Question 1

Bentham's method of proof is best understood as which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  argument by analogy 
B)  argument by elimination 
C)  argument from principles 
D)  argument from contradiction 
A)  argument by analogy 
B)  argument by elimination 
C)  argument from principles 
D)  argument from contradiction B

Question 2

Imagine that Phil is explaining to his friend Keith which pieces of music he enjoys listening to and ranks them according to preference.Phil is using what sort of measurement?

Accepted Answer

A)  partiality indicator 
B)  penchant hierarchy 
C)  cardinal scale 
D)  ordinal scale 
A)  partiality indicator 
B)  penchant hierarchy 
C)  cardinal scale 
D)  ordinal scale D

Question 3

Briefly discuss if you would "plug in" to Nozick's experience machine and how your answer is connected to utilitarian ethics.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary.A sufficient response should/might discuss the difference between having a feeling and taking an action,if the goal of life is happiness,and/or the difficulty of measuring the quality of happiness.

Question 4

Briefly explain the difficulty that Carritt's thought experiment about punishing an innocent person offers to utilitarianism.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary.A sufficient answer sh

Question 5

A common metric used in chronic medicine is the amount of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)a patient has.Discuss how Mill's utilitarianism can be relevant to that discussion.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary.A sufficient

Question 6

The ancient Jewish text known in English as Ethics of the Fathers includes one of the earliest versions of the saying "no pain,no gain." How would utilitarians understand this motto?

Accepted Answer

A)  The eventual pleasure is worth the immediate pain. 
B)  Pain is necessary for growth. 
C)  We should avoid all pains in order to understand the world. 
D)  Change is hard. 
A)  The eventual pleasure is worth the immediate pain. 
B)  Pain is necessary for growth. 
C)  We should avoid all pains in order to understand the world. 
D)  Change is hard.

Question 7

Imagine that you discover that your neighbor Cameron has taken a job that entails him working all day hitting puppies over the head with a club until they die.He mentions that he finds it rather therapeutic and enjoyable.How might a utilitarian approach an analysis of Cameron's actions?

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary.A sufficient response

Question 8

Mill draws an analogy between proving that people desire happiness and which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  that people think the conceptual 
B)  that people sense the eerie 
C)  that people see the visible 
D)  that people reject the fallacious 
A)  that people think the conceptual 
B)  that people sense the eerie 
C)  that people see the visible 
D)  that people reject the fallacious

Question 9

What is the difference between a theory of the good and a theory of the right?

Accepted Answer

A)  The terms are interchangable;use depends upon from which philosophical tradition one comes. 
B)  Theory of the good is broader than theory of the right. 
C)  Theory of the right tells us what sort of things are right;theory of the good tells us about actions. 
D)  Theory of the good tells us what sort of things are good;theory of the right tells us about actions. 
A)  The terms are interchangable;use depends upon from which philosophical tradition one comes. 
B)  Theory of the good is broader than theory of the right. 
C)  Theory of the right tells us what sort of things are right;theory of the good tells us about actions. 
D)  Theory of the good tells us what sort of things are good;theory of the right tells us about actions.

Question 10

What is the moral standard that utilitarianism uses in making decisions?

Accepted Answer

A)  intellectual contentment,understood by lack of internal conflict 
B)  pleasure,understood as an amount of satisfaction 
C)  happiness,understood as the balance of pleasure over pain 
D)  happiness,understood as a state of contentment 
A)  intellectual contentment,understood by lack of internal conflict 
B)  pleasure,understood as an amount of satisfaction 
C)  happiness,understood as the balance of pleasure over pain 
D)  happiness,understood as a state of contentment

Question 11

Hare advances the proposal that each person should be understood as using morality at two levels.Explain what he means by this claim.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary.A sufficient answer sh

Question 12

A common metric in triaging and diagnosing illness is a pain scale.Generally,patients report how much pain they are in on a scale of 1 to 10.These scales can be reinterpreted as an attempt to overcome which difficulty?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lewis's problem of pain 
B)  interpersonal comparisons of utility 
C)  cardinal measurements of utility 
D)  Mohs's hardness scale 
A)  Lewis's problem of pain 
B)  interpersonal comparisons of utility 
C)  cardinal measurements of utility 
D)  Mohs's hardness scale

Question 13

Some ethicists believe that we are able to identify the morally correct action through direct perception or intuition.Which of the following is Bentham's response to these theorists?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are too prone to error. 
B)  They provide no insight into morality or assistance with moral reasoning. 
C)  There is too much disagreement between people to accept. 
D)  They have no evidence for the correctness of their stance. 
A)  They are too prone to error. 
B)  They provide no insight into morality or assistance with moral reasoning. 
C)  There is too much disagreement between people to accept. 
D)  They have no evidence for the correctness of their stance.

Question 14

A recurring difficulty for utilitarian theorists is the nontechnical use of the term utility to refer to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  plain/not fancy 
B)  useful 
C)  pain-free 
D)  flexible 
A)  plain/not fancy 
B)  useful 
C)  pain-free 
D)  flexible

Question 15

In the 1960s,Walter Mischel conducted an experiment wherein children could choose to eat a single marshmallow now or wait fifteen minutes and eat two.Measuring the impact on happiness would involve which of Bentham's features?

