Question 1

Which of the following best captures Sinnott-Armstrong's main conclusion in "It's Not My Fault"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Although individuals are not responsible for causing climate change, they still have an obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
B)  Individuals have an obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions because nobody could reasonably reject a rule that requires those reductions. 
C)  Although governments have a moral obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, individuals are under no moral obligation to do so. 
D)  Individuals have an obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions because the principle that we can emit as much as we want is not universalizable. 
A)  Although individuals are not responsible for causing climate change, they still have an obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
B)  Individuals have an obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions because nobody could reasonably reject a rule that requires those reductions. 
C)  Although governments have a moral obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, individuals are under no moral obligation to do so. 
D)  Individuals have an obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions because the principle that we can emit as much as we want is not universalizable.

Question 2

According to Nathanson, the execution of an individual is permissible when:

Accepted Answer

A)  The death penalty constitutes an acceptable means of payback for a crime. 
B)  The death penalty is a proportionally severe response to the type of crime committed. 
C)  The death penalty is entailed by application of the principal of "an eye for an eye." 
D)  The death penalty is what the individual, him- or herself, ultimately deserves. 
A)  The death penalty constitutes an acceptable means of payback for a crime. 
B)  The death penalty is a proportionally severe response to the type of crime committed. 
C)  The death penalty is entailed by application of the principal of "an eye for an eye." 
D)  The death penalty is what the individual, him- or herself, ultimately deserves.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a premise in Dershowitz's argument for the existence of court-issued torture warrants?

Accepted Answer

A)  A system of torture warrants will result in comparatively fewer instances of torture. 
B)  A system of torture warrants will better protect the terror suspect's own rights. 
C)  A system of torture warrants will better prevent the torture of the innocent. 
D)  A system of torture warrants will likely produce higher quality life-saving information. 
A)  A system of torture warrants will result in comparatively fewer instances of torture. 
B)  A system of torture warrants will better protect the terror suspect's own rights. 
C)  A system of torture warrants will better prevent the torture of the innocent. 
D)  A system of torture warrants will likely produce higher quality life-saving information.

Question 4

How, according to Shue, should instances of torture be dealt with legally?

Accepted Answer

A)  Legal prohibitions against purely interrogational torture should be relaxed. 
B)  Legal prohibitions against terroristic torture should be relaxed. 
C)  Both terroristic and interrogational torture should be considered an international crime. 
D)  Terroristic torture, but not interrogational torture, should be considered an international crime. 
A)  Legal prohibitions against purely interrogational torture should be relaxed. 
B)  Legal prohibitions against terroristic torture should be relaxed. 
C)  Both terroristic and interrogational torture should be considered an international crime. 
D)  Terroristic torture, but not interrogational torture, should be considered an international crime.

Question 5

Which of the following would count as an objection to Thomas's argument that the ethnic and gender composition of faculty need not be proportional to their numbers in society?

Accepted Answer

A)  Making the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty proportional to their numbers in society would not solve for biases within society because other institutions and organizations could still seriously lack diversity. 
B)  If the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty had to be proportional to their numbers in society, then many faculty members would have to be let go as a result. 
C)  Making the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty proportional to their numbers in society would entail hiring many unqualified candidates. 
D)  If the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty were not at least roughly proportional to their numbers in society, then the faculty would not actually be diverse and people would not necessarily see justice around them. 
A)  Making the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty proportional to their numbers in society would not solve for biases within society because other institutions and organizations could still seriously lack diversity. 
B)  If the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty had to be proportional to their numbers in society, then many faculty members would have to be let go as a result. 
C)  Making the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty proportional to their numbers in society would entail hiring many unqualified candidates. 
D)  If the ethnic and gender composition of a university's faculty were not at least roughly proportional to their numbers in society, then the faculty would not actually be diverse and people would not necessarily see justice around them.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the differences that Collins identifies between caring attitudes and caring actions?

Accepted Answer

A)  Caring actions satisfy the needs of the thing or person you're caring for, whereas caring attitudes don't fulfill any needs by themselves. 
B)  You can have a caring attitude toward pretty much anything, but you can only perform caring actions toward something that has interests. 
C)  Caring attitudes include both positive and negative attitudes toward something, whereas caring actions always involve a positive view of the thing you're caring for. 
D)  Caring actions generally involve greater cost or effort than caring attitudes. 
A)  Caring actions satisfy the needs of the thing or person you're caring for, whereas caring attitudes don't fulfill any needs by themselves. 
B)  You can have a caring attitude toward pretty much anything, but you can only perform caring actions toward something that has interests. 
C)  Caring attitudes include both positive and negative attitudes toward something, whereas caring actions always involve a positive view of the thing you're caring for. 
D)  Caring actions generally involve greater cost or effort than caring attitudes.

