Philosophy Final Exam
43. Sartre asserts that when we make choices we involve the whole of humanity. What does he mean? - We must use the Categorical Imperative to guide our moral decisions. - Every individual is a microcosm of all of existence. - Our actions have repercussions which ripple through the entire world. - By choosing an action we are creating an image of what all of humanity should be.
By choosing an action we are creating an image of what all of humanity should be.
26. What does Haidt mean when he says that reasoning acts like a press secretary for our moral beliefs? - He means that we are often embarrassed by the real reasons for our actions, so we try to cover them up after the fact. - He means that moral beliefs arise from biological and emotional sources that are largely non-rational, and when we give reasons for our beliefs we're largely making up stories that sound good. - He means we always act for selfish reasons. But (also for selfish reasons) it's important that we hide this fact with noble sounding "moral" explanations. - He means that morality is "created" on a battleground of reasons. What we accept as moral is what the most articulate and capable reasoners argue for successfully.
He means that moral beliefs arise from biological and emotional sources that are largely non-rational, and when we give reasons for our beliefs we're largely making up stories that sound good.
37. Which of the following biographical statements about Friedrich Nietzsche is NOT true? - He was born in the year 1900. - His father and grandfather were Lutheran ministers. - As a young man he was a fan of the composer Richard Wagner. - He spent the last 11 years of his life suffering extreme dementia.
He was born in the year 1900.
42. Which of the following is the best one sentence summary of Sartre's main point in Existentialism is a Humanism? - Because there is no God life is full of anguish and despair. - Humans have complete responsiblity for every aspect of their lives. - All individuals are free to choose their own moral beliefs without consequences. - Because there is no God humans are free to be immoral.
Humans have complete responsiblity for every aspect of their lives.
8. According to the moral theory known as utilitarianism, what is the essence of morality? - Doing one's duty. - Maximizing happiness. - Thinking rationally. - The Golden Rule.
Maximizing happiness.
28. Which of the following is the best summary of Johnathan Haidt's position toward morality? - Morality is rooted in biology and refined by culture; it's primarily intuitional, not rational. - Morality is a complete human fabrication that merely codifies the values of the culture we live in. - Morality is the "press secretary" of the mind; it gives explanations for our behaviors after the fact. - Morality is a circus performer who has to keep various forms of fruit in the air at the same time.
Morality is rooted in biology and refined by culture; it's primarily intuitional, not rational.
7. Jeremy Bentham is the founder of Utilitarianism. According to Bentham what is the appropriate way to approach difficult moral decisions? - We should use the pleasure/pain calculus. - We should consult the Categorical Imperative. - We should trust our innate sense of "moral virtue." - We should consult sources of authority, like sacred texts, and combine their insights with our own rational judgments.
We should use the pleasure/pain calculus.
5. Which of the following statements about Immanuel Kant is NOT true? - Kant was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Germany). - Kant lived during the 16th century (1500's). - Kant never married, and he never had any children. - Kant spent his whole life in the town of his birth.
Kant lived during the 16th century (1500's)
27. Haidt claims that morality is based on four foundations, which are sort of like clusters of intuitive values. Which of the following is NOT one of the four foundations Haidt identifies? (Note that the four foundations are described in several different ways through out the reading, and even for the correct answers below, not all of the terms actually appear in the text. Nonetheless, one of the answers below is clearly NOT discussed at all.) - avoiding harm and suffering, safety - fairness, equality, justice - authority, hierarchy, loyalty, duty - purity, chastity, modesty - trust, honesty, simplicity
trust, honesty, simplicity
23. Manning makes an interesting observation about teaching morality to students. Which of the following does she suggest might be most effective? - Have students work in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. - Make students read Kant in the original German. - Have students adopt children. - Deprive students of food and shelter so that they can experience need.
Have students work in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter.
18. Which of the following is a cultural practice that James Rachels mentions in this paper? - Ceremonial drug use by Native Americans. - Human sacrifice by the Aztecs. - Infanticide by the Eskimos. - Stealing from leprechauns by the Irish.
