Deck 6: Egoism

Question 1

Participants in a prisoner's dilemma face a challenge:

A) by cooperating, they put self-interest at risk by not cooperating, they lose their chance of gaining a mutually advantageous outcome.
B) by complying with authority, they sacrifice autonomy and dignity by not complying, they are subject to punishment.
C) by admitting their moral wrongs, they become free from the "prison" of guilt by not admitting their moral wrongs, they retain their high standing in society but live in fear of exposure.
D) by choosing egoism over altruism, they risk being loved by others by choosing altruism over egoism, they risk loving themselves.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Ethical egoism

A) makes it my moral duty to do whatever best promotes my own interests.
B) says that the morally right thing to do is always the thing I want to do at the time.
C) supports only self-benefitting actions.
D) does not motivate acting morally.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Although ethical egoism does not seem to be an acceptable theory, it appears to suggest something true:

A) No one is capable of ever acting against their own interests.
B) Acting morally can often promote our interests in the long run.
C) It is important to sacrifice our interests for others.
D) We always gain more than we sacrifice when acting altruistically.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Psychological egoism

A) is widely supported by philosophical and psychological experts as the best moral theory.
B) can only be true if humans occasionally act in genuinely altruistic ways.
C) risks amounting to an empty claim if it rejects any evidence we might bring against it.
D) All of the above

Question 5

Ethical egoism defines morally right acts as those that will produce the greatest benefits for

A) those with whom one has the closest relationships.
B) only oneself.
C) only others.
D) both oneself and others.

Question 6

Acting solely for one's own interests can require a person to

A) act in ways that also benefit others.
B) sacrifice some long-term interests for their immediate benefit.
C) always act against the interests of everyone else.
D) always act selfishly.

Question 7

All of the choices I make, I make myself. All of my choices are guided by my values. These facts

A) support psychological egoism's claim that I always intend my choices to promote my interests.
B) count against humans being able to act altruistically.
C) can be true even if psychological egoism is false.
D) lead us to the conclusion that ethical egoism is true.

Question 8

Ethical egoism requires that our acts

A) only promote jointly-benefitting interests
B) only promote self-benefitting interests
C) be either jointly-benefitting or self-benefitting.
D) are chosen without regard for any interests.

Question 9

Psychological egoism argues that

A) I should only choose what I believe is in my own interest.
B) I can only choose to do what I believe is in my own interest.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 10

When evaluated by the four criteria for moral theories, ethical egoism does best in regards to

A) completeness.
B) explanatory power.
C) practicability.
D) moral confirmation.

Question 11

Some have interpreted ethical egoism as what the text calls expansive egoism. On this interpretation,

A) almost any act done for others will count as jointly benefiting.
B) egoism approves whatever serves one's best interest.
C) egoism approves of most or all of the acts human beings commonly take to be morally right.
D) All of the above

Question 12

The ultimate problem with ethical egoism seems to be that morality

A) can never approve of any act that serves self-interest.
B) is not concerned with the intentions of actions.
C) inherently goes against our self-interests.
D) requires that we act in cooperation to promote the good of each other.

Question 13

Helping out the group I've been assigned to at work promotes

A) just my supervisor's interests.
B) just my self-benefitting interests.
C) jointly-benefitting interests.
D) nobody's interests.

Question 14

Psychological egoism

A) makes the same argument as ethical egoism.
B) is purely a moral theory.
C) is purely a psychological theory.
D) is both a moral and psychological theory.

Question 15

_______ is a normative moral theory.

A) Psychological egoism
B) Ethical egoism
C) Altruism
D) The prisoner's dilemma

Question 16

Everyday experience and common sense suggest that

A) psychological egoism is true, since people act very selfishly.
B) people sometimes act unselfishly.
C) selfishness is actually a virtue.
D) genuine altruism is possible.

Question 17

If psychological egoism is true and the only choices we can make are self-serving choices, then it _______ follow that such choices are morally right.

A) does not
B) must
C) can, in rare circumstances
D) can often

Question 18

Morality

A) is an entirely individual matter.
B) requires that we cooperate and value the interests of others as well as our own.
C) requires that we always act self-sacrificially for the sake of others.
D) requires that we love others, but also demands that we must not.

Question 19

The prisoner's dilemma shows how people focusing on self-interest may lose advantages they could gain by taking a riskier path of cooperation.

Question 20

Ethical egoism tells me to do what is most in my interest, although this may not be what I most want to do at the time.

Question 21

Ethical egoism never requires that I sacrifice my immediate interests for the sake of my longer-term gain.

Question 22

On its objective interpretation, ethical egoism gives us a strong motivation for doing what is right, by its definition.

Question 23

When evaluated by the four criteria for moral theories, ethical egoism's most serious problems have to do with explanatory power and moral confirmation.

Question 24

A practical problem for ethical egoism is that it seems to preclude love and friendship, even though our having such relationships is very much in our interest.

Question 25

If an act that best promotes my interests harms others, ethical egoism can approve it.

Question 26

If an act that best promotes my interests also benefits others, ethical egoism can approve it.

Question 27

If an act that best promotes my interests only benefits me, ethical egoism can approve it.

Question 28

If an act that best promotes my interests causes me short-term pain, ethical egoism can approve it.

Question 29

Ethical egoism cannot support moral rights.