PHIL. CHAPTER 5

Ayn Rand believed that rational selfishness would lead to the best society. true false

true

Which of the following claims made by utilitarians would Kant reject? A) Ethical principles are objective. B) Ethics concerns only our relations with others, for we have no moral duties to ourselves. C) There can be a difference between what society thinks is moral, and what really is. D) all of the above.

B) Ethics concerns only our relations with others, for we have no moral duties to ourselves.

According to Kant, the morality of an action depends upon external circumstances and situations. true false

false

According to Kant's philosophy, the statement "If you want people to be good to you, you should be good to them" is A) the basis of all true morality. B) a hypothetical imperative. C) the first version of the categorical imperative. D) the second version of the categorical imperative.

B) a hypothetical imperative.

In the reading from Plato's Republic, Glaucon says that the reason to be moral is because A) that is simply the right thing to do. B) of its social consequences. C) immorality corrupts the soul, which is our true self. D) we want to avoid punishment in the afterlife.

B) of its social consequences.

According to Kant's philosophy, which of the following commands could be universalized? A) Tell the truth only when it is convenient to do so. B) Give all of your money to those who have less than you do. C) Always charge less for your product than your competitors. D) Always keep your promises.

D) Always keep your promises.

Which of the following claims would be that of a psychological egoist? A) I believe I ought to maximize my self-interest, but I have no opinion about how you should act. B) Everyone has an obligation to serve my interests. C) Everyone ought to do what will serve his or her own interests. D) Everyone always acts so as to serve their own interests.

D) Everyone always acts so as to serve their own interests.

According to utilitarianism, the morality of a particular action can change over time if the consequences change. true false

true

According to Kant, every moral rule has its exceptions. true false

false

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

false

When John Stuart Mill said, "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied," his point was that A) Satisfaction of physical needs is fundamental to all living beings and therefore should be fulfilled first. Only then can we go on to other pleasures. B) Some pleasures are qualitatively higher than others. C) People who live like pigs or fools are not as good as people who live like humans or Socrates. D) It is more difficult to be happy as a pig than to be happy as a human.

B) Some pleasures are qualitatively higher than others.

Teleological ethics is another name for deontological ethics. true false

false

According to Ruth Benedict, the statement "it is morally good" is synonymous with A) "it is a socially approved habit." B) "it is commanded by God." C) "it is my moral duty." D) "it is what makes me personally feel good."

A) "it is a socially approved habit."

According to Kant, the statement "Be kind to others if you want others to be kind to you" is A) The rational principle of morality. B) A hypothetical imperative. C) The first version of the categorical imperative. D) The second version of the categorical imperative.

B) A hypothetical imperative.

In Plato's story of the ring of Gyges, the ring had the power to make one invisible. true false

true

In spite of the fact that Eskimos kill some of their babies, James Rachels says that their values are not all that different from our values. true false

true

Kant believed it would be right to tell the truth even if we thought the consequences would be bad. true false

true

Kant rejected the notion that ethics was based on human psychology. true false

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 false

true

Ruth Benedict said that "normal" is defined as whatever a particular culture says is normal. true false

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 false

true

In balancing your own happiness with that of another person, Mill said that you should A) give no more weight to your own happiness than that of another. B) be concerned only with you own happiness. C) be concerned only with the happiness of others and not with your own happiness. D) realize that producing happiness has nothing to do with morality.

A) give no more weight to your own happiness than that of another.

Which of the following claims would be that of an individual ethical egoist? A) I believe I ought to maximize my self-interest, but I have no opinion about how you should act. B) Everyone has an obligation to serve my interests. C) Everyone ought to do what will serve his or her own interests. D) Everyone always acts so as to serve their own interests.

B) Everyone has an obligation to serve my interests.

Which of the following ethical theories would fit best with the claim that values are like flavors of ice cream, i.e., simply a matter of personal preference? A) Utilitarianism B) Subjectivism C) Conventional ethical relativism D) Kantian ethics

B) Subjectivism

Immanuel Kant said that the only thing in the world that has an absolute, unqualified moral value is A) God B) a good will C) the trait of moderation D) happiness

B) a good will

Ruth Benedict's position was that of A) subjective ethical relativism. B) conventional ethical relativism. C) ethical objectivism. D) ethical egoism.

