Deck 4: Ethical Subjectivism: Morality Is Just a Matter of Personal Feeling

Question 1

Which of the following sources of information would probably be most important to a college student who is a cultural relativist in deciding whether to ban hate speech?

A) the student's personal feelings
B) the moral principle of nonmaleficence
C) the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
D) the student's past experience as a victim of hate speech

Answer 1

the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

Question 2

According to ethical subjectivists, _____.

A) the only objective moral standards are the opinions of the majority
B) there are no objective moral standards
C) people have to personally accept moral responsibility and blame for the harm they cause others
D) all moral statements are meaningless

Answer 2

there are no objective moral standards

Question 3

When asked whether there are universal moral principles, Carlos replies that he does not know because there is no convincing evidence either way. Carlos is a(n):

A) emotivist.
B) ethical subjectivist.
C) cynic.
D) ethical skeptic.

Answer 3

ethical skeptic.

Question 4

Ethical subjectivists differ from emotivists in that ethical subjectivists believe that:

A) all moral statements are meaningless.
B) moral truths exist.
C) we cannot know with certainty whether there are moral truths.
D) reason is the source of moral law.

Question 5

Jean-Jacques Rousseau supported ethical subjectivism because he believed that people:

A) are by nature depraved and will not follow moral principles anyway.
B) are too sentimental and need to pay more attention to reason.
C) are basically good and will do the right thing if not corrupted by society.
D) need to throw off the chains of ignorance and seek out the light of truth.

Question 6

Mary Wollstonecraft criticized Rousseau's ethical subjectivism on the grounds that:

A) people in a state of nature are depraved and need society to enforce moral restraints on them.
B) society and civilization thwart the natural moral expressions of children.
C) women make moral decisions based on care and sentiment, whereas men make moral decisions based on principles and reason.
D) moral truths must be the same for both men and women.

Question 7

Which of the following people advocated following the "law of the heart" when making moral decisions?

A) Mary Midgley
B) Mary Wollstonecraft
C) Kitty Genovese
D) Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Question 8

The Kitty Genovese syndrome is characterized by:

A) moral indifference to others' distress.
B) a belief in universal moral principles.
C) confusion when faced with a moral dilemma.
D) compassion and sympathy to the suffering of others.

Question 9

Which of the following is a logical consequence of people adopting ethical subjectivism as a moral theory?

A) There is no such thing as moral knowledge.
B) There is no moral obligation for a sadist to refrain from torturing people.
C) People will become less bigoted and more tolerant of differing views.
D) People will become more likely to blindly follow the orders of those in authority.

Question 10

According to Stephen Satris, the ethical relativism espoused by many college students:

A) is the result of critical analysis of universal moral theories.
B) is used as a defense mechanism to avoid thinking about moral issues.
C) stems from a genuine belief that there are no objective moral principles.
D) shows just how dependent today's college students are on their relatives for moral guidance.

Question 11

According to Mary Midgley, _____.

A) we should avoid being judgmental while making moral judgments
B) we should make moral judgments
C) morality is relative to each individual
D) morality should be based on the "law of the heart"

Question 12

Which of the following approaches to ethics education is partly based on the assumptions underlying ethical subjectivism?

A) the Socratic method
B) moral indoctrination
C) values clarification
D) moral minimalism

Question 13

According to Mary Wollstonecraft, under what circumstances does moral development thrive?

A) when people freely express opinions or feelings without examining them further
B) when everyone is taught the same moral standards early in their lives
C) when people's ideas and worldviews are challenged rather than uncritically affirmed
D) when society places no limits on the behaviors that people can display

Question 14

_____ is a moral theory that states that it is difficult, if not impossible, to know the nature of moral truths or whether these truths exist.

A) Ethical egoism
B) Metaphysical dualism
C) Ethical skepticism
D) Psychological egoism

Question 15

In the context of moral uncertainty, ethical skepticism differs from ethical subjectivism in that it:

A) proposes that people can inherently tell the difference between what is morally right and wrong.
B) claims that universal moral truths do not exist, and moral truths differ from individual to individual.
C) accepts the possibility that universal moral truths exist, though they cannot be proved.
D) denies that men are capable of being as intelligent or morally sound as women.

Question 16

Identify the person who said each of the following.

-"[Women's] first duty is to themselves as rational creatures."

A) Stephen Satris
B) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
C) Aristotle
D) Mary Wollstonecraft

Question 17

Identify the person who said each of the following.

-"SR [Student Relativism] is not the same as some such philosophical position because it is simply not a position at all... To have a position (and especially a philosophical position) it is necessary in some sense to engage with questions and issues."

A) Susan Sherwin
B) Stephen Satris
C) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D) A. J. Ayer

Question 18

Identify the person who said each of the following.

-"Nature made man happy and good, and society deprives him and makes him miserable."

A) René Descartes
B) Mary Wollstonecraft
C) Stephen Satris
D) Jean-Jacques Rousseau