Deck 3: Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Question 1

If we eliminate free will completely,we would also be eliminating:

A)The possibility of genetic bases for human behavior.
B)The value of modern science.
C)Moral responsibility.
D)Excuses for criminal conduct.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The power to make choices and engage in actions that originate with ourselves is referred to as:

A)Free will.
B)Objectivism.
C)Determination.
D)Predetermination.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

If human beings are,by nature,hedonistic then we naturally seek:

A)Friendship.
B)Pleasure.
C)Belonging.
D)Love.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is sometimes held to be the only "event" for which there is no cause?

A)Free will
B)Emotions
C)Viruses
D)Moral character

Question 5

If we argued that a person's decision to rob a bank was motivated by an unconscious desire to be punished for her previous sins,we would be making a deterministic argument.

Question 6

Which of the following,though only in its infancy,may be the future standard for detecting dishonesty in police departments and courtrooms?

A)Polygraph
B)Brain fingerprinting
C)"Pleasure machines"
D)Mirror neuron modulators

Question 7

In the United States,mens rea is a necessary element of criminal responsibility.

Question 8

Soft determinism could be described as a philosophical position which views human beings as having free will,but with choice-making limited by circumstances beyond our control.

Question 9

Which of the following is discussed in your text as a possible causal factor in the higher rates of aggression and violence we find in geographical areas that are the most heavily crowded?

A)Territoriality
B)Pollution
C)Child abuse and neglect
D)Selective incapacitation

Question 10

Self-defense and defense of others would be considered:

A)Mitigating circumstances.
B)Justifications for criminal conduct.
C)Excuses for criminal conduct.
D)Defensible prohibitions.

Question 11

Modern-day determinism tends to be based in:

A)Religious teachings.
B)Science.
C)The idea of predestination.
D)Intentionalism.

Question 12

Which of the following is theorized to play an important role in imitative behavior and our capacity to relate to and empathize with other people?

A)Mirror neurons
B)Thermal imaging
C)Geocritical mass
D)Autonomic nervous system

Question 13

The notion that every event has a cause is the central premise underlying:

A)Relativism.
B)Determinism.
C)Minimalism.
D)Instrumentalism.

Question 14

Which of the following refers to circumstances (e.g. ,presence of mental illness)surrounding a criminal event that reduce,but do not eliminate,moral responsibility and the severity of punishment imposed:

A)Omissive circumstances.
B)Mitigating circumstances.
C)Justifications.
D)Criminal nullification.

Question 15

Identifying and incapacitating people we believe to be at high risk for future criminal activity before they have had the opportunity to commit those future criminal acts is a practice referred to as:

A)Deterrence.
B)Selective incapacitation.
C)Risk avoidance.
D)Psychological determinism.

Question 16

Moral responsibility or blameworthiness that attaches to persons who freely and knowingly engage in wrongful actions is sometimes referred to as:

A)Causality.
B)Culpability.
C)Mitigation.
D)Legal cause.

Question 17

While ample scientific research supports the existence of variables that potentially limit free will,there is very little (if any)real empirical evidence that human beings have free will.

Question 18

If you were to argue that although a person with an IQ of 60 cannot be a world-renown physicist,s/he still has the freedom to choose within limits of what is physically,psychologically,and socially possible,you would be presenting which of the following positions?

A)Soft determinism
B)Hard determinism
C)The feeling of freedom
D)Hedonism

Question 19

The claim that our thoughts,feelings,and behaviors are determined by influences such as climate and population density that act upon us from outside of our minds and bodies would be consistent with the notion of external determinism.

Question 20

In simplest terms,determinism holds that:

A)Every event has a cause.
B)We are naturally motivated to avoid pain.
C)Moral beliefs are a product of the culture in which one lives.
D)No human action is "caused" in the scientific sense of the word.

Question 21

Briefly discuss the implications of the debate between free will and determinism for treatment,punishment,and policy within criminal justice.

Question 22

Research on rhesus monkeys that were abused or neglected as children suggests that,as adults,they were more likely to be abusive themselves.

Question 23

Briefly discuss the ways in which the cases of Susan Smith and Andrea Yates illustrate the debate concerning free will,determinism,and moral/legal responsibility.

Question 24

When used as a criminal defense,involuntary intoxication would be classified as a justification for criminal wrongdoing.

Question 25

Briefly discuss and provide specific examples of the three (3)broad categories of deterministic "forces" that can limit free will and,perhaps,responsibility for criminal acts.

Question 26

To show that a given action is determined,we need to be able to give concrete empirical evidence that a single,identifiable factor caused it to happen (i.e."A caused B").

Question 27

A four-year-old child who shoots and kills another child would be considered culpable for her or his actions.