Question 7

Why, according to Dershowitz, would the rights or a torture victim be better protected were torture to be institutionalized?

Accepted Answer

Alan Dershowitz, a prominent legal schol

Question 8

Assume that Thomson is correct that there may well be cases in which carrying the child to term requires only Minimally Decent Samaritanism of the mother. Which of the following could you infer from that claim?

Accepted Answer

A)  All abortions are morally permissible because they are all just killings. 
B)  All abortions are morally impermissible because they are unjust killings. 
C)  Some abortions are morally impermissible because they are unjust killings. 
D)  Minimally Decent Samaritanism is an incorrect standard for evaluating actions. 
A)  All abortions are morally permissible because they are all just killings. 
B)  All abortions are morally impermissible because they are unjust killings. 
C)  Some abortions are morally impermissible because they are unjust killings. 
D)  Minimally Decent Samaritanism is an incorrect standard for evaluating actions.

Question 9

Why does Garcia think that his view of racism helps to explain why racism is always immoral?

Accepted Answer

A)  Racism is always immoral because racist institutions encompass the entire society and affect everyone negatively. 
B)  Racism is always immoral because one is obligated to have true and rational beliefs but racist beliefs are always false. 
C)  Racism is always immoral because as a form of morally insufficient respect for others, it opposes the virtues of benevolence and justice. 
D)  Racism is always immoral because everyone has equal moral worth and deserves the same basic human rights. 
A)  Racism is always immoral because racist institutions encompass the entire society and affect everyone negatively. 
B)  Racism is always immoral because one is obligated to have true and rational beliefs but racist beliefs are always false. 
C)  Racism is always immoral because as a form of morally insufficient respect for others, it opposes the virtues of benevolence and justice. 
D)  Racism is always immoral because everyone has equal moral worth and deserves the same basic human rights.

Question 10

Which of the following best captures the main question Nathanson is addressing in "An Eye for an Eye"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Is the death penalty a justifiable response to all cases of intentional murder? 
B)  Is proportional retributivism a more plausible theory than equality retributivism? 
C)  Should the degree of a criminal's suffering be proportional to that of his or her victim? 
D)  Is the death penalty justified on the basis of traditional principles of retributivism? 
A)  Is the death penalty a justifiable response to all cases of intentional murder? 
B)  Is proportional retributivism a more plausible theory than equality retributivism? 
C)  Should the degree of a criminal's suffering be proportional to that of his or her victim? 
D)  Is the death penalty justified on the basis of traditional principles of retributivism?

Question 11

McMahan's criterion of responsibility allows a just combatant to attack anyone who is even partially morally responsible for initiating or sustaining an unjust threat, provided that attacking that person will help reduce or eliminate that threat.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Singer argues that it is morally wrong to eat meat because it violates the principle of equality, but that scientific experiments on nonhuman animals are morally permissible.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Why, according to Steinbock, is cruelty to animals morally wrong but giving greater consideration to the interests of human beings than to those of animals morally permissible?

Accepted Answer

According to Steinbock, cruelty to anima

Question 14

Eaton argues that the harm hypothesis currently has substantive empirical evidence supporting it and so should be accepted as true.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

According to Wiredu, how do the Akan prefer to respond to wrongdoers?

Accepted Answer

A)  They observe "an eye for an eye" to protect social harmony. 
B)  They punish those who violate social harmony, but only to deter others from doing so. 
C)  They seek compensation from the wrongdoer or reconciliation between the wrongdoer and the people who were wronged. 
D)  They generally ignore wrongdoers so as not to highlight disruption of social harmony. 
A)  They observe "an eye for an eye" to protect social harmony. 
B)  They punish those who violate social harmony, but only to deter others from doing so. 
C)  They seek compensation from the wrongdoer or reconciliation between the wrongdoer and the people who were wronged. 
D)  They generally ignore wrongdoers so as not to highlight disruption of social harmony.

Question 16

Why does Collins discuss the idea that people are not responsible for their own attitudes?

Accepted Answer

A)  To argue that only caring actions matter, not caring attitudes. 
B)  To address the objection that caring attitudes cannot be morally important because they are out of our control. 
C)  To respond to the objection that caring actions are not enough without caring attitudes. 
D)  To show that caring attitudes can be morally important even if we aren't responsible for our attitudes. 
A)  To argue that only caring actions matter, not caring attitudes. 
B)  To address the objection that caring attitudes cannot be morally important because they are out of our control. 
C)  To respond to the objection that caring actions are not enough without caring attitudes. 
D)  To show that caring attitudes can be morally important even if we aren't responsible for our attitudes.

