Exam 6: Morality,Human Nature,and Social Cooperation

Which of the following refers to a form of human motivation whereby our decisions and actions are motivated primarily (if not exclusively)by our own interests?

Ethical egoism argues that our motivation for moral behavior should be our own rationally derived interests.

"Gut feelings" about right and wrong that seem to arise within our consciousness without us being aware of why or how they arose are sometimes referred to as:

Which of the following is a key theme discussed in the text as appearing most prominently and carrying the most moral weight in Western cultures:

Values and behaviors that are (or appear to be)shared by all human beings,everywhere,are referred to as:

When we embody a "wholeness" or,in Plato's words,"inner balance" in our personal and professional lives which comes from choosing and acting with consistency and in light of a conception of justice and the good life,we could be said to live and work with:

Psychological egoism is a prescriptive argument,whereas ethical egoism is descriptive.

To what are we referring when we discuss that,"set of rules governing how people are to treat one another,that rational people will agree to accept,for their mutual benefit,on the condition that others follow those rules as well"?

Racial and ethnic minorities now represent the majority of the prison population in the United States.

Which of the following hypothetical attitudes most closely resembles the notion that life is a "zero-sum game"?

To willingly accept some cost to ourselves in order to ensure that those who violate laws and social norms suffer consequences for their behavior is referred to as:

A non-zero-sum game might be described as one with the possibility of a "win-win" outcome,rather than a "win-lose" outcome.

Define and briefly explore the notion of strong reciprocity,including some consideration for the role of altruistic punishment.

Based on Axelrod's "tit for tat" simulation,the decision-making approach which best serves our own long-term interests is to exploit the kindness of others.

Taking what appears to be moral behavior and explaining it instead in terms of self-interest is a strategy known as:

If we claim that a professor giving everyone in the class an "A" on the next exam is not an act of kindness or generosity but is best regarded as that professor taking delight in demonstrating his own power,we are offering an egoistic explanation.

Briefly describe what is meant by the term,"human universal," providing at least two examples.

Seeking revenge against someone who has harmed you would be an example of third-party punishment.

Psychological and ethical egoism are explanations of human behavior that emphasize the role of __________________ in decision-making.

Altruistic acts are those: