Ethics Exam #2 (modules 6-9)
Objection to utilitarianism: "Utilitarianism requires that, at every moment, you maximize well-being. But living like that would leave you burned out, empty, resentful, and sad. You can't always live for the common good. Sometimes, you have to take a break, relax, and focus on yourself."
"If taking a break now means you'll be able to better maximize overall well-being later on, then you should take a break!"
Kant called human beings ends-in-themselves
Their value doesn't come from being valued by someone else, instead it comes from their rationality and autonomy
For a utilitarian, why is it generally good to be generous?
When you're generous, you tend to improve overall well-being
Consequentialism says that the entire point of morality
is to make the world a better place for everyone
An action is optimific just in case
it has the best overall consequences of any available action
According to utilitarianism, harming a human being is
no better or worse than harming a non-human animal
Utilitarianism says that
nobody's well-being counts for more than anybody else's when determining overall well-being
An action maximizes well-being just in case it
none of the above
The principle of utility says that the right thing to do is
none of the above
Utilitarianism says that we can treat one person's interests as more important than another's if
none of the above
Consequentialism is an approach to
normative ethics
"Donut shops should remain closed in order to prevent the spread of disease."
not a maxim of action
"I want to buy some donuts."
not a maxim of action
"I will turn off cable news in order to avoid becoming anxious."
not a maxim of action
"I would rather go without donuts than contract the virus."
not a maxim of action
"If you want to feel anxious, turn on cable news."
not a maxim of action
Which of the following actions would a utilitarian say is wrong under all possible circumstances?
performing an action that doesn't maximize overall well-being
Utilitarianism implies that the child's treatment in the fictional city of Omelas is
possibly morally right, provided the consequences are optimific
Utilitarianism implies that whenever you act, you are morally required to
produce the outcome that maximizes overall well-being
According to utilitarianism, knowing the right thing to do
requires accurately predicting the outcomes of one's actions
If an action's moral status depends upon its actual consequences, then knowing whether an action was right or wrong
requires knowing what its consequences actually were
According to Consequentialism, moral rules such as "do not kill innocent people" are
rules of thumb
If your action is _____, that means it goes above and beyond the call of duty.
supererogatory
Kelsey Piper lists several principles that are central to Effective Altruism. Which of the following is not among them?
Effective Altruism is hedonistic
The key question for Effective Altruists when deciding what to do is
How much overall good will this action bring about?
Which of the following responses to the objection that utilitarianism is too demanding are available to the utilitarian?
"No it's not; if you focus constantly on maximizing well-being, you'll wind up doing less good than you would if you took a day off every now and then."
Objection to utilitarianism: "Utilitarianism implies that you are allowed to commit serious injustices for the sake of overall well-being. But you're not allowed to do that!" A utilitarian could respond to this objection by saying
"No, it's never optimific to commit serious injustice."
Objection to utilitarianism: "Utilitarianism implies that, to decide what to do, I have to first know everything about the future consequences of everything I could do. But that's impossible!"
"Utilitarianism is a standard of rightness, not a decision procedure. What you should do is maximize well-being, but that doesn't mean you need to think like a utilitarian every time you are deciding what to do."
Which of the following is a possible response to the Argument from Injustice
All: "It is never optimific to commit injustice" & "It is sometimes morally permissible to commit serious injustice" & "In addition to well-being, justice is intrinsically valuable"
For a utilitarian, which of these would be good reasons to value the character trait of compassion?
All: Compassionate people are usually happier themselves & Compassionate people usually make other people happier & Compassionate people usually think of other people's interests.
Which of the following reasons could a utilitarian give for not harvesting a healthy patient's organs against their will?
All: People would stop going to the hospital if they found out about this, which would seriously decrease overall well-being & The patient whose organs would be harvested was going to donate a million dollars to Feed My Starving Children, and so killing him would seriously decrease overall well-being & The patient who were going to be saved by the harvested organs won't live long even with the organs, and hence saving them won't increase overall well-being very significantly
If the right thing to do in the Trolley Problem is to pull the lever, then
All: it's sometimes morally permissible to intentionally kill an innocent human being & killing an innocent human being can be justified by the consequences & sometimes it's wrong to refrain from killing an innocent human being
Even though your parents disapprove, you choose to marry the person you love.
An example of autonomy
While you respect Kant's ethics, you adopt utilitarian principles in your own life.
An example of autonomy.
You decide that you are going to pursue a career in nursing.
