Deck 17: Virtue Ethics Julia Driver

Question 1

Driver notes that sometimes, to decide what to do, we first

A) consult our intuitions.
B) reflect on our deeply held convictions.
C) consider how we ought to be.
D) consider how we ought to appear.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Aristotle held that good human beings

A) puts the needs of others before her own.
B) embodies all the excellences of human character.
C) obeys the will of the Gods.
D) devotes her life to the careful study of philosophy.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The doctrine of the mean holds that

A) virtue is a mean state, lying between two opposed vices.
B) happiness is a mean state, lying between two opposed extremes.
C) to be morally good one must never be mean.
D) the act most people would perform in a given circumstance is that which is right.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Driver claims that a virtuous person

A) does what he or she knows to be right even when he or she would prefer not to.
B) never violates moral principles.
C) has desires and emotions that can be overcome when required by right action.
D) has desires and emotions that do not conflict with what he or she knows to be right.

Question 5

One objection to virtue ethics Driver considers is that the theory

A) demands too much of individuals.
B) does not account for the importance of rational agency.
C) does not guide action.
D) is intuitively implausible.

Question 6

To possess a virtue, one must

A) have a certain stable character trait.
B) have knowledge of certain vices.
C) be born virtuous.
D) always consider the consequences of one's actions.

Question 7

The objection that virtue ethics is not action guiding

A) has not been taken seriously by virtue ethicists.
B) is a problem for any moral theory.
C) has long been a standard objection to the view.
D) None of the above

Question 8

Some critics of the psychology behind virtue ethics claim that

A) it can only be said to apply to some people, not all.
B) it overstates the stability of human character traits.
C) it is based on a mistaken view of human happiness.
D) it makes insufficient room for personal ties and loyalties.

Question 9

Bravery is a virtue that

A) lies between cowardice and foolhardiness.
B) only traditional virtue ethicists value.
C) is useful and highly prized.
D) requires that one always face fear without hesitation.

Question 10

A person who is continent

A) cannot control her actions but knows right from wrong.
B) does not know right from wrong but can control her actions.
C) knows right from wrong and can bring herself to do the right thing.
D) has learned the virtues by studying others.

Question 11

Virtue ethics asks that we consider how to be when deciding what to do.

Question 12

Aristotle is a famous ancient opponent of virtue ethics.

Question 13

Virtue ethics has been criticized for relying on a view of character traits that is psychologically unsound.

Question 14

One who is continent is perfectly virtuous.

Question 15

When one's feelings harmonize with what one judges to be right, one is virtuous.

Question 16

One objection to virtue ethics holds that it is alienating.

Question 17

Virtue ethics is primarily concerned with improving welfare.

Question 18

The virtuous person not only does the right thing, but she does the right thing in the right way.

Question 19

To have a virtue, one must have a stable character trait.

Question 20

Like Mill, virtue ethicists believe there is always only one right action.

Question 21

Driver suggests that virtue ethics is intuitively appealing because we often deliberate about moral problems by reflecting on what admirable people would do. Do you agree that such reflection is useful when resolving moral dilemmas?

Question 22

Driver considers the objection that virtue ethics is not action guiding. Present the objection and her reply. How compelling is the objection? Must a moral theory always give agents clear instruction on how to act?

Question 23

What is the doctrine of the mean? Offer your own example of a virtue that can be modeled on this doctrine and an example of one that cannot be adequately modeled.

Question 24

The virtuous person does the right thing and is happy to do so. It comes easily. The "continent" person does the right thing, but it requires effort. Should we think more of the person that wants to be moral or the person who overcomes a desire not to be moral?