Deck 3: Justice and Economic Distribution

Question 1

Aristotle's formal principle of justice states,

A) from each according to his or her ability, to each according to his or her need.
B) similar cases must be treated alike except where there is some relevant difference.
C) all people are to be treated the same in every situation.
D) from each according to his or her ability, to each according to his or her merit.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Primary social goods include

A) poverty.
B) freedom of religion.
C) status.
D) leisure time activities.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

John Rawls' Theory of Justice lays within which type of tradition?

A) All for one and one for all.
B) Principled living.
C) Feudal society.
D) Social contract.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Mill justified utilitarianism from rival perspectives when he argued

A) that without utilitarianism to provide a determinate standard of justice, one is always left with a plethora of competing principles of justice, all of which seem to have plausibility but are mutually incompatible.
B) that social utility is irrelevant to issues of justice.
C) against worker participation.
D) that only utilitarianism itself, as a normative theory, can provide an answer to the question: What economic system will bring more good to society than any other system?

Question 5

In association with labor and capital, Mill had contrasting views of

A) freedom of speech.
B) farmers' markets profit.
C) welfare.
D) profit sharing.

Question 6

The veil of ignorance proposes that

A) those in the original position are supposed to choose principles on the basis of self-interest, agreement seems unlikely.
B) one group would be supportive of another group benefiting even though the rules are different.
C) people are fully knowledgeable about themselves or situation allowing them to have a partial or biased point of view.
D) agreement is difficult to attain.

Question 7

If libertarianism is true, which of these statements is true?

A) We should endorse utilitarianism's concern for total social well-being.
B) Pleasure takes priority over any other moral concern.
C) We should have a "night-watchman" state.
D) If a person comes into possession of a holding through a legitimate transfer, then, morally speaking, she or he deserves that holding.

Question 8

According to libertarianism,

A) there are no natural, Lockean rights.
B) we have a basic right to assistance from others.
C) it would be unjust to coerce people to give food or money to the starving.
D) happiness takes priority over other moral concerns.

Question 9

According to Mill's utilitarianism,

A) rights are certain moral rules whose observance is of the utmost importance for the long-run, overall maximization of happiness.
B) there are no rights.
C) the rights possessed by human beings remain unchanged for all times and places.
D) rights are those rules that a majority of the society would agree to behind the "veil of ignorance."

Question 10

Who is more likely to be sympathetic with the idea of reducing the disparities of income in society?

A) Utilitarians
B) Libertarians
C) Robert Nozick
D) Milton Friedman

Question 11

According to Locke,

A) individuals are morally entitled to take other people's property.
B) property is a moral right.
C) individuals are not morally entitled to the products of their labor.
D) property acquisition is a duty.

Question 12

In Anarchy, State and Utopia, Robert Nozick advocates

A) Libertarianism.
B) Kantianism.
C) Utilitarianism.
D) Egoism.

Question 13

Talk of justice and injustice appeals to the related notions of

A) fairness, equality, desert
B) reason, reflection, deliberation
C) feeling, sentiment, happiness
D) fairness, impartiality, duty

Question 14

According to John Rawls, people in "the original position" choose the principles of justice on the basis of

A) social utility.
B) their religion.
C) self-interest.
D) their intuitive knowledge of the natural rights of all human beings.

Question 15

The first principle of Nozick's entitlement theory concerns the original acquisition of

A) morals.
B) goods, money, and property.
C) case law.
D) the crown.

Question 16

According to John Rawls,

A) people in the original position choose the principles on the basis of self-interest.
B) in the original position, people must have full and complete knowledge.
C) justice forbids any social or economic inequalities.
D) liberty is of little or no importance compared to equality.

Question 17

The veil of ignorance assures us that people in the original position will be

A) difficult to come to agreement.
B) impartial.
C) biased.
D) forgiving.

Question 18

From John Stuart Mill's viewpoint,

A) philosophical concern with justice began in the 19th century.
B) questions of morality form a subset of questions of justice.
C) for utilitarians, justice is a moral standard independent of the principle of utility.
D) not every issue of social utility was a matter of justice.

Question 19

The difference principle of Rawls states

A) we are all created equal.
B) inequalities are only justified if they benefit the least advantaged.
C) we all deserve the same.
D) some do deserve more than others.

Question 20

In Nozick's example of Wilt Chamberlain, he argues that other theories of economic justice inevitably fail to respect people's

A) liberty.
B) power of choice.
C) skills.
D) height.

Question 21

Distributive justice concerns the morally proper distribution of social benefits and burdens.

Question 22

Thanks to changes in the tax system, in recent years income in the United States has become more equal.

Question 23

The phrase "the declining marginal utility of money" means that successive additions to one's income produce, on average, less happiness or welfare than did earlier additions.

Question 24

Robert Nozick uses the Wilt Chamberlain story to show the importance of economic re-distribution.

Question 25

What philosopher believes the maximin rule is relevant to justice?

A) John Rawls
B) John Stuart Mill
C) Robert Nozick
D) Aristotle

Question 26

Many philosophers believe (as Aristotle did) that we are required, as a formal principle of justice, to treat similar cases alike except where there is some relevant difference.

Question 27

According to Robert Nozick, property rights exist prior to any social arrangements and are morally antecedent to any legislative decisions that a society might make.

Question 28

Utilitarians are likely to be sympathetic to the argument that steps should be taken to reduce the great disparities of income that characterize our society.

Question 29

Rawls's theory of distributive justice is a form of utilitarianism.

Question 30

The Supreme Court gave decision making power for Eminent domain to the

A) feds.
B) states and local communities
C) townships.
D) parents.

Question 31

Eminent domain is the ancient right of government to take what from an individual?

A) food
B) clothing
C) liberties
D) property

Question 32

According to John Rawls, people in the original position do not know what social position or status they hold in society.

Question 33

According to Robert Nozick, the basic moral rights possessed by all human beings are both negative and natural.

Question 34

To the libertarians, their concept of liberty includes a commitment to

A) hedonism.
B) charity.
C) private property.
D) happiness.

Question 35

According to the "maximin" rule, you should select the alternative under which the worst that could happen to you is better than the worst that could happen to you under any other alternative.

Question 36

The United States leads the world in executive pay.

Question 37

Rawls rejects utilitarianism because

A) he saw it as a threat.
B) it might permit an unfair distribution of burdens and benefits.
C) governments wanted it.
D) it values moral purity.

Question 38

Justice is frequently held to require that our treatment of people reflect their fundamental moral equality.

Question 39

The distribution of income in Germany and Japan is far more unequal than that in the United States.

Question 40

Libertarians reject inheritance as a legitimate means of acquiring wealth.

Question 41

According to Case 3.2, "Battling Over Bottled Water", water is the lifeblood of the earth.

Question 42

According to Mill, to say that I have a right to something is to say that I have a valid claim on society to protect me in the possession of that thing, either by force of law or through education and opinion.

Question 43

In his Principles of Political Economy, J.S. Mill argued for the desirability of breaking down the sharp and hostile division between the producers or workers, on the one hand, and the capitalists or owners, on the other hand.

Question 44

Libertarianism involves a commitment to leaving market relations - buying, selling, and other exchanges - totally unrestricted.

Question 45

John Rawls's second principle of justice states that insofar as inequalities are permitted -- that is, insofar as it is compatible with justice for some jobs or positions to bring greater rewards than others -- these positions must be open to all.

Question 46

For utilitarians, justice is an independent moral standard distinct from their general principle.

Question 47

Libertarians would find it immoral and unjust to coerce people to give food or money to the starving.

Question 48

According to libertarianism, liberty is the prime value, and justice consists in being free from the interference of others.