Deck 12: John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianism

Question 1

In addition to being a philosopher, Mill was also a(n) __________.

A) economist
B) social reformer
C) university professor
D) lawyer

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Mill, utilitarians judge the morality of conduct by a single standard, the __________.

A) greatest consequences principle
B) greatest action principle
C) greatest happiness principle
D) principle of duty

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to utilitarians like Mill, right actions are those that __________.

A) are undertaken out of respect for the moral law
B) result in greater overall well-being for the people involved than any other possible action
C) result in greater overall security for the people involved than any other possible action
D) are undertaken out of respect for social norms

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Some utilitarians distinguish between__________.

A) act- and rule-utilitarianism
B) antecedent and consequence utilitarianism
C) categorical and conditional utilitarianism
D) hypothetical and prudential utilitarianism

Question 5

__________ is the name for the view that the rightness of actions depends solely on the overall well-being produced by individual actions.

A) Act-utilitarianism
B) Rule-utilitarianism
C) Categorical utilitarianism
D) Conditional utilitarianism

Question 6

Rule-utilitarianism is the name for the view that the rightness of actions depends on rules governing categories of __________.

A) laws
B) acts
C) feelings
D) happiness

Question 7

The utilitarian procedure for discerning the morally right course of action is theoretically simple: determine which action __________.

A) is socially acceptable
B) is prudential
C) accords with duty
D) maximizes well-being

Question 8

The classic version of utilitarianism was devised by __________.

A) Mill
B) Hume
C) Bentham
D) Sidwick

Question 9

Mill says that right actions are those that produce the greatest happiness for __________.

A) each individual
B) one's own family
C) all concerned
D) those who deserve it

Question 10

According to Bentham, the utility to be maximized is __________.

A) social good
B) pleasure
C) material wealth
D) personal security

Question 11

According to Bentham, __________ is the only intrinsic good.

A) social good
B) pleasure
C) material wealth
D) personal security

Question 12

Unlike Bentham, Mill argues that pleasures can vary in __________ as well as in quantity.

A) duration
B) fecundity
C) intensity
D) quality

Question 13

Mill thinks that, when promoting the goal of utilitarianism, we must consider __________.

A) everyone's needs or interests equally
B) always and only our own individual happiness
C) what those closest to you want or need
D) what society demands

Question 14

Like Kant's moral theory, Mill's utilitarianism accepts __________.

A) differences in each person's moral worth
B) that we are all equal before the moral law
C) that we are all equal before the moral law, but some are more equal than others
D) that differences in moral worth is based on natural inferiority

Question 15

In response to those who criticize utilitarianism as a doctrine fit for swine, Mill distinguishes between __________.

A) act and rule utilitarianism
B) pleasure and pain
C) higher and lower pleasures
D) the consequences and motives of an action

Question 16

Mill claims that the spirit of utilitarian ethics is perfectly embodied by __________.

A) the Ten Commandments
B) Kantian deontology
C) Aristotle's doctrine of the mean
D) the golden rule

Question 17

A rule-utilitarian thinks that rule following__________.

A) reflects reality
B) is the right thing to do
C) best maximizes well-being in the short term
D) best maximizes well-being in the long run

Question 18

Utilitarianism has one procedure, namely determining which action __________.

A) conforms to the categorical imperative
B) generates the higher pleasures
C) best maximizes well-being
D) avoids the lower pleasures

Question 19

Utilitarianism is a __________ moral theory because the morality of an action is determined by __________.

A) deontological; the amount of happiness produced (and pain minimized) for those concerned
B) consequentialist; the amount of happiness produced (and pain minimized) for those concerned
C) deontological; its conformity to duty
D) consequentialist; its conformity to duty

Question 20

For happiness to be maximized, it is essential that __________.

A) everyone share the same amount
B) it be concentrated among very few people
C) it be evenly distributed
D) all people reduce themselves to the point of marginal utility

Question 21

In classic utilitarianism, an action resulting in one thousand units of happiness for ten people is better than an action yielding __________.

A) only 900 units for those same ten people
B) happiness that is distributed unevenly
C) happiness that is evenly distributed
D) 1,000 units of happiness for five people

Question 22

When considering an action's possible production of happiness, Mill thinks the individual should __________.

A) consider only her own happiness
B) consider the happiness of others, provided it does not conflict with her own
C) be impartial and consider the happiness of others as much as her own
D) not be impartial

Question 23

Mill argues that one kind of pleasure is more valuable than another kind if it is __________.

A) more intense
B) preferred by those acquainted with both
C) longer in duration
D) greater in quantity

Question 24

__________ pleasures are, in Mill's view, found in such experiences as the search for knowledge and the appreciation of art and music.

A) Higher
B) Lower
C) Middle
D) Diffuse

Question 25

An act-utilitarian would endorse euthanasia __________.

A) in all cases
B) in specific cases
C) when it is legal
D) with religious approval

Question 26

The most serious criticism of utilitarianism is that it conflicts with __________.

A) Kantian deontology
B) the law
C) considered moral judgments
D) religious duties

Question 27

In utilitarianism, there are no __________.

A) principles to guide action
B) absolute prohibitions or mandates
C) means to determine the moral worth of specific actions
D) means to determine whether or not an action is in conformity with duty

Question 28

Mill thinks that some kinds of pleasures are more valuable than others.

Question 29

Mill believes that the morality of an action depends on the motive of the agent.

Question 30

Mill asserts that happiness is the sole end of human action.

Question 31

For Mill, a beast's pleasures can satisfy a human being's conception of happiness.

Question 32

Utilitarianism is the view that right actions are those that maximize the overall well-being of everyone involved.

Question 33

Utilitarians think that happiness is the only intrinsic good.

Question 34

Classic utilitarianism emphasizes maximizing the total quantity of net happiness.

Question 35

Utilitarians judge the morality of conduct by multiple standards.

Question 36

Bentham thinks that there are two kinds of pleasures: higher and lower.

Question 37

Mill was an empiricist philosopher.

Question 38

Mill was interested in seeing that his liberal and utilitarian ideals be used for the betterment of select members of society.

Question 39

According to Mill, motive has nothing to do with the moral worth of agents.

Question 40

Mill was a rationalist philosopher.

Question 41

Mill became one of the greatest politicians of his day.

Question 42

Bentham's wife, Harriet Taylor, wrote The Subjection of Women.

Question 43

Mill's most famous work on ethics is Utilitarianism.

Question 44

According to Mill, utilitarianism is entirely inconsistent with Christian moral teachings.