Question 1

Why is the word/concept 'person' ambiguous? Because&#10;A) It is vague&#10;B) It has more than one meaning&#10;C) It applies to some non-humans&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

B

Question 2

Which of the following meanings of 'person' are moral?&#10;A) Being with a right to life&#10;B) Being with certain psychological capacities&#10;C) Member of Homo sapiens&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

Only the meaning "Being with a right to life" is a moral consideration, as it deals with the ethical concerns surrounding the value and dignity of human life. The other two meanings may have scientific or legal implications, but they do not necessarily have moral implications.

Question 3

Select the problem facing this claim: &#34;The ability to think critically is necessary for personhood&#34;&#10;A) Under-inclusiveness&#10;B) Over-inclusiveness&#10;C) Speciesism&#10;D) More than one of the above

Accepted Answer

A

Question 4

Select the problem facing this claim: &#34;Sentience is sufficient for personhood&#34;&#10;A) Under-inclusiveness&#10;B) Over-inclusiveness&#10;C) Speciesism&#10;D) More than one of the above

Accepted Answer

The problem with the claim that "sentience is sufficient for personhood" is over-inclusiveness because it includes all sentient beings under the umbrella of personhood, which may not be desirable or plausible. For example, this claim would include sentient animals such as insects or worms as persons, which most people would disagree with. Therefore, this claim is over-inclusive in what it defines as a person.

Question 5

Select the problem facing this claim: &#34;Sentience is necessary for personhood&#34;&#10;A) Under-inclusiveness&#10;B) Over-inclusiveness&#10;C) Speciesism&#10;D) More than one of the above

Accepted Answer

The claim "Sentience is necessary for personhood" faces the problem of under-inclusiveness because it excludes entities that might be considered persons but do not possess sentience, such as potential artificial intelligences or certain individuals in permanent vegetative states.

Question 6

Consider &#34;Personhood requires consciousness. Therefore, it is OK to kill infants, or those who are sleeping, under anesthesia, or temporarily comatose.&#34; This is an objection to a criterion of personhood following under which category?&#10;A) Species membership criterion&#10;B) Psychological capacities criterion&#10;C) Moral agency criterion&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The objection presented in the statement is to the psychological capacities criterion, which states that personhood is dependent upon certain mental abilities such as consciousness, self-awareness, and the capacity for rational thought. The argument suggests that if this criterion is accepted, then it would also justify killing individuals who are temporarily lacking these capacities, such as infants, those who are sleeping, or under anesthesia.

Question 7

Which of the following best captures the significance of criteria of personhood to the abortion debate?&#10;A) There is no consensus about correct criteria of personhood&#10;B) Many arguments in the abortion debate hinge on whether fetuses are persons&#10;C) Some parties hold that the fetus is a person, others deny this&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

All of the given options highlight the significance of criteria of personhood to the abortion debate. Option A emphasizes the lack of agreement on the correct criteria of personhood, while Option B suggests that many arguments in the abortion debate rely on whether fetuses are persons or not. Option C highlights the division among parties, where some consider fetuses as persons, while others do not. Therefore, all the given options best capture the importance of criteria of personhood to the abortion debate.

Question 8

According to Engaging Bioethics, if there are any extraterrestrials with psychological capacities similar to nonimpaired adults of the species Homo sapiens, they would&#10;A) Have the moral standing of paradigm persons&#10;B) Have the moral standing of nonparadigm persons&#10;C) Lack moral standing&#10;D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

The book states that beings with psychological capacities similar to nonimpaired adults of the species Homo sapiens would have the moral standing of paradigm persons.

Question 9

Which of the following are emotively charged expressions in the abortion debate?&#10;A) 'Human fetus'&#10;B) 'Pro-life'&#10;C )'Nonparadigm person'&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

"Pro-life" is an emotively charged expression as it appeals to the value and sanctity of human life, implying that those who support abortion are "anti-life". "Human fetus" is a neutral scientific term. "Nonparadigm person" is not a commonly used or emotively charged expression in the abortion debate.

Question 10

According to Engaging Bioethics, which of the following categories best accommodates infants born with severe cognitive impairments?&#10;A) Paradigm persons&#10;B) Not persons at all&#10;C) Nonparadigm persons&#10;D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Infants born with severe cognitive impairments are best categorized as nonparadigm persons according to Engaging Bioethics. This classification acknowledges their human status and potential for some level of personhood without equating them fully with individuals who possess typical cognitive functions.

Question 11

Of the two approaches for determining personhood mentioned above, which qualify as ambitious and which as modest? Is there a reason for preferring one type of approach over the others?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the two approaches for determining personhood...

Question 12

What are paradigm persons? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are paradigm persons? Explain....

Question 13

According to psychological criteria of personhood, do all humans counts as persons? May nonhumans be persons?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to psychological criteria of personhood, do...

Question 14

According to the authors of Engaging Bioethics, what's wrong with referring to defenders and critics of abortion as 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life,' respectively?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the authors of Engaging Bioethics,...

Question 15

Formulate a criterion of personhood that would imply that it is morally forbidden to destroy cognitively sophisticated computers such as Watson (the knowledge system that beat human competitors in the quiz show Jeopardy). Discuss what this implication means for the adequacy of that criterion.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Formulate a criterion of personhood that would...

Deck 10: Personhood in the Abortion Debate