Deck 4: The Power of Moral Theories

Question 1

A moral theory is inconsistent with our considered moral judgments if

A) it allows us to torture infants for fun.
B) it judges that we may favor our loved ones over strangers.
C) it considers all actions to have selfish motives.
D) it states that moral judgments are often difficult to make.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

If Chanté maintains that killing the innocent is wrong because the action is contrary to God's will, she probably accepts the

A) natural command theory.
B) divine imperative theory.
C) divine command theory.
D) natural law theory.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to cultural relativism, what's morally right for a culture is simply whatever that culture approves of or believes is morally right. According to the text, which of these evaluations is most appropriate?

A) This theory is incoherent, because it allows that different cultures have different beliefs about what is morally right.
B) This theory is inconsistent with our considered moral judgments, because not everyone within a culture will agree on what is morally right.
C) This theory is inconsistent with our moral experience, because it means that cultures cannot approve of an action that is morally wrong-but we know that sometimes cultures do approve of morally wrong actions.
D) This theory is not useful in moral problem solving, because it gives me no way to find out what is the right thing to do.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A moral theory would fail to meet the minimum requirement of coherence if

A) it fails to cohere with considered moral judgments.
B) it states that the same action in the same conditions is both right and wrong.
C) it fails to cohere with common cultural practices.
D) it states that some widely practiced actions are in fact wrong.

Question 5

A moral theory is

A) more useful than a moral code.
B) a set of rules.
C) a moral code.
D) less useful than a moral code.

Question 6

Choose the statement that BEST summarizes the purposes of moral theories.

A) Moral theories support and provide detail to traditional moral codes, thereby making moral codes easier to defend against objections.
B) Moral theories explain the meaning of moral language and the sources of our knowledge of moral truths.
C) Moral theories explain moral rightness and give us practical guidance on how to act, even in difficult cases where moral codes do not apply.
D) Moral theories explain people's behavior and motivations, thereby allowing us to understand historical events better and predict future behavior.

Question 7

If John always acts to produce the most favorable balance of good over evil for himself, he is probably

A) a utilitarian.
B) an ethical egoist.
C) a nonconsequentialist.
D) a divine command theorist.

Question 8

A moral theory is ________ on an issue such as euthanasia.

A) an account of common practices
B) the final authority
C) not useful
D) a guide for moral reasoning

Question 9

A person who reasons that the morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil, everyone considered, is a(n)

A) utilitarian.
B) ethical egoist.
C) rule-Kantian.
D) natural law theorist.

Question 10

A traditional natural law theorist would say that lying is immoral because it

A) violates the categorical imperative.
B) uses people as a means to an end.
C) goes against the Ten Commandments.
D) goes against human nature.

Question 11

The theory asserting that the morally right action is the one covered by a rule that if generally followed would produce the most favorable balance of good over evil, everyone considered, is

A) rule-egoism.
B) act-utilitarianism.
C) rule-Kantian.
D) rule-utilitarianism.

Question 12

Which of the following BEST describes a similarity between consequentialist theories and nonconsequentialist theories?

A) They are not primarily about evaluating persons as good or bad.
B) They both focus on producing as much good as possible.
C) They both allow each individual to decide what is right for them.
D) They agree that breaking promises is always wrong.

Question 13

According to Kant, the principle and the maxims derived from the categorical imperative are

A) consequentialist and rule based.
B) nonconsequentialist and egoistic.
C) universal and absolutist.
D) universal and consequential.

Question 14

Which of the following BEST summarizes how to evaluate moral theories?

A) First, evaluate the theory for coherence. Then evaluate whether it meets the three moral criteria of adequacy.
B) First, evaluate whether the theory supports our most important moral rules. Then evaluate the theory for coherence.
C) First, evaluate the consequences of the theory to determine whether they are favorable to you. Then apply the three moral criteria of adequacy.
D) First, evaluate whether the three moral criteria of adequacy apply to the theory. Then consider your personal emotional reaction to the theory.

Question 15

A consequentialist theory may define the good as

A) adherence to a moral code.
B) doing one's duty for duty's sake.
C) obedience to moral laws.
D) pleasure, happiness, well-being, or flourishing.

Question 16

Which of the following BEST summarizes consequentialist theories?

A) Consequentialist theories rate actions by how consequential or important they are, with more consequential actions being better.
B) Consequentialist theories consider actions to be good when they produce good consequences. Different consequentialist theories specify different kinds of consequences as being good consequences.
C) Consequentialist theories consider actions to be good when most persons believe they are good, even if other persons disagree about what is good.
D) Consequentialist theories remind us that actions have consequences, and so they support punishment for morally wrong actions, with no exceptions.

Question 17

Which of the following BEST summarizes the evidence of our considered moral judgments and our moral experience?

A) Our moral experience provides general background knowledge about morality, while our considered moral judgments provide evaluations of specific actions as right or wrong.
B) Our considered moral judgments provide evidence that our moral code is correct, while our moral experience reveals how to apply that moral code in practice.
C) Our considered moral judgments and moral experience provide infallible evidence that we can use to evaluate moral theories.
D) Our moral experience shows that we must make exceptions to moral rules, while our considered moral judgments show that moral rules must be upheld without exception.

Question 18

To a(n) ________, breaking promises is wrong because if the implied rule were universalized (if everyone followed the rule), then no promise anywhere could be trusted and the whole convention of promise making would be obliterated. Thus no one would be willing to live in such a world.

A) egoist
B) utilitarian
C) Kantian
D) categorical theorist

Question 19

Suppose your favored moral theory says that moral rightness is relative to each individual. This would imply that each person is morally infallible. According to the author, this shows the theory to be

A) implausible.
B) plausible.
C) absolutist.
D) consequentialist.

Question 20

Moral deliberation requires balancing moral principles derived from our moral theory with our considered moral judgments. The ultimate goal in this give-and-take of theory and judgment is

A) consensus among moral agents.
B) reflective equilibrium.
C) reflective imperative.
D) definitive answers.

Question 21

A major reason for devising a moral theory is to

A) rebut rival theories.
B) obtain practical guidance.
C) be able to reject other theories.
D) determine psychological motivations.

Question 22

Suppose a moral theory is inconsistent with two of your most trustworthy and important moral judgments (and other considerations do not counterbalance this fact). You should then regard the theory as

A) definitely false.
B) imperfect but true.
C) true until proven otherwise.
D) dubious and possibly false.

Question 23

The moral theory constructed by the author and described at the end of the chapter has several features meant to improve on previous theories. In particular, the author wants to resolve the problem of conflicting rules or principles. Which of the following features BEST helps resolve this problem?

A) The theory includes only the best of the rules presented in previous theories.
B) The theory includes a principle of respect, requiring respect for all persons.
C) The theory includes three principles, rather than one.
D) The theory includes prima facie principles, rather than absolute rules.

Question 24

According to ethical egoism, the morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil for oneself. Which of these evaluations is most appropriate?

A) This theory is incoherent because it conflicts with other moral theories.
B) This theory is inconsistent with our considered moral judgments because it says that it is right to harm innocent people when it benefits you.
C) This theory is inconsistent with our moral experience because it says that many of our actions are morally wrong.
D) This theory is not useful in moral problem solving because there is no way to tell if one action will benefit you more than another.

Question 25

If a moral theory suggests that our moral judgments cannot be rationally supported, it is thereby inconsistent with

A) religious ethics.
B) the requirement of coherence.
C) the criterion of usefulness.
D) our moral experience.