Question 1

Woody Allen suggests that an unrepentant murderer will never find happiness.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 2

According to Kierkegaard, the problem with a life devoted only to temporal goods is that

Accepted Answer

A)  it ultimately leads to boredom and despair. 
B)  it is typically characterized by self-deception. 
C)  it falls short of full humanity. 
D)  All of the above 
A)  it ultimately leads to boredom and despair. 
B)  it is typically characterized by self-deception. 
C)  it falls short of full humanity. 
D)  All of the above D

Question 3

Cahn does not believe Fred is unhappy so much as that we are unhappy with him.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

Murphy argues that the view, defended by Cahn, that an immoral person like Fred can be happy

Accepted Answer

A)  is in some ways correct, despite Socrates's insistence. 
B)  begs the question at issue. 
C)  was Aristotle's main contribution to the debate. 
D)  is mistaken because it is itself immoral. 
A)  is in some ways correct, despite Socrates's insistence. 
B)  begs the question at issue. 
C)  was Aristotle's main contribution to the debate. 
D)  is mistaken because it is itself immoral.

Question 5

Murphy argues that revisionary definitions of happiness are not useless.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Most philosophers are reluctant to grant that Fred is happy because if that were true, the world would be intolerably unjust.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What attitude does Murphy take toward Fred?

Accepted Answer

A)  He pities him. 
B)  He resents his way of life. 
C)  He denies the possibility of someone like Fred and thus takes no attitude toward him. 
D)  He envies his good fortune. 
A)  He pities him. 
B)  He resents his way of life. 
C)  He denies the possibility of someone like Fred and thus takes no attitude toward him. 
D)  He envies his good fortune.

Question 8

Cahn and Murphy fundamentally agree about the relationship between happiness and morality.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Cahn contrasts the fates of Joan, who is unwilling to sacrifice her moral integrity to accept an attractive job offer, and Kate, who chooses the opposite path. Write an essay answering the question that concludes Cahn's story: "Which of the two was wiser?" Make sure you explain how you understand happiness and how you might respond to some of the alternative views put forward in the reading.

Accepted Answer

In Cahn's story, Joan and Kate represent

Question 10

Suppose Cahn agreed that Fred could not sustain his good reputation and that cases like that of Kate and Joan are uncommon. Would this undermine his argument? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

No, this would not necessarily undermine

Question 11

Cahn believes that defining "happiness" such that Fred does not qualify as happy

Accepted Answer

A)  is an example of philosophy enriching our understanding of life. 
B)  is a logical contradiction. 
C)  proves the validity of Kierkegaard's view of human happiness. 
D)  accomplishes little. 
A)  is an example of philosophy enriching our understanding of life. 
B)  is a logical contradiction. 
C)  proves the validity of Kierkegaard's view of human happiness. 
D)  accomplishes little.

Question 12

Of the following philosophers, who holds the view that happiness is impossible for the immoral person?

Accepted Answer

A)  Plato 
B)  Foot 
C)  Murphy 
D)  All of the above 
A)  Plato 
B)  Foot 
C)  Murphy 
D)  All of the above

Question 13

Murphy claims to pity Fred. He asks, rhetorically, "But why would I pity him if I thought that he was truly happy?" How is this question supposed to further Murphy's argument? Does it support Murphy's position and, if so, how?

Accepted Answer

Murphy's question is meant to challenge

Question 14

According to Socrates, a good person cannot feel pain.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Foot would deny that Fred is happy because

Accepted Answer

A)  pleasure and happiness are the same thing. 
B)  to be happy, one must maintain a good reputation and the truth about Fred will eventually come out. 
C)  he lacks friends, love of freedom, and other goods fundamental to human life. 
D)  None of the above 
A)  pleasure and happiness are the same thing. 
B)  to be happy, one must maintain a good reputation and the truth about Fred will eventually come out. 
C)  he lacks friends, love of freedom, and other goods fundamental to human life. 
D)  None of the above

Question 16

According to Cahn, although Kate and Joan did not have equally satisfying careers, because they both acted morally, they were equally happy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What does Cahn take to be the implicit thesis of Woody Allen's film Crimes and Misdemeanors?

Accepted Answer

A)  Crime doesn't pay. 
B)  Immoral actions can sometimes enhance one's happiness. 
C)  Our misdeeds come back to haunt us in the end. 
D)  Conscience is nothing more than an internalized version of social mores. 
A)  Crime doesn't pay. 
B)  Immoral actions can sometimes enhance one's happiness. 
C)  Our misdeeds come back to haunt us in the end. 
D)  Conscience is nothing more than an internalized version of social mores.

Question 18

Cahn thinks few philosophers are willing to admit the possibility of the happy immoralist because

Accepted Answer

A)  there is no reason for philosophy if immoral people can be truly happy. 
B)  they have been convinced that eudaimonia is the only true sense of happiness. 
C)  it is a threat to morality. 
D)  None of the above 
A)  there is no reason for philosophy if immoral people can be truly happy. 
B)  they have been convinced that eudaimonia is the only true sense of happiness. 
C)  it is a threat to morality. 
D)  None of the above

Question 19

Murphy suggests that Fred's happiness is likely to be undermined by feelings of

Accepted Answer

A)  fear. 
B)  guilt. 
C)  anger. 
D)  inadequacy. 
A)  fear. 
B)  guilt. 
C)  anger. 
D)  inadequacy.

