Phil 115 Ethics Quiz

Ethical______is the claim that moral principles are not only objective but are also exceptionless.

Absolutism

Kant calls an unqualified moral law that that's independent of all prior desires a

Categorical imperative

A version of the doctrine of the mean was developed not only by Aristotle but also by the ancient Chinese thinker _____, who lived from about 551 B. C. to 479 B. C.

Confucious

Another name for teleological ethics is

Consequentialism

James Rachels criticizes the_____argument for ethical relativism on the grounds that the mere fact of disagreement among moral beliefs doesn't logically imply there's no objective truth in morality.

Cultural differences

_____ ethics judges the moral rightness or wrongness of an act in terms of the intrinsic moral value of the act itself.

Deontological

According to your text, the___thesis asserts that moral beliefs, rules, and practices are essentially dependent on the cultural patterns of the society in which they occur.

Dependency

What your text labels the____thesis (often elsewhere called cultural relativism) is the descriptive claim that moral beliefs, rules, and practices differ from society to society.

Diversity

According to the_____theory, the moral rightness or wrongness of an act is intrinsically related to the fact that God either commands it or forbids it.

Divine command

The theory of____states that people ought always to do only what is in their own self-interest.

Ethical egoism

The theory that the moral rightness or wrongness of an action is a function of the amount of pleasure or pain it produces is the theory called ____.

Ethical hedonism

Aristotle believes the ultimate goal we all desire for its own sake is happiness or living well, which he refers to by the Greek term ___.

Eudaimonia

"Ethical objectivism" and "ethical absolutism" are just two different names for the same doctrine that moral principles are both objective and allow for no exceptions.

False

A key plank of utilitarianism is the rejection of the claim that the end justifies the means.

False

Conventional ethical relativism is a descriptive ethical theory rather than a normative one.

False

Feminist ethics is particularly known for emphasizing the importance of analytical reason over compassion and abstract principles over particular relationships.

False

Ruth Benedict was an anthropologist well-known for her attacks on the theory of conventional ethical relativism.

False

According to Kant, for an act to have moral worth it must be both done in accordance with duty and ___duty.

From

Kant believes that the only thing that has absolute moral value is a

Good will

A _______ imperative is a rule that tells us only what means to use to achieve a desired end.

Hypothetical

Something has _____ value if its desirability is in terms of other ends it achieves.

Instrumental

According to Aristotle's doctrine of the,_____ moral virtues are habits of rationally choosing just the right emotion or action, neither too much nor too little.

Mean

Ethical _____, which is also sometimes called ethical universalism, is the view that there are universal and objectively valid moral principles that are relative neither to the individual nor to society.

Objectivism

A ___ duty is a duty that is morally binding unless it conflicts with a more important duty.

Prima facie

The doctrine of ____ hedonism is the claim that the only causes operating in human behavior are the desires to obtain pleasure and avoid pain.

Psychological

The claim that what is really right or wrong is solely determined by the standards set by each particular society is the doctrine of conventional ethical ____, otherwise known as conventionalism.

Relativism

The doctrine that what is morally right or wrong is solely a matter of each individual's personal opinion is known as____ethical relativism.

Subjective

According to Kantian ethics, we have absolute moral duties that are determined by reason and that are not affected by the consequences.

True

According to the account presented by Glaucon in the story of the Ring of Gyges, only a fool would be just if he had the power to get away with being unjust.

True

Kantian ethics is an example of a deontological theory.

True

Subjectivists and conventionalists in ethics agree that moral principles are relative to human opinion, but they disagree over whether this is individual opinion or societal opinion.

True

Universal ethical egoists, utilitarians, and Kantians all reject ethical relativism.

True

___is the theory that the right action is the one that produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.

Utilitarianism

A _____is a trait of character that is to be admired and desired because it is a constituent of human excellence.

Virtue

Any theory that sees the primary focus of ethics to be the character of the person rather than that person's actions can be called a variety of____

Virtue ethics

According to Kant, the only thing that has intrinsic value is pleasure.

false

Aristotle's doctrine of the mean implies that there is a certain intermediate degree of courage that is appropriate for all people regardless of their particular circumstances.

false

It's fair to say that whereas for Aristotle ethics is a matter of reason alone, for Kant it's largely a matter of the integration of reason and emotion.

false

Kant believes you must respect others as persons but that it's morally ok and even morally praiseworthy to treat yourself simply as a thing, an instrument for achieving the greatest happiness of others.

false

Something is said to have intrinsic value if its desirability is in terms of other ends it achieves.

false

While virtue theorists treat virtue as having instrumental value, utilitarians and Kantians treat it as having intrinsic value.

false

According to Aristotle, we acquire moral virtues by practicing them

true

According to the principle of utility, a morally right action is one that produces at least as much good (utility) for all people affected by the action as any alternative action that could be performed.

true

Both ethical egoists and utilitarians are consequentialists.

true

James Rachels argues that despite the apparent diversity in ethical beliefs and practices, there must be some common moral rules (such as rules against lying and murder) that are necessary for society to exist at all.

true

Kant emphasizes the importance not only of acting in accordance with duty but also of acting from duty

true

Kant maintains that moral principles are exceptionless.

true

Mill believes some pleasures are higher than others, whereas Bentham thinks pleasures differ only in quantity, there being no sense in trying to distinguish between higher and lower pleasures.

true

Whereas utilitarianism and Kant's ethics of duty concentrate largely on the ethics of conduct, virtue ethics focuses on the ethics of character.

true