Q&A Hero

Q: The philosopher ________ helped engender the animal rights movement by arguing that something was very wrong with the traditional attitude toward animals and their treatment.

Q: The moral issue of whether we have a duty to help the poor and hungry of the world is compelling mainly because the a. news media constantly remind us of the plight of poor people. b. worlds poor are now slightly better off than they used to be, which is a reminder of their plight. c. wretchedness of the worlds poor is an exaggeration that the rich are often confronted with. d. wretchedness of the worlds poor is profound and the economic gap between rich and poor is wide.

Q: For both Jeremy Bentham and Peter Singer, what makes a being worthy of moral concern, what requires us to include it in the moral community, is its ability to ________.

Q: Robert Nozick and John Hospers believe that people have a right NOT to be interfered with and to do whatever they want with their own property as long as they do not violate the liberty rights of others. This line is clearly a. utilitarian. c. libertarian. b. liberal. d. egalitarian.

Q: ________ is the view that wealthy nations able to ease the suffering of the worlds poor and oppressed have a moral obligation to do so, and that this obligation is as strong concerning a nations own citizens as it is concerning foreigners.

Q: 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 ruin their lives. Therefore, marijuana should not be legalized. a. straw man c. appeal to the person b. slippery slope d. appeal to ignorance

Q: Mary Anne Warren says that human lives have greater intrinsic value than animal lives because human lives are worth more to their possessors.

Q: Cosmopolitan ________ contend that everyone, including both compatriots and noncitizens, is entitled to equal moral rights and consideration and that allowing open borders is the key to eliminating the vast economic inequalities in the world.

Q: 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. a. appeal to ignorance c. slippery slope b. appeal to the person d. faulty analogy

Q: Animal rights activists waged a highly effective campaign against the practice of seal hunting, an activity that constituted the heart of Canadian Inuit culture and identity. The campaign devastated the Inuit economy and created a host of health, social, and cultural problems for them. Thomas Aquinas would almost certainly have sided with the Inuit.

Q: Someone who believes that wealthy nations able to ease the suffering of the worlds poor and oppressed have a moral obligation to do so, but that such nations also have moral obligations to their own citizens that may be weightier than those concerning foreigners, is referred to as a(n) ________.

Q: In 1939 the United States turned away a ship carrying 900 German Jews persecuted by the Nazi regime, eventually resulting in the deaths of more than 250 of the refugees. A cosmopolitan egalitarian would have said this decision was morally acceptable, because refugees lack the same rights as citizens.

Q: 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." a. If a war is immoral, it must be considered morally wrong. b. If a war does not increase the amount of peace in the world, it must be considered morally wrong. c. If a war does not increase the amount of happiness in the world, it must be considered morally wrong. d. Some wars increase the amount of happiness in the world.

Q: In order to be logically consistent, a person who believes that animals have rights would also have to hold the view that animals have the same moral rights that humans do.

Q: The term ________ is defined by the U.S. government as the formal removal of a foreign national from the United States for violating an immigration law.

Q: What is a possible counterexample to the following moral principle? Lying is always wrong. a. Lying is morally wrong unless doing so will save a persons life. b. Lying to cheat your friend out of money is morally wrong. c. Lying to save yourself from embarrassment is wrong. d. Lying is always morally wrong, even if doing so will save a persons life.

Q: Consider the practice of scientific experimentation on animals, in which, for example, the benefits gained from the research greatly outweigh the suffering involved. In this case, a Singer utilitarian may want to condone the research, and a Regan animal rights advocate would want to abolish the research.

Q: The federal government refers to someone who has fled from his or her home country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group as a(n) ________.

Q: The fallacy of assigning two different meanings to the same term in an argument is known as a. begging the question. c. straw man. b. equivocation. d. appeal to ignorance.

Q: Tom Regan argues that humans are experiencing subjects of a life; nonhuman animals (normal, fully developed mammals) are nonexperiencing subjects of a life.

Q: Those who hold the traditional attitude toward animals believe that cruelty to animals is bad, but only because the Bible explicitly speaks against it.

Q: There is universal agreement on all sides of the immigration debate that that the need to preserve a nations distinctive culture is a good reason to favor closed borders.

