Deck 4: Utilitarianism

Question 1

According to Nielsen, the moral worth of an action is determined by

A) moral principles.
B) intentions.
C) its consequences.
D) moral character.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Williams argues that utilitarianism is a _______ moral theory.

A) balanced
B) good
C) good but flawed
D) bad

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Williams argues that utilitarianism makes unintelligible our

A) logic.
B) laws.
C) truthfulness.
D) integrity.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Le Guin tells a story that seems to offer a potent criticism of

A) Kantian ethics.
B) utilitarianism.
C) natural law theory.
D) Rawls's theory.

Question 5

In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the happiness of many people depends on the

A) misery of one child.
B) cooperation of everyone involved.
C) integrity of the populace.
D) morality of each individual.

Question 6

In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the people's lives seem to be ordered according to

A) unjust laws.
B) act-utilitarianism.
C) rule-utilitarianism.
D) social evolution.

Question 7

According to Mill, the experience of happiness can vary

A) only quantitatively.
B) only in the way Bentham describes.
C) referentially.
D) qualitatively.

Question 8

Nielsen suggests that we are responsible not only for the consequences of our actions, but also for the consequences of

A) others' actions.
B) our nonactions.
C) our intentions.
D) others' intentions.

Question 9

Williams says that utilitarianism involves the notion of

A) good will.
B) moral principles.
C) positive responsibility.
D) negative responsibility.

Question 10

In Williams's cases involving George and Jim, utilitarianism would seem to imply that the solutions to the moral dilemmas are

A) obviously wrong.
B) not straightforward.
C) confusing.
D) obviously right.

Question 11

Williams asserts that utilitarianism cannot coherently describe the relations between one's projects and their

A) moral individualism.
B) duty to god.
C) actions.
D) doubts.

Question 12

According to Nielsen, what matters in ethics is

A) unalterable rules.
B) the consequences of actions.
C) the prevailing values of a community.
D) deontological standards.

Question 13

According to utilitarianism, we are responsible for evil if we knowingly let it happen when we

A) could not do anything about it.
B) could do something about it.
C) are powerless to act.
D) are helpless.

Question 14

Mill insists that concerning the verdict of those who can competently judge which pleasures are better, there

A) is always the option to appeal.
B) is often a way to appeal.
C) is an appeal to traditional moral standards.
D) can be no appeal.

Question 15

The jury found Seaman Holmes not guilty of manslaughter.

Question 16

Bentham insists that pleasures should be measured by their quantity, not quality.

Question 17

Bentham argues that pain and pleasure are our two sovereign masters.

Question 18

Nielsen advocates a form of rule-utilitarianism.

Question 19

Nielsen is a moral intuitionist.

Question 20

Mill rejected Bentham's moral theory.

Question 21

Seaman Holmes was found guilty of manslaughter.

Question 22

Bentham says that people are ruled by pain and pleasure.

Question 23

Mill is known for setting forth a "pig philosophy."

Question 24

Bentham says that a full-grown horse or dog is a more rational animal than an infant that is a day, a week, or a month old.

Question 25

Mill contends that the quantity of happiness is more important than its quality.

Question 26

Nielsen accepts the notion of negative responsibility.

Question 27

Nielsen says that the innocent fat person should not be removed from the mouth of the cave by force.

Question 28

Le Guin is a utilitarian.

Question 29

Discuss the various aspects of the Seaman Holmes case. What are the salient features? What should the first mate have done? What should Holmes have done? What would you have done in Holmes's place?

Question 30

Analyze Bentham's utilitarianism. Do you agree with him that "pain and pleasure" are our "two sovereign masters?" What does he mean by pain and pleasure? Note that "pleasure" is an ambiguous word. It can refer to "sensuous titillation" or "satisfaction." Which does Bentham mean? Which concept does he need for his theory?

Question 31

Bentham's utilitarianism requires that we perform a hedonic calculus, summing up all the prospective pleasures that are likely to result from an act and subtracting the pains. Go over his process and note the difficulties of doing this.

Question 32

Reread Bentham's last paragraph regarding the criterion of suffering as the basis for moral consideration. What are the implications of this principle for ethics? For our relations with animals?

Question 33

According to Mill, in what ways can the experience of happiness vary? Do you agree?

Question 34

What does Mill mean by "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a food satisfied"?

Question 35

In Mill's view, who is to be the judge of the desirability of different forms of pleasure?

Question 36

Do you believe that the quantity of happiness is more important than its quality? Why or why not?

Question 37

Analyze Kai Nielsen's arguments for utilitarianism. What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Question 38

Does it make sense to use utilitarian reasoning in deciding how to fight a war? How would a deontologist and a utilitarian differ in deciding on the morality of dropping the A-bomb on Hiroshima during World War II?

Question 39

Consider the two examples given in Nielsen's article: the fat man in the cave and the judge and the threatening mob. What is the morally right thing to do in these cases? Does utilitarianism have a better answer than deontological ethics to this question?

Question 40

What is negative responsibility? What are its implications? What are some problems with it?

Question 41

Why does Williams reject the utilitarian notion of negative responsibility?

Question 42

What is Williams' main objection to consequentialism (his term for utilitarianism)? Examine the cases of George and Jim. What do you think is the right thing to do in these cases? What are Williams's answers? Do you agree with his reasoning?

Question 43

What does Williams mean by integrity? What role does this notion play in his argument? Some have criticized Williams for unjustifiably exalting integrity too highly. They say, if my feelings of integrity conflict with making hard but rationally supported choices, we ought to overcome those feelings and do what is right.

Question 44

Here is an illustration. I have given my whole life to support political party X, which had admirable goals and did much good. But the party has been irremediably morally corrupted and now is harming people. Still my sense of integrity is tied up in all the good the party once stood for. I reason that it would be a good thing to destroy the party, for the good of humanity, and I have the opportunity to do so. But my sense of integrity prevents me from easily doing this. I deeply identify with party X. Although this may be a hard decision, many ethicists would argue that we must overcome our squeamishness and do the right thing: destroy party X, so that its present evil will be ineffectual. How would Williams deal with this case? How would you?

Question 45

Discuss how Ursula Le Guin's story applies to the debate over utilitarianism. Would you walk away from Omelas (Salem spelled backward plus O for Oregon)? Explain your answer.

Question 46

Do we already live in a world like Omelas, only not a utopia? Is our happiness predicated on the suffering of poorer nations from whom we get cheap goods?

Question 47

Concerning the case of Seaman Holmes, do you agree with the law that passengers' lives should be preferred to seamen's? Why or why not?