Phi 2604 Final MDC
Not thinking too deeply or too systematically about ethical concerns:
undermines your personal freedom
Which of the following is the overall point of the author's discussion of "doing ethics"?
Doing ethics is difficult but not doing it is foolish
Which field or topic would include tasks such as accurately describing the moral codes and ethical standards of colonial America?
What is a major difference between descriptive ethics and normative ethics?
Normative ethics implies that some people's moral beliefs are incorrect, whereas descriptive ethics does not.
Morality refers to beliefs about
right and wrong, good and bad
Believing that you can establish all your moral beliefs by consulting your feelings is an example of
what does normative ethics study?
principles, rules, or theories that guide our actions and judgements
which of these questions belongs to metaethics?
what does it mean for an action to be right?
application of moral norms to specific moral issues or cases
Which field concerns questions such as "Was this abortion permissible?" or "Was this instance of mercy killing immoral?
The preeminence of reason refers to the
overriding importance of critical reasoning in ethics
Which of the following is a consequence of the principle of universalizability?
If harming someone is wrong in a particular situation, then harming someone would be wrong for anyone in a relevantly similar situation
Which statement would the author most likely agree with, based on what he states in this chapter?
because we live with people who have different religious views, we need standards for moral reasoning that do not depend on any particular religious views.
Which of the following correctly applies the principle of impartiatility?
Everyone deserves the same treatment, unless there is a morally relevant reason to favor someone
The dominance of moral norms suggests that if a speed limit on a highway conflicts with a person's moral duty to rush a dying man to the hospital, then
the moral duty would take precedence over the legal duty
Which of these illustrates the need for moral reasoning when applying religious moral codes?
my religious moral code is difficult to follow because it is very strict and demanding
When religious adherents claim that murder is wrong because God says that it is, they are implicitly espousing the
In arguing against the divine command theory, many critics insist that
If an action is right only because God wills it, then many evil actions would be right if God willed it
Why does Leibniz, the great theistic philosopher, reject the divine command theory?
Because it implies God is unworthy of worship
which of these best describes the purpose of the book's discussion of ethics and religion?
to convince religious believers of the value of doing ethics
Subjective relativism is the doctrine that
an action is morally right if one approves of it
Suppose I think that I sometimes make mistakes on moral matters, and so does my culture. Acknowledging this, I say "My moral beliefs are sometimes wrong and sometimes my culture's moral principles are wrong as well." On which view could my statement be tr
Objectivism is the view that
some moral principles are valid for everyone
Subjective relativism implies that when Sofia says, "I think abortion is wrong", and Emma replies, "I think abortion is permissible", Sofia and Emma are
not having a moral disagreement
Subjective relativism implies that when a person states their moral beliefs, that person is
incapable of being in error
Both objectivism and cultural relativism agree that
moral judgements differ from culture to culture
Which statement is a consequence of objectivism?
Moral rules apply in all cases, without exceptions
Cultural relativists may believe their theory promotes tolerance of other cultures. However, the author argues against this. Which statement best summarizes his argument?
Cultural relativists cannot consistently say that tolerance is objectively good.
According to the main argument for cultural relativism, if culture X and culture Y disagree about the morality of physician-assisted suicide, this shows that
no view can be objectively correct.
Objectivists argue that the diversity of moral judgements across cultures does not necessarily indicate that there is disagreement about moral beliefs, but instead may indicate that
there are divergent nonmoral beliefs
Which feature of emotivism makes it different from subjective relativism?
In emotivism, moral judgements vary from individual to individual
Suppose a culture approves of beheading a young man for merely holding hands with a woman. According to cultural relativism, the beheading is
Cultural relativism implies that the abolition of slavery in the United States
cannot be regarded as moral progress
Which statement best summarizes why, according to the author, cultural relativism is nearly impossible to use?
The theory makes it impossible to convince other people of moral claims
Suppose your culture endorses the view that all wars are wrong. It follows from cultural relativism that your culture:
cannot be mistaken about the morality of war
What does cultural relativism imply about the civil rights leader and social reformer Martin Luther King Jr., considered as part of 1950s-1960s United States culture?
