Social Responsibility n Ethics Unit 1: chap 3
Identify an argument of socialist egalitarian theories.
Basic economic goods and services should be equally distributed.
They establish the framework for the legal system.
Human rights
Which tradition in philosophical ethics seeks a complete and detailed description of character traits that would constitute a good and meaningful human life?
Virtue ethics
Adam Smith's version of utilitarianism argues that _____ will maximize overall benefits.
a system of voluntary transactions
the individual does not have any temptation to be unethical.
an individual who has modest, down-to-earth desires
In the Kantian tradition, human beings do not act only out of instinct and conditioning; they make free choices about how they live their lives. In this sense, humans are said to have a fundamental human right of ________, or "self-rule."
autonomy
According to many philosophers, ethical duties should be ________________ ________________, which means that a person must obey fundamental ethical rules no matter what. (Enter one word in each blank.)
categorical imperatives
An ethics of virtue focuses on a person's ____, which refers to those dispositions, relationships, attitudes, values and beliefs that popularly might be called a personality
character
One of the challenges to utilitarian ethics is that _____.
comparisons of consequences are very difficult
Considering beneficial and harmful effects to all parties affected
consequences
In a business setting, the most important conflict of rights would occur when _____.
employees' economic rights conflict with their employers' property rights
Principles create _____ that bind people to behave or decide in certain ways.
ethical duties
What is the difference between a principle-based framework of ethics and utilitarianism?
ethics of principles is based on rules, whereas utilitarianism is based on consequences.
True or false: In ethics, all acts can be successfully justified by tying them to self-interest.
false
True or false: In principle-based ethics, liberty and equality are considered legal rights created by governments and communities.
false
True or false: Utilitarians believe that an act is either absolutely right or wrong in all cases in every situation.
false
True or false: Utilitarians believe that they ought to obey certain principles even if doing so does not increase overall happiness.
false
A movement within utilitarian thought points to the line of thinking that originated with Adam Smith. It claims that _____.
free and competitive markets are the best ways for achieving utilitarian ends
The most significant contribution of utilitarianism to philosophical thought is _____.
its impact in the field of economics
The market and the administrative versions of utilitarianism both _____.
share the same goal of maximizing good outcomes overall
No group could function if members were free at all times to decide for themselves what to do and how to act. Which of the following functions to organize and ease relations between individuals?
social contract
According to virtue ethics, one of the ways in which choices affect character is through _____.
the people and organizations one chooses to associate with
Directs one to act on the basis of moral principles
the principle-based framework
According to Immanuel Kant, the fundamental duty of a person to respect the rights of others is the duty to _____.
treat others as ends in themselves
True or false: An individual's self, or character, is identical to his or her most basic and enduring dispositions, values, beliefs, and attitudes.
true
Amanda and Jeremy argue about the employment of children in tobacco farms in a certain part of the world. Jeremy is of the view that this practice is ethical. He supports this view by stating facts about how the economic and social gains from employing children in these farms outweigh the long-term economic losses due to the health problems and lack of education suffered by these children. Jeremy is most likely an adherent of ________.
utilitarianism
Directs one to decide based on overall consequences of one's acts
utilitarianism
Much of 20th-century economics, or what is known as the free market, is based on _____.
utilitarianism
Which ethical tradition has its origins in 18th- and 19th-century political and social philosophy and functions on the belief that outcomes matter?
utilitarianism
Which of the following theories directs us to decide based on overall consequences of our acts?
utilitarianism
An issue faced by utilitarians when calculating the consequences of an action is that _____.
utilitarians differ on what constitutes the overall good
Directs one to consider the moral character of individuals and how various character traits can contribute to, or obstruct, a happy and meaningful human life
virtue ethics
From an ethical perspective, what is considered the most reasonable decision a person can make?
A decision that promotes the greatest number of human values for the greatest number of people
Lorraine captures an endangered snake in her garden. A passerby tells her that it is extremely valuable and that she should sell it instead of calling the authorities. However, she notifies the authorities and has them take it away as it is a crime to sell the snake. What type of ethical principle is Lorraine abiding by?
A legal principle
Advertising regulations should be determined by experts who have carefully studied and observed the field of advertising and who will establish well-researched standards for advertisers.
Administrative utilitarianism
Why do some utilitarians turn to policy experts to create and implement policies?
Because policy experts can best predict the consequences of the policies
Which of the following is a true statement in the context of the libertarian understandings of social justice?
Businesses should be free to pursue profit in any voluntary and nondeceptive manner.
Which of the following statements is true according to the libertarian perspective?
Businesses should not be restricted from pursuing profit in any voluntary and nondeceptive manner.