B) conventional ethical relativism.

Which of the following claims is <u>not</u> an implication of utilitarianism? A) If an evil, but inept, scientist releases a biological agent in the water supply intending to maim and kill millions of people, but the agent, rather than harm anyone, actually eliminates cancer and heart disease from the community, then the evil scientist's action is moral. B) If you vote for candidate X, but that candidate institutes policies that create a great deal of pain for the country, then your act of voting for candidate X was immoral. C) One's own happiness must always be sacrificed for the happiness of others. D) Sometimes we are morally obliged to preserve conveniences at the cost of lives.

C) One's own happiness must always be sacrificed for the happiness of others.

Which one of the following is an objection to psychological egoism raised by Bishop Butler? A) What we are psychologically driven to do and what we ought to do are different. B) Psychological egoism promotes and sustains immorality. C) Personal satisfaction is often the consequence of getting what we desire, not its goal. D) Pursuing our own pleasure will not lead to happiness.

C) Personal satisfaction is often the consequence of getting what we desire, not its goal.

According to Kant, the basis for the categorical imperative is A) Human psychology. B) The need for an orderly society. C) Rational consistency. D) The overall happiness it promotes.

C) Rational consistency.

In his dialogue Euthyphro, Plato took the position that the gods approve of certain actions because these actions are good. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

According to the divine command theory, God reveals to us, but does not determine, what is right and wrong. true false

false

According to your text, someone who embraces the philosophy of ethical egoism is by definition someone who wants to be the center of attention and who has an inflated ego. true false

false

According to your text, the notions of justice and individual rights are the two main themes in utilitarianism. true false

false

All religious philosophers necessarily hold to the divine command theory of ethics. true false

false

Ethical egoism logically implies that one should always avoid helping others. true false

false

Jeremy Bentham accepted ethical egoism but rejected psychological egoism. true false

false

Kant believed that all true ethics was based on religion. true false

false

Kant says that it is impossible to treat others as both a means and an end. true false

false

Psychological egoism is a theory about what we ought to do. true false

false

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed that all cultures have the same moral values. true false

false

According to your text, you can act in your own self-interest without being selfish. true false

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 false

true

Ayn Rand was an ethical egoist but not a psychological egoist. true false

true

Both ethical egoists and utilitarians are consequentialists. true false

true

Immanuel Kant's ethics is an example of deontological ethics. true false

true

In Kant's ethics, a principle is universalizable if we could rationally will that everyone would act on it. true false

true

The paradox of hedonism is the fact that if your only goal is to find pleasure and happiness, you are unlikely to find it. true false

true

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

true

W.D. Ross does not think prima facie duties can be ranked in terms of priority. true false

true

Which one of the following actions would have moral worth, according to Kant? A) Smith wants to lie in order to avoid an embarrassment but tells the truth anyway because it is the right thing to do. B) Smith has so developed the virtue of truthfulness that he happily and naturally tells the truth without even thinking about it. C) Smith wants to lie but chooses to tell the truth because it will in the long run create greater happiness for all concerned. D) Smith wants to lie, but because he is afraid of getting caught in a lie he tells the truth.

A) Smith wants to lie in order to avoid an embarrassment but tells the truth anyway because it is the right thing to do.

With which of the following claims must a conventional ethical relativist disagree? A) Some cultural practices are less moral than others. B) Moral improvement within a society or culture is impossible. C) There are no universal, objective moral principles. D) Many societies and cultures share common moral principles.

A) Some cultural practices are less moral than others.

Plato says we should be moral because A) immorality is a disease of the inner person. B) it is our social advantage to have a good reputation. C) it will guarantee us eternal happiness in the afterlife. D) the gods demand it of us.

A) immorality is a disease of the inner person.

