Deck 21: Ethics Systems: Utilitarianism

Question 1

A granted proposition is one that has been established either by ethical consensus or by an authoritative body such as government.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Utilitarianism gives equal weight to the utilities of all persons.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

When markets are competitive and institutions are in place that align self-interest with societal well-being, the maximization of profit by a firm results in the greatest aggregate societal well-being.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Aggregation is required because an action may make some individuals better off and others worse off.

Question 5

Utilitarianism focuses on the numbers of people who are better or worse off because of an action.

Question 6

Ethics involves an inquiry into whether a proposition has legal status.

Question 7

Business ethics pertains to situations in which individuals are in an organizational position and act as agents of the company and its owners.

Question 8

The standard of human well-being and the need to consider the consequences for all persons correspond to fundamental ethical intuitions.

Question 9

Utilitarianism provides a basis for evaluating intrinsic rights.

Question 10

Act utilitarianism focuses on a general rule of behavior to be followed by all individuals in all similar situations.

Question 11

Instrumental rights have moral standing independent of the consequences they yield.

Question 12

Utilitarianism does not take altruism into account.

Question 13

Casuistry is principled reasoning and is distinguished from ethics, which is an approach to moral practice that seeks to balance competing considerations.

Question 14

Moral philosophy concentrates on how the state should grant and limit liberties, and ensure justice.

Question 15

The Calabresi and Melamed principles provide a framework for reasoning about the assignment of duty.

Question 16

The focus of ethics is primarily on issues involving direct mutual advantage.

Question 17

Utilitarianism is better understood as a particular form of a consequentialist moral philosophy.

Question 18

Ethics is an important foundation for the positive analysis of nonmarket issues.

Question 19

The institutions of private property and markets provide one means of alignment, since a voluntary transaction, such as a supply contract between two firms, makes both the buyer and seller better off.

Question 20

Utilitarianism coincides with self-interest only when societal consequences are prioritized over private consequences.

Question 21

Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy that holds that ________.

A) the morally justified action has no bearing on aggregate well-being
B) the rightness of an action is judged by an individual's willingness to perform that action
C) human well-being is evaluated in terms of individuals' capabilities.
D) moral good is judged in terms of consequences

Question 22

Which of the following is true with regard to casuistry?

A) Casuistry is principled reasoning.
B) Casuistry has been characterized as a false art of making exceptions in particular situations, resulting in the violation of underlying principles.
C) Casuist approach is similar to the ethics systems and is intended to apply universally.
D) The casuist approach involves the application of principles in favor of conceptions of responsibility that is consistent with moral standards.

Question 23

Why is the casuist approach criticized?

A) It shortcuts the application of principles in favor of conceptions of responsibility that may be inconsistent with moral standards.
B) It leaves no room for interpretation in different situations.
C) It cannot be molded to suit individual cases.
D) It does not take the decision maker's self-interest into account.

Question 24

Utilitarianism is criticized for its focus solely on human well-being.

Question 25

________ focus(es) on institutions to govern the interactions among individuals.

A) Moral philosophy
B) Political philosophy
C) Cultural taboos
D) Ethics

Question 26

Ethics is the discipline concerned with judgments based on ________ and the reasoning therefrom.

A) political correctness
B) constitutional provisions
C) moral standards
D) cultural taboos

Question 27

________ is an approach to moral practice that seeks to balance competing considerations by making exceptions to ethics principles in particular cases.

A) Moral philosophy
B) Political philosophy
C) Utilitarianism
D) Casuistry

Question 28

________ is required because an action may make some individuals better off and others worse off.

A) Aggregation
B) Collateralization
C) Altruism
D) Fundamentalism

Question 29

Moral philosophy is concerned with ________.

A) deducing the standard of maximizing one's self-interest
B) the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good
C) deducing standards from axioms or self-evident principles
D) making exceptions in particular situations, resulting in the violation of underlying principles

Question 30

Utilitarianism provides a basis for a(n) ________ in which the choice between private institutions and public institutions is made according to which maximizes aggregate well-being.

A) moral claim
B) ethical claim
C) moral philosophy
D) political philosophy

Question 31

The law of torts is an institution that is inconsistent with utilitarianism.

Question 32

Ethics principles prescribe behavior based on considerations that take precedence over ________.

A) consequentialism
B) altruism
C) societal wellbeing
D) self-interest

Question 33

The basis for ________ is the self-evident principle that what matters is human well-being.

A) positivism
B) utilitarianism
C) fundamentalism
D) hedonism

Question 34

Utilitarianism ________ only when societal consequences are aligned with private consequences.

