Deck 17: Global Economic Justice

Question 1

Peter Singer asserts that our moral duty applies to needy people regardless of:

A)the harm our contributions may cause.
B)our own resources.
C)their distance from us.
D)their need.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Someone holding a(n)______ theory of justice would insist that all persons have equal value and deserve equal respect and therefore have equal rights to the world's resources.

A)libertarian
B)egalitarian
C)utilitarian
D)impartiality

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Suppose you strongly believe you have no duty to help the poor and hungry of the world,that you are not obligated to share your resources with those less fortunate.Your view would be consistent with:

A)authoritarianism.
B)utilitarianism.
C)libertarianism.
D)egalitarianism.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Critics of Peter Singer's view admit that we do have an obligation to aid distant people but,they say,we also have a duty to help:

A)those with whom we have a special relationship.
B)everyone near us.
C)our enemies.
D)foreign governments.

Question 5

Robert Nozick and John Hospers believe that people have a right NOT to be interfered with and to do whatever they want with their own property as long as they do not violate the liberty rights of others.This line is clearly:

A)utilitarian.
B)liberal.
C)libertarian.
D)egalitarian.

Question 6

Suppose you adopt a libertarian theory of justice,and the government decides to raise taxes to pay for universal health care.You will likely _____ these new taxes.

A)favor
B)oppose
C)welcome
D)not object to

Question 7

Justice concerning the fair distribution of society's goods is called:

A)egalitarian justice.
B)beneficent justice.
C)distributive justice.
D)retributive justice.

Question 8

A Kantian theorist would reject Peter Singer's argument because:

A)Singer's utilitarian calculation of how much we should give is incorrect.
B)Kant rejects utilitarian arguments.
C)to give food to the hungry is to use people as a means to an end.
D)people deserve more goods than Singer suggests.

Question 9

A person's claim or entitlement to something,a moral demand that obligates others to act accordingly,is referred to as a:

A)duty of beneficence.
B)libertarian right.
C)claim.
D)right.

Question 10

The key premise in Peter Singer's argument for aiding the world's needy is:

A)"[I]f it is in our power to equally distribute goods throughout the world to all persons, we ought, morally, to do it."
B)"We-the well-to-do-have no right at all to the goods we possess; we acquired them mostly through accidents of birth and geography."
C)"Giving food and shelter to the poor would only make their plight worse."
D)"[I]f it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it."

Question 11

A moral obligation to benefit others is known as a:

A)duty of benevolence.
B)duty of autonomy.
C)duty of beneficence.
D)duty of fairness.

Question 12

The morality of persons getting what is fair or what is their due is known as:

A)libertarianism.
B)justice.
C)egalitarianism.
D)jurisprudence.

Question 13

A person's right that obligates others to help that person obtain something is called a:

A)positive claim.
B)positive right.
C)positivist right.
D)negative right.

Question 14

A person's right that obligates others NOT to interfere with that person's obtaining something is known as a:

A)negative right.
B)positive right.
C)negative claim.
D)reciprocal obligation.

Question 15

Imagine that Congress is debating a bill that would increase the amount of taxpayer money the United States spends on fighting hunger and poverty in developing countries.You oppose the bill because you are a staunch:

A)welfare liberal.
B)socialist.
C)egalitarian.
D)libertarian.

Question 16

Suppose you are asked by the local hospital to donate one of your kidneys to save the life of a stranger.Are you obligated to give away your kidney for a good cause? John Arthur says NO because:

A)transplant kidneys are too scarce to give your kidney away.
B)no one deserves another person's kidney.
C)it's your body, you have a right to it, and that weighs against whatever duty you have to help.
D)it's your body, you have a right to it, and you should never donate your kidney or any other part of your body.

Question 17

According to Peter Singer's theory,we (the affluent)ought to give to the needy until we reach the level of marginal utility-which means that in giving the appropriate amount,we would reduce ourselves to very near the material circumstances of:

A)a middle-class American.
B)a Bengali refugee.
C)an immigrant from working-class Britain.
D)the average citizen of the United Arab Emirates.

Question 18

The moral issue of whether we have a duty to help the poor and hungry of the world is compelling mainly because the:

A)news media constantly remind us of the plight of poor people.
B)world's poor are now slightly better off than they used to be, which is a reminder of their plight.
C)misery of the world's poor is an exaggeration that the rich are often confronted with.
D)misery of the world's poor is profound and the economic gap between rich and poor is wide.

Question 19

Suppose your friend is a strong believer in individual liberties and negative rights,and she often complains about the government's establishment of positive rights.It sounds like she may be a(n):

A)socialist.
B)communist.
C)egalitarian.
D)libertarian.

Question 20

The richest 10 percent of people in the world amass 54 percent of the global income,whereas the poorest 40 percent get ______ percent.

A)30
B)5
C)1
D)40

Question 21

Garrett Hardin argues that:

A)the rich should aid the poor and hungry but not to the level of marginal utility.
B)the rich should not aid the poor and hungry because doing so will only invite catastrophe for rich and poor alike.
C)the rich should not aid the poor and hungry because doing so will curb the world's population.
D)the rich should aid the poor and hungry because Peter Singer's argument is persuasive.

Question 22

Suppose rich countries responded to the food crisis in Kenya according to Garrett Hardin's recommendations.Rich countries would:

A)send limited food aid.
B)send fertilizer but no food.
C)send more food aid than is required.
D)refuse to send food aid.

Question 23

Garrett Hardin uses the lifeboat metaphor to suggest that:

A)affluent countries, like lifeboats, are inherently unstable.
B)the moral duty of affluent countries is to give aid to the starving, overpopulated ones.
C)the affluent countries have no moral duty to give aid to the starving, overpopulated ones.
D)giving aid to the poor and hungry will cause a worldwide revolt against the rich and influential.

Question 24

Consider the story of Malawi's transformation from a country that needed emergency food aid to one that feeds its hungry neighbors.This turnaround was made possible by fertilizer subsidies from rich countries.This story of aid to a poor country to prevent food shortages seems to undermine ______ view but is consistent with ____ view.

A)Hardin's; Singer's
B)Singer's; Arthur's
C)Singer's; Hardin's
D)Pojman's; Singer's

Question 25

The failure of rich nations to aid the world's poorest countries would be considered ______ by Peter Singer.

A)permissible but not obligatory
B)morally wrong
C)not obligatory
D)a failure to do a supererogatory act