Deck 5: Utilitarianism and John Stewart Mill

Question 1

According to utilitarianism,an act that makes some people happy and others unhappy can never be morally right.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In his Utilitarianism Mill answers those who say that his theory is a crass pleasure theory fit only for beasts by noting that though it is a pleasure theory it acknowledges a wide variety of pleasures including those that only humans can experience.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

According to utilitarian moral theory,happiness is an instrumental good.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

According to utilitarianism which of the following is useful for evaluating the morality of an action?

A) People's intentions
B) The nature of the act
C) The process of accomplishing the result
D) The result

Question 5

Which of the following was not one of the founders of utilitarianism?

A) James Mill
B) Jeremy Bentham
C) John Stuart Mill
D) Rene Descartes

Question 6

In the reading from Utilitarianism Mill writes that we have learned by experience that murder and theft are wrong because they are generally injurious to human happiness.

Question 7

In his work,Utilitarianism,Mill's test or basis for distinguishing higher from lower pleasures is the preference of those who have experience of both.

Question 8

According to Mill,the only way to prove that something is desirable in itself (as an end)is to notice that people do desire it.

Question 9

The following is an example of the reasoning of a rule utilitarian: "If the practice of lying is bad,then one ought not to lie now,even if in this case to lie would actually bring about better consequences."

Question 10

According to the text,approximately how many people have leaped to their death from the Golden Gate Bridge?

A) 400
B) 800
C) 1400
D) 2400

Question 11

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that holds that we ought to promote utility and not pleasure.

Question 12

Utilitarianism is a relativistic moral theory,for it recognizes that what is good in some circumstances is not always good in others.

Question 13

The reason that Mill believes pleasure is the only intrinsic good is because he believes it is the only thing that everyone desires for its own sake.

Question 14

Both Bentham and Mill hold that some pleasures are better in kind than others.

Question 15

Utilitarianism is an egoistic moral theory.

Question 16

According to Bentham,some pleasures may be more valuable than others but only in so far as they are of greater intensity or duration.

Question 17

According to act utilitarianism,if it produces more net utility or pleasure to give money that I had promised to return to a friend to famine relief instead,then I ought to give it to the relief fund.

Question 18

The trolley problem is used to illustrate which of the following?

A) The complexity of calculating morality using a cost-benefit analysis.
B) The difficulty involved in making utilitarian decisions.
C) The morality of public vs.private transportation.
D) The basis of rule utilitarianism.

Question 19

What has value because people value it has intrinsic value.

Question 20

Which of the following is not included in calculating the amount of happiness?

A) Cost
B) Intensity
C) Likelihood
D) Duration

Question 21

A will bring 5 people each 8 days of pleasure and 3 people each 2 days of pain,
B will bring 8 people each 3 days of pleasure and 1 person 3 days of pain.

Question 22

Rule Utilitarianism asks that we consider the consequences of each act

A) Separately.
B) According to a clear set of rules.
C) As a general practice.
D) On the greatest number.

Question 23

When is something considered instrumentally good? Provide an example.

Question 24

What is the name of the basic principle of utilitarianism? How is it supposed to be useful in determining what I ought to do?

Question 25

Which of the following is not necessary to act morally according to utilitarianism?

A) To consider all the variables involved in an action.
B) To act as the majority wishes.
C) To consider all people to be of equal value.
D) To produce a result that produces the greatest good for the greatest number.

Question 26

According to utilitarianism which of the following is an intrinsic good?

A) Love
B) Justice
C) Pleasure
D) Power