Question 1

According to McMahan, instances of torture have been more often than not morally unjustified.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Which of the following best captures the central question Rachels is addressing in "Active and Passive Euthanasia"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Is active euthanasia sometimes a morally permissible practice? 
B)  Is passive euthanasia sometimes a morally permissible practice? 
C)  Is there a meaningful moral distinction between active and passive euthanasia? 
D)  Is active euthanasia preferable to passive euthanasia in most terminal cases? 
A)  Is active euthanasia sometimes a morally permissible practice? 
B)  Is passive euthanasia sometimes a morally permissible practice? 
C)  Is there a meaningful moral distinction between active and passive euthanasia? 
D)  Is active euthanasia preferable to passive euthanasia in most terminal cases?

Question 3

Which of the following best captures Aristotle's argument in I.1-2 for the claim that there is some highest end?

Accepted Answer

A)  Some goals are superior to others. The goal that is superior to all goals is the highest end. Therefore, there must be some highest end. 
B)  Some goals are more choiceworthy than others. The most choiceworthy goal is better than all of the others. The best goal is the highest end. Therefore, there is a highest end. 
C)  All crafts and inquiries aim at some goal. Some of those goals are pursued for the sake of a further goal. But if all goals were pursued for some further goal, desire would be futile because we would never achieve that which we seek. Therefore, some goal must be pursued for its own sake. 
D)  Political science controls all things. Therefore, the goals of political science are superior to the goals of other crafts or inquiries. Since political science has a goal, which is the human good, the human good is the highest end. 
A)  Some goals are superior to others. The goal that is superior to all goals is the highest end. Therefore, there must be some highest end. 
B)  Some goals are more choiceworthy than others. The most choiceworthy goal is better than all of the others. The best goal is the highest end. Therefore, there is a highest end. 
C)  All crafts and inquiries aim at some goal. Some of those goals are pursued for the sake of a further goal. But if all goals were pursued for some further goal, desire would be futile because we would never achieve that which we seek. Therefore, some goal must be pursued for its own sake. 
D)  Political science controls all things. Therefore, the goals of political science are superior to the goals of other crafts or inquiries. Since political science has a goal, which is the human good, the human good is the highest end.

Question 4

According to Garcia, one can hold a racist belief without holding it for racist reasons if one's racist beliefs have no connection to any racial disregard.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Why, according to van den Haag, can the death penalty never be unjust to a guilty criminal?

Accepted Answer

A)  Death is the common fate of all human beings, not merely those convicted of violent crime. 
B)  The death penalty is an appropriate retaliation to all forms of violent crime, not simply murder. 
C)  The criminal would be more degraded by the loss of autonomy inherent to a life sentence. 
D)  The criminal knowingly assumed the risk of death by execution when committing the crime. 
A)  Death is the common fate of all human beings, not merely those convicted of violent crime. 
B)  The death penalty is an appropriate retaliation to all forms of violent crime, not simply murder. 
C)  The criminal would be more degraded by the loss of autonomy inherent to a life sentence. 
D)  The criminal knowingly assumed the risk of death by execution when committing the crime.

Question 6

Summarize Krakoff's account of how humanity's carbon dioxide emissions are negatively affecting the planet.

Accepted Answer

Krakoff's account highlights the negativ

Question 7

What role does the claim that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is prerequisite for having interests play in Singer's paper?

Accepted Answer

A)  Singer argues that nonhuman animals have this capacity, and therefore, they have interests, which, according to the principle of equality, ought to be given equal consideration. 
B)  Singer argues that nonhuman animals have this capacity, and therefore, they have interests, which, according to the principle of equality, ought to be understood as the same interests as human interests. 
C)  Singer argues that nonhuman animals' capacity for suffering is not equal to humans' capacity for suffering, and therefore, their interests are not equal to ours. 
D)  Singer is using this to explain why the moral principle of equality does not apply in the cases of racism and sexism. 
A)  Singer argues that nonhuman animals have this capacity, and therefore, they have interests, which, according to the principle of equality, ought to be given equal consideration. 
B)  Singer argues that nonhuman animals have this capacity, and therefore, they have interests, which, according to the principle of equality, ought to be understood as the same interests as human interests. 
C)  Singer argues that nonhuman animals' capacity for suffering is not equal to humans' capacity for suffering, and therefore, their interests are not equal to ours. 
D)  Singer is using this to explain why the moral principle of equality does not apply in the cases of racism and sexism.

Question 8

Why, according to Nathanson, do both equality retributivism and proportional retributivism fail to accurately reflect judgments about moral desert?

Accepted Answer

According to Nathanson, both equality re

Question 9

How does Bentham understand the principle of utility?