An example of autonomy.
You compare several different nursing programs and select the one you think will be best for you.
An example of rationality
You were about to do A, but then you realized doing B would be a more efficient way to accomplish your goal.
An example of rationality.
"If you want to learn to argue well, you should take logic." This is an example of what Kant called
An hypothetical Imperative
Mean
Anything that will help you achieve some end
End
Anything you value and aim to achieve.
Utilitarianism says that you are morally required to maximize well-being
At all times
If Consequentialism is true, then
Both: An action's moral status depends on its consequences & An action's moral status depends on nothing else besides its consequences
If the Principle of Universalizability is the fundamental moral rule, then
Both: If you maxim is universalizable, then your action is moral & if your action is moral, then your maxim is universalizable
Kant thought that if you act on the basis of a maxim that isn't unversalizable, then your action is
Both: Immoral & Irrational
According to Jeremy Bentham, what is the relevant question for determining membership in the moral community?
Can they suffer?
Utilitarianism says that you are morally allowed to
Do anything at all, provided it maximizes overall well-being
Paternalism
Do not respect other people's autonomy and violate the principle of humanity
According to utilitarianism, some actions are supererogatory.
False
According to utilitarianism, whether your action is right or wrong depends in part upon whether you acted with good intentions.
False
One version of utilitarianism says that well-being and justice are both intrinsically valuable, and both matter independently when determining which outcome is best.
False
Peter Singer argues that if someone is physically distant from you, you don't have any moral obligations toward them
False
The argument in Part 3 of the lecture depends on the premise that rationality does not require consistency
False
Utilitarianism implies that many actions are supererogatory
False
Utilitarianism implies that you must always determine precisely what will happen as a result of your actions in order to make a decision about what to do.
False
Utilitarianism says that you're morally obligated to generate as much overall well-being as you possibly can. We've considered a number of examples and implications of this requirement. Is it too demanding? What do you think?
I think that utilitarianism can be too demanding. I believe this because utilitarianisms expect to much from us, such as knowing pretty much everything so than we know what we are facing in our everyday life. It's to much to handle when you have to see every result in your everyday decisions.
What do you think is the best utilitarian response to the Argument from Injustice? Why?
I think the best utilitarian response to the argument from injustice is well being of someone else. Such as scarifying your own life to help save someone else. I believe this because there are times in your life when you have to do something that will possibly hurt your life just to help someone else.
The example of the "Lawn Fanatic" in Part 4 of the lecture is to argue that
Kant's Principle of Universalizability is false
Does the principle of humanity apply to people with disabilities?
Kant's reasoning is based on the idea that humans are autonomous, so it seems that the answer is no.
Where do universal human rights come from?
Many people think that humans have universal rights; not to be raped, tortured, or enslaved; to practice their own religion, to be treated fairly. Kant's principle of humanity supports this idea.
After considering the issues raised in this module, what is your overall assessment of utilitarianism? Is it a useful, plausible approach to normative ethics? Or is it doomed?
My overall assessment of utilitarianism is that it can be useful in some situations but in a lot of situations we have no clue what to do so than we just do the first thing that comes to mind. I can say that utilitarianism is more towards normative ethics because the theory states that the actions we do are morally right, which is required by optimific social rule. Therefore, everyone agrees that utilitarianism is useful in our daily life.
A computer program automatically selects your outfit for you every day.
Neither an example of autonomy nor an example of rationality.
You have done the same task at work so many times that you can do it now without even thinking.
Neither an example of autonomy nor an example of rationality.
You ignore your emotions and try to make decisions only on the basis of facts and logic.
Neither an example of autonomy nor an example of rationality.
Suppose that action A would produce more well-being than action B. For a utilitarian, that means you have to do A instead of B, except when
None of the above
State one maxim that you believe fails the universalizability test. Explain why it fails.
One maxim that I believe fails the universalizability test is lying to people. I think this fails the test because if you keep lying to everyone then no one will trust you when you say something. I also think it is bad to lie because no one will take you seriously when you tell them things, which can lead to you having no friends because all you do is lie to them. When I was younger lying was a big part of what I just did and my mom told me that if you keep lying to yourself and others then no one will talk to you because all you do is lie. If I didn't stop then I would still be lying to myself and others every day.
State one maxim that you believe passes the universalizability test. Explain why it passes.
One maxim that I believe passes the universalizability test is visiting your family members that you haven't seen in a while. I think this passes the test because when I visit family that I haven't seen in years they are always so happy to hear what I have been doing and how my life is going. It is also good for me to see them because it makes me happy and helps me stay close to them.
