Philosophy

Q: According to Kant, to act with a "good will" means to do what will benefit others. a. True b. False

Q: The reason why it is wrong to make a lying promise, according to Kant, is because this act cannot be willed as a general practice without contradiction. a. True b. False

Q: According to Kant, the shopkeeper who charges an equal price of all her customers because she likes them is acting "out of duty." a. True b. False

Q: According to Kant, because persons are ends they ought not to be used as means to ends. a. True b. False

Q: According to Kant, moral obligations are hypothetical in nature. a. True b. False

Q: Kant's first form of the categorical imperative is derived from the idea that moral obligation as universally binding. a. True b. False Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Q: According to Kant, the highest moral activity happens as a result of a. Acting out of a will to do the right thing. b. Putting the rights of others before our own rights. c. Acting in ways that benefit everyone. d. Acting to prevent harm.

Q: Moral "oughts" are all of the following EXCEPT a. Unconditional. b. Anchored in the fact that all people are alike as persons. c. Necessary. d. Supported by laws.

Q: According to Kant, we are morally responsible for which of the following? a. For people's understandings of our actions. b. For anticipating the effect of our action. c. For the actual result of our action. d. For our motive to do good or bad.

Q: Hypothetical imperatives are a. Complicated philosophical constructs seeking to arrive at moral goal. b. Like suggesting we should use what works to arrive at a goal. c. Actions that, in theory, should always be taken given certain circumstances d. Actions all people should take to arrive at the same goal.

Q: "Act only on that maxim you can will to become universal law" is known as which form of Kant's categorical imperative? a. First b. Second c. Only d. Third

Q: According to your text, which of the following was one of two main questions Kant asked? a. What ought I do? b. How do I choose right action? c. Why should I act? d. How important are people?

Q: Which of the following best paraphrases Kant's second form of the categorical imperative? a. Think before you act. b. Treat others as well as you can without denying yourself what you need. c. Treat yourself well but watch out for others also. d. Don't use people unless it is in their best interest.

Q: According to Kant, which of the following has the highest intrinsic value? a. Beauty b. Justice c. Personhood d. Happiness Indicate one or more answer choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

Q: According to Kant, one can do what is right and that action still may not have "moral worth." a. True b. False

Q: Which of the following is NOT a deontological theory of ethics? a. Kant's categorical imperative. b. Egoism. c. Divine command theory. d. Stoicism. Label as Hypothetical (H) or Categorical (C) imperatives.

Q: Which of the following is not necessary to act morally according to utilitarianism? a. To consider all the variables involved in an action. b. To act as the majority wishes. c. To consider all people to be of equal value. d. To produce a result that produces the greatest good for the greatest number.

Q: Rule Utilitarianism asks that we consider the consequences of each act a. Separately. b. According to a clear set of rules. c. As a general practice. d. On the greatest number.

Q: According to utilitarianism which of the following is an intrinsic good? a. Love b. Justice c. Pleasure d. Power

Q: The trolley problem is used to illustrate which of the following? a. The complexity of calculating morality using a cost-benefit analysis. b. The difficulty involved in making utilitarian decisions. c. The morality of public vs. private transportation. d. The basis of rule utilitarianism. Indicate one or more answer choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

Q: During which centuries did Bentham and Mill publish their utilitarian theories? a. The 1600s and 1700s (A.C.E.). b. The 1700s and 1800s (A.C.E.). c. The 1800s and 1900s (A.C.E.). d. The 1900s and 2000s (A.C.E.). Label as the better choice on utilitarian calculations, A or B, using a scale of -10 (very painful) to +10 (very pleasurable) for degrees of pleasure or happiness.

Q: A will bring 5 people each 8 days of pleasure and 3 people each 2 days of pain, B will bring 8 people each 3 days of pleasure and 1 person 3 days of pain.

Q: A makes 10 people very happy and 2 people very unhappy, B makes 8 people moderately happy and 1 person mildly unhappy. Of which kind of reasoning, Act (A) or Rule (R) Utilitarianism, are the following examples?

Q: We ought to observe copyright rules because if we did not then no one's intellectual property would be safe and this would be a very bad outcome.