Q: A moral statement is a a. statement affirming that an action is bad or that a person is bad. b. statement asserting a valid moral argument. c. statement asserting that a state of affairs is actual (true or false) without assigning a moral value to it. d. statement affirming that an action is right or wrong or that a person (or one's motive or character) is good or bad.

Q: In 2015 and 2016 in the United States alone, more than 18 billion animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, and lambs, were slaughtered for food.

Q: Libertarians argue for cosmopolitanism by pointing out that restricted immigration interferes with a citizens right to allow foreigners to enter his or her property and infringes on a foreigners right to freedom of movement.

Q: A statement asserting that a state of affairs is actual (true or false) without assigning a moral value to it is a a. moral statement. c. valid statement. b. nonmoral statement. d. strong statement.

Q: Both Peter Singer and Jeremy Bentham hold that utilitarian calculations must take into account the pleasure and pain of all sentient creatures.

Q: If its wrong to cage a human being, then its wrong to cage a nonhuman animal. Zoos that exist solely for the sake of entertaining visitors are wrong, as they keep nonhuman animals in cages against their will. This view is most likely to be held by a. Jeremy Bentham. c. Tom Regan. b. Mary Anne Warren. d. Ren Descartes.

Q: Undocumented immigrants provide an enormous benefit to the Social Security system because they pay into the system but are unable to receive anything in return.

Q: In a valid argument, if the premises are true, then the a. argument is cogent. c. conclusion may or may not be true. b. conclusion is probably true. d. conclusion absolutely has to be true.

Q: It was the philosopher Thomas Aquinas who said, It is no wrong for man to make use of [animals], either by killing them or in any other way whatever.

Q: Those who appeal to utilitarian considerations argue that restricting immigration has adverse consequences, especially economically, because closed borders restrict trade, waste talents, and impede prosperity.

Q: What is the implicit premise in the following moral argument? Same-sex marriage is contrary to tradition. Therefore, it should never be allowed. a. Same-sex marriage is harmful to society. b. Same-sex marriage is unnatural and therefore should be banned. c. Whatever causes harm to children should not be allowed. d. Whatever is contrary to tradition should not be allowed.

Q: Name the form of the following argument: If p, then q. If q, then r. Therefore, if p, then r. a. hypothetical inductive c. modus ponens b. hypothetical syllogism d. modus tollens

Q: Our moral common sense suggests that accidentally running over a man with our car is morally worse than doing the same to a rabbit. Tom Regan would a. agree with our common sense, due to his belief that animals are not equal to human beings. b. disagree with our common sense, due to his belief that animals have the same rights as human beings. c. agree with our common sense, due to his belief that consequences matter only when those affected are human. d. disagree with our common sense, but only when the net consequences of running over the rabbit are negative.

Q: In just a few years, Hispanics will be the majority in the United States, and whites will be a minority.

Q: Name the form of the following argument: If the dog barks, something must be wrong. Something must be wrong. Therefore, the dog will bark. a. denying the antecedent c. affirming the consequent b. modus tollens d. hypothetical syllogism

Q: Suppose you believe it would be just as wrong to hurt, eat, cage, or hunt an animal as it would be to do the same to a human. What theory could you use to justify your belief? a. an anthropocentric theory b. Regans rights theory c. Singers theory d. the theory suggested in the book of Genesis

Q: Evidence collected over decades shows that immigrants actually show less propensity toward crime than native-born citizens and that immigration can even be considered a factor in the decrease of violent crime in the United States.

Q: Inductive arguments are a. intended to supplement deductive arguments. b. intended to be abductive. c. supposed to offer only probable support for their conclusions. d. supposed to give logically conclusive support to their conclusions.

Q: In Britain, thousands have protested for and against scientific animal testing, with each side trying to make its case in the streets and in the media. What plausible utilitarian argument could scientists and others make in favor of the testing? a. Animal testing produces greater net benefits to society than not testing. The pain suffered by test animals is more than offset by the cures and treatments that the tests help develop. b. Animals are to be used for the benefit of humankind, so whatever suffering the test animals endure is permissible. c. Animals and humans have equal inherent value. Because humans should not be kept in cages, experimented on, and otherwise abused, neither should animals. d. Humans have infinite moral worth, but animals have little or none. So, it is permissible to use animals in the service of humans, just as it is permissible to use a hammer to build a house.

