Deck 2: Introduction to Ethics

Question 1

Ethical egoism is

A) not based on reason or logic.
B) based on determining long-term beneficial consequences.
C) the divine command theory by another name.
D) Kantianism by another name.
E) utilitarianism by another name.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A relativist claims that

A) there are no universal moral principles.
B) morality has an existence outside the human mind.
C) morality and law are identical.
D) there is no such thing as free will.
E) God does not exist.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

An early proponent of the social contract was

A) Jeremy Bentham.
B) John Stuart Mill.
C) Jean-Jacque Rousseau.
D) Karl Marx.
E) John Brown.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is an argument in favor of the divine command theory?

A) The divine command theory is not based on reason.
B) It is fallacious to equate "the good" with "God."
C) God is all-knowing.
D) Some moral problems are not addressed directly in scripture.
E) The Bible has contradictory moral teachings.

Question 5

Rules of conduct describing what people ought and ought not to do in various situations are called

A) denominations.
B) ideals.
C) morality.
D) philosophy.
E) virtues.

Question 6

Which of the following is an argument in favor of ethical egoism?

A) Ethical egoism is supported by verses in the Bible.
B) People are naturally altruistic.
C) The community can benefit when individuals put their well-being first.
D) It is not true that people naturally act in their own long-term self-interest.
E) Ethical egoism treats all persons as moral equals.

Question 7

An association of people organized under a system of rules designed to advance the good of its members over time is called a

A) business.
B) constitution.
C) government.
D) monopoly.
E) society.

Question 8

Two philosophers closely associated with utilitarianism are

A) Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
B) Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham.
C) Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill.
D) John Stuart Mill and John Rawls.
E) Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Rawls.

Question 9

Ethical objectivism is based on the idea that

A) there are no universal moral principles.
B) morality has an existence outside the human mind.
C) morality and law are identical.
D) there is no such thing as free will.
E) God does not exist.

Question 10

Utilitarianism does not mean "the greatest good of the greatest number" because

A) it is impossible to calculate "the greatest good."
B) it focuses solely on "the greatest good" and pays no attention to how "the good" is distributed.
C) some people have no moral worth.
D) it is impossible to maximize "the good" without ruining the environment.
E) All of the above

Question 11

According to Kant, our sense of "ought to" is called

A) necessity.
B) insecurity.
C) paranoia.
D) love.
E) dutifulness.

Question 12

According to James Moor, taking "the ethical point of view" means

A) abiding by your religious beliefs.
B) deciding that other people and their core values are worthy of your respect.
C) choosing to sacrifice your own good for the good of someone else.
D) putting self-interest above the interests of everyone else.
E) refusing to accept help from other people.

Question 13

The Principle of Utility is also called

A) the Categorical Imperative.
B) the Difference Principle.
C) the Greatest Happiness Principle.
D) the Social Contract.
E) the Ten Commandments.

Question 14

The divine command theory is an example of

A) relativism.
B) ethical objectivism.
C) ethical egoism.
D) existentialism.
E) materialism.

Question 15

According to Kant, the moral value of an action depends upon

A) its consequences.
B) the underlying moral rule.
C) how closely it aligns with Biblical teachings.
D) how closely it aligns with the law.
E) the extent to which it produces happiness.

Question 16

The problem of moral luck is raised as a criticism of

A) the divine command theory.
B) act utilitarianism.
C) rule utilitarianism.
D) cultural relativism.
E) Kantianism.

Question 17

According to the second formulation of the Categorical Imperative,

A) the moral worth of a person depends upon that person's actions.
B) one good turn deserves another.
C) bad deeds should be punished.
D) it is wrong for one person to "use" another.
E) the moral worth of a person depends upon that person's intentions.

Question 18

Thomas Hobbes called life without rules and a means of enforcing them

A) utopia.
B) anarchy.
C) democracy.
D) communism.
E) the state of nature.

Question 19

Utilitarianism is an example of

A) a consequentialist theory.
B) the social contract theory.
C) a non-consequentialist theory.
D) a practical implementation of the divine command theory.
E) a relativistic theory.

Question 20

Ethics is

A) a rational examination of people's moral beliefs.
B) a branch of philosophy.
C) one way to determine which activities are "good" and which are "bad."
D) a field of study more than 2,000 years old.
E) All of the above

Question 21

The theory that good actions are those aligned with the will of God is called .

Question 22

According to Aristotle, moral virtue results from

A) a good education.
B) living a long life.
C) a happy marriage and loving family.
D) repetition of the appropriate acts.
E) All of the above.

Question 23

The theory that people decide for themselves what is right and wrong is called .

Question 24

Immanuel Kant concluded that the only thing in the world that can be called good without qualification is .

Question 25

Ethics is focused on the , moral choices people make.

Question 26

The logical error of trying to equate two things that are similar is called .

Question 27

Modern writers often refer to moral virtues as

A) intellectual virtues.
B) philosophical virtues.
C) psychological virtues.
D) social virtues.
E) virtues of character.

Question 28

Kant said we should act only from moral rules that we can at the same time will to be universal moral laws. He also said we should act so that we always treat ourselves and other people as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end. Kant called these duties .

Question 29

is the theory that there are no universal moral norms of right and wrong.

Question 30

A character trait that prevents a human being from flourishing or become truly happy is called a

A) fatal attraction.
B) inverse virtue.
C) negative virtue.
D) tragic flaw.
E) vice.

Question 31

The theory that the meaning of "right" and "wrong" rests with a society's actual moral guidelines is called .

Question 32

According to Aristotle, deriving pleasure from a virtuous act is a sign that you

A) have developed the virtue.
B) have not yet developed the virtue.
C) are egotistical.
D) are hedonistic.
E) have not done enough good deeds lately.

Question 33

The theory that each person should focus exclusively on his or her own self-interest is called .

Question 34

The study of ethics dates back to the time of , who faced an unjust death penalty rather than take advantage of an opportunity to flee into exile with his family.

Question 35

We call utilitarianism a theory, because it focuses on the consequences of an action.

Question 36

Ethics is the of morality.

Question 37

The idea that social and economic inequalities must be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society is called

A) capitalism.
B) communism.
C) socialism.
D) utilitarianism.
E) the difference principle.

Question 38

A right that another can guarantee by leaving you alone to exercise the right is called

A) a positive right.
B) a negative right.
C) an absolute right.
D) a limited right.
E) a proverbial right.

Question 39

According to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, an action is right or wrong) to the extent that it increases or decreases) .

Question 40

A right that is guaranteed without exception is called

A) a positive right.
B) a negative right.
C) an absolute right.
D) a limited right.
E) a proverbial right.

Question 41

Thomas Hobbes argued that everyone living in a civilized society has implicitly agreed to two things: 1) establishment of moral rules to govern relations among citizens, and 2) a government capable of enforcing these rules. Hobbes calls this arrangement .

Question 42

A limited right is a right that .

Question 43

An absolute right is a right that .

Question 44

According to Aristotle, deriving pleasure from a virtuous act is a sign that .

Question 45

A negative right is a right that another person can guarantee by .

Question 46

In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle writes that happiness results from .

Question 47

The theory that morality exists outside the human mind is called .

Question 48

According to social contract theory, we have a obligation to obey the law.

Question 49

John Rawls proposed the difference principle, that says any social and economic equalities must be "to the greatest benefit of ."

Question 50

A positive right is a right that obligates others to .