Deck 2: Philosophical Accounts of Morality

Question 1

The Divine Command theory assumes that …

A) Nothing but God can create moral laws
B) God's authority is necessary for moral rectitude
C) God exists
D) All of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

An objection to normative cultural relativism is that …

A) It can be false, even if descriptive relativism is true
B) It is incompatible with the Divine Command theory
C) It fails to capture moral diversity
D) All of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Principle of Double Effect is used by …

A) Utilitarians
B) Cultural relativists
C) Natural Law theorists
D) Kantians

Answer 3

C

Question 4

If Natural Law theory is correct, then …

A) Morality is objective
B) The origin of morality is society
C) Knowing the right thing to do is impossible
D) All of the above

Question 5

One objection to utilitarianism is that …

A) It amounts to the rejection of morality
B) It may lead to treating individuals unfairly
C) It takes lying to be always wrong
D) All of the above

Question 6

Given consequentialism, a medical decision for a patient is right in the case that …

A) It treats the patient as a person
B) It maximizes health benefits, or minimizes harms
C) It distributes health care resources fairly
D) All of the above

Question 7

Mill's ethical theory is a form of …

A) Pluralist ethics
B) Act utilitarianism
C) Ethical relativism
D) Virtue ethics

Question 8

Kant calls 'maxim' …

A) A principle of action that agrees with common morality
B) A principle of action that one would follow under ideal conditions
C) A principle of action that one gives to oneself
D) A principle of action that agrees with human nature

Question 9

Kant's ethics can be understood as a form of …

A) Consequentialism
B) Particularism
C) Ethical pluralism
D) None of the above

Question 10

According to virtue ethics, the most basic question of morality is …

A) Which values should I seek to promote?
B) What kind of person should I be?
C) Which rule should I follow?
D) How might my actions affect others?

Question 11

The moral theory inspired by Carol Gilligan's In a Different Voice is known as …

A) Care ethics
B) Ethical egoism
C) Natural law ethics
D) Utilitarianism

Question 12

Carol Gilligan believes that rights and justice …

A) Are not emphasized enough in ethical theory
B) Are overly emphasized in ethical theory
C) Are the key to understanding morality
D) All of the above

Question 13

Ross attempted to justify his list of seven prima facie duties by appeal to …

A) Fundamental moral principles that imply those duties
B) Intuition and self-evidence
C) Common morality
D) What a virtuous agent, acting in character, does

Question 14

In Rossian ethics, a moral reason to act or abstain from acting in a certain way is one's actual duty in the case that …

A) It is one's duty, other things being equal
B) It is one's duty, all things considered
C) It follows from an absolute moral principle
D) It is mandated by statute

Question 15

According to Ross, a moral agent evaluates an action in a situation by reflecting on …

A) Moral rules that apply to relevantly similar situations
B) Her prima facie duties given the action's right- and wrong-making features
C) What a virtuous person, acting in character, would do in relevantly similar situations
D) All of the above

Question 16

Ethical particularism is consistent with …

A) Ethical monism
B) Ethical absolutism
C) The ethics of prima facie duties
D) None of the above

Question 17

According to moral particularism, the right thing to do for an agent in a situation depends on …

A) A universally valid moral rule
B) Intuition about her actual duty in the situation
C) Moral discernment on the details of the situation
D) What the virtuous agent, acting in character, would do in a similar situation

Question 18

State what you consider the best reason for, and the best reason against, normative cultural relativism.

Question 19

State the Principle of Double Effect and discuss under which circumstances, if any, the principle might justify harvesting donated organs from anencephalic newborns.

Question 20

Explain why virtue ethics might face the problems of indeterminacy, relativity of virtue, and weak evidence for the existence of moral character.

Question 21

Chapter 2's closing remarks argue that the moral theories can sharpen our thinking about what to do or believe morally in a situation. What does this mean? Illustrate with examples. Suggestion: use some of the cases presented in the chapter.

Question 22

Why does classical utilitarianism amount to a position that is neither altruism nor egoism?