is that

the virtues are culturally established and are thus not universal

Identify the following statement as either Normative or Descriptive: "According to the Bible, one of God's commandments forbids lying."

Descriptive

The following is an example of the reasoning of an Act Utilitarian: "If the practice of lying is bad, then one ought not to lie, even if in this case to lie would actually bring about better consequences."

false

Another term for "descriptive" is

empirical

Normative ethics primarily concerns

evaluations and the guidance of action.

For Aristotle, the extremes that virtuous action avoids are

excess and deficiency

'Laws of nature' is another way of referring to natural law theory.

false

According to Kant, to act with a 'Good Will' means to do what will benefit others.

false

According to Locke, the natural state of human liberty is a state of competition and aggression.

false

According to the text, moral skeptics deny that there are objective moral values.

false

According to the text, the essence of both individual ethical relativism and cultural ethical relativism is the belief that people do differ about what is right and wrong.

false

An obligation or ought is categorical or moral, says Kant, when it is something we ought to do in order to bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

false

Both Jeremy Bentham and J.S. Mill both hold that some pleasures are better in kind (i.e., qualitatively better) than others.

false

Hobbes argues that, since people are not born equal, conflict is bound to occur among human beings.

false

If people disagree about some moral matter, their disagreement will almost always be due to their having different moral values.

false

Philippa Foot argues that it wisdom and prudence are essentially the same thing.

false

Philippa Foot argues that the virtues are sometimes helpful in life, but that it's possible to live a good life without virtue.

false

Pleasure is an example of an instrumental good.

false

Psychological egoism is a normative theory about how we ought to act.

false

The belief that what is right in some circumstances is not necessarily right in others cannot be held by ethical objectivists.

false

The structure of a moral argument is basically the same as that of arguments about what is the case or what is true.

True

Which of the following is NOT associated with the natural law tradition?

W. D. Ross

A major criticism of natural law theory is that

"you can't derive an 'ought' from an 'is'"

Who is the author of the following passage? "In the human context, the precepts of natural law relate to activities in a way similar to first principles in demonstrations. But there are many indemonstrable first principles. Therefore there are many precepts of natural law."

Aquinas

Natural law theory is said to have had early origins in the thinking of

Aristotle

Natural law theory is said to have had its origins in the thinking of

Aristotle

Virtue ethics is most closely associated with the moral view of

Aristotle

What does it mean to speak of utilitarianism as a consequentialist moral theory? As a teleological moral theory?

As a consequentialist moral theory Utilitarianism holds that actions ought to be judged in terms of their consequences. As a teleological theory it directs us to look towards the ends of our actions, in this case, the goal of maximizing overall happiness.

According to our text, Ethics is the study of why people act in certain ways

False

Whatever is intrinsically good is also morally good.

False

Which of the following would Kant call an imperfect duty?

Helping the needy

Which of the following most emphasizes the role of reason in moral life?

Kant's duty ethics

Who is the author of the following passage? "To understand political power aright, and derive it from its original, we must consider what estate all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of Nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man."

Locke

Who is the author of the following passage? "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question. The other party to the comparison knows both sides."

Mill

Identify the following statement as either Normative or Descriptive: "Even if the death penalty does not deter crime, it is justified for other reasons."

Normative

Identify the following statement as either Normative or Descriptive: "People should always do what they believe to be right."

Normative

Identify the following statement as either Normative or Descriptive: "Since the light was red he ought not to have crossed the street.

Normative

Identify the following statement as either Normative or Descriptive: "You shouldn't wear sandals with a suit."

Normative

What is the difference between intrinsic and instrumental good? Give examples of each.

Something is intrinsically good when it is good in itself. An example of this is happiness. Some might also say that knowledge is good in itself. Something is instrumentally good when it is good because it is useful for producing or bringing about something else. An example of this is money. It is not good in itself but because of what we can do with it.

What is Mill's argument for the difference in value between intellectual and sensual pleasures?

That people who have experienced a variety of pleasures will give a decided preference for some over others (intellectual over sensual). That they wouldn't be willing to opt for the life of a fully satisfied pig over the life of a human with peculiarly human pleasures, in spite of human pains that accompany them. Thus because they so value the specifically human pleasure, they are in fact then more valuable.

Give and explain the basic idea of the "principle of utility" or "the greatest happiness principle".

The greatest happiness principle states that we ought to do that which furthers the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. This means basically that when deciding what is good or what we ought to do we ought to consider which of our alternatives produces more overall happiness.

One major difference between John Locke's natural law view and Thomas Aquinas's view is that

Thomas Aquinas's view ultimately requires in belief in God, whereas John Locke's view does not require God.

Is utilitarianism a hedonist moral theory? Why or why not?

