unit 3 ethics

Retentionists say that the death penalty protects society from repeat criminals better than any other form of punishment.

true

Scruton claims that we have moral obligations toward animals.

true

The main non-consequentialist argument for the death penalty is based on the theory of punishment retributivism.

true

if we are willing to experiment on animals for the good of humanity, Singer claims, then for the same good we should also be willing to experiment on:

true

Which of the following best summarizes Scruton's argument that animals do not have rights?

Beings with rights are bound to respect the rights of others, but animals are incapable of doing this.

What does Rachels think is the appropriate step for the American Medical Association (AMA) to take? a. to immediately authorize physicians to practice active euthanasia b. to lobby for the repeal of laws against active euthanasia c. to keep opposition to active euthanasia out of official statements of medical ethics d. none of these are correct

C. Rachels encourages doctors not to "give the distinction [between active and passive euthanasia] any added authority and weight by writing it into official statements of medical ethics."

What does Scruton give as a reason why it is appropriate to eat animals?

The well-being of animals depends upon our raising, killing, and eating them.

Singer thinks that one might argue that it is wrong to experiment on human infants because infants will grow into a more sophisticated being than a non-human animal. What objection does Singer present to this argument? a. It implies that abortion is wrong. b. It ignores parental interests as a source of duties. c. It is speciesist. d. It disregards the consequences of such acts.

a

What does Marquis offer as the decisive objection to the discontinuation account of why death is bad? a. The discontinuation account focuses only on the person's past, and not on the person's future. b. The discontinuation account is not credible in its bare version. c. The discontinuation account ignores the person's past experiences. d. The discontinuation account is similar to Marquis's future-like-ours account, but the latter is more plausible.

a

With which other kind of unjustified discrimination does Singer explicitly compare speciesism? a. racism b. xenophobia c. ageism d. classism

a

According to Foot, why does Rachels's examples of Smith and Jones fail to show that there is no moral difference between killing a person and letting a person die? a. In both cases the requirements of justice and charity coincide. b. Rachels ignores the requirements of justice. c. Rachels's examples focus only on a third party. d. Rachels ignores the requirements of charity.

a.

Which of the following does Singer identify as the basic principle of equality? a. equality of moral consideration b. equality of fundamental rights c. equality of resources d. equality of treatment

a.

Rawls recognizes that it is likely that even when social injustices are removed, some members of society will start life better off than others. According to the difference principle, what could possibly justify this arrangement? a. if the opportunities had by the wealthy encourages them to do things that raise the prospects of the working class b. if the wealthy give a sizeable percentage of their wealth to the poor c. if the poor are able to learn from their experiences and pass along valuable knowledge to their children d. if the wealthy are able to derive more pleasure from their wealth than the sum of the pleasure gained by poor people from their circumstances

a. As Rawls writes, "the greater expectations allowed to entrepreneurs encourages them to do things which raise the prospects of the laboring class."

Why does Bedau say that settling "questions of fact" cannot resolve the debate over the death penalty? a.It is impossible to deduce a policy conclusion from any set of factual premises. b.There are other facts that are still unknown that may be relevant to the debate. c.There are more facts on the side of death penalty advocates than on the side of the abolitionists. d.Because the issue is controversial, defenders choose which facts to cite for their case.

a. Bedau also mentions that the facts do not clearly point toward or against the effectiveness of the death penalty. But the more important reason he gives is that some normative propositions are needed which, together with propositions about the facts, imply a conclusion about whether or not the death penalty is justified.

Which objection to the use of principle (G4) does Bedau offer? (G4) says "Punishment ought to serve as a recognized channel for the release of public indignation and anger at the offender over crime." a.We do not really express anger through the death penalty because nowadays we prohibit harsher methods of execution. b.Principle (G4) has a place only in a deontological ethical system, and the merits of punishment should be decided in a more utilitarian way. c.We think that all murderers should be executed in the same way, which leaves no room for adjusting capital punishment to the severity of any actual murder. d.None of these: Bedau thinks the application of the principle to our practice of capital punishment is sound.

a. Bedau notes that many of the "time-honoured" methods of execution are rejected by society today, but it is precisely those methods that we reject that best express anger at murderers.