Infanticide by the Eskimos.
35. Which of the following is NOT among the criticisms of Kierkegaard presented in the first half of the reading? - If truth merely depends on strength of conviction, then ANYTHING can be true. - It's not possible to justify a leap of faith towards Christianity in preference to a leap of faith towards any other religion. - It's self-contradictory for Kierkegaard to try to rationally explain why we should embrace an irrational belief. - Kierkegaard's beliefs conflict with the standard Christian view that religious claims are objectively true.
It's self-contradictory for Kierkegaard to try to rationally explain why we should embrace an irrational belief.
13. What famous utilitarian does Peter Singer quote in this paper? - Immanuel Kant - John Stuart Mill - Jeremy Bentham - Judith Jarvis Thomson
Jeremy Bentham
12. Which of the following is NOT an objection to Peter Singer's paper? - Because animals are not rational this shows that they are not fully conscious, thus they do not truly experience suffering. - Humans really like to eat animals, so the amount of happiness generated by eating them outweighs their suffering. - Many animals, like dogs and cats, are treated very well by humans. They are better off with humans than they would be in the wild. - Animals themselves do not act morally, and thus we have no obligation to act morally towards them.
Many animals, like dogs and cats, are treated very well by humans. They are better off with humans than they would be in the wild.
25. Which of the following is the best summary of Rita Mannings conception of the essence of morality? - Morality is about following rules. - Morality is about producing the best possible outcome for the greatest number of people. - Morality is about openness to the needs of ourselves, others and the world. - Morality is about following your instincts.
Morality is about openness to the needs of ourselves, others and the world.
20. Which of the following beliefs does Rachels NOT attribute to Cultural Relativists? - Different societies have different moral codes. - The moral code of our own society has no special status. - Morality is created by the authorities in power to control the masses. - We should adopt an attitude of tolerance toward the practices of other cultures.
Morality is created by the authorities in power to control the masses.
24. Which of the following philosophers, that we have previously read, does Manning mention? - Plato - Judith Jarvis Thomson - Immanuel Kant - Peter Singer
Peter Singer
19. According to James Rachels, cultural relativists misunderstand the significance of the fact that different cultures have different moral codes. He claims that they start with this observation, and then they draw an inappropriate conclusion. Which one of the following is the inappropriate conclusion? - Some cultures have mistaken moral codes. - The objective truth about morality is more complex than humans can ever know or understand. - There are no objective moral truths. - We need to adopt an attitude of tolerance towards the moral codes of other cultures.
There are no objective moral truths.
36. What is Nietzsche's doctrine of the Superman? (The German word is "Ubermensch," sometimes translated as "overman.") - A being who does extraordinary things to help others. - A being who performs great acts of evil without remorse. - A being who represents the next evolutionary stage of man. - A being who wears a cape and flies faster than a speeding bullet.
A being who represents the next evolutionary stage of man.
1. Kant claims that the only thing which is truly morally good is: - A good will. - Happiness. - Acting rationally. - Wisdom.
A good will
31. According to Kierkegaard, what is the only legitimate path to belief in God? - A leap of faith. - A fully rational proof. - Participation in a community of believers. - Spiritual training and meditation.
A leap of faith
49. Which of the following is a premise in Strawson's argument against free will? - To be free is to be ultimately responsible for what you do. - To be ultimately responsible for what you do, you have to be ultimately responsible for what you are. - You cannot be ultimately responsible for what you are because you do not create yourself. - All of the above.
All of the above.
2. Kant identifes the Categorical Imperative as the supreme principal that guides all moral action. He expresses this principal in three somewhat different ways, but which of the following best paraphrases the main idea: - Always act in a way that will insure the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. - Always act in a way that you could wish to be a law for every person to follow. - Always act in a way that takes philosophical understanding as the ultimate purpose of human life. - Always act in a way that is consistent with the standards and interests of the society in which you live.