He was wrong about his moral reforms
For a cultural relativism, when two people in the same culture disagree on a moral issue, what they are really disagreeing about is
whether their society endorses a particular view
Cognitivism is the view that moral statements
Noncognitivism is the view that
moral judgements are not statements that can be true or false
For the emotivism, which of these best displays the meaning of the moral utterance "Lying is wrong!
Maryam says, "Abortion is always wrong", while Fatima says, "Sometimes abortion is not wrong." Which statement best summarizes how emotivists view this kid of disagreement?
Maryam and Fatima are both expressing their personal beliefs about abortion, so there is no way to resolve the disagreement
According to emotivism, to offer reasons for a oral judgement is to
provide statements that can influence someone's attitude
Central to emotivism is the view that moral judgements are not statements that can be true or false. What does emotivism add to this view?
That moral judgements express attitudes and influence others to share those attitudes.
Emotivists can admit that the serial Killer Ted Bundy killed more than 30 women, but they cannot say that these events
Our commonsense moral experiences suggest that
some things are morally good and some things are morally bad
an assertion that something is or is not the case
The utterance "Abortion is morally permissible" is
In the argument "(1)Premarital sex is morally permissible because (2) it makes people happy", statement 1 is the __________ and statement 2 is the _____________
An argument in the logical sense is a
a group of statements, one of which is supposed to be supported by the rest
In an argument, the supporting statements are known as ______; the statement being supported is known as the ______.
The phrases "because", "given that", "due to the fact that", and "for the reason that" are
supposed to give logically conclusive support to their conclusions
A valid deductive argument with true premises is said to be
Name the form of the following argument: If p, then q.p. Therefore, q.
Name the form of the following argument: If p, then q. If q, then r. Therefore, if p, then r.
Name the form of the following argument: If dog barks, something must be wrong. Something must be wrong. Therefore, the dog will bark.
supposed to offer only probable support for their conclusions
A strong inductive argument with true premises is said to be
In a valid argument, if the premises are true, then the
conclusion absolutely has to be true
What is the implicit premise in the following moral argument: "Same-sex marriage is contrary to tradition. Therefore, it should never be allowed.
Whatever is contrary to tradition should not be allowed
A statement affirming that an action is right or wrong or that a person (or one's motive or character) is good or bad
A statement asserting that a state of affairs is actual (true or false) without assigning a moral value to it is a
What is the implicit premise in the following moral argument? "The war did not increase the amount of happiness in the world. So, the war was morally wrong.
If a war does not increase the amount of happiness in the world, it must be considered morally wrong.
What is a possible counterexample to the following moral principle? "Lying is always wrong
Lying is morally wrong unless doing so will save a person's life.
The fallacy of assigning two different meanings to the same term in an argument is known as
What is the fallacy used in the following passage? "If marijuana is legalized, young people will assume that smoking marijuana is socially acceptable. That will lead them to give into the temptation to smoke marijuana themselves, and smoking marijuana can
What is the fallacy used in the following passage? "No one can prove that a fetus is not a person from the moment of conception. So, a fetus must be accorded full moral rights as soon as it is conceived.
What is the fallacy used in the following passage? "Liberals believe in abortion on demand, which means that killing a baby is permissible any time at all- at conception, in the second trimester, at infancy. Any of these would be appropriate times to kill
What is the fallacy used in the following passage? "John argues that active euthanasia is sometimes morally acceptable. But we can reject out of hand anything he has to say because he's an ultraconservative.