Accepted Answer

A)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it promotes the pleasure of everyone affected by it. 
B)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it promotes the happiness of the person performing it. 
C)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it promotes the happiness of everyone affected by it. 
D)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it avoids causing pain to anyone affected by it. 
A)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it promotes the pleasure of everyone affected by it. 
B)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it promotes the happiness of the person performing it. 
C)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it promotes the happiness of everyone affected by it. 
D)  As the principle that approves of an action to the extent that it avoids causing pain to anyone affected by it.

Question 10

What is the requirement of discrimination? How is the case of the Implacable Pursuer supposed to pose a problem for it?

Accepted Answer

The requirement of discrimination is the

Question 11

According to Singer, whether an entity has interests at all depends on its capacity for suffering or, more broadly, sentience.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Singer's main conclusion in "All Animals Are Equal" is:

Accepted Answer

A)  We ought to treat nonhuman and human animals equally. 
B)  We ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means we should give their interests equal consideration. 
C)  We ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means we should assign them the same rights as we have. 
D)  We ought to recognize that human and nonhuman animals are equal enough in their cognitive abilities that unequal treatment is unjustified. 
A)  We ought to treat nonhuman and human animals equally. 
B)  We ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means we should give their interests equal consideration. 
C)  We ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means we should assign them the same rights as we have. 
D)  We ought to recognize that human and nonhuman animals are equal enough in their cognitive abilities that unequal treatment is unjustified.

Question 13

Why does Marquis discuss the discontinuation account and the desire account?

Accepted Answer

A)  These accounts provide better arguments for the pro-choices. 
B)  These accounts are reasons why abortion is immoral. 
C)  These accounts are alternative views about what makes killing anything wrong. 
D)  These accounts are alternative views about what makes killing a human being wrong. 
A)  These accounts provide better arguments for the pro-choices. 
B)  These accounts are reasons why abortion is immoral. 
C)  These accounts are alternative views about what makes killing anything wrong. 
D)  These accounts are alternative views about what makes killing a human being wrong.

Question 14

Garcia thinks that institutional racism has more explanatory importance than individual racism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Which of the following best captures Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Actions are right if and only if they maximize the total amount of pleasure, minus the total amount of pain, for the person performing them. 
B)  Actions are right to the extent that they promote pleasure and the absence of pain for everyone affected. 
C)  Actions are right if they bring pleasure or reduce pain for more people than any available alternative. 
D)  Actions are right if they are motivated by a desire to promote pleasure and reduce pain for everyone affected. 
A)  Actions are right if and only if they maximize the total amount of pleasure, minus the total amount of pain, for the person performing them. 
B)  Actions are right to the extent that they promote pleasure and the absence of pain for everyone affected. 
C)  Actions are right if they bring pleasure or reduce pain for more people than any available alternative. 
D)  Actions are right if they are motivated by a desire to promote pleasure and reduce pain for everyone affected.

Question 16

Which of the following best captures how Eaton thinks the causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood?

Accepted Answer

A)  The causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood as probabilistic, holding other things equal, and one salient component of a complex causal mechanism. 
B)  The causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood as deterministic in which the existence of pornography is sufficient for harm. 
C)  Pornography should be understood as constitutive of harm since the very depiction of lewd and offensive sex acts is itself harmful. 
D)  Pornography should be understood not as itself causing harm but simply as an effect of gender inequality. 
A)  The causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood as probabilistic, holding other things equal, and one salient component of a complex causal mechanism. 
B)  The causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood as deterministic in which the existence of pornography is sufficient for harm. 
C)  Pornography should be understood as constitutive of harm since the very depiction of lewd and offensive sex acts is itself harmful. 
D)  Pornography should be understood not as itself causing harm but simply as an effect of gender inequality.

Question 17

Why, according to Liu, is racial looksism not only offensive and disrespectful, but also morally wrong?

Accepted Answer

A)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it evaluates people based on a criterion that is not directly contributive to their aesthetic appeal and thus constantly denies people fair consideration for appreciation respect. 
B)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it is offensive and insulting and all offensive preferences deny people their equal basic worth and are thus morally wrong. 
C)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it unfairly privileges people who look like they are members of the same race as oneself. 
D)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it evaluates people based on a criterion that is directly contributive to their aesthetic appeal and thus denies them appreciation respect based on features other than their physical appearances. 
A)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it evaluates people based on a criterion that is not directly contributive to their aesthetic appeal and thus constantly denies people fair consideration for appreciation respect. 
B)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it is offensive and insulting and all offensive preferences deny people their equal basic worth and are thus morally wrong. 
C)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it unfairly privileges people who look like they are members of the same race as oneself. 
D)  Racial looksism is morally wrong because it evaluates people based on a criterion that is directly contributive to their aesthetic appeal and thus denies them appreciation respect based on features other than their physical appearances.