A criticism of Ayn Rand's egoism made in the text is that A) it assumes a false dichotomy between pure ethical egoism and pure ethical altruism. B) egoism would lead to selfish behavior. C) it is immoral. D) all of the above.

A) it assumes a false dichotomy between pure ethical egoism and pure ethical altruism.

In the reading by James Rachels, he criticizes the cultural differences argument by saying that A) the premise concerns what people believe, but the conclusion concerns what really is the case. B) not everyone accepts the conclusion. C) if everyone accepted this argument, it would lead to rampant immorality. D) it ignores the fact that cultures differ both in their practices and in their values.

A) the premise concerns what people believe, but the conclusion concerns what really is the case.

The second version of the categorical imperative says A) treat people as an end and never as a means only. B) decide if the consequences of your action would make people happy. C) ask yourself if you would want everyone to follow your example. D) think about how you would feel if people knew what you did.

A) treat people as an end and never as a means only.

The reading by Herodotus illustrated the position of A) subjective ethical relativism. B) conventional ethical relativism. C) ethical objectivism. D) ethical egoism.

B) conventional ethical relativism.

According to Jeremy Bentham, we are governed by two sovereign masters, which are A) physical desires and moral obligations. B) pain and pleasure. C) God and society. D) love of self and love of others.

B) pain and pleasure.

Which of the following statements contradicts ethical objectivism? A) What I think is morally right is not necessarily what you think is morally right. B) An action can be morally right for me and morally wrong for you. C) A moral principle can be correct for me but not necessarily correct for you. D) All of the above

C) A moral principle can be correct for me but not necessarily correct for you.

Which of the following describes a major difference between Bentham's and Mill's ethics? A) Mill believed an action could produce the best consequences and still be immoral. B) Bentham said that pleasure is the only desirable end and Mill denied this. C) Bentham's was a quantitative hedonism and Mill held to a qualitative hedonism. D) Mill's ethics was concerned with the greatest happiness for all and Bentham's ethics was concerned only with the happiness of the individual.

C) Bentham's was a quantitative hedonism and Mill held to a qualitative hedonism.

Which of the following claims would be that of a universal ethical egoist? A) I believe I ought to maximize my self-interest, but I have no opinion about how you should act. B) Everyone has an obligation to serve my interests. C) Everyone ought to do what will serve his or her own interest. D) Everyone always acts so as to serve their own interests.

C) Everyone ought to do what will serve his or her own interest.

A prima facie duty is one that A) Never conflicts with other duties. B) Can never be violated under any circumstance. C) Is morally binding unless it conflicts with a more important duty. D) Defines our actually duty in a particular set of circumstances.

C) Is morally binding unless it conflicts with a more important duty.

Which of the following is not an objection to conventional ethical relativism? A) It doesn't allow for the idea of moral progress or social reform. B) It implies we could tell whether an action is right or not simply by referring to societal standards. C) It implies that there is no basis for criticizing the actions of a member of one's own society on moral grounds. D) It would undermine the basis for criticizing other societies' customs on moral grounds.

C) It implies that there is no basis for criticizing the actions of a member of one's own society on moral grounds.

Which of the following is NOT a consequentialist theory of morality? A) Utilitarianism B) Ethical Egoism C) Kantian ethics D) Ethical hedonism

C) Kantian ethics

Which of the following captures the relationship between ethical egoists and hedonists? A) By definition all ethical egoists are hedonists, though not all hedonists are ethical egoists. B) By definition all hedonists are ethical egoists, though not all ethical egoists are hedonists. C) Some ethical egoists are hedonists, and some hedonists are ethical egoists, but there are members of both groups that don't belong to the other. D) By definition no one can be both an ethical egoist and a hedonist.

C) Some ethical egoists are hedonists, and some hedonists are ethical egoists, but there are members of both groups that don't belong to the other.

Which of the following was not included in Bentham's hedonic calculus? A) Intensity: How strong is the pleasure? B) Duration: How long will the pleasure last? C) Value: Is the pleasure a lower, physical pleasure or a higher, intellectual pleasure? D) Extent: How many people will be affected?

C) Value: Is the pleasure a lower, physical pleasure or a higher, intellectual pleasure?