A) enters into conflict with self-interest
B) coincides with altruism
C) coincides with self-interest
D) coincides with fundamentalism

Question 35

Utilitarianism is regularly used to evaluate public policies by measuring benefits and costs in monetary units.

Question 36

Moral philosophy is concerned with deducing moral standards from ________.

A) self-evident principles
B) legal precepts
C) tautological statements
D) political maxims

Question 37

Cost-benefit analysis focuses on the costs required to reduce risks and compares the alternative in question with other alternatives.

Question 38

Confucianism is a consequentialist system of ethics that defines the good in terms
of human well-being and evaluates that well-being in terms of individuals' preferences.

Question 39

Which of the following is true with regard to ethics?

A) Ethics is a systematic approach to moral judgments based on reason, analysis, synthesis, and reflection.
B) Issues involving direct mutual advantage require rigorous ethics analysis.
C) Ethics is based on political correctness and is mandated by the government or other authoritative bodies.
D) Good ethics is always profitable.

Question 40

Utilitarianism aggregates individuals' well-being as evaluated in terms of their ________, and every person's utility is given equal weight.

A) actions
B) preferences
C) choices
D) capabilities

Question 41

The framework for the application of utilitarianism begins with the identification of ________.

A) the facts of the situation and the moral concerns
B) the set of consequences for all persons and organizations affected
C) the alternative rules of behavior and actions
D) the social costs and social benefits

Question 42

Rule utilitarianism encourages ________.

A) universalism
B) unilateralism
C) fundamentalism
D) ethical violation

Question 43

________ is the antithesis of self-interest.

A) Paganism
B) Functionalism
C) Hedonism
D) Utilitarianism

Question 44

Discuss the methodology of ethics in brief.

Question 45

Differentiate between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism.

Question 46

Write a short note on casuistry. Why is this approach considered dangerous?

Question 47

Describe the relationship between utilitarianism and self-interest.

Question 48

If a firm makes a product that is hazardous when misused, and if misuse can be anticipated, the firm can make decisions about safety features under a ________ standard.

A) casuistic
B) utilitarian
C) political
D) moral

Question 49

Consequentialist systems are criticized because they ________.

A) tend to favor fundamental rights over instrumental rights
B) treat aspirations, wants, needs, liberties, and opportunities as relevant regardless of their consequences
C) focus solely on the welfare of human beings
D) do not give adequate attention to intrinsic rights and liberties, which are said to be fundamentally important

Question 50

The ________ yields the greatest aggregate well-being when everyone follows it.

A) moral rule
B) social rule
C) rule of law
D) rule of religious orders

Question 51

________ focuses on individual actions and does not explain what the overall consequences would be for society if everyone were to act in that manner.

A) Casuistry
B) Political philosophy
C) Rule utilitarianism
D) Act utilitarianism

Question 52

When consequences are a function of the actions of more than one individual, ________ considers the actions of all individuals simultaneously.

A) rule utilitarianism
B) act utilitarianism
C) fundamentalism
D) hedonism

Question 53

________ avoids interpersonal comparisons, since it requires only that an action make at least one person better off and no one worse off, evaluated in terms of the preferences of each person.

A) The Calabresi and Melamed principle
B) The Pareto criterion
C) Self-confirming equilibrium
D) Tragedy of the commons

Question 54

Instrumental rights are justified in a(n) ________, such as utilitarianism.

A) deontological system
B) pluralistic system
C) consequentialist system
D) secondary system

Question 55

Intrinsic rights are to be respected because ________.

A) they have moral standing independent of the consequences they yield
B) they lead to desirable consequences
C) they lead to the maximization of individual well-being
D) they have legal standing and are codified by the state

Question 56

When actions make some individuals better off and others worse off, ________ are necessary in applying utilitarianism.

A) cap-and-trade systems
B) interpersonal comparisons
C) cost-benefit analyses
D) casuistic approaches

Question 57

A fundamental problem with utilitarianism is its ________.

A) apathy toward maximizing aggregate utility
B) incompatibility with altruism and philanthropy
C) difficulty with making interpersonal comparisons of utility
D) inability to judge moral good in terms of consequences

Question 58

Utilitarianism and ________ are equivalent only if private well-being and societal well-being are aligned.

A) casuistry
B) philanthropy
C) altruism
D) self-interest

Question 59

Write a short note on the philosophical criticisms of utilitarianism.

Question 60

Act utilitarianism focuses on ________.

A) making exceptions in particular situations, resulting in the violation of underlying principles
B) institutions to govern the interactions among individuals
C) the consequences of a particular action in a particular situation
D) balancing competing considerations by making exceptions to ethics principles