Question 1

According to deprivationism as a theory of the value of death,&#10;A) Death is never bad for the one who dies because, once dead, there is no longer a subject who can be harmed.&#10;B) Death is bad for the one who dies if and when it prevents net good life.&#10;C) Death is always bad for the one who dies because human life is intrinsically valuable.&#10;D) One's death is usually worse for adults than children, as adults have more projects, relationships, and other commitments which death destroys.

Accepted Answer

Deprivationism argues that death is bad for individuals when it prevents them from experiencing future goods in life. This means that death is not inherently bad, but rather that it can be bad if it deprives an individual of opportunities to experience happiness or other positive things in life. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. Option A is incorrect because it assumes that death cannot harm the individual even if it cuts short their life before they can achieve or experience certain things. Option C is incorrect because it assumes that human life has inherent or intrinsic value, which is not a position held by deprivationism. Finally, option D is also incorrect because while it is true that adults may have more commitments and projects than children, it is not necessarily the case that their deaths are always worse than those of children.

Question 2

According to hedonism,&#10;A) Knowledge and friendships are intrinsically valuable.&#10;B) Pleasure is (at best) extrinsically valuable and pain extrinsically dis-valuable.&#10;C) Pleasure is intrinsically valuable; knowledge and friendships are (at best) extrinsically valuable.&#10;D) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

Hedonism posits that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that everything else is only valuable insofar as it brings about pleasure. Therefore, knowledge and friendships are only valuable if they bring about pleasure. While they may have some extrinsic value, their value ultimately depends on whether or not they bring about pleasure. Pain is also seen as something that is intrinsically dis-valuable according to hedonism.

Question 3

A young man has an accident that leaves him severely cognitively impaired and incapable of experiencing pain or pleasure; one week after the accident he dies during an earthquake. According to deprivationism, the young man's death is

A) Comparatively not bad for him, as the accident a week prior already prevented many years of net good life.
B) Still very bad for him, as his death prevented many years of net good life.
C) Still very bad for him, as life is intrinsically valuable.
D) Not bad for him, as the process of dying is no longer painful (due to the accident).

Comparatively not bad for him, as the accident a week prior already prevented many years of net good life.

Accepted Answer

BDeprivationism posits that death is bad to the extent that it deprives the individual of the goods of life. Choice A is correct because, given the severe cognitive impairment and inability to experience pain or pleasure, the accident had already significantly deprived the young man of many potential future goods, making his death comparatively not as detrimental. Choice B is also correct because, despite the accident, the young man's death still prevented him from experiencing any potential future goods of life, aligning with the deprivationist view that death is bad insofar as it deprives one of future experiences.

Question 4

Tom dies one day before McDonald's decision to make Tom's favorite sandwich (i.e. the McRib) a permanent item on the menu. Egerstrom argues that (on deprivationist views), McDonald's choice made the value of Tom's death

A) Better for Tom, because McRib sandwiches are gross.
B) Worse for Tom, as Tom's death now prevents his enjoyment of daily McRib sandwiches.
C) The same for Tom, as events that occur after Tom's death cannot affect the value of his death.
D) The same for Tom, as dead people cannot experience pleasure.

Accepted Answer

Deprivationist views hold that the value of a person's death is determined by the goods they are deprived of experiencing. In this case, Tom's favorite sandwich becoming a permanent menu item is a good that he is now permanently deprived of, making his death worse in terms of value.

Question 5

Imagine that Tyra's sister, Gwen, destroys Tyra's favorite park shortly after Tyra's death in order to make her death less bad for her. Egerstrom argues that&#10;A) Gwen's action was futile; her action is unsuccessful in making Tyra's death less bad for her.&#10;B) Gwen's action made Tyra's death worse for her; Tyra would have tried to stop Gwen if she were still alive.&#10;C) Gwen's action made Tyra's death worse for her, as Gwen's action prevents other people from enjoying the park.&#10;D) Gwen's action succeeds in making Tyra's death less bad for her; the loss of the park means that Tyra's death deprives her of less net goodness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine that Tyra's sister, Gwen, destroys Tyra's...

Question 6

What is the deprivation view of the value of death? How does Egerstrom argue that, on deprivationist views, events that take place after a person's death can affect the value of the death?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the deprivation view of the...

Question 7

Jeff McMahan argues that deliberate attempts to lessen the badness of another's death after their death will be futile; such attempts, he argues, do not reduce the deceased's &#34;overall loss in dying.&#34; What is McMahan's argument? Do you agree with McMahan? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jeff McMahan argues that deliberate attempts to...

Deck 12: Making Death Not Quite As Bad for the One Who Dies