Q: If everyone cut in that line, then there would be chaos and that would be bad, so I ought not cut in the line but go to the end. Label as the better choice on utilitarian calculations, A or B, using a scale of -10 (very painful) to +10 (very pleasurable) for degrees of pleasure or happiness.

Q: A makes 5 people happy and no one unhappy, B makes 9 people happy and me unhappy. Of which kind of reasoning, Act (A) or Rule (R) Utilitarianism, are the following examples?

Q: I ought to get more sleep because if I don't I will be no good to myself or others.

Q: What is the significance of Mills' distinction between the pleasure of a "pig satisfied," in contrast to "Socrates satisfied?" What does this distinction add to Bentham's version of utilitarianism?

Q: Explain the difference between an instrumental good and an intrinsic good. Why does utilitarianism treat happiness as an intrinsic good?

Q: According to utilitarianism which of the following is useful for evaluating the morality of an action? a. People's intentions b. The nature of the act c. The process of accomplishing the result d. The result of the action

Q: According to Kant, it is wrong to lie in order to prevent a murder. a. True b. False

Q: Which of the following is not included in calculating the amount of happiness? a. Cost b. Intensity c. Likelihood d. Duration

Q: According to Kant, an obligation or "ought" is categorical when it is something we ought to do in order to achieve some ends or goals that we have. a. True b. False

Q: Which of the following was not one of the founders of utilitarianism? a. James Mill b. Jeremy Bentham c. John Stuart Mill d. Rene Descartes

Q: In his Utilitarianism Mill answers those who say that his theory is a crass pleasure theory, fit only for beasts, by suggesting ways that humans make qualitative (and not just quantitative) distinctions between types of pleasure. a. True b. False

Q: According to act utilitarianism, if it produces more net utility (or "happiness") to give money to famine relief, even though I had promised to payback a friend with that money, then I ought to give the money to the relief fund. a. True b. False

Q: According to Bentham, some pleasures may be more valuable than others but only in so far as they are of greater intensity or duration. a. True b. False

Q: In the reading from Utilitarianism Mill writes that we have learned by experience that murder and theft are wrong because they are generally injurious to human happiness. a. True b. False

Q: Utilitarianism says that utility is identical to pleasure. a. True b. False

Q: The reason that Mill believes pleasure is the only intrinsic good is because he believes it is the only thing that everyone desires for its own sake. a. True b. False

Q: According to Mill, the only evidence we have that something is desirable in itself (as an end) is that people do, in fact, desire it. a. True b. False

Q: The following is an example of the reasoning of a rule utilitarian: "If the practice of lying is bad, then one ought not to lie now, even if in this case to lie would actually bring about better consequences." a. True b. False

Q: Both Bentham and Mill hold that some pleasures are better in kind than others. a. True b. False

Q: Utilitarianism is a relativistic moral theory, for it recognizes that what is good in some circumstances is not always good in others. a. True b. False

Q: According to utilitarian moral theory, happiness is an instrumental good. a. True b. False

Q: In his work, Utilitarianism, Mill's test or basis for distinguishing higher from lower pleasures is the preference of those who have experience of both. a. True b. False

Q: According to utilitarianism, an act that makes some people happy and others unhappy can never be morally right. a. True b. False Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Q: Describe the ways that Adam Smith's economic theory and Ayn Rand's social philosophy are similar.

Q: Explain the prisoner's dilemma. How does the prisoner's dilemma pose a problem for egoism?

Q: Utilitarianism is an egoistic moral theory. a. True b. False

Q: According to individual ethical egoism one should a. Ignore the needs of others. b. Help others to help themselves. c. Do what is in one's self interest. d. Do what makes one happy at the moment.

Q: For psychological egoism to be valid, we must show that people a. Act with an aim of achieving self-satisfaction. b. Get self-satisfaction from their actions. c. Use others in selfish ways. d. Need to make other people happy.

Q: In the story questioning Lincoln's ability to be selfless, Lincoln a. Talked to the family of a fallen soldier. b. Rescued a pig. c. Entered the fight about Texas' right to become a slave state. d. Ignored a person in need.