Always act in a way that you could wish to be a law for every person to follow.
22. Which of the following claims would Manning disagree with? - An Ethics of Care is ultimately grounded solely in our emotional response to others. - An Ethics of Care does not require the same caring from every individual in similar circumstances. What is required can vary by situation, ability, and numerous other variables. - An Ethics of Care is holistic. It asks us to see ourselves as part of a larger functioning system, like a community or an ecosystem, even as parts of the one body that is the Earth. - An Ethics of Care extends not only to care for other persons, but even to ideas, institutions, and objects, by caring for their survival and preservation.
An Ethics of Care is ultimately grounded solely in our emotional response to others.
4. Which of the following would be a moral action according to Kant? - An action motivated by love. - An action calculated to generate the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. - An action performed for the sake of duty. - An action necessitated by self-preservation.
An action performed for the sake of duty.
47. Hitler comes up in the conversation. What does Strawson compare him to? - Descartes' evil genius. - An earthquake. - Darth Vader - Someone having a bad hair day.
An earthquake,
3. According to Kant, we can use the Categorical Imperative to determine right action in any scenario whatsoever. For instance, the Categorical Imperative tells us that it's wrong to make a false promise to return borrowed money. Why? - Because if you make false promises you will lose the trust of others, so that in the future you will not have access to the same opportunities. - Because if you make false promises you will undermine your own self-respect. - Because if everyone made false promises the very idea of a promise would lose its value, and no one would trust anyone. - Because making false promises is making untrue statements. Truth and rationality are mutually dependent, and morality is about rationality.
Because if everyone made false promises the very idea of a promise would lose its value, and no one would trust anyone
10. Which of the following biographical statements is NOT true? - Jeremy Bentham was alive at the same time as Immanuel Kant. - John Stuart Mill was born in the early 1800's. - Both Bentham and Mill were born in Dublin, Ireland. - Mill's father was a friend of Jeremy Bentham.
Both Bentham and Mill were born in Dublin, Ireland.
48. What does DMR stand for in the reading? - Correct Answer Deep Moral Responsibility - Dangerous Moral Relativism - Depraved Moral Reasoning - Delusional Moral Realism
Deep Moral Responsibility
29. What does Haidt mean when he talks about being "morally dumbfounded." - Rationalizing immoral behavior to avoid feelings of guilt . - Discovering that a moral belief is not supported by reasons. - Being confused by the complexity that moral choices often require. - Making an honest moral mistake. For instance, thinking it's OK to eat meat raised on factory farms, even though the truth is that it's immoral.
Discovering that a moral belief is not supported by reasons.
44. Which of the following is NOT a true statement about Jean-Paul Sartre? - He participated in the French Resistance during WWII, and was politically active his entire life. - His life partner was Simone de Beauvoir, author of The Second Sex, a seminal work in feminist literature. - He was deeply religious, serving as a Catholic bishop in Paris during the latter part of his life. - Besides for philosophy, he also wrote novels and plays, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1964.
He was deeply religious, serving as a Catholic bishop in Paris during the latter part of his life.
41. Which one of the following philosophical statements would Sartre agree with? - Human existence is completely determined by the causal laws of physics. - God created each human with a unique, specific essence. - Human free will is a burden that causes anguish. - Humans are like furniture; we are no more special than tables or chairs.
Human free will is a burden that causes anguish.
46. In this reading Tamler Sommers, a UH professor of philosophy, interviews Galen Strawson, a professor at the University of Reading in England. What's the main idea that they're discussing? - Humans are morally responsible for their actions because they possess free will. - Humans do not have free will and thus they are not ultimately morally responsible for their actions. - The reason humans act immorally is because they are not ultimately free. - The reason that humans act immorally is because they are completely free.
Humans do not have free will and thus they are not ultimately morally responsible for their actions.