According to Ayn Rand, if an ethical egoist loved another person, the egoist would A) be contradicting his or her own philosophy. B) necessarily have to sacrifice his or her own interests. C) be pursuing his or her own interests. D) necessarily have no respect for that other person.

C) be pursuing his or her own interests.

A problem that the text raised with the divine command theory of ethics is that A) no intelligent person believes in God. B)many morally abhorrent actions have been defended on the basis of God's commands. C) if moral goodness is defined in terms of God's will, it makes it meaningless to say God's will is good. D) all of the above.

C) if moral goodness is defined in terms of God's will, it makes it meaningless to say God's will is good.

In his article "Comparing Harms," Alastair Norcross argues that A) a consequentialist would say that it would be permissible to sacrifice a human life only if it is saved a number of lives. B) the consequentialist principle of "lives for convenience" shows that consequentialism is immoral. C) our society frequently chooses to sacrifice lives for the convenience of the many. D) there is no situation in which it would be morally permissible to sacrifice an innocent human life.

C) our society frequently chooses to sacrifice lives for the convenience of the many.

According to the first version of Kant's categorical imperative, lying is always immoral because if your maxim "lie whenever you feel you need to" were to become a universal law, A) society would become chaotic. B) you might be lied to as well. C) you would no longer be able to achieve your goal by lying and the universal law would negate itself. D) everyone would become liars and, since liars cannot secure their own happiness, everyone would be miserable.

C) you would no longer be able to achieve your goal by lying and the universal law would negate itself.

Which one of the following claims of the moral absolutist distinguishes this position from other forms of ethical objectivism? A) There are universal, objective moral principles. B) Right and wrong are not a matter of subjective opinion like tastes in food. C) There are objectively right and wrong answers to ethical questions. D) Moral principles cannot be overridden and cannot have any exceptions.

D) Moral principles cannot be overridden and cannot have any exceptions.

The utilitarian rejects which of the following claims of the ethical egoist? A) The consequences of an action determine if it is right or wrong. B) There are objectively correct answers to moral questions. C) It is impossible for an action to be morally obligatory if it makes no one happy. D) People have a moral obligation only for their own happiness.

D) People have a moral obligation only for their own happiness.

Which of the following express(es) the relationship between psychological egoism and ethical egoism? A) It is possible to be a psychological egoist without being an ethical egoist. B) It is possible to be an ethical egoist without being a psychological egoist. C) Psychological egoism is frequently used to argue for ethical egoism. D) all of the above.

D) all of the above

Which of the following would be an example of subjective ethical relativism? A) Ernest Hemingway B) the Sophists C) Jean-Paul Sartre D) all of the above

D) all of the above

James Rachels says that a consequence of cultural relativism is A) we could no longer say that the customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own. B) we could decide whether actions are right or wrong just by consulting the standards of our society. C) the idea of moral progress would be called into doubt. D) all of the above.

D) all of the above.

According to Kant, a work of art has ________ value, but people have ________ value. A) hypothetical/ categorical B) aesthetic/ emotional C) instrumental/ extrinsic D) conditional/ absolute

D) conditional/ absolute

According to Kant, an action has moral worth if A) it achieves good consequences B) we feel good about doing it C) it conforms to our duty D) it is done from a sense of duty

D) it is done from a sense of duty

John Ladd uses the term "the dependency thesis" to refer to the claim that A) morality is dependent on God's commands. B) the morality of an action depends on its consequences. C) morality is dependent on the subjective opinion of each individual. D) morality is dependent on the moral beliefs and practices of a particular society.

D) morality is dependent on the moral beliefs and practices of a particular society.

According to Plato, the three parts of the self are A) the mind, soul, and spirit. B) the appetites, reason, and desires. C) the spirit, the brain, and the mind. D) the appetites, reason, and the spirited part.

D) the appetites, reason, and the spirited part.

The task of normative ethics is to describe various cultures' moral beliefs. true false

false

According to Kant, unless doing your duty is something you enjoy, you are not acting morally. true false

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