What does Rachels cite as a reason that leads people to think that killing is worse than letting die? a. Few killings are mercy killings. b. Typical killings are much worse than typical instances of letting someone die. c. People believe it simply because it is what they've been taught. d. Killing is the intentional act of ending a life, while letting die is unintentional.

b

Why is it important for Rachels to argue that there is no moral difference between killing and letting die? a. It supports his argument that people should be quicker to abort babies with congenital defects. b. It supports his argument that active euthanasia is no worse than passive euthanasia. c. It supports his argument that it is wrong to let babies with intestinal blockages die. d. It supports his argument that it was wrong for Jones to let the child die in the tub.

b If there is no moral difference between killing and letting die, then, Rachels argues, there should be nothing worse about active euthanasia compared with passive euthanasia.

According to Rawls, which of the following is the most unjust? a social order where rights are equal, but with significant income inequality b. a social order where many rights are unequal, but everyone is equally wealthy c. a social order where freedom of speech is restricted, but with minimal wealth inequality d. a social order that secures equal rights for all, but with some income inequality

b Rawls claims that his principles are ordered so that violations of the first principle cannot be compensated for by satisfying the second principle. So, we can discover the correct answer by comparing, firstly, what the society we imagine does with respect to Rawls's first principle. Since a social order where many rights are unequal is worse than one with just one rights violation, this is the correct answer.

According to Marquis, on which of the following points is there a standoff between pro-choice and anti-abortion thinkers? a. on whether or not fetuses are alive b. on whether or not fetuses are persons c. on whether or not fetuses have genetic features that make them human d. on whether or not it is typically wrong to kill a person

b.

Which implication of Thomson's view does Warren explicitly challenge? a. the assumption that women bear moral responsibilities that are relevant to their choice b. the assumption that a woman's right to choose abortion depends upon the extent to which she is responsible for becoming pregnant. c. the assumption that some abortions are not murder d. the assumption that a woman's right to choose abortion depends upon how likely it is that the fetus would grow into a normal adult.

b.

Which of the following best states Rachels's main thesis? a. Active euthanasia is no different from passive euthanasia. b. Active euthanasia is better than passive euthanasia. c. Active euthanasia is not always worse than passive euthanasia. d. Active euthanasia is like passive euthanasia, but faster.

c. Rachels's main burden in the essay is to argue that flawed thinking is behind the acceptance of passive euthanasia and rejection of active euthanasia.

Which of the following is Warren's response to the 'standard argument' against abortion? a. The argument ignores Thomson's arguments that women should not have to take excessive precautions to avoid pregnancy. b. "Human being" is used in different senses in the argument, so either one of the argument's premises is question-begging or the conclusion does not follow. c. The argument falsely assumes that women have moral responsibilities for their choice to abort. d. The argument is valid, but all of its premises are false because there are always exceptions to moral rules

b.

What conclusion does Bedau think is ultimately supported by examining the relevant goals and moral principles concerning the death penalty? a.It is never justified. b.There are no conclusive reasons one way or another. c.Retributivists favor the death penalty. d.It is justified in some cases.

b. Bedau is quick to add that there are other considerations that are relevant besides the ones he has already discussed, and that those further reasons weigh in favor of abolition

What reason does Rawls give for accepting his difference principle? a. Any alternative principle is worse than the difference principle he recommends. b. Those born with greater talents are no more deserving of what comes from those talents than anyone else is. c. Those born with few talents should be given more as a way to make up for their deficiencies. d. Those born poor were disfavored by nature and it is up to effective government to correct such unjust favoritism.

b. Rawls explicitly identifies the issue of luck as the reason why natural talents and abilities, whatever they are and whosoever they belong to, are not assigned on the basis of any just principle. But such advantages can still be useful and justly employed as a way to benefit everyone.

Suppose that a person sincerely wants to die. What argument might Foot give to prove that acting to cause the person's death is wrong? a. Every person should have what is good for them, and it is wrong to deprive a person of what is good for them. b. The person's life may be bad for them, in which case justice recommends allowing the person to end it. c. The person's life may be good for them, in which case charity recommends against euthanasia. d. Every person has a right to life, and it is wrong to deprive a person of what they have a right to.

c

Which capability does Bentham identify, with Singer's approval, as the one that makes a being deserving of moral consideration? a. the ability to reason b. the ability to move c. the ability to suffer d. the ability to breathe

c

Which of the following best fits Foot's definition of the virtue of charity? a. the virtue of doing what is right b. the virtue of giving someone what they are owed c. the virtue of supporting the good of others d. the virtue of giving money to others

c

Which of the following is a reason that Foot offers against the legalization of euthanasia? a. It violates both charity and justice. b. It violates charity. c. It could easily be abused in practice. d. It violates justice.

c

Which of the following does Warren identify as the standard anti-abortion argument? a. Abortion is wrong except when there is a threat to the woman's life, so it is usually wrong to have an abortion. b. It is always wrong to kill a living thing unless there is good reason to, and fetuses are alive, so it is wrong to kill them without a good reason. c. All fetuses are humans, so they have the same right to live. d. All fetuses are persons, so they have the same right to live.

c.