45. Sartre says that for humans "existence precedes essence." What does this slogan mean? - In contrast to objects like paper-knives which are created for a specific reason, humans arise in the world undefined and become only what they will themselves to be. - In contrast to objects like paper-knives which are created merely to serve a useful function, humans are created with a true purpose. - In contrast to objects like paper-knives which are created merely to serve a single specific function, humans are created to serve multiple diverse and even conflicting purposes. - In contrast to objects like paper-knives which have no choice but to satisfy the reason for which they are created, free will gives humans the ability to make choices. Thus humans can choose to satisfy the reason for their creation, or to rebel against the creator.
In contrast to objects like paper-knives which are created for a specific reason, humans arise in the world undefined and become only what they will themselves to be.
30. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this interview? - Drew Barrymore - Brother/sister incest - Gay marriage - Juggling lemons
Juggling lemons.
50. The second half of the conversation turns to questions about the illusion of free will. What does Strawson suggest about the possibility of living without this illusion? - Abandoning the illusion of free will would have disastrous consequences because if no one believed in free will then no would act morally. - Abandoning the illusion of free will would have disastrous consequences because if no one believed in free will then our lives would not have purpose or meaning. - Living without the illusion of free will is exceptionally difficult, but perhaps through appropriate training an enlightened mind might accomplish it. - Living without the illusion of free will ought to be the main goal of studying philosophy because it reveals the truth about humanity and existence.
Living without the illusion of free will is exceptionally difficult, but perhaps through appropriate training an enlightened mind might accomplish it.
11. Which of the following claims does Singer make in this article? - Most animals should be given the right to vote. - There is no reason to value the life of a human over the life of a horse. - It is morally permissible to use retarded adults in dangerous medical experiments. - Mainstream Christianity shows no concern for animal welfare in its first 1800 years.
Mainstream Christianity shows no concern for animal welfare in its first 1800 years.
9. John Stuart Mill developed and popularized Bentham's Utilitarianism. Which of the following is NOT one of the differences between Bentham and Mill? - Mill is concerned to distinguish different kinds of happiness, some of which are of higher quality than others. Bentham is only concerned about quantity. - Mill emphasizes that utilitarianism is about avoiding pain, while Bentham is more concerned with maximizing pleasure. - Mill asserts that utilitarianism does not require one to gauge outcomes before each individual action, but rather, it provides justification for the rules that we should adopt to guide our behavior. - Mill stresses that utilitarianism is NOT about selfish action. He claims that society should strive to make the interests individuals harmonize with the interests of the community.
Mill emphasizes that utilitarianism is about avoiding pain, while Bentham is more concerned with maximizing pleasure.
15. Which of the following is the best account of the main argument of this paper? - Morality requires that we minimize suffering. There is no justification for treating animal suffering differently than human suffering. Thus morality requires that we treat animal and human suffering equally. - Animals and humans are equal in all ways. Morality requires that we treat equals the same. Thus we should animals just like we treat humans. - Animals and humans are living beings. Morality requires that we accept the principle that all living beings should be treated equally. Thus we must treat the suffering of animals and humans equally. - Animals and humans both have the capacity to suffer, and so they also have the capacity to be moral. Thus humans should not cause animals to suffer unless it's in self-defense, like for example, killing rats and mosquitos to avoid disease.
Morality requires that we minimize suffering. There is no justification for treating animal suffering differently than human suffering. Thus morality requires that we treat animal and human suffering equally.
40. Which one of the following is a true sentence about Nietzshe's philosophical position? - Nietzsche argues that rationality is the chief virtue of human existence. - Nietzsche rejects the idea that there is a universal morality that applies equally to all persons. - Nietzsche believes that God does not want humans to be moral. - Nietzsche condemns the "Will to Power" as the source of all human suffering.
Nietzsche rejects the idea that there is a universal morality that applies equally to all persons.
39. Nietzsche's distinction between "master morality" and "slave morality" is fundamental to his philosophy. Nietzsche would say that three of the following statements are characteristic of "slave morality," which one is characteristic of "master morality?" - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. - All persons are created equal. - To be moral is to act rationally to maximize happiness. - One should do as one will, creating one's own values.