Yes, in the sense that at least in its classical version it is a pleasure theory. However, it is not hedonist if by that is meant that only physical pleasures count.

A moral right

a legitimate claim that can be made against others, which provides moral protection

Which of the following is an example of act utilitarian reasoning and which rule utilitarian reasoning? Explain your answers. a. if i do not go to the meeting, then others will not go either. If that happens, then there would not be a quorum for the important vote, which would be bad. Thus, i ought to go to the meeting. b. If doctors generally lied to their patients about their diagnoses, then patients would lose trust in their doctors. Because that would be bad, I should tell this patient the truth. c. We ought to keep our promises because it is a valuable practice. d. If I cheat here, I will be more likely to cheat elsewhere. no one would trust me then. So I should not cheat on this test.

a. Act utilitarian, because all the results alluded to are the results of this act of mine of not going to the meeting. b. Rule utilitarian, because the reason why I should tell my patient the truth is that the general practice of physician honesty is good. It is what would result if physicians generally lied that is the reason why I should not lie. c. Rule utilitarian, if it means that I should keep my promise because the practice of promise keeping has good results. It could be interpreted as act utilitarianism if it meant that in each case the results of promise-keeping are good and that is why in each case the person should keep his or her promise. d. Act utilitarian, because the results referred to are results of this act of cheating.

Which of the following statements exemplify consequentialist reasoning? Can all of them be given consequentialist interpretations if expanded? Explain your answers. a. honesty is the best policy b. sue has the right to know the truth. c. what good is going to come from giving money to a homeless person on the street? d. there is symbolic value present in personally giving something to another person in need. e. it is only fair that you give him a chance to compete for the position. f. if i do not study for my ethics exam, it will hurt my GPA. g. if you are not honest with others, you cannot expect them to be honest with you.

a. Consequentialist, if the reason it is the best policy is that it generally has good consequences. b. Not on the face of it. It implies that one has a right to the truth regardless of the consequences. c. Consequentialist. It implies that it is the consequences of giving the money that is important. d. Not on the face of it. It seems to imply that the symbolic value is worthwhile in itself. However it could be developed into a consequentialist argument if the results of this symbolic expression were stressed. e. Not on the face of it. Matters of fairness are usually contrasted with concerns about results. f. Consequentialist. The bad results to the individual's GPA. g. Could be consequentialist, if it means that the results of my lack of honesty with others will be that they will not be honest with me. On the other hand, it would be non-consequentialist if it meant that as a matter of fairness I should not expect that others be honest with me if I am not honest with them.

Kant argues that, since persons are "ends in themselves", it follows that

persons ought not be used solely as means to ends

Using utilitarian calculation, which choice in each of the following pairs is better, x or y? a. x makes four people happy and me unhappy. y makes me and one other person happy and three people unhappy. b. x makes twenty people happy and five unhappy. y makes ten people happy and no one unhappy. c. x will give five people each two hours of pleasure. y will give three people each four hours of pleasure. d. x will make five people very happy and three people mildly unhappy. y will make six people moderately happy and two people very unhappy.

a. X is better, for it has a net result value of 3, whereas Y has a net value of -1. b. X is better, for it has a net result value of 15, whereas Y has a net value of 10. The fact that in Y no one is unhappy does not count in itself. It would count only if the unhappiness of the 5 in X would cause more unhappiness. c. Y is better, for it produces 12 hours of pleasure, whereas X produces 10 hours. d. X is better, for although it makes fewer people happy, it makes them very happy, and it also makes 1 more person unhappy than Y but they are only mildly unhappy. If you use a scale such as in the text, it would be the same. X is better for it produces 5 x 10 degrees (50) and 3 x -2 (-6) or = 44 person/degrees. Y produces 6 x 5 degrees (30) and 2 x -10 (-20) = 10 people/degrees.

The two forms or schools of Utilitarianism are

act and rule

According to Kant, the shopkeeper who charges an equal price of all her customers because she likes them is

acting According to Duty, but not From Duty

According to Kant, the shopkeeper who charges an equal price of all her customers because that is good for business is

acting according to duty, not from duty

According to Kant, acting morally consists essentially in

acting out of a will to do the right thing

For the Act Utilitarian

all of these the same act may be right in one situation and wrong in another apart from maximizing happiness, there are no rules that ought always to be followed one ought always to maximize happiness for all concerned

John Locke argues that all persons should be treated equally because

all persons have the same basic nature

Metaethics typically engages in

analysis of moral language and moral theories.

