Deck 4: Natural Law

Question 1

According to natural law theory, an action is right if and only if it

A) is permitted by the laws of the government.
B) is in accordance with human nature.
C) maximizes happiness.
D) is in accordance with God's commands.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is not a problem natural law theory promises to solve?

A) how morality could be objective
B) why morality is especially suited for human beings
C) why moral laws are eternal and unchanging
D) how to gain moral knowledge

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A moral agent is an individual who

A) consistently does the morally right thing.
B) is morally responsible for his or her actions.
C) represents another person in a legal context.
D) both a and b

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not one of the three conceptions of human nature discussed in the text?

A) Human nature is just animal nature.
B) Human nature is the set of traits that we have innately.
C) Human nature is rational autonomy.
D) Human nature is the set of traits that we all share.

Question 5

According to natural law theory, discovering the essence of human nature is

A) a conceptual exercise.
B) a scientific enterprise.
C) a religious enterprise.
D) both a and b

Question 6

Rousseau believed that people are inherently ___________, whereas Hobbes believed they are inherently ___________.

A) selfish; cooperative
B) selfish; neither good nor bad
C) neither good nor bad; selfish
D) cooperative; selfish

Question 7

The two most common secular ways of understanding the purposes of things are the __________ model and the __________ model.

A) efficiency; fitness
B) empirical; conceptual
C) sufficiency; necessity
D) none of the above

Question 8

To say that something enhances fitness is to say that it

A) makes one stronger.
B) makes one faster.
C) increases one's success at survival and reproduction.
D) both a and b

Question 9

According to the Efficiency Model, the natural purpose of human beings is to

A) promote survival and reproduction.
B) do what we're best able to accomplish.
C) pursue our goals.
D) all of the above

Question 10

Moral laws clearly differ from laws of nature in that they

A) are imaginary, whereas laws of nature are real.
B) are real, whereas laws of nature are imaginary.
C) tell us what we will do as opposed to what we ought to do.
D) tell us what we ought to do as opposed to what we will do.

Question 11

What makes someone a good person, according to the natural law theory?

A) obeying the laws of the land
B) obeying God's commands
C) fulfilling his or her true nature
D) doing whatever maximizes happiness

Question 12

Which of the following is natural law theory thought to explain?

A) the objectivity of morality
B) the origins of morality
C) the possibility of moral knowledge
D) all of the above

Question 13

According to natural law theory, we come to have moral knowledge by

A) consulting religious texts.
B) careful scientific study.
C) reflecting on the idea of morality.
D) none of the above (Moral knowledge is impossible according to natural law theory.)

Question 14

Which of the following claims best describes Hobbes's conception of human nature?

A) People are inherently selfish and competitive.
B) People are inherently cooperative and altruistic.
C) People are inherently moral but are quickly corrupted by society.
D) People are inherently blank slates, neither naturally selfish nor naturally altruistic.

Question 15

The two models of natural purposes discussed in the text are the __________ Model and the __________ Model.

A) Efficiency; Fitness
B) Pleasure; Desire Satisfaction
C) Natural Law; Positive Law
D) Empirical; Conceptual

Question 16

How do moral laws differ from natural laws?

A) Moral laws can be broken.
B) Moral laws do not describe how we actually behave.
C) Moral laws are not used to predict future behavior.
D) all of the above

Question 17

If a trait is innate, it is

A) one we have from birth.
B) given to us by God.
C) acquired from parents or society.
D) part of natural law.

Question 18

Aquinas thought that we are morally required to fulfill our nature because

A) it maximizes utility.
B) it makes our lives go best.
C) God endowed us with it.
D) none of the above (Aquinas did not think this.)

Question 19

According to the text, what false premise does the Natural Law Argument rely on?

A) If an act is natural, then it makes our lives better.
B) If an act is unnatural, then it is immoral.
C) If an act is immoral, then it is unnatural.
D) Suicide, contraception, and homosexual activity are unnatural.

Question 20

The principle that says "Provided that your goal is worthwhile, you are sometimes permitted to act in ways that foreseeably cause certain types of harm, though you must never intend to cause such harms" is known as the

A) Doctrine of Natural Law.
B) Doctrine of Utility.
C) Doctrine of Human Nature.
D) Doctrine of Double Effect.

Question 21

Suppose that "human nature" consists of the set of innate characteristics that all (or most) humans share. Understood in this way, what does human nature tell us about morality? Is it always immoral to behave contrary to human nature?

Question 22

What is the difference between the Efficiency Model and the Fitness Model of natural purposes? Does either model provide a plausible basis for natural law theory? Why or why not?

Question 23

Explain the Natural Law Argument. What are some possible interpretations of the first premise, and why is each problematic? Do you think that there is any way to modify premise one to avoid these concerns? What general lessons about natural law theory do you think that we can draw from these considerations?

Question 24

Explain the three conceptions of human nature discussed in the text. Which of these conceptions, if any, do you think is the correct one? What implications does this conception of human nature have for the plausibility of natural law theory? Defend your answers.

Question 25

What is the Doctrine of Double Effect? Describe a case in which the doctrine could be used as a source of moral guidance. Do you think the Doctrine of Double Effect gives good advice in this case? What about in general?

Question 26

Case Study
Allison is a 12-year-old girl. She is popular at her school and highly socially savvy for her age. She has a keen sense of the power dynamics around her and is constantly maneuvering herself socially to secure a high place on the social hierarchy at her middle school. Unfortunately, Allison has found it most effective to maintain her social standing by bullying other girls at her school. She spreads gossip, excludes girls she does not deem cool enough to hang out with her, and demands that her small circle of friends do the same if they don't wish to be treated similarly.
Allison was raised by kind, considerate, attentive parents. Her parents are devastated to learn about Allison's bullying behavior. They seek out a developmental psychologist who assures them that Allison's behavior is natural and normal. Many girls at this age engage in similar socially exclusive behavior in as a natural part of growing up and discovering who they are and how the world works.
-If the developmental psychologist is right that Allison's bullying behavior is natural, should that make Allison's parents less worried about their daughter's moral character?

Question 27

Case Study
Allison is a 12-year-old girl. She is popular at her school and highly socially savvy for her age. She has a keen sense of the power dynamics around her and is constantly maneuvering herself socially to secure a high place on the social hierarchy at her middle school. Unfortunately, Allison has found it most effective to maintain her social standing by bullying other girls at her school. She spreads gossip, excludes girls she does not deem cool enough to hang out with her, and demands that her small circle of friends do the same if they don't wish to be treated similarly.
Allison was raised by kind, considerate, attentive parents. Her parents are devastated to learn about Allison's bullying behavior. They seek out a developmental psychologist who assures them that Allison's behavior is natural and normal. Many girls at this age engage in similar socially exclusive behavior in as a natural part of growing up and discovering who they are and how the world works.
-Should Allison's parents intervene to encourage kinder behavior toward her classmates, or should they stay out of it because her behavior is natural?