Question 17

Steinbock identifies several differences between nonhuman animals and human beings that she thinks are relevant to giving humans a privileged position in the moral community. State three of those differences in your own words, and explain why Steinbock thinks these differences are morally relevant.

Accepted Answer

One difference Steinbock identifies is t

Question 18

Singer argues that we ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means that we should give equal consideration to their interests.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

According to Rachels, the cessation of treatment in many cases can be considered legitimate instances of the intentional termination of life of one human being by another.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Kant says that there is only one categorical imperative but offers several interpretations of that imperative.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Which of the following best captures Sinnott-Armstrong's main conclusion in "It's Not My Fault"?

According to Nathanson, the execution of an individual is permissible when:

Which of the following is NOT a premise in Dershowitz's argument for the existence of court-issued torture warrants?

How, according to Shue, should instances of torture be dealt with legally?

Which of the following would count as an objection to Thomas's argument that the ethnic and gender composition of faculty need not be proportional to their numbers in society?

Which of the following is NOT one of the differences that Collins identifies between caring attitudes and caring actions?

Why, according to Dershowitz, would the rights or a torture victim be better protected were torture to be institutionalized?

Assume that Thomson is correct that there may well be cases in which carrying the child to term requires only Minimally Decent Samaritanism of the mother. Which of the following could you infer from that claim?

Why does Garcia think that his view of racism helps to explain why racism is always immoral?

Which of the following best captures the main question Nathanson is addressing in "An Eye for an Eye"?

McMahan's criterion of responsibility allows a just combatant to attack anyone who is even partially morally responsible for initiating or sustaining an unjust threat, provided that attacking that person will help reduce or eliminate that threat.

Singer argues that it is morally wrong to eat meat because it violates the principle of equality, but that scientific experiments on nonhuman animals are morally permissible.

Why, according to Steinbock, is cruelty to animals morally wrong but giving greater consideration to the interests of human beings than to those of animals morally permissible?

Eaton argues that the harm hypothesis currently has substantive empirical evidence supporting it and so should be accepted as true.

According to Wiredu, how do the Akan prefer to respond to wrongdoers?

Why does Collins discuss the idea that people are not responsible for their own attitudes?

Steinbock identifies several differences between nonhuman animals and human beings that she thinks are relevant to giving humans a privileged position in the moral community. State three of those differences in your own words, and explain why Steinbock thinks these differences are morally relevant.

Singer argues that we ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means that we should give equal consideration to their interests.

According to Rachels, the cessation of treatment in many cases can be considered legitimate instances of the intentional termination of life of one human being by another.

Kant says that there is only one categorical imperative but offers several interpretations of that imperative.

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

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

Which of the following best captures Sinnott-Armstrong's main conclusion in "It's Not My Fault"?

According to Nathanson, the execution of an individual is permissible when:

Which of the following is NOT a premise in Dershowitz's argument for the existence of court-issued torture warrants?

How, according to Shue, should instances of torture be dealt with legally?

Which of the following would count as an objection to Thomas's argument that the ethnic and gender composition of faculty need not be proportional to their numbers in society?

Which of the following is NOT one of the differences that Collins identifies between caring attitudes and caring actions?

Why, according to Dershowitz, would the rights or a torture victim be better protected were torture to be institutionalized?

Assume that Thomson is correct that there may well be cases in which carrying the child to term requires only Minimally Decent Samaritanism of the mother. Which of the following could you infer from that claim?

Why does Garcia think that his view of racism helps to explain why racism is always immoral?

Which of the following best captures the main question Nathanson is addressing in "An Eye for an Eye"?

McMahan's criterion of responsibility allows a just combatant to attack anyone who is even partially morally responsible for initiating or sustaining an unjust threat, provided that attacking that person will help reduce or eliminate that threat.

Singer argues that it is morally wrong to eat meat because it violates the principle of equality, but that scientific experiments on nonhuman animals are morally permissible.

Why, according to Steinbock, is cruelty to animals morally wrong but giving greater consideration to the interests of human beings than to those of animals morally permissible?

Eaton argues that the harm hypothesis currently has substantive empirical evidence supporting it and so should be accepted as true.

According to Wiredu, how do the Akan prefer to respond to wrongdoers?

Why does Collins discuss the idea that people are not responsible for their own attitudes?

Steinbock identifies several differences between nonhuman animals and human beings that she thinks are relevant to giving humans a privileged position in the moral community. State three of those differences in your own words, and explain why Steinbock thinks these differences are morally relevant.

Singer argues that we ought to extend the principle of equality to nonhuman animals, which means that we should give equal consideration to their interests.

According to Rachels, the cessation of treatment in many cases can be considered legitimate instances of the intentional termination of life of one human being by another.

Kant says that there is only one categorical imperative but offers several interpretations of that imperative.

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