According to utilitarianism, when can conventional moral rules be broken?
They can be broken when doing so would be optimific.
To treat someone with Paternalistically
To act as if you are their parent: To force them to do things or to refrain from doing things for their own good. (Kant agrees)
In part 1 or the video, an argument is presented that depends on the claim that acting morally sometimes won't help you accomplish any goals.
True
Kant held that it is always rational to act morally.
True
Utilitarianism implies that it is sometimes morally permissible to punish someone for a crime they did not commit.
True
What is the relationship between Consequentialism and Utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is a particular version of Consequentialism
You're an ER doctor considering whether to kill a healthy patient, harvest their organs, and use those organs to save the lives of five people who will die otherwise. Utilitarianism says
You should probably not do that, because it's unlikely to maximize well-being, though if it were to maximize well-being, it would be the right thing to do
What about humans who aren't autonomous?
Young children, people in comas, or people with mental illnesses/ disabilities.. it's not clear such people are truly autonomous.
You bought your friend a nice birthday gift for $25. You could have donated the money to an international hunger relief organization instead. Which of the following facts would most likely imply that you made the right choice, from the perspective of utilitarianism?
Your friend was so inspired by your generosity that she decided to donate $50 to famine relief in your honor
"Everyone who wants to avoid becoming sick should stay home."
a maxim of action
"I am staying home in order to avoid becoming sick."
a maxim of action
"I am stealing donuts from the supermarket in order to acquire a donut stockpile."
a maxim of action
Kant thought that morality consisted of
a system of categorical imperatives
Jeremy Bentham was dedicated to the cause of
abolitionism
Is morally always advantageous?
acting morally builds trust, improves your image strengthens your character. reduces anxiety and more.
The principle of humanity states
always treat a human being as an end, and never as a mere means
The Argument from Injustice is
an objection to utilitarianism.
According to the text, utilitarian's think that most of our deeply held moral beliefs are
correct
Utilitarianism implies that you can put your family and friends' interests ahead of the interests of strangers, but only when
doing so maximizes overall well-being
Which of these is not a factor in the framework Kelsey Piper describes for identifying promising causes?
efficiency
John Stuart Mill was an early proponent of
equality for women
Utilitarian's believe in
exactly one absolute moral rule: the principle of utility
You donated some cans of soup to the homeless shelter, assuming that this was a way of making the world a better place. However, unbeknownst to you, one of the cans was poisoned, and seven people died after eating the soup. Fill in the blanks: If an action's moral status depends upon its ______ consequences, then a consequentialist would say this action was ______.
expected; right
You've just found $100 in a drawer! An Effective Altruist would say you should
find out how much good you can do by giving it to different charities -- then give it to the one that will do the most!
Most utilitarian's believe that the morality of an action depends on
how good its actual results are
If you have a right to be treated with respect, then it's morally wrong to disrespect you
in all cases, no matter what.
If the right thing to do in the Trolley Problem is to pull the lever, then
intentionally killing an innocent human being is sometimes the right thing to do
Autonomy is
the ability to choose your own ends and principles
Rationality is
the ability to reason about how best to accomplish your goals
Consequentialism is the view that
the right thing to do, in any circumstance, is the available action that has the best consequences
Utilitarianism says that violent acts such as murder, rape, and assault are generally immoral, because
these actions almost never maximize overall well-being
Many of the acts that we conventionally regard as immoral -- slavery, rape, killing innocent people -- are also generally condemned by Utilitarianism. That's because
these actions generally produce more harm than good.
Kant believed that humans have value because
they are rational and autonomous
Treat someone as an end
to respect it in away that reflects it's value
Treat someone as means
to use it as away of achieving your own ends
Treat someone as a mere means
to use them without respecting their autonomy. If you force someone to do what you want, or manipulate them into doing it. (slavery)
"In addition to well-being, justice is also intrinsically valuable." Which of the following positions is inconsistent with this claim?
utilitarianism
Peter Singer, a contemporary utilitarian, is an influential advocate for
vegetarianism
According to (act) utilitarianism, the action with the best consequences is the one that produces the most overall
well-being
To treat someone as an end is to treat her
with the respect that she is due
Consequentialism is the view that
you should always do whatever has the best consequences
Utilitarianism implies that
you're acting immorally whenever you do something that doesn't maximize well-being
