Deck 8: Consequentialism Rule Utilitarianism

Question 1

_______ can establish practices such as promising.

A) Rule utilitarianism
B) Act utilitarianism
C) Both act and rule utilitarianism
D) Neither act nor rule utilitarianism

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which theory would seem best able to answer the question of whether students' high school lockers should periodically be inspected for drugs?

A) Rule utilitarianism
B) Act utilitarianism
C) Both act and rule utilitarianism
D) Neither act nor rule utilitarianism

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is something rule utilitarianism can do that act utilitarianism cannot do?

A) Support the act that promotes the greatest overall utility
B) Instruct how we ought to act in a particular situation
C) Support moral rights
D) Consider effects for some animals as well as for humans

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Because rule utilitarianism establishes rules to be followed, it is _____ flexible with each distinct situation than act utilitarianism.

A) more
B) less
C) neither more nor less
D) extremely

Question 5

For rule utilitarianism, the right act in a given situation is

A) normally determined by a rule or practice that is known to promote greater overall utility.
B) always what will create the greatest overall utility.
C) what is most widely accepted and practiced in one's culture.
D) None of the above

Question 6

A standard claim of rule utilitarianism is that when two rules come into conflict with each other, one should

A) be sure to satisfy both rules.
B) do whatever they want, since they cannot avoid breaking some rule.
C) do that which promotes the greatest overall utility.
D) do whatever will create the most utility for oneself.

Question 7

Rule utilitarianism does better with several of act utilitarianism's problems because it

A) is not a consequentialist theory.
B) is based on the consequences of rules and practices rather than of specific acts.
C) does not require us to consider the likelihood of various effects.
D) Rule utilitarianism does not do better with act utilitarianism's problems.

Question 8

Act utilitarians often oppose rule utilitarianism because

A) it cannot support justice or rights.
B) they oppose all moral rules and principles.
C) rule utilitarianism does not consider consequences.
D) following a rule can keep us from maximizing overall utility in specific cases.

Question 9

Fine-tuning the rules of rule utilitarianism,

A) increases the number of situations in which overall utility is promoted by following the rules.
B) makes rule utilitarianism work more like act utilitarianism.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 10

The inconsistency objection arises against rule utilitarianism because

A) some of rule utilitarianism's prescriptions would not generate as much utility as what act utilitarianism would prescribe.
B) some of rule utilitarianism's prescriptions are too flexible.
C) rule utilitarianism yields results that are inconsistent with our moral intuitions.
D) rule utilitarianism creates moral dilemmas.

Question 11

The problem with taking fine-tuning too far is that

A) it begins to turn rule utilitarianism into simply a complicated version of act utilitarianism.
B) following a fine-tuned rule usually brings about less overall utility than a rule that is not fine-tuned.
C) fine-tuning is immoral.
D) it can bring rules into conflict.

Question 12

Rule utilitarians can reasonably maintain that their theory promotes _______ overall utility than act utilitarianism can.

A) slightly less
B) much less
C) much more
D) the same amount of

Question 13

Suppose a fine-tuned involuntary organ donation rule were acceptable to rule utilitarianism but conflicted with rule utilitarian principles of personal rights. Which of the following is true of the way forward?

A) Ordinary rule utilitarianism could resolve this using the dilemma principle.
B) Using the dilemma principle may not adequately respect personal rights.
C) Following the rule that creates the greatest overall utility could best respect personal rights.
D) All of the above

Question 14

Rule utilitarianism differs from act utilitarianism in important ways. Most importantly, it

A) is limited to people and can never include non-humans.
B) defines right acts by the circumstances for each act.
C) measures the utility of rules or social practices rather than of specific acts.
D) requires significantly more complicated calculations.

Question 15

Which ethical theory can encounter a moral dilemma?

A) Act utilitarianism
B) Rule utilitarianism
C) Both act and rule utilitarianism
D) Neither act nor rule utilitarianism

Question 16

According to rule utilitarianism, one should always choose the act that

A) would obtain the greatest overall utility in that situation.
B) satisfies a utility-promoting rule or practice.
C) will yield the most optimal consequences.
D) best serves one's self-interests.

Question 17

To avoid having to calculate what one should do in every specific situation, rule utilitarianism suggests that we follow

A) our gut instinct.
B) "rules of thumb."
C) its rules, especially in dilemmas.
D) its rules, except in dilemmas.

Question 18

Rule utilitarianism largely avoids which act utilitarianism problem?

A) The calculation problem
B) Extensions to animals
C) Worries about defining utility
D) The inconsistency objection

Question 19

Which of the following would be the best result of fine-tuning the principle: "Stealing a loaf of bread is wrong?"

A) "Stealing a loaf of bread is wrong unless your family is starving."
B) "Stealing a loaf of bread is sometimes morally okay."
C) "Stealing is wrong."
D) None of the above

Question 20

The _______ objection argues that fine-tuning rules may turn rule utilitarianism into something like act utilitarianism.

A) dilemmas
B) inconsistency
C) collapse
D) irony

Question 21

Because rule utilitarianism establishes general principles, it is _______ to address justice and rights.

A) better equipped than act utilitarianism
B) less equipped than act utilitarianism
C) not equipped
D) fully equipped

Question 22

The _______ objection argues that rule utilitarianism creates rules that can conflict with each other.

A) dilemmas
B) inconsistency
C) collapse
D) irony

Question 23

Under rule utilitarianism, rules are unaffected by special cases and circumstances.

Question 24

The principle of acts states that a morally right act follows a morally right rule or practice, even when rules directly conflict.

Question 25

Rule utilitarianism seems less susceptible to moral perfectionism problems than act utilitarianism.

Question 26

Act utilitarianism seems less susceptible to creating dilemmas than rule utilitarianism.

Question 27

If keeping a certain rule were to place too much of a burden on people, then it would probably not be approved as a rule utilitarianism rule.

Question 28

Fine-tuning rules to avoid the inconsistency objection can ultimately make rule utilitarianism very similar to act utilitarianism.

Question 29

Following rule utilitarianism in a situation can sometimes produce less overall utility than act utilitarianism would in that situation.

Question 30

It seems possible for an unjust rule to be fine-tuned into a rule that rule utilitarianism would find acceptable, even though the new rule would still be unjust.