According to Locke, human beings by nature

are capable of moral reasoning

According to Thomas Hobbes, it is generally the case that human beings

are equal in both mind and body

J.S. Mill would likely argue that what makes murder and theft wrong is that they

are generally harmful and cause unhappiness

One reason that Kant focused on motives rather than consequences is that motives

are within our control; consequences are not

Philippa Foot argues that the virtues

can help us through the difficulties of life

According to our text, Thomas Aquinas's natural law theory would likely oppose censorship because

censorship frustrates or goes against our innate inclination to know the truth

What does John Locke consider to be the solution to conflicts that arise among human beings?

civil government

For Kant, which of the following has the highest intrinsic value?

persons/people

According to natural rights ethicists such as John Locke, rights stem from

human nature

Aristotle identified two types or categories of virtue, which he called

intellectual & moral

Psychological egoism

is a theory about human nature, about why people act as they do

According to Aristotle, moral virtue

is acquired through practice

By the term 'categorical' in the 'Categorical Imperative', Immanuel Kant means that the command or obligation

is unconditional, without exception

Arisotle believed that it is difficult to be virtuous because

it is not easy to find the mean in most things

According to Aristotle intellectual virtues are_____whereas moral virtues are_____

mental skills/traits of character

According to Kant, the highest good achievable by human action is

moral worthiness

According to Kant, the highest good achievable by human action is not happiness, but

moral worthiness

Kant's famous expression that "'ought' implies 'can'" means that

morality (ought) presupposes free will (can)

John Locke is most closely associated with which moral theory?

natural law

According to natural law theory, how we ought to live (morality) can be learned from

nature, from what is in fact the case about reality

According to natural law theory, morality, or how we ought to live, can be learned from

nature, from what is in fact the case about reality

Immanuel Kant describes 'Perfect Duties' as

necessary and binding

Natural law theory holds that human beings can find guidance in how best to live their lives by

observing and reasoning about human life and human nature

Philippa Foot argues that the virtues are

of two basic kinds: self-regarding and other-regarding

According to Kant, the reason why it is wrong to make a false promise is that

one cannot universalize false promising

The virtues are best described as

praiseworthy traits of character

For Immanuel Kant, without free will,

there can be no morality, no right and wrong, no praise or blame

A moral realist holds that there is some real, existing quality of goodness, independent of our beliefs about goodness, just as there are real, existing physical objects independent of our perceptions.

true

According to Act Utilitarianism, if it produces more net utility or pleasure to give money that I had promised to return to a friend to famine relief instead, then I ought to give it to the relief fund.

true

According to Ethical Egoism, we have no duty to help others if doing so conflicts with our self-interest.

true

According to Hobbes, "good" is simply the satisfaction of desire, and evil is whatever one hates or wishes to avoid.

true

According to Jeremy Bentham, some pleasures may be more valuable than others, but only in so far as they are of greater intensity, duration, or some other measurable, quantitative property.

true

According to Kant, one can act consistently with Duty and that action still may not have moral worth.

true

According to Utilitarianism, an act that makes some people happy and others unhappy may nonetheless be morally right.

true

According to cultural ethical relativism, what is right is whatever one's society or culture holds is right.

true

According to ethical relativism, there is no objective standard of good or bad, and right or wrong, that applies to all cultures.

true

According to individual ethical relativism no one can be objectively mistaken in his/her moral judgments.

true

According to natural law theory, it could be argued that suicide is wrong because it goes against our innate drive or inclination to live.

true

According to natural law theory, the good for human beings lies in the development of their natural human tendencies or inclinations.

true

According to our text, natural law is normative, whereas scientific laws are descriptive.

true

Ethical egoism is a normative theory.

true

John Locke's theory of basic human rights stems from his view that all human beings share the same basic nature and are thus fundamentally equal.

true

John Stuart Mill believes that pleasure is the only intrinsic good because he believes that it's the only thing that everyone desires for its own sake.

true

One argument offered in support of ethical relativism is the fact that there is widespread disagreement about moral standards among the cultures of the world.

true

The term "supervenient" refers to properties such as goodness, which supposedly derive from or come about because of other properties such as courage and honesty.

true

The view that everyone ought to take care of himself/herself because this would work to the benefit of all is not egoism but a form of utilitarianism.

true

Kant's first form of the categorical imperative is derived from the nature of moral obligation as

universally binding

A clear example of a consequentialist moral theory is

utilitarianism

The opposite of virtue is

vice

The Greek term 'arete' means

virtue or excellence

The motivational form of psychological egoism asserts that

we always try to do what we think is in our self-interest

According to the Aristotle, it is difficult to be virtuous because

we are by nature inclined not to be virtuous

The main focus of Virtue Ethics is on

what kind of persons we ought to be

According to Kant, to act with a good will means to do

what one ought to do because it is one's duty

Philippa Foot argues that

wisdom is always a virtue, but prudence sometimes is not