Deck 9: Respecting Persons, Respecting Rights: The Ethics of Duty

Question 1

Which of the following was not described by W.D.Ross as a prima facie duty?

A)Non-harm
B)Reparation
C)Justice
D)Forgiveness

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The idea of natural law (and natural rights)would commit a criminal justice practitioner to upholding certain values even if it meant violating procedure or other formal rules and regulations.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Things we are morally obligated not to do (e.g. ,lie,cheat,exploit others)can be termed:

A)Correlated duties.
B)Negative duties.
C)Positive law.
D)Positive duties.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Natural law (and natural rights)applies to all people regardless of nationality,race,sex,religion,and social class.

Question 5

In the context of criminal punishment,desert refers to:

A)The goal of preventing future crime.
B)The principle of offenders getting what they deserve.
C)The idea that the punishment should fit the crime.
D)Incarcerated offenders have positive rights.

Question 6

Kantian ethics holds a moral rule or principle to be acceptable only if it can be applied to every person in the same situation.

Question 7

Prima facie duties are different from categorical duties in that:

A)They can be overridden by more important duties in a given situation.
B)They only need to be followed if doing so brings the best consequences.
C)They only apply to some people.
D)They only apply to face-to-face interactions.

Question 8

Moral principles or moral rules such as "never kill an innocent human being" might be described as:

A)Virtues.
B)Conditionals.
C)Maxims.
D)Courses of best interest.

Question 9

"Deontology" comes from the Greek work deon,meaning:

A)Justice.
B)Suffering.
C)Demon.
D)Duty.

Question 10

Which of the following objections to criminal punishment might be raised by a Kantian ethical framework?

A)Incapacitation amounts to using offenders to benefit the community
B)Rehabilitation fails to respect offenders' autonomy by not allowing them to decide for themselves what kind of people they wish to be
C)Deterrence is akin to treating offenders like dogs rather than respecting their freedom and rationality
D)All of the above

Question 11

Which of the following key deontological concepts refers to the idea that criminal punishment should "fit the crime"?

A)Retribution
B)Desert
C)Proportionality
D)Recidivism

Question 12

Which of the following serves,in theory,to prevent crime by physically preventing an offender from repeating criminal actions?

A)Specific deterrence
B)lex talionis
C)Disablement (or incapacitation)
D)Retribution

Question 13

Natural law:

A)Supersedes all other laws.
B)Is universal.
C)Is the basis of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
D)All of the above.

Question 14

For Kant,the focus of the moral life is:

A)Pursuing freedom.
B)Doing one's duty.
C)Attaining happiness.
D)Achieving intellectual pleasures.

Question 15

The correlativity of rights and duties means that:

A)Moral duties override moral rights.
B)Moral rights override moral duties.
C)The existence of moral rights implies duties by which others must abide.
D)None of the above.

Question 16

The idea that we should treat ourselves and others as ends and never as means only is premised upon the more fundamental notion that all human beings have:

A)Intrinsic worth or dignity.
B)Positive rights.
C)Integrity.
D)The right to liberty.

Question 17

Kantian (deontological)ethics justifies criminal punishment on which of the following grounds:

A)Retribution.
B)Rehabilitation.
C)Deterrence.
D)Incapacitation.

Question 18

__________________ imperatives direct behavior if a desired goal is to be achieved,whereas __________________ imperatives are absolute and ought to be followed always.

A)Categorical;unconditional
B)Hypothetical;categorical
C)Consequential;absolute
D)Hypothetical;unconditional

Question 19

Deterrence occurs when we:

A)Discourage offenders from repeating offenses,or discourage others by example.
B)Change the character of an offender such that s/he is no longer inclined to commit criminal offenses.
C)Prevent offenders from committing additional criminal acts by keeping them contained in prison.
D)None of the above.

Question 20

Which of the following would be a form of disablement?

A)Committing a sex offender in a secure psychiatric hospital
B)Removing the hands of a thief
C)Removing a public official from office
D)All of the above

Question 21

"I ought to tell the truth to avoid punishment" is an example of a categorical imperative.

Question 22

Briefly describe,providing at least one example,what it means to say that rights and duties are correlative.

Question 23

In general,utilitarianism argues that criminal punishment is justifiable because it prevents future crime.

Question 24

Rights to various things (i.e.welfare rights)such as education,health care,and housing can be classified as negative rights.

Question 25

Kant argued that,when faced with an "inquiring murderer," we should always tell the truth -- even if doing so potentially leads to undesirable consequences for ourselves and/or others.

Question 26

Briefly describe what is meant by the principle that we should,"Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

Question 27

Briefly describe what is meant by the principle that we should,"Act so as to treat humanity,whether in your own person or that of any other,as an end and never as a means only."

Question 28

From a Kantian ethical perspective,if we would not be willing to have everyone in a similar situation engage in a particular act,then we ourselves are morally prohibited from engaging in that act.

Question 29

From a Kantian ethical perspective,in some extreme circumstances (e.g. ,aiding a very sick relative)it might be acceptable to borrow money from a friend,promising to repay the money,even though we know there is no chance we will ever be able to repay it.

Question 30

Kantian ethics and other ethical systems that focus on moral rights can be considered deontological.

Question 31

According to Kant,by manipulating or deceiving people we are failing to respect their autonomy and rationality.

Question 32

Deontological ethics would agree that we should allow incarcerated criminals to be released from prison early if they willingly participate in medical experiments that could save the lives of other people.

Question 33

To say that something is categorically imperative is to say that it ought to be done or must be done regardless of consequences.

Question 34

Rather than the consequences of our actions,deontological theories of ethics hold that the primary concern of morality is our actions themselves.

Question 35

A moral duty is something we must - or must not - do,no matter how we feel about it,how we or others might be affected,and irrespective of the situation.