Question 1

How does Robert Nozick respond to the counterexample involving a person in a well who vaporizes someone with a ray gun?

Accepted Answer

A)  By "biting the bullet" and insisting that although the person acts in self-defense, it is wrong to harm an innocent person. 
B)  By revising his principle of NONAGGRESSION to allow for the use of force against innocent people who pose a serious threat. 
C)  By insisting that the person who falls down a well is not innocent in the relevant sense, since "innocence" means "nonthreatening." 
D)  By revising his principle of NONAGGRESSION to allow for the use of force whenever one believes oneself to be in danger. 
A)  By "biting the bullet" and insisting that although the person acts in self-defense, it is wrong to harm an innocent person. 
B)  By revising his principle of NONAGGRESSION to allow for the use of force against innocent people who pose a serious threat. 
C)  By insisting that the person who falls down a well is not innocent in the relevant sense, since "innocence" means "nonthreatening." 
D)  By revising his principle of NONAGGRESSION to allow for the use of force whenever one believes oneself to be in danger.

Question 2

Stephen Nathanson argues that cases of torture or arson provide counterexamples to the principle of "an eye for an eye."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

One way of evaluating an intermediate moral principle is by seeing whether it entails the right answer about obvious cases, such as whether parents may read bedtime stories to their children.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

What role(s) do moral intuitions play in moral reasoning?

Accepted Answer

A)  They can be used to support moral principles. 
B)  They are the conclusions of long chains of moral reasoning. 
C)  They make it possible to use counterexamples to argue against moral principles. 
D)  Both (a) and (c). 
A)  They can be used to support moral principles. 
B)  They are the conclusions of long chains of moral reasoning. 
C)  They make it possible to use counterexamples to argue against moral principles. 
D)  Both (a) and (c).

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of an intermediate moral principle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Do not act selfishly. 
B)  You are obligated to pursue only your own self-interest. 
C)  Causing harm to someone is morally worse than allowing that same harm to befall someone through no fault of your own. 
D)  Treat people with respect. 
A)  Do not act selfishly. 
B)  You are obligated to pursue only your own self-interest. 
C)  Causing harm to someone is morally worse than allowing that same harm to befall someone through no fault of your own. 
D)  Treat people with respect.

Question 6

What is the principle of KILLING AND LETTING DIE that was discussed in Chapter 6? How does James Rachels argue against it? Do you think his argument succeeds? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The principle of killing and letting die

Question 7

In your own words, explain the three different ways you can respond to a counterexample to an intermediate moral principle.

Accepted Answer

The three different ways you can respond

Question 8

What point is James Rachels trying to make with his thought experiment about Smith, Jones, and their drowning nephews?

Accepted Answer

A)  That letting someone die is just as bad as killing someone when you have a special obligation to protect that person. 
B)  That letting someone die is sometimes morally worse than killing someone. 
C)  That letting someone die is no worse, morally speaking, than killing someone. 
D)  That killing someone is morally worse than letting someone die. 
A)  That letting someone die is just as bad as killing someone when you have a special obligation to protect that person. 
B)  That letting someone die is sometimes morally worse than killing someone. 
C)  That letting someone die is no worse, morally speaking, than killing someone. 
D)  That killing someone is morally worse than letting someone die.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways of responding to counterexamples discussed in Chapter 6?

Accepted Answer

A)  Deny that the counterexample applies to the principle being considered. 
B)  Revise the principle being considered to avoid the counterexample. 
C)  Insist that the principle being considered and the conflicting moral intuition are both correct. 
D)  Maintain that the principle is correct although it leads to counterintuitive results in this case. 
A)  Deny that the counterexample applies to the principle being considered. 
B)  Revise the principle being considered to avoid the counterexample. 
C)  Insist that the principle being considered and the conflicting moral intuition are both correct. 
D)  Maintain that the principle is correct although it leads to counterintuitive results in this case.

Question 10

What is the purpose of James Rachels's thought experiment about Smith, Jones, and their drowning nephews?

Accepted Answer

A)  To support the principle that killing someone is worse than merely letting him or her die. 
B)  To test the principle that killing someone is worse than merely letting him or her die. 
C)  To test the principle that we have a special obligation to protect children, even when they are far away. 
D)  To provide a counterexample to the principle that we have a special obligation to protect children, even when they are far away. 
A)  To support the principle that killing someone is worse than merely letting him or her die. 
B)  To test the principle that killing someone is worse than merely letting him or her die. 
C)  To test the principle that we have a special obligation to protect children, even when they are far away. 
D)  To provide a counterexample to the principle that we have a special obligation to protect children, even when they are far away.