Question 18

Why, according to McMahan, doesn't the right to self-defense justify the traditional principles of just war theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because the right to self-defense applies to individuals, whereas the principles of just war apply to countries. 
B)  Because the right to self-defense does not apply to someone who is being attacked because he or she attacked someone else. 
C)  Because the right to self-defense is based on jus in bello, not vice versa. 
D)  Because the right to self-defense assumes a right to life that soldiers forfeit when they enter a war zone. 
A)  Because the right to self-defense applies to individuals, whereas the principles of just war apply to countries. 
B)  Because the right to self-defense does not apply to someone who is being attacked because he or she attacked someone else. 
C)  Because the right to self-defense is based on jus in bello, not vice versa. 
D)  Because the right to self-defense assumes a right to life that soldiers forfeit when they enter a war zone.

Question 19

Why does Sinnott-Armstrong discuss the "universalizability principle?"

Accepted Answer

A)  To argue that the principle, if it were plausible, would entail that individuals are morally obligated to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 
B)  To argue against the principle by pointing out its implications for individuals' right to emit greenhouse gases. 
C)  To argue for the principle on the grounds that only it can explain individuals' moral obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 
D)  To argue that the principle does not entail an individual obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
A)  To argue that the principle, if it were plausible, would entail that individuals are morally obligated to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 
B)  To argue against the principle by pointing out its implications for individuals' right to emit greenhouse gases. 
C)  To argue for the principle on the grounds that only it can explain individuals' moral obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 
D)  To argue that the principle does not entail an individual obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 20

According to McMahan, the traditional principles of just war theory are usually based on a right to self-defense.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

According to McMahan, instances of torture have been more often than not morally unjustified.

Which of the following best captures the central question Rachels is addressing in "Active and Passive Euthanasia"?

Which of the following best captures Aristotle's argument in I.1-2 for the claim that there is some highest end?

According to Garcia, one can hold a racist belief without holding it for racist reasons if one's racist beliefs have no connection to any racial disregard.

Why, according to van den Haag, can the death penalty never be unjust to a guilty criminal?

Summarize Krakoff's account of how humanity's carbon dioxide emissions are negatively affecting the planet.

What role does the claim that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is prerequisite for having interests play in Singer's paper?

Why, according to Nathanson, do both equality retributivism and proportional retributivism fail to accurately reflect judgments about moral desert?

How does Bentham understand the principle of utility?

What is the requirement of discrimination? How is the case of the Implacable Pursuer supposed to pose a problem for it?

According to Singer, whether an entity has interests at all depends on its capacity for suffering or, more broadly, sentience.

Singer's main conclusion in "All Animals Are Equal" is:

Why does Marquis discuss the discontinuation account and the desire account?

Garcia thinks that institutional racism has more explanatory importance than individual racism.

Which of the following best captures Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle?

Which of the following best captures how Eaton thinks the causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood?

Why, according to Liu, is racial looksism not only offensive and disrespectful, but also morally wrong?

Why, according to McMahan, doesn't the right to self-defense justify the traditional principles of just war theory?

Why does Sinnott-Armstrong discuss the "universalizability principle?"

According to McMahan, the traditional principles of just war theory are usually based on a right to self-defense.

An Introduction to Arguments

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Filters

Exam 13: Aristotle's Ethics: Exploring Virtue and Justice

According to McMahan, instances of torture have been more often than not morally unjustified.

Which of the following best captures the central question Rachels is addressing in "Active and Passive Euthanasia"?

Which of the following best captures Aristotle's argument in I.1-2 for the claim that there is some highest end?

According to Garcia, one can hold a racist belief without holding it for racist reasons if one's racist beliefs have no connection to any racial disregard.

Why, according to van den Haag, can the death penalty never be unjust to a guilty criminal?

Summarize Krakoff's account of how humanity's carbon dioxide emissions are negatively affecting the planet.

What role does the claim that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is prerequisite for having interests play in Singer's paper?

Why, according to Nathanson, do both equality retributivism and proportional retributivism fail to accurately reflect judgments about moral desert?

How does Bentham understand the principle of utility?

What is the requirement of discrimination? How is the case of the Implacable Pursuer supposed to pose a problem for it?

According to Singer, whether an entity has interests at all depends on its capacity for suffering or, more broadly, sentience.

Singer's main conclusion in "All Animals Are Equal" is:

Why does Marquis discuss the discontinuation account and the desire account?

Garcia thinks that institutional racism has more explanatory importance than individual racism.

Which of the following best captures Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle?

Which of the following best captures how Eaton thinks the causal relation between pornography and harm should be understood?

Why, according to Liu, is racial looksism not only offensive and disrespectful, but also morally wrong?

Why, according to McMahan, doesn't the right to self-defense justify the traditional principles of just war theory?

Why does Sinnott-Armstrong discuss the "universalizability principle?"

According to McMahan, the traditional principles of just war theory are usually based on a right to self-defense.

An Introduction to Arguments

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Filters