The fallacy of drawing a conclusion about a target group based upon an inadequate sample size:
A true ethical egoist chooses actions that
promote his own self-interests
The philosopher who said that the greatest good is pleasure, and the greatest evil is pain, was
Joel Feinberg argues that someone who directly pursues happiness
Ethical egoism seems to conflict with
our moral experience and self-indulgence
Suppose for someone there are only two possible actions: (1) read Aristotle or (2) spend a weekend on a tropical isle in intensely pleasurable debauchery. Under these circumstances, John Stuart Mill would likely
If, according to Jeremy Bentham, only the total quantity of happiness produced by an action matters, then the person closest to the moral ideal would be
John Stuart Mill says, "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied." This sentiment is an indictment of the glutton but also a pat on the back for those who
John Stuart Mill says that humans by nature desire happiness and nothing but happiness; therefore happiness is the standard by which we should judge human conduct, and therefore the principle of utility is at the heart of morality. But this argument is co
it reasons from what is to what should be
Consider a scenario involving the possible killing of an innocent person for the good of others. Such an action could conceivably be sanctioned by
Some utilitarians respond to the charge that act-utilitarianism conflicts with commonsense moral intuitions by
denying that act-utilitarianism is a true moral theory
Suppose a utilitarian judge decides to rule against a plaintive in a law suit just because people in general would be happier if the plaintive lost the case. Such a utilitarian move would conflict with:
commonsense views about justice
Suppose you break your promise to visit your dying grandmother on the grounds that you can create more happiness by partying with your friends. This utilitarian view of the situation seems to conflict with
notion of utilitarian morality
Defenders of act-utilitarianism insist that the scenarios that seem to show utilitarianism in conflict with commonsense morality are
misleading and implausible
Utilitarianism (in all its forms) requires that in our actions we always try to maximize utility, everyone considered. This requirement has given rise to
Commonsense morality makes a distinction between doing our duty and doing more than duty requires, what are called supererogatory actions. This distinction seems to disappear in
Rule-utilitarianism has been accused of being internally inconsistent because the theory can
easily lapse back into act-utilitarianism
utilitarianism reminds us that
the consequences of our actions make a difference in our moral deliberations.
The philosopher Thomas Hobbes says that people are naturally
greedy, selfish, violent, self-destructive, and desperate
Because people will renege on deals they enter, Hobbes believes that what is needed for enforcing the social contract is an absolute sovereign- a fearsome, powerful person he refers to as the
One of the criticisms of social contract theory is that it's doubtful that those who are supposed to be parties to the contract have actually given
their consent to the terms of the contract.
Some critics of social contract theory argue that few people have ever actually consented to the terms of a social contract. Some defenders of social contract theory reply that people are much more likely to have given their
A categorical imperative is
that we should do something in all situations regardless of our wants and needs
Kant believes that every action implies
The difference between hypothetical and categorical imperatives is that
hypothetical imperatives are conditional, whereas categorical imperatives are unconditional
Kant would say that using a person to achieve some end, such as hiring someone to paint your house, is not necessarily wrong because
there is a moral difference between treating persons as a means and treating them merely, or only, as a means
Applying the first formulation of the categorical imperative to the act of lying to a friend would show that the action is impermissible because
the action's maxim cannot be universalized
Applying the second formulation of the categorical imperative to the act of lying to a friend on important matters would show that the action is impermissible because
performing the action would treat the friend merely as a means to an end
Like many moral theories, Kant's system fails to
provide an effective means for resolving major conflicts of duties
Consider this comment from the philosopher C. D. Broad regarding Kant's means-ends principle: "If we isolate a man who is a carrier of typhoid, we are treating him merely as a cause of infection to others. But, if we refuse to isolate him, we are treating
our duties not to use people merely as a means can conflict, and Kant provides no counsel on how to resolve such dilemmas.
A serious criticism of Kant's theory is that it
allows too much subjectivity in moral decision making
Kant's theory emphasizes three of morality's most important features; the three are
universality, impartiality, and respect for persons.
According to Aquinas, the first precept of natural law theory is
good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided
Aquinas says that judging the rightness of actions is a matter of
consulting reason and considering rational grounds for moral beliefs
Many philosophers insist that the theological character of nature has never been supported by logical argument or empirical science because
natural law theory is internally illogical
The absolutism of natural law theory (that is, the fact that some actions are always wrong [or right] regardless of circumstances) would not bother
In natural law theory, the emphasis on reason makes morality independent of
religion and belief in God
Aristotle distinguishes between
intellectual virtues and moral virtues
For Aristotle, a person living a life of reason is living a life of
According to Aristotle, the greatest good for humans is
Aristotle says that moral virtue comes about as a result of
Contemporary virtue ethicists argue that if virtues were eliminated entirely from morality, leaving only principles or rules of justice, the moral life would appear
By the lights of virtue ethics, if you rescue someone from disaster solely because you know it is your duty, then your action is
a morally deficient response
Virtue ethics try to achieve the moral ideal by
looking to moral exemplars
The primary focus of virtue systems, according to the philosopher Louis Pojman, is on discovering the proper moral example and _____________ that person or ideal type.