Which of the following implications is a reason that Marquis offers in support of his claim about what makes killing wrong? a. Infanticide is sometimes permissible. b. The death penalty is often permissible. c. Active euthanasia is not always wrong. d. Killing someone who may die by coincidence tomorrow is permissible.

c.

What is the essential premise in Warren's argument for the permissibility of abortion? a. Fetuses do not have some of the essential features of personhood, so abortion is permissible. b. We do not know if fetuses have some of the essential features of personhood, so abortion is permissible. c. Fetuses have some of the essential features of personhood, but adult women have all of them, so adult women are more valuable than fetuses, and therefore abortion is permissible. d. Fetuses do not have any of the essential features of personhood, so abortion is permissible.

d

Why does van den Haag believe the death penalty is the harshest form of punishment? a. It is the most controversial. B. It is the most expensive. C. It is assigned to the worst crimes. D. It is irrevocable. E. It causes the most pain.

d Once implemented, the death penalty cannot be taken back.

What reason does Marquis identify as the primary reason that killing someone is wrong? a. Killing a person violates a moral duty that everyone must abide by. b. Killing typically brings about a loss of happiness, both to the person killed and others who care about that person. c. Persons are moral agents, so killing them undermines social cohesion. d. Killing a person deprives the person of their future.

d.

What specific problem does Rawls raise for the liberal conception of efficient distribution? a. It allows unjust factors to determine what assets individuals have. b. It does not sufficiently respect free market principles. c. It does not guarantee an elimination of inequality. d. It allows natural distributions of abilities to determine distribution of wealth.

d. In this respect, Rawls thinks that the liberal conception of the principles of distribution is no better than the system of natural liberty.

What two kinds of norms does Bedau claim are relevant to establishing whether or not the death penalty is justified? a.those that express opposition to punishment and those that express support for individual liberty b.those that express utilitarian claims and those that express deontological claims c.those that express views about harm and those that express views about rights d.those that express social goals and those that express moral principles

d. Later in the essay, Bedau enumerates candidate principles that fall under those two groups.

Which of the following issues related to capital punishment does van den Haag consider to be nondecisive? a. the excessive cost of appealing a capital sentence. B. The executed person suffers more than their victim(s). C. Capital punishment encourages killing. D. All of the above E. None of the above

d. van den Haag does not believe that any of these points settle the issue on their own.

Which of the following does van den Haag highlight as a good reason to abolish the death penalty? a. The death penalty lacks the power to effectively deter people from committing murder. B. It is too expensive to enforce the death penalty. C. Sometimes innocent person are executed by capital punishment. D. All of the above E. None of the above

e It's van den Haag's overall view that the benefits of capital punishment outweigh all of its drawbacks.

T or F: A Kantian is likely to argue that more net happiness is created in society by sentencing murderers to life in prison without parole than by executing them.

false

T or F: A utilitarian abolitionist is likely to argue that the death penalty is wrong because it violates basic moral principles.

false

van den Haag believes that the deterrence value of the death penalty is supported by the available evidence. true false

false He admits that the issue has not been statistically demonstrated, but further holds that deterrence isn't really much of the point for either abolitionists or retentionists.

Van den Haag argues that the unequal racial numbers of people executed by capital punishment present a good reason to abolish capital punishment. true false

false Provided all of the people executed deserve capital punishment, van den Haag argues, it does not matter what their races are. Justice demands that the guilty, whoever they are, be punished.

Scruton claims that the pain experienced by animals who are experimented upon must be weighed against what?

long-term benefits to humans and animals

Consider this assertion, common in debates on capital punishment: the unjust administration of a punishment does not entail the injustice of the punishment itself. This view is most likely espoused by:

retionists

Abolitionists have argued that even if the death penalty is a more severe punishment than life in prison, that does not mean the death penalty deters murderers better.

true