Deck 8: Moral Action

Question 1

What is the definition of the following term:
-ahimsa:

Answer 1

The ideal moral notion of nonviolence, especially derived from Jainism and the belief that all living things have an inviolable soul.

Question 2

What is the definition of the following term:
-antinomianism:

Answer 2

Literally "against the rules"; suggesting a philosophical or religious view that may justify breaking or disregarding common morality.

Question 3

What is the definition of the following term:
-deontology:

Answer 3

A conception of morality primarily in terms of rules, so that the rules as such carry authority, in contrast to stressing the value of the end or result of the action.

Question 4

What is the definition of the following term:
-Laws of Manu:

Question 5

What is the definition of the following term:
-obligatoriness (of morality):

Question 6

What is the definition of the following term:
-renunciation:

Question 7

What is the definition of the following term:
-teleology:

Question 8

What is the definition of the following term:
-virtue theory:

Question 9

What is the definition of the following term:
-wu-wei:

Question 10

Religious ritual and religious morality are

A) entirely different parts of religious life.
B) are related aspects of life only because both deal with behavior.
C) are often overlapping, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish one from the other.
D) are not very important in religious life generally.

Question 11

In a religious context, morality is typically described as "prescriptive." What does this mean?

A) Morality entails obligations, using words such as "should" and "ought."
B) Moral commands are general suggestions or guidelines that one can accept or ignore.
C) Morality is purely relative, that is, completely determined by the individual or the community.
D) Morality is incomprehensible, too strange to be understood at all.

Question 12

Our author argues that religion and morality often go together because

A) morality without connection to Ultimate Being is meaningless.
B) morality can only come from God.
C) morality seems to need a source of authority that connection to Ultimate Being provides.
D) morality is entirely a matter of feeling, like religion.

Question 13

Despite the moral authority religion often provides, religion and morality can sometimes be in conflict because

A) there are reasonable and logical nonreligious theories used to determine moral truths.
B) sometimes religions command people to do things that seem unethical to the rest of society.
C) the authority religion provides for morality does not allow religious morals to change with the times.
D) all the above

Question 14

It was noted in class that sometimes the founder of a religion serves as a moral exemplar. This means people like Jesus and the Buddha

A) had special words of wisdom we can follow, though we know little about them as real people.
B) not only had words of wisdom but also showed us how to live by their actions.
C) are really unknown but the legends of their lives are entertaining.
D) were probably not entirely sane, hearing voices that were not there.

Question 15

Deontological ethics can typically be found in

A) Chinese religions, such as Taoism and Confucianism.
B) religions without a personal God, such as Jainism.
C) monotheistic religions, such as Judaism and Islam.
D) in all religions equally.

Question 16

Religious ethical systems that are called natural law theory or virtue theory can typically be found in

A) Chinese religions, such as Taoism and Confucianism.
B) religions without a personal God, such as Jainism.
C) monotheistic religions, such as Judaism and Islam.
D) in all religions equally.

Question 17

According to the author of our textbook, morality in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism is better understood as

A) deontological.
B) psychological.
C) teleological.
D) unimportant.

Question 18

According to the reading, which worldview emphasizes the illusionary nature of this world and sees all possession and sensuality as a kind of trap?

A) theism
B) monism
C) materialism
D) illusionism

Question 19

WWJD (What would Jesus do?) is a case of religious moral direction based on

A) the Ten Commandments.
B) a religious exemplar.
C) religious teleological morality.
D) the wisdom literature of the New Testament.

Question 20

According to the example of the Hindu teacher Sankara, moral behavior for Hindu renouncers

A) is necessary as a way of becoming prepared for leaving society behind.
B) is ultimately the way to achieve salvation and escape from rebirth.
C) plays no part at all in religious life.
D) includes obeying the rule of paying one's guru.

Question 21

The textbook talks about the queerness of morality because

A) all religions say that homosexuality is immoral.
B) some religions say that homosexuality is immoral.
C) morality in general requires us to be good to all people regardless of their sexual orientation.
D) morality in general is strange and requires us to think about how it has meaning and force in human life.

Question 22

Religious antinomianism means that the moral teachings of a religion

A) are important and should be followed.
B) are not important.
C) can seem to allow people to ignore morality.
D) do not exist.

Question 23

The Ten Commandments are like the Ten Precepts of Buddhism because

A) both are deontological.
B) they contain the same list of rules.
C) they both come ultimately from God.
D) in both cases, it is a sin to break any of the rules.

Question 24

With religious morality in general,

A) morality is more important that belief, so being religious is mostly about being a good person.
B) morality is clearly less important than belief, so being religious is mostly about being orthodox in one's beliefs.
C) morality and beliefs are independent of each other.
D) morality and beliefs are intricately interwoven, so that we cannot change one without changing the other

Question 25

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Antinomian

A) Ethics understood as a system of moral rules or duties.
B) Ethics understood as moral behavior rationalized by the achievement of an ideal goal.
C) Ethics understood as the moral characteristics of a good person.
D) The need and the process for giving reasons for moral claims
E) The recognition of the difficulty of explaining morality in naturalistic terms
F) The idea that one can disobey moral law for religious reasons.