Accepted Answer

A)  remoteness 
B)  purity 
C)  fecundity 
D)  certainty 
A)  remoteness 
B)  purity 
C)  fecundity 
D)  certainty

Question 16

Mill advocated for a reform in the relationship between England and Ireland in a number of essays.This political advocacy is MOST similar to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  his work for women's equality 
B)  his work for the British East India Company 
C)  his work as rector of University of St.Andrews 
D)  his work on systemizing induction 
A)  his work for women's equality 
B)  his work for the British East India Company 
C)  his work as rector of University of St.Andrews 
D)  his work on systemizing induction

Question 17

Mill attempts to provide a philosophical foundation for utilitarianism by showing that pleasure and freedom from pain have instrumental rather than intrinsic value.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Bentham's method of proof is best understood as which of the following?

Imagine that Phil is explaining to his friend Keith which pieces of music he enjoys listening to and ranks them according to preference.Phil is using what sort of measurement?

Briefly discuss if you would "plug in" to Nozick's experience machine and how your answer is connected to utilitarian ethics.

Briefly explain the difficulty that Carritt's thought experiment about punishing an innocent person offers to utilitarianism.

A common metric used in chronic medicine is the amount of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)a patient has.Discuss how Mill's utilitarianism can be relevant to that discussion.

The ancient Jewish text known in English as Ethics of the Fathers includes one of the earliest versions of the saying "no pain,no gain." How would utilitarians understand this motto?

Imagine that you discover that your neighbor Cameron has taken a job that entails him working all day hitting puppies over the head with a club until they die.He mentions that he finds it rather therapeutic and enjoyable.How might a utilitarian approach an analysis of Cameron's actions?

Mill draws an analogy between proving that people desire happiness and which of the following?

What is the difference between a theory of the good and a theory of the right?

What is the moral standard that utilitarianism uses in making decisions?

Hare advances the proposal that each person should be understood as using morality at two levels.Explain what he means by this claim.

A common metric in triaging and diagnosing illness is a pain scale.Generally,patients report how much pain they are in on a scale of 1 to 10.These scales can be reinterpreted as an attempt to overcome which difficulty?

Some ethicists believe that we are able to identify the morally correct action through direct perception or intuition.Which of the following is Bentham's response to these theorists?

A recurring difficulty for utilitarian theorists is the nontechnical use of the term utility to refer to which of the following?

In the 1960s,Walter Mischel conducted an experiment wherein children could choose to eat a single marshmallow now or wait fifteen minutes and eat two.Measuring the impact on happiness would involve which of Bentham's features?

Mill advocated for a reform in the relationship between England and Ireland in a number of essays.This political advocacy is MOST similar to which of the following?

Mill attempts to provide a philosophical foundation for utilitarianism by showing that pleasure and freedom from pain have instrumental rather than intrinsic value.

Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning

Cultural Relativism

Skepticism and Subjectivism

Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Religion and Natural Law

Egoism

The Social Contract

Challenges for Utilitarianism

Deontology: Kant

Challenges for Kantian Ethics

Virtue Ethics: Aristotle

Challenges for Virtue Ethics

The Ethics of Gender and Race

Developing a Moral Outlook

Filters

Exam 8: Utilitarianism: Bentham and Mill

Bentham's method of proof is best understood as which of the following?

Imagine that Phil is explaining to his friend Keith which pieces of music he enjoys listening to and ranks them according to preference.Phil is using what sort of measurement?

Briefly discuss if you would "plug in" to Nozick's experience machine and how your answer is connected to utilitarian ethics.

Briefly explain the difficulty that Carritt's thought experiment about punishing an innocent person offers to utilitarianism.

A common metric used in chronic medicine is the amount of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)a patient has.Discuss how Mill's utilitarianism can be relevant to that discussion.

The ancient Jewish text known in English as Ethics of the Fathers includes one of the earliest versions of the saying "no pain,no gain." How would utilitarians understand this motto?

Imagine that you discover that your neighbor Cameron has taken a job that entails him working all day hitting puppies over the head with a club until they die.He mentions that he finds it rather therapeutic and enjoyable.How might a utilitarian approach an analysis of Cameron's actions?

Mill draws an analogy between proving that people desire happiness and which of the following?

What is the difference between a theory of the good and a theory of the right?

What is the moral standard that utilitarianism uses in making decisions?

Hare advances the proposal that each person should be understood as using morality at two levels.Explain what he means by this claim.

A common metric in triaging and diagnosing illness is a pain scale.Generally,patients report how much pain they are in on a scale of 1 to 10.These scales can be reinterpreted as an attempt to overcome which difficulty?

Some ethicists believe that we are able to identify the morally correct action through direct perception or intuition.Which of the following is Bentham's response to these theorists?

A recurring difficulty for utilitarian theorists is the nontechnical use of the term utility to refer to which of the following?

In the 1960s,Walter Mischel conducted an experiment wherein children could choose to eat a single marshmallow now or wait fifteen minutes and eat two.Measuring the impact on happiness would involve which of Bentham's features?

Mill advocated for a reform in the relationship between England and Ireland in a number of essays.This political advocacy is MOST similar to which of the following?

Mill attempts to provide a philosophical foundation for utilitarianism by showing that pleasure and freedom from pain have instrumental rather than intrinsic value.

Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning

Cultural Relativism

Skepticism and Subjectivism

Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Religion and Natural Law

Egoism

The Social Contract

Challenges for Utilitarianism

Deontology: Kant

Challenges for Kantian Ethics

Virtue Ethics: Aristotle

Challenges for Virtue Ethics

The Ethics of Gender and Race

Developing a Moral Outlook

Filters