How does virtue ethics reconcile the conflict between self-interest and altruism?
By stating that some people's selves are altruistic
Identify a view of virtue ethics.
Character and action have a reciprocal relationship
They are called natural rights or moral rights.
Human rights
Which of the following contains an "if" clause?
Hypothetical duties
Which of the following is true of a market version of utilitarianism?
Individuals calculate for themselves what risks they wish to take.
The ________ tradition claims that our fundamental human rights, and the duties that follow from them, are derived from our nature as free and rational beings.
Kantian
They are established by the legal system.
Legal rights
Advertising regulations should be determined by advertisers themselves, who are in the best position to judge what risks they are willing to take to generate profits.
Market utilitarianism
Identify an example of a categorical imperative.
"All humans should refrain from taking the life of a human regardless of the circumstances."
Identify an example of a hypothetical duty.
"One must support charities as long as it is within one's means to do so."
Identify a true statement about utilitarians.
They make decisions strictly based on consequences.
How do utilitarian policy experts improve their ability to predict outcomes that will maximize overall happiness?
Through careful observation
What is the function of rights?
To prevent individuals from being sacrificed for the greater overall good
According to utilitarians, what is the ultimate ethical goal?
To produce the best outcomes overall after considering all the stakeholders involved
________ directs us to decide based on overall consequences of our acts.
Utilitarianism
Which of the following are the beliefs of libertarians? (Check all that apply.) a. Government regulation on business practices that are not ethical is considered just. b. Individuals should be free to engage in any voluntary economic exchange as long as they do not harm others. c. Businesses should be restricted from pursuing profit in any voluntary and nondeceptive manner. d. A just society is one in which individuals are entirely exposed to governmental intrusion.
a, b
Free-market economics requires businesses to pursue profits to ensure that businesses _____.
allocate resources to people who value them the most
The only avenue open for justification of an act would display how an act serves some other interest that individual has.
an individual who does not have a disposition to be modest
According to principle-based ethics, which of the following are natural rights? (Check all that apply.) a. property b. liberty c. happiness d. equality
b, d
The perspective of egoism claims that it is impossible for people to _____.
be altruistic
According to free-market economics, the most efficient method of maximizing overall happiness requires that _____.
business managers aim to maximize profits
Identify the types of ethical principles that are part of a social contract. (Check all that apply.) a. deviant principles b. arbitrary principles c. role-based principles d. professional principles e. legal principles f. organizational principles
c, d, e, f
Utilitarianism has been called a(n) ______________________ approach to ethics and social policy because its fundamental insight is that people should decide what to do by considering the overall consequences of their actions.
consequentialist
In the past, utilitarianism as a social philosophy has been strongly supportive of _____.
democratic policies and institutions
Considering if the people involved are being treated fairly, with respect for their autonomy and equality
duties, rights, and principles
_____ is a perspective that states that people act only out of self-interest.
egoism
Which of the following would be advocated by the "administrative" version of utilitarianism?
government regulation of business
According to utilitarianism, the ultimate good and the only thing that can be valued for its own sake is _____.
happiness
Rights function to prevent individuals from _____.
having to sacrifice their integrity for greater overall happiness
Considering one's own principles and purposes and if a decision makes one proud or embarrassed
implications for personal integrity and character
Egalitarian perspectives on social justice generally support _____.
increased governmental involvement in the economy
They are awarded to individuals on the basis of judicial rulings.
legal rights
Utilitarians believe that the purpose of ethics ought to be the _____.
maximization of overall happiness
A serious issue that ethicists have with the utilitarian school of thought concerns its belief that _____.
means are justified by their end
According to Immanuel Kant, one should never treat others as _____.
means to one's own end
The goal of economic activity in free-market economics is to _____.
meet consumer demand
The concept of human rights is central to which of the following ethical traditions?
principle-based ethical tradition
_________________ are ethical rules that put values into action.
principles
One of the features of human rights is that they _____.
protect individuals from having their dignity violated
According to free-market proponents, free markets maximize overall happiness by _____.
providing an environment within which individuals can decide what they want and bargain for it
According to principle-based ethics, the fundamental moral duty of human beings is to _____.
respect other people's basic human rights
One of the challenges to an ethics of rights highlights the fact that _____.
rights are sometimes in conflict with each other
Utilitarianism as a social philosophy is against policies that _____.
seek to benefit a small minority
According to the Kantian tradition, fundamental human rights and duties are derived from _____.
the free and rational nature of human beings
Which of the following approaches shifts the focus from questions about what a person should do, to a focus on who that person is?
virtue ethics
Character traits that would constitute a good and full human life are called _____.
virtues
Virtue ethics focuses on _____.
who a person is