Q: Which of the following is NOT an example of ethical egoism? a. We should treat others well because we want to be treated well in return. b. We should treat others well so they will treat others well. c. We should work hard because a "job well done is its own reward." d. We should work hard because doing so is a good model for our children.

Q: The ring of Gyges can best be described as which of the following? a. A ring of inheritance indicating royalty b. A ring that represents a committed romance c. A ring that can make the wearer invisible d. A geological formation in ancient Greece

Q: What does Glaucon want to demonstrate by giving two people rings? a. Even "good" people will do evil if they can act without consequence. b. The people have a deep bond with each other. c. The people are children of the king. d. People can be trusted with great power. Indicate one or more answer choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

Q: What is the difference between these two claims: Claim 1. "You shouldn't lie because lying will always come back to haunt you." Claim 2. "You shouldn't lie because lying always causes someone to suffer." a. Claim 1. would be a counsel of prudence, but claim 2. would be a moral claim. b. Claim 1. would be a moral claim, but claim 2. would be a counsel of prudence. c. Claim 1. would be an example of individual ethical egoism, but claim 2. would an example of universal ethical egoism. d. Claim 1. would be an example of universal ethical egoism, but claim 2. would an example of individual ethical egoism.

Q: Which of the following terms describes an economic system with minimal government regulation or intervention? a. laissez-faire capitalism b. capitalism c. socialism d. communism

Q: What is akrasia? a. Weakness of will. b. A character in Plato's dialogues. c. A form of psychological egoism. d. A form of ethical egoism.

Q: Where did Ayn Rand immigrate to the United States from? a. France b. China c. Argentina d. Russia

Q: Which of the following is NOT true of Hobbes' social contract theory? a. It is both a political and a moral position. b. It assumes that a person's agreement to social rules will be grounded in self-interest. c. It assumes that the outcome of the social contract will be a democratic government. d. It assumes that a person's agreement to social rules will be rational.

Q: The term 'altruism' refers to a. Universal ethical egoism. b. Selfishness. c. Selfless action. d. Psychological egoism.

Q: What is reciprocal altruism? How can psychological egoism and/or ethical egoism account for reciprocal altruism? Can psychological egoism and/or ethical egoism account for all forms of altruism (even apparently non-reciprocal instances)?

Q: All of the following are used to evaluate ethical egoism except a. Grounding in Psychological egoism. b. Consistency and coherence. c. Conformity to commonsense morality. d. Effectiveness in satisfying individual interest.

Q: Give an example of situational differences that does NOT imply relativism. Explain how/why the situational differences in your example defy relativism.

Q: Discuss the relevance of moral uncertainty to both the relativist and non-relativist positions. Why does the relativist claim that moral uncertainty leads to relativism? How does the non-relativist counter the relativist argument? Which position do you find most convincing?

Q: Describe Nussbaum's "central capabilities" approach. Why does your text refer to such an approach as both "weak relativism" and "soft universalism?"

Q: Social contract theory is a form of reciprocal altruism. a. True b. False

Q: One form of psychological egoism asserts that we always try do what we think is in our own best interest. a. True b. False

Q: Ayn Rand believed that egoism was morally wrong. a. True b. False

Q: To say that something is a normative theory is to say that it tells us what we ought to do. a. True b. False

Q: One reason that people don't always do what is best for them may be weakness of will. a. True b. False

Q: Social contract theory assumes that human beings are psychological egoists. a. True b. False

Q: Adam Smith believed that economic self-interest produces the best general outcome. a. True b. False

Q: Psychological egoism is a theory that holds that we each ought to do what is in our own best interest. a. True b. False

Q: Cooperation cannot be explained from an egoistic perspective. a. True b. False

Q: Ethical egoism is a descriptive theory. a. True b. False Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Q: According to psychological egoism people a. Act in ways that are harmful to them. b. Often act against their own self interests. c. Act in the way they perceive to be best for them. d. Act out of deep subconscious needs.

Q: If two people have the same moral values, then they will always reach the same conclusions about what is right and wrong. a. True b. False

Q: The view that moral rules or principles have no exceptions and are context-independent is known as a. absolutism. b. objectivism. c. metaethical relativism. d. pluralism.

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