Question 26

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Deontology

A) Ethics understood as a system of moral rules or duties.
B) Ethics understood as moral behavior rationalized by the achievement of an ideal goal.
C) Ethics understood as the moral characteristics of a good person.
D) The need and the process for giving reasons for moral claims
E) The recognition of the difficulty of explaining morality in naturalistic terms
F) The idea that one can disobey moral law for religious reasons.

Question 27

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Justification

A) Ethics understood as a system of moral rules or duties.
B) Ethics understood as moral behavior rationalized by the achievement of an ideal goal.
C) Ethics understood as the moral characteristics of a good person.
D) The need and the process for giving reasons for moral claims
E) The recognition of the difficulty of explaining morality in naturalistic terms
F) The idea that one can disobey moral law for religious reasons.

Question 28

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Queerness

A) Ethics understood as a system of moral rules or duties.
B) Ethics understood as moral behavior rationalized by the achievement of an ideal goal.
C) Ethics understood as the moral characteristics of a good person.
D) The need and the process for giving reasons for moral claims
E) The recognition of the difficulty of explaining morality in naturalistic terms
F) The idea that one can disobey moral law for religious reasons.

Question 29

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Teleology

A) Ethics understood as a system of moral rules or duties.
B) Ethics understood as moral behavior rationalized by the achievement of an ideal goal.
C) Ethics understood as the moral characteristics of a good person.
D) The need and the process for giving reasons for moral claims
E) The recognition of the difficulty of explaining morality in naturalistic terms
F) The idea that one can disobey moral law for religious reasons.

Question 30

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Virtue

A) Ethics understood as a system of moral rules or duties.
B) Ethics understood as moral behavior rationalized by the achievement of an ideal goal.
C) Ethics understood as the moral characteristics of a good person.
D) The need and the process for giving reasons for moral claims
E) The recognition of the difficulty of explaining morality in naturalistic terms
F) The idea that one can disobey moral law for religious reasons.

Question 31

The author claims that nonreligious people cannot be moral.

Question 32

Even though Taoism and Confucianism both originated in China, they have different moral systems.

Question 33

According to the Neo-Klepto Tribe of South America, stealing is not considered to be immoral if one is stealing from a large corporation, the IRS, or Warren Buffett.

Question 34

According to the author, Hinduism and Buddhism are religions that do not include a moral system.

Question 35

According to the doctrine of ahimsa, found in Jainism, all living creatures have souls, including humans and insects.

Question 36

According to the author, if a religion does not include a personal, all-knowing God, then it makes little sense for the people in that religion to be moral.

Question 37

According to the author, fear can serve as a motivating factor for religious people to be moral, but it is not the only motivation.

Question 38

The textbook notes, in the final analysis, all religions' moral direction is the same.

Question 39

In Confucianism, the proper morality (orthopraxis) is much less important than right belief (orthodoxy).

Question 40

According to our text, philosophical Daoism, Zen Buddhism, and St. Paul's Christianity can seem antinomian.

Question 41

Use an example from the text to explain the notion of a religious moral exemplar. Note what gives such an exemplar his or her authority.

Question 42

It was suggested in class that the common connection between morality and religion is due to the fact that the latter gives the former a kind of authority. Show briefly how this works using some religion as an example. You should use a series of concepts relating Ultimate Being to morality through other key concepts we have studied.

Question 43

Our text notes the example in religious Jainism of the moral ideal of nonviolence or ahimsa. Note how this ideal is connected logically to a religious idea of the soul and the nature of the self.

Question 44

From the text or from research on your own, note from two religions some similarities and differences in their specific moral prescriptions. For example, consider ahimsa in Jainism but justifications of war in Islam, prohibitions of pork in Judaism but not in Christianity, or the need to give to the poor in Islam, but no such evident command in the Buddhist precepts. Now connect the moral differences with different concepts of Ultimate Being or other specific teachings within the respective religions to show the internal logic of each. Evaluate these religious ideas for practicality and goodness in your own defended opinion.

Question 45

It was suggested in lecture that there are reasons why people attach ethics to a concept of Ultimate Being. Try to show with TWO religions how social and personal moral behavior is guided and justified by the appeal to an Ultimate Being. Be clear on how the connection to morality illuminates qualities of the divine (e.g., seeing if God cares about our behavior and why). Use this information to argue (as if against a nonreligious person) for the need to add religion to ethics. Do you agree that ethics needs religion? Is it strengthened by religions, or is religion strengthened by ethics? Why or why not? The issue is not just whether a nonreligious person can be moral, but whether the nonreligious person has good reasons and direction in morality. Beware of using yourself as prime example.