Q: Immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens.

Q: A strong inductive argument with true premises is said to be a. sound. c. valid. b. cogent. d. invalid.

Q: A valid deductive argument with true premises is said to be a. strong. c. fit. b. sound. d. cogent.

Q: Suppose your friend is an animal rights advocate for the same reasons that Peter Singer is (utilitarian calculations). She thinks our system of meat production should be abolished, but by her own lights, her utilitarianism could sanction a. the current system of meat production supplemented with greater production of plant-based foods. b. meat production in foreign countries. c. a cruel but quick form of meat production. d. a humane form of meat production.

Q: During the Civil War (1862) General Ulysses S. Grant issued an expulsion order for all Jews within the parts of the territory he controlled.

Q: Name the form of the following argument: If p, then q. p. Therefore, q. a. modus tollens c. modus ponens b. hypothetical syllogism d. reductio ad absurdum

Q: According to Peter Singer, if a man and a pig were both experiencing intense pain, we must assume that a. the mans pain should be taken more seriously than the pigs. b. the mans pain should be taken as seriously as the pigs. c. the mans pain should be taken less seriously than the pigs. d. only the pigs pain should be taken into account.

Q: Most people deported from the United States have committed a crime, which is the reason they are deported.

Q: An argument in the logical sense is a a. heated exchange of views. b. group of statements, one of which is supposed to be supported by the rest. c. group of statements that leads to a question. d. group of unconnected statements.

Q: Virtually everyone thinks that being cruel to animalsunnecessarily causing them pain or miseryis a. sometimes permissible. c. right. b. wrong. d. relative to the animals intelligence.

Q: In an argument, the supporting statements are known as ________; the statement being supported is known as the ________. a. inferences; conclusion c. premises; conclusion b. premises; deduction d. indicator words; conclusion

Q: To say that an animal has moral status is to say that a. it is alive and sentient. b. it is an object of direct moral consideration or concern. c. it is worthy of moral concern because of its relationship to others. d. there are no limits to the amount of suffering that can be inflicted on it.

Q: The phrases because, given that, due to the fact that, and for the reason that are a. conclusion indicators. c. statements. b. statement indicators. d. premise indicators.

Q: The claim that animals have no moral standing because they do not have the kind of strong family relationships exhibited by humans has been undermined by a. popular culture. c. science. b. philosophy. d. politics.

Q: Currently high levels of immigration by low-skilled workers do make it unlikely that we will fulfill our moral obligations to the poorest Americans. Which of the following conclusions would make this argument valid? a. Therefore, we should encourage immigration, especially from countries with low-skilled workers. b. Therefore, we should reduce or stop high levels of immigration by low-skilled workers. c. Therefore, we should not reduce or stop high levels of immigration by low-skilled workers. d. Therefore, we should try to improve the education systems of countries with low-skilled workers.

Q: Deductive arguments are a. supposed to offer probable support for their conclusions. b. usually valid. c. usually invalid. d. supposed to give logically conclusive support to their conclusions.

Q: The claim that merely having the DNA of the human species gives beings moral considerability has been undermined by a. studies of animal anatomy. b. DNA research. c. the logical possibility of animals existing on other planets. d. the logical possibility of creatures who have full moral status but no DNA.

Q: Some argue that a wealthy nation that offers substantial welfare benefits to its citizens (such as Sweden and other Scandinavian countries) cannot afford to have open borders, because doing so would a. result in more civil unrest. c. undermine the purpose of immigration. b. cause the welfare system to collapse. d. deplete the militarys resources.

Q: In 1901 Australia passed the Immigration Restriction Act, which aimed to limit nonwhite immigration to Australia, particularly Asian immigration, and thereby preserve the predominance of the British within Australia. Suppose that a large majority of Australians would have been made happier by passage of this law. Would a utilitarian advocate for such a law in these circumstances? a. No, because it is unjust for a country to accept only white Europeans. b. No, because the safety and welfare of refugees is more important than the happiness of Australians. c. Yes, because the consequences of passing this law would be better overall than if it were not passed. d. Yes, because refugees would lack moral status under utilitarianism.