Virtue ethics puts primary emphasis on being a good person and living a good life, whereas duty-based moral systems
pay much less attention to virtuous character and living a good life
Critics have taken virtue ethics to task for alleged problems in
adapting the views of Aristotle
Virtue ethics claims that the right action is the one performed by the virtuous person and that the right action is the one performed by the virtuous person and that the virtuous person is the one who performs the right action. But some philosophers say t
It seems that a person can be benevolent, honest, and loyal but still treat a stranger unjustly. This shows that
the rightness of actions does not necessarily depend on the content of one's character
According to critics of virtue ethics, one may be virtuous (kind, just, and honest) and still not know
which actions are morally permissible
In pointing out the shortcomings of rule-based ethical theories, the philosopher William Frankena says that principles without virtues are
The fact that we regularly judge the moral permissibility of actions as well as assess the goodness of character suggests that
virtue and character are important elements of the moral life
Alison M. Jagger writes that Western moral theory has tended to
embody "masculine" values
which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of ideal theories of ethics that feminist thinkers have criticized?
They depict individuals as having contempt for women
The ethics of care is a perspective on ethics that highlights the
importance of personal relationships and virtues such as compassion and kindness
Carol Gilligan calls the approach to ethics that focuses on being aware of people's feelings, needs, and viewpoints
Which of the following is NOT true of the ethic of care?
It emphasizes rule-following, especially rules found in codes of ethics.
One hard fact that feminist ethicists are responding to is that, even today, most women in the world are viewed as
Julie considers herself an advocate of feminist ethics. Therefore, she should
support the moral equality of men and women
Feminist ethicists argue that the _____ sphere be given at least as much consideration in morality as the sphere of the public
Franco has decided he wants to adopt the ethics of care. He is now deliberating about whether to voice a controversial view during a get-together with his family. In order to apply the ethics of care, he should focus more on
his opinion might negatively affect family members he cares about
The most obvious example of a relationship that is the focus of the ethics of care would be
Suppose a Kantian says that we are never morally permitted to lie. An ethicist of care would
disagree in cases where telling the truth would unnecessarily make an innocent person suffer
Annette C. Baier argues that in moral theory there is a place for both
One of the implications of assuming an idealized view of human beings is that one is unable to
acknowledge oppression and poverty when it is present
the deliberate termination of a pregnancy by surgical or medical means is known as
abortion, or induced abortion
An abortion specifically performed to protect the life or health of the mother is referred to as
Most abortions are performed in the
first twelve weeks of gestation
The risk of death for women who have an abortion at eight weeks or earlier is
0.3 deaths per 100,000 abortions
In Roe v. Wade, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that
in the first three months of pregnancy, the woman's right to an abortion is unrestricted; after this period, a state may regulate (but not ban) abortion; after viability, a state may regulate and even forbid abortions, except when abortion is necessary to
The view that the fetus becomes a person at quickening is problematic because
quickening signifies nothing can be plausibly linked to personhood.
Chinese parents who argue that aborting female fetuses prevents economic harm to the family, and should be allowed, would be using a(n) ________ argument
In arguments over abortion, both the conservative and the liberal agree that
it is wrong to kill an innocent person
The liberal argues that if the unborn is not a person until birth, and it is wrong to kill a person, then
abortion before birth would not be the killing of an innocent person
According to Mary Anne Warren's criteria for personhood, a self-motivated space alien that was conscious, able to reason and communicate, and was self-aware would be
Judith Jarvis Thomson's position is argued without
relying on the issue of personhood
With the violinist scenario, Judith Jarvis Thomson tries to show that
The mother has a right to defend herself against the unborn's use of her body against her will (a right to have an abortion).
Suppose Katrina is a rule-utilitarian and believes that following the rule "Girls under the age of eighteen should not be permitted to have abortions without notifying a parent or guardian" would maximize happiness. Which of the following would be the bes
A parent's guidance tends to be helpful and needed, and some young women have regretted having abortions
Robert is a Kantian theorist and also believes that fetuses are persons from conception. Suppose Robert is trying to determine whether abortions are morally permissible in situations where the woman's life is in danger as a result of continuing the pregna
Whether aborting the pregnancy would be a justifiable instance of overriding a person's right to life |