Deck 4: The Power of Moral Theories

Question 1

Consequentialist moral theories say that the rightness of an action depends on the amount of good that it produces.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Moral theories concerned with the rightness or wrongness of actions are known as:

A) act-specific theories
B) descriptive ethics
C) means-ends assessments
D) theories of obligation

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Moral theories concerned with the goodness of persons or things are known as:

A) theories of persons
B) normative evaluations
C) theories of value
D) judgments of goodness

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Moral agents cannot be mistaken about their moral experience.

Question 5

Utilitarianism is an example of a consequentialist moral theory.

Question 6

The divine command theory says that the morally right action is:

A) the one agreed upon by religious believers
B) the one that maximizes the good
C) the one that reduces evil in the world
D) the one that God commands

Question 7

Nonconsequentialist moral theories say that the rightness of an action is dependent primarily on the nature of the action itself,not on its consequences.

Question 8

Consequentialist moral theories say that what makes an action right is:

A) its consequences
B) its form
C) its relationship to virtue
D) its conformity with cultural norms

Question 9

A moral theory is:

A) the final authority in moral reasoning
B) like a mathematical axiom
C) equivalent to a moral code
D) helpful in our attempts to make sense of moral judgments and principles

Question 10

Ethical egoism is an example of a nonconsequentialist moral theory.

Question 11

__________________ are the opinions about specific moral issues and cases that we have formed after careful deliberation that is as free from bias as possible.

A) Scrupulous moral distinctions
B) Theories of value
C) Considered moral judgments
D) Tentative values

Question 12

Nonconsequentialist moral theories say that the rightness of an action:

A) depends on a moral code
B) depends entirely on its consequences
C) does not depend entirely on its consequences
D) does not depend on its form

Question 13

Theories of obligation are concerned with the rightness and wrongness of actions.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT one of the three moral criteria of adequacy?

A) consistency with considered judgments
B) consistency with other moral theories
C) consistency with our moral experiences
D) usefulness in moral problem solving

Question 15

One criterion of adequacy for moral theories is:

A) consistency with considered moral judgments
B) consistency with other moral theories
C) consistency with social norms
D) consistency with legal norms

Question 16

Considered moral judgments help shape moral theory,and a good theory sheds light on judgments and helps adjudicate conflicts among judgments and other moral statements.

Question 17

The first step in theory assessment is to ensure that the theory meets the minimum requirement of:

A) simplicity
B) equilibrium
C) coherence
D) fruitfulness

Question 18

A theory in conflict with our basic moral experiences is at least dubious and probably false.

Question 19

A moral theory is:

A) a description of how people apply moral norms in their lives
B) an explanation of how moral norms affect people's behavior
C) an explanation of what causes people to act immorally
D) an explanation of what makes an action right (or wrong) or what makes a person or thing good (or bad)

Question 20

A moral code is the same thing as a moral theory.

Question 21

Applying the moral criteria of adequacy is basically a subjective,arbitrary affair.

Question 22

A moral theory that is internally inconsistent is not eligible for further evaluation.

Question 23

A moral theory need not be consistent with the data it was introduced to explain.

Question 24

Our considered moral judgments cannot be mistaken.

Question 25

A fact of our moral experience is that occasionally we have moral disagreements.