Question 20

According to Murphy's summary, Plato understands happiness to depend on

Accepted Answer

A)  achieving all of one's major life goals. 
B)  the admiration of one's peers. 
C)  the integration in one's personality of all the elements required for a fully human life. 
D)  the ability to avoid boredom and frustration by constantly generating and satisfying new desires. 
A)  achieving all of one's major life goals. 
B)  the admiration of one's peers. 
C)  the integration in one's personality of all the elements required for a fully human life. 
D)  the ability to avoid boredom and frustration by constantly generating and satisfying new desires.

Exam 9: Happiness and Immorality Steven M.Cahn and Jeffrie G Murphy

Woody Allen suggests that an unrepentant murderer will never find happiness.

According to Kierkegaard, the problem with a life devoted only to temporal goods is that

Cahn does not believe Fred is unhappy so much as that we are unhappy with him.

Murphy argues that the view, defended by Cahn, that an immoral person like Fred can be happy

Murphy argues that revisionary definitions of happiness are not useless.

Most philosophers are reluctant to grant that Fred is happy because if that were true, the world would be intolerably unjust.

What attitude does Murphy take toward Fred?

Cahn and Murphy fundamentally agree about the relationship between happiness and morality.

Suppose Cahn agreed that Fred could not sustain his good reputation and that cases like that of Kate and Joan are uncommon. Would this undermine his argument? Why or why not?

Cahn believes that defining "happiness" such that Fred does not qualify as happy

Of the following philosophers, who holds the view that happiness is impossible for the immoral person?

Murphy claims to pity Fred. He asks, rhetorically, "But why would I pity him if I thought that he was truly happy?" How is this question supposed to further Murphy's argument? Does it support Murphy's position and, if so, how?

According to Socrates, a good person cannot feel pain.

Foot would deny that Fred is happy because

According to Cahn, although Kate and Joan did not have equally satisfying careers, because they both acted morally, they were equally happy.

What does Cahn take to be the implicit thesis of Woody Allen's film Crimes and Misdemeanors?

Cahn thinks few philosophers are willing to admit the possibility of the happy immoralist because

Murphy suggests that Fred's happiness is likely to be undermined by feelings of

According to Murphy's summary, Plato understands happiness to depend on

Morality and Moral Philosophy Wiliam K Frankena

Crito Plato

Phaedo Plato

Subjectivism Julia Driver

God and Morality Steven M.Cahn

The Challenge of Cultural Relativism James Rachels

Right and Wrong Thomas Nagel

Egoism and Moral Skepticism James Rachels

The Nature of Ethical Disagreement Charles L Stevenson

The Rationality of Moral Action Philippa Foot

The Categorical Imperative Immanuel Kant

A Simplified Account of Kants Ethics Onora Oneill

Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill

Contemporary Utilitarianism Julia Driver

The Nature of Virtue Aristotle

Virtue Ethics Julia Driver

The Ethics of Care Virginia Held

The Social Contract Thomas Hobbes

A Theory of Justice John Rawls

Gender Bias Cheshire Calhoun

Famine, Affluence, and Morality Peter Singer

A Reply to Singer Travis Timmerman

Rights, Obligations, and World Hunger Onora Oneill

The Case for Limits David Miller

A Right to Immigrate Michael Hummer

Racisms Kwame Anthony Appiah

Sexism Ann E Cudd and Leslie E Jones

Five Faces of Oppression Iris Marion Young

The Morality of Reparation Bernard Boxill

Reparation and the Problem of Agency Chandran Kukathas

Offers and Coercion Nancy Tuana

Consensual Sex on Campus Leslie Pickering Francis

Sexual Harassment in the University N Ann Davis

Sexual Harassment in Public Places Margaret Crouch

Value and the Gift of Sexuality Elisabeth Anderson

Taking Money for Bodily Services Martha C Nussbaum

Markets in Womens Sexual Labor Debra Satz

Equality for Animals Peter Singer

Speciesism and the Idea of Equality Bonnie Steinbock

Getting Animals in View Christine Korsgaard

Speaking of Animal Rights Mary Anne Warren

Philosophical Problems for Environmentalism Elliott Sober

Ethics and Global Change Dale Jamieson

A Defense of Abortion Judith Jarvis Thomson

On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion Mary Anne Warren

Why Abortion Is Immoral Don Marquis

Virtue Theory and Abortion Rosalind Hursthouse

Active and Passive Euthanasia James Rachels

The Intentional Termination Fo Life Bonnie Steinbock

The Meaning of Life Richard Taylor

Meaning in Life Susan Wolf

Meaningful Lives Christine Vitrano

The Trolley Problem Judith Jarvis Thomson

Turning the Trolley Judith Jarvis Thomson

Moral Saints Susan Wolf

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