Deck 6: Nonconsequentialist Theories: Do Your Duty

Question 1

According to Aquinas,the first precept of natural law theory is:

A)do what is natural for humans and animals to do.
B)good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided.
C)avoid harm to others and yourself.
D)good and evil are to be defined by religion.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The idea that we must always treat people (including ourselves)as ends in themselves,never merely as things of instrumental value,is known as the:

A)categorical choice.
B)duty of rational choice.
C)means-end principle.
D)perfection principle.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Like many moral theories,Kant's system fails to:

A)articulate its main features.
B)provide principles for action.
C)provide an effective means for resolving major conflicts of duties.
D)take personal autonomy into account.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The traditional natural law theorist maintains that:

A)nature implies nothing about morality.
B)nature is teleological but irrational.
C)the dog-eat-dog world of nature implies ethical egoism.
D)how nature is reveals how it should be.

Question 5

Categorical imperatives are:

A)universal and emotive.
B)rational and conditional.
C)hypothetical and absolutist.
D)universal and unconditional.

Question 6

A categorical imperative tells us:

A)what to do if we have certain desires.
B)that we should always perform our imperfect duties.
C)that we should do something in all situations regardless of our wants and needs.
D)what our hypothetical duties are.

Question 7

Kant's theory emphasizes three of morality's most important features; the three are:

A)universality, impartiality, and the consequences of actions.
B)respect for persons, absolutism, and incoherence.
C)self-interest, moral consensus, and moral authority.
D)universality, impartiality, and respect for persons.

Question 8

According to Kant,if we treat a cashier as a means to the end of buying food,we perform an action that is:

A)impermissible.
B)hypothetical.
C)permissible.
D)indeterminate.

Question 9

Kant says that some duties generated by the categorical imperative are absolute-they are perfect duties.So regarding the perfect duty not to lie,Kant would insist that lying is:

A)permitted if the duty not to lie conflicts with other duties.
B)not permitted under any circumstances.
C)permitted if the only way to prevent the deaths of several innocent people is to lie.
D)not permitted under some unspecified circumstances.

Question 10

A serious criticism of Kant's theory is that:

A)his theory is not subjective enough.
B)his theory allows too much subjectivity in moral decision making.
C)his theory relies too much on utilitarianism.
D)his theory is too specific about how to state a rule describing an action.

Question 11

Applying the first formulation of the categorical imperative to the act of lying to a friend would show that the action is impermissible because:

A)the action's maxim cannot be universalized.
B)performing the action would treat the friend as an end, not as a means.
C)performing the action would treat the friend as a means to an end.
D)the action's maxim can be universalized.

Question 12

Applying the second formulation of the categorical imperative to the act of lying to a friend on important matters would show that the action is impermissible because:

A)performing the action would treat the friend as a means to an end.
B)performing the action would treat the friend as an end, not as a means.
C)the action cannot be performed.
D)the action leads to impermissible consequences.

Question 13

Consider this comment from the philosopher C.D.Broad regarding Kant's means-end principle: "If we isolate a man who is a carrier of typhoid,we are treating him merely as a cause of infection to others.But,if we refuse to isolate him,we are treating other people merely as means to his comfort and culture." This example suggests that:

A)our duties not to use people merely as a means can conflict, and Kant provides no counsel on how to resolve such dilemmas.
B)our duties not to use people merely as a means can sometimes be difficult to discern, but they never actually conflict.
C)our duties not to use people merely as a means are imperfect duties.
D)our duties are always clear upon further reflection.

Question 14

The moral theory that says the morally right action is the one that follows the dictates of nature is known as:

A)rule-utilitarianism.
B)Kantian ethics.
C)natural law theory.
D)psychological egoism.

Question 15

Aquinas says that judging the rightness of actions is a matter of:

A)determining what consequences result from actions.
B)consulting our feelings, of seeing which way our emotive consciousness points.
C)consulting church authorities.
D)consulting reason, of considering rational grounds for moral beliefs.

Question 16

Consider this scenario: A pregnant woman has cancer and will die unless she receives chemotherapy to destroy the tumors.If she takes the chemotherapy to destroy the tumors,the fetus will die.According to the doctrine of double effect,is it morally permissible for her to do so?

A)no
B)yes
C)yes, as long as the intention is to kill the fetus
D)no, unless the woman dies as a result of the chemotherapy

Question 17

According to Kant,sometimes we use people to achieve some end,yet our actions are not wrong because:

A)every situation is different.
B)exceptions are made for people who are not our friends.
C)there is no moral difference between treating persons as a means and treating them merely, or only, as a means.
D)there is a moral difference between treating persons as a means and treating them merely, or only, as a means.

Question 18

Duties that absolutely must be followed without fail are known as:

A)imperfect duties.
B)end-means duties.
C)perfect duties.
D)hypothetical duties.

Question 19

Kant believes that every action implies:

A)a hypothetical moral agent.
B)an imperfect duty.
C)a general rule, or maxim.
D)a conditional law.

Question 20

The doctrine of ______ is the principle that performing a good action may be permissible even if it has bad effects,but performing a bad action for the purpose of achieving good effects is never permissible.

A)double effect
B)double imperative
C)natural law
D)natural results

Question 21

In natural law theory,the emphasis on reason makes morality independent of:

A)logic.
B)psychology.
C)history and common practice.
D)religion and belief in God.

Question 22

Would it be morally permissible to abort a woman's fetus to save her life? According to natural law theory,the answer is:

A)no, unless the woman's life is deemed more important than that of the fetus.
B)yes, as long as the woman is in the first trimester of pregnancy.
C)no.
D)yes.

Question 23

The absolutism of natural law theory-the fact that some actions are always wrong (or right)regardless of circumstances-would not bother:

A)Aquinas.
B)Mill.
C)an act-utilitarian.
D)an ethical egoist.

Question 24

Many philosophers insist that the teleological character of nature has never been supported by:

A)church dogma.
B)Roman Catholics.
C)natural law theory.
D)logical argument or empirical science.

Question 25

Suppose a 90-year-old man is dying of cancer and is in excruciating pain that no medicine can relieve.He asks to be given a lethal injection.According to the doctrine of double effect,is giving the injection morally permissible?

A)yes
B)no, unless his family consents
C)yes, as long as the hospital allows it
D)no