Q: The utterance Abortion is morally permissible is a. an argument. c. a moral statement. b. a nonmoral statement. d. an implied statement.

Q: As an alternative to thinking of equal rights to health care as requiring universal equal access to all available health care resources, some people have suggested that every person has only a weaker right to a ________ of health care, in which basic, necessary care is provided to everyone.

Q: Which of the following would be a utilitarian reason for limiting immigration? a. Immigration is not natural. b. Immigration will disrupt the economy. c. Immigration violates the rights of natural-born citizens. d. Immigration treats natural-born citizens as mere means, rather than as ends.

Q: In the argument (1) Premarital sex is morally permissible because (2) it makes people happy, statement 1 is the ________ and statement 2 is the ________. a. conclusion; premise c. main argument; premise b. premise; conclusion d. implied premise; stated premise

Q: The traditional attitude toward animals is that a. animals have rights and therefore have inherent value. b. animals deserve the same level of consideration that we give to human infants. c. an animal is owed moral respect as a source of food or companionship. d. an animal is merely a resource that humans may dispose of as they see fit; an animal has instrumental value only.

Q: Christopher Heath Wellman argues that nations have a right to close their borders, a right derived from the more fundamental right to ________. a. freedom of association c. self-defense b. freedom of religion d. make laws

Q: In 1965, the U.S. Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act. While immigration policy had previously been based on a quota system, the new policy favored a. skilled immigrants and those who, by immigrating, could help reunite families. b. unskilled immigrants who would benefit from American education. c. immigrants from Western Europe. d. immigrants from Latin America.

Q: In the American health care system, those who dont have the money to pay for health care, even those with serious illnesses or injuries, often get no medical care at all because of escalating costs.

Q: Americans tend to overestimate immigrants share of the population. Many believe that it is more than twice as large as it actually is, which is around a. 0.5 percent. c. 14 percent. b. 3.4 percent. d. 28 percent.

Q: The fundamental moral issue involved in the health care debate is ________, which is about persons getting what is fair or what is their due.

Q: Many people, including many politicians, overestimate the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. In 2015, the number was about a. 800,000. c. 11 million. b. 4 million. d. 43 million.

Q: ________ is a federally funded insurance program that covers people sixty-five and older, some adults under sixty-five with disabilities, and people with end-stage kidney disease.

Q: Stephen Macedo sums up his perspective on immigration in this way: If high levels of immigration have detrimental impact on our least well-off citizens, that is a reason to limit immigration, even if those who seek admission seem to be poorer than our own poor whose condition is worsened by their entry. His view is best characterized as a. authoritarian. c. cosmopolitan. b. egalitarian. d. anticosmopolitan.

Q: A statement is a. an assertion about morality. b. an assertion without a truth value. c. an assertion that something is or is not the case. d. a claim that cannot be verified.

Q: ________ concerns the fair distribution of a societys benefits and burdens, such as taxes, jobs, income, government services, social obligations, property, and rights.

Q: One of the ways that people have tried to avoid concluding that the Allied forces bombing of cities in World War II was terrorism is to limit terrorism only to ________; that is, to individuals or groups that are not sovereign states.

Q: Louisa is an egalitarian about health care, which means she thinks citizens have only negative rights, not positive rights, to health care.

Q: ________ is the intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering on people to punish or intimidate them or to extract information from them.

Q: The concept of an equal right to health care necessarily includes universal equal access to all care resources.

Q: In 1790, a U.S. law was passed stating the requirements for becoming a naturalized citizen. In order to be eligible for naturalization, each applicant had to be a. a person born at some point after the founding of the nation or the parent of such a person. b. a descendant of someone who had come over on the Mayflower or a person related to an indigenous person. c. a resident of the United States for two years, a person of good moral character, and a free white person. d. a Christian person who fought in the Revolutionary War and had at least two hundred acres of land.