One should do as one will, creating one's own values.
21. Which of the following claims would Manning agree with? - Because there is so much need in the world we all have a moral obligation to act like Mother Theresa, devoting our lives to caring for others. - Our obligation to care is partially determined by our role. Parents and teachers have special obligations to their children and students. - To determine who deserves to be cared for we should rationally reflect on the merit of a person's needs. - Because animals cannot generally reciprocate our care, we are not obligated to care for them.
Our obligation to care is partially determined by our role. Parents and teachers have special obligations to their children and students.
17. Which of the following is NOT one of the consequences that Rachels claims would follow from taking Cultural Relativism seriously? - We could not say that the customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own. - We could decide whether actions are right or wrong just by consulting the standards or our society. - The idea of moral progress would be called into doubt. - Society would collapse because everyone would act without regard for moral truth.
Society would collapse because everyone would act without regard for moral truth.
34. According to the first half of the reading, Kierkegaard's ideas about religion and faith are a response to two concerns about Christianity. What are they? - That religion inspires an emotional response that strengthens belief, and that strong unreflective belief is dangerous. - That Christianity is based on a logical contradiction, and that God's existence cannot be known as an objective truth. - That God is infinitely creative and expressive, and that all religions share some fundamental similarities. - That it was morally wrong for God to command Abraham to kill his son, and that religious belief is the principle source
That Christianity is based on a logical contradiction, and that God's existence cannot be known as an objective truth.
32. Which of the following does Kierkegaard consider the highest stage of human existence? - The aesthetic stage. - The ethical stage. - The religious stage. - The scientific stage.
The religious stage
16. Which of the following statements would Rachels agree with? - The fact that the Eskimos practice infanticide shows that they do not value human life as much as we do. - There are no moral values that all societies share. - There are some moral rules which are necessary for any society to exist. - Some societies value lying because dishonesty can make social relationships easier.
There are some moral rules which are necessary for any society to exist.
14. Which of the following is NOT a claim that Singer makes about equality of humans? - Humans are not equal in terms of any physical or intellectual properties. - To treat humans as equals is to give equal consideration to their interests in avoiding suffering and pursuing happiness. - Human equality is a moral ideal, not a description of actual circumstances. - To create true human equality we should strive for a world in which everyone experiences exactly the same quantities of pleasure and suffering.
To create true human equality we should strive for a world in which everyone experiences exactly the same quantities of pleasure and suffering.
38. Which of the following is NOT one of Nietzsche's criticisms of "slave morality?" - Under a system of slave morality people are not treated as equals. Some people are made subordinate to others. - Slave morality is a creation of the weak and fearful who sacrifice passion and greatness to eliminate suffering. - Slave morality equates goodness with pleasantness. To be good is to be nice and to promote safety and security. - The principles of slave morality are opposed to the principle of life, namely the will to power.
Under a system of slave morality people are not treated as equals. Some people are made subordinate to others.
33. Kierkegaard is considered one of the founders of the philosophical movement known as existentialism, a philosophy that focuses on the nature of human experience/existence. Both of the readings describe Kierkegaard's portrayal of the fundamental human condition. What is it? - We are alienated from God by sin, and as a result we experience anxiety and despair. - We find no good reasons to believe in God, so we delude ourselves with faith. - Recognizing that God does not exist, we celebrate our new found freedom from religious tyranny. - Recognizing that God does not exist, we fall into depression and despair over the meaninglessness of our lives.
We are alienated from God by sin, and as a result we experience anxiety and despair.
6. John Stuart Mill became a great advocate of individual liberty. What did he claim are the only circumstances under which governments are justified in constraining the actions of their citizens? - When those actions may cause harm to ourselves. - When those actions may cause harm to the state itself. - When those actions may cause harm to other people. - When those actions may cause harm to philosophers.
When those actions may cause harm to other people.