Question 11

In your own words, what is an intermediate moral principle? Why are intermediate moral principles useful in moral reasoning?

Accepted Answer

An intermediate moral principle is a mor

Question 12

Which of the following best captures the doctrine of double effect?

Accepted Answer

A)  An action is not truly virtuous if it is chosen not for the sake of the virtue, but for the sake of some secondary effect of the action. 
B)  It is sometimes permissible to bring about a bad outcome as the side effect of your actions, even if it would be wrong to bring about that same outcome intentionally. 
C)  It is morally worse to bring something about intentionally than to merely allow it to happen. 
D)  Because every action has more than one effect, we must take all of the action's effects into account when evaluating the consequences of an action. 
A)  An action is not truly virtuous if it is chosen not for the sake of the virtue, but for the sake of some secondary effect of the action. 
B)  It is sometimes permissible to bring about a bad outcome as the side effect of your actions, even if it would be wrong to bring about that same outcome intentionally. 
C)  It is morally worse to bring something about intentionally than to merely allow it to happen. 
D)  Because every action has more than one effect, we must take all of the action's effects into account when evaluating the consequences of an action.

Question 13

Explain Don Marquis's FUTURE OF VALUE argument in your own words. What intermediate moral principle does Marquis use in his argument? What arguments does Marquis give to support his principle?

Accepted Answer

Don Marquis's FUTURE OF VALUE argument i

How does Robert Nozick respond to the counterexample involving a person in a well who vaporizes someone with a ray gun?

Stephen Nathanson argues that cases of torture or arson provide counterexamples to the principle of "an eye for an eye."

One way of evaluating an intermediate moral principle is by seeing whether it entails the right answer about obvious cases, such as whether parents may read bedtime stories to their children.

What role(s) do moral intuitions play in moral reasoning?

Which of the following is an example of an intermediate moral principle?

What is the principle of KILLING AND LETTING DIE that was discussed in Chapter 6? How does James Rachels argue against it? Do you think his argument succeeds? Why or why not?

In your own words, explain the three different ways you can respond to a counterexample to an intermediate moral principle.

What point is James Rachels trying to make with his thought experiment about Smith, Jones, and their drowning nephews?

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways of responding to counterexamples discussed in Chapter 6?

What is the purpose of James Rachels's thought experiment about Smith, Jones, and their drowning nephews?

In your own words, what is an intermediate moral principle? Why are intermediate moral principles useful in moral reasoning?

Which of the following best captures the doctrine of double effect?

Explain Don Marquis's FUTURE OF VALUE argument in your own words. What intermediate moral principle does Marquis use in his argument? What arguments does Marquis give to support his principle?

An Introduction to Arguments

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Aristotle's Ethics: Exploring Virtue and Justice

Filters

Exam 6: Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

How does Robert Nozick respond to the counterexample involving a person in a well who vaporizes someone with a ray gun?

Stephen Nathanson argues that cases of torture or arson provide counterexamples to the principle of "an eye for an eye."

One way of evaluating an intermediate moral principle is by seeing whether it entails the right answer about obvious cases, such as whether parents may read bedtime stories to their children.

What role(s) do moral intuitions play in moral reasoning?

Which of the following is an example of an intermediate moral principle?

What is the principle of KILLING AND LETTING DIE that was discussed in Chapter 6? How does James Rachels argue against it? Do you think his argument succeeds? Why or why not?

In your own words, explain the three different ways you can respond to a counterexample to an intermediate moral principle.

What point is James Rachels trying to make with his thought experiment about Smith, Jones, and their drowning nephews?

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways of responding to counterexamples discussed in Chapter 6?

What is the purpose of James Rachels's thought experiment about Smith, Jones, and their drowning nephews?

In your own words, what is an intermediate moral principle? Why are intermediate moral principles useful in moral reasoning?

Which of the following best captures the doctrine of double effect?

Explain Don Marquis's FUTURE OF VALUE argument in your own words. What intermediate moral principle does Marquis use in his argument? What arguments does Marquis give to support his principle?

An Introduction to Arguments

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Aristotle's Ethics: Exploring Virtue and Justice

Filters