Deck 31: Consumer Ethics, Food Ethics, and Beyond

Question 1

What do you think about Mark Bryant Budoflson's example of the professor who starts hammering nails into a pet pig? Do you think that this is a convincing way of showing why truth isn't just up to the individual, of convincing you that there are objective moral truths? Next, talk about why you think that it's tempting to say things like, "you do you," or "the truth is all relative." Then, talk about how you think that we should respond to ideas like those.

Answer 1

-Exhibit an understanding of objective moral truths and the moral relativist position.
-Include a thesis that's focused and appropriate given the assignment.
-Clearly and succinctly state the main argument for the thesis.
-Correctly identify and defend the argument's controversial premises using sound reasoning, well-chosen examples, insightful analogies, etc.

Question 2

But when people are acting in contexts where their choices make no difference to whether individuals are harmed, there's a real risk that intervening is merely a way of being obnoxious and counterproductive, rather than being a courageous defender of justice. In those cases, it may be best to be friendly to wrongdoers, building credibility with them, partly in hopes that they'll be more likely to listen to arguments for changing their behavior.
What do you think about this argument for being friendly with people who make bad choices that don't make a difference? You might think that this is, in fact, what we should all do. If so, write an essay about why that is. Or, you might think that this isn't a good idea (maybe because you'd feel hurt if you found out that a friend thought of you in this way, or because you don't think that we should be okay with tolerating wrongdoing). Whatever the case, write an essay defending your view on the subject.

Answer 2

-Demonstrate an understanding of Budolfson's position on how we ought to act when others are involved in inconsequential wrongdoing.
-Include a thesis that's focused and appropriate given the assignment.
-Clearly and succinctly state the main argument for the thesis.
-Correctly identify and defend the argument's controversial premises using sound reasoning, well-chosen examples, insightful analogies, etc.

Question 3

Imagine that you were the student deciding whether to go to the coffee shop on Thanksgiving, from the case that Mark Bryant Budolfson describes in his essay. What would you actually do in this situation? Explain your behavior using some of the concepts that Budolfson outlines in his essay.

Answer 3

-Exhibit an understanding of the issues surrounding consumer ethics that Budolfson highlights in his essay.
-Include a thesis that's focused and appropriate given the assignment.
-Clearly and succinctly state the main argument for the thesis.
-Correctly identify and defend the argument's controversial premises using sound reasoning, well-chosen examples, insightful analogies, etc.

Question 4

Which of the following best fits the definition of The Contribution Argument against purchasing?

A) When goods are being produced in an unethical way, and your purchasing those products would contribute to the unethical production, then you purchasing those products is wrong
B) When goods are being produced in an unethical way, and your purchasing those goods earns you a trivial benefit, then you purchasing those products is wrong
C) If goods are being produced in an unethical way, and their production contributes to your wellbeing, then you purchasing them shows that you care more about yourself than others
D) Because we collectively could make a difference to stop the unethical production of goods, it's wrong for you individually to purchase products that are produced unethically
E) When goods are produced in an unethical way, and the people who are being harmed ascribe to the same moral code that you do, then you purchasing these goods contributes to the problem of moral relativism

Question 5

Which of the following best fits the definition for The Inefficacy Argument in favor of purchasing?

A) Because the only way to make a difference is to work together, and purchasing things is an individual activity, then it does not matter what you purchase even if it is produced unethically
B) If you are going to purchase a product produced in an unethical way, and you recognize that there is no such thing as objective truth, then whether or not you purchase that product doesn't make a difference anyway
C) When you are going to purchase a product that is produced unethically, and it is so cheap that it won't give the unethical producer much money anyway, then it is okay to purchase that product
D) If you are going to purchase a product produced in an unethical way, and you wouldn't gain anything or help those harmed by not purchasing, then it would be okay to purchase that product
E) When you want to make a positive difference, and you know that purchasing ethical albeit inefficiently produced products helps people in need, then you should purchase these ethically made products

Question 6

Which of the following best fits the definition for The Helping in Other Ways supplement?

A) Since you don't make a difference by yourself, it's always a good idea to help out with humanitarian organizations
B) However bad it is to contribute to an unethical situation, it's very good to make people much better off
C) It doesn't matter how we make products so long as we find ways to help some people out in the process
D) However good it is to make people much better off, it's always bad to purchase products that are produced unethically
E) While it is bad to make your employees work for low wages, this is okay so long as you supplement their income in other ways

Question 7

Which of the following examples does NOT fall into the realm of consumer ethics?

A) Watching NCAA sports
B) Buying clothes made in sweatshops
C) Demanding that your employees work on Thanksgiving
D) Using fossil fuels
E) Eating factory farmed animal products

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of The Inefficacy Argument?

A) There is still a causal connection between your purchases and the unethical production situation
B) An individual who purchases things that are unethically produced sill expresses support for the unethical production situation
C) An individual who purchases unethically produced items may be doing something wrong unless she finds a way to make those harmed much better off
D) An individual who purchases unethically produced items benefits from wrongdoing
E) Because we collectively could make a difference, it's wrong for you individually to purchase unethically produced items

Question 9

The argument, "it isn't wrong for you to consume electricity right now," responds to what worry about consumer ethics?

A) That expressing support for unethical production is wrongful
B) That being causally connected to harm is always wrong
C) That failing to help in other ways is bad
D) That failing to go off the grid is always a moral evil
E) That hiring people to work in unethical industries is usually wrong

Question 10

Budolfson argues that it doesn't immediately follow that it is wrong for you to eat animal products even if we assume that they are produced in a way that's unethical.

Question 11

What is the example of the professor hammering nails into a pig's back supposed to show?

A) Factory farms are places where people maliciously torture animals
B) It's correct to say that "whether or not some behavior is wrong is all relative"
C) Philosophy professors are often willing to do bad things to teach a lesson
D) It's not true that "what's true for you might not be true for me"
E) No student would actually have what it takes to intervene on behalf of the pig

Question 12

Which of the following is part of the explanation of what must happen in order for it to be okay to intervene to prevent wrongdoing by others?

A) The wrong that the others are doing is sufficiently wrong or dangerous to justify an intervention
B) The others who are performing this wrong action are unaware that their behavior is wrongful
C) The wrong that the others are doing is innocuous now but will become very bad if allowed to continue
D) The others who are performing this wrong action are aware that their behavior is wrongful
E) The wrong that others are doing is instrumentally wrong

Question 13

Budolfson argues that when people are acting in contexts where their choices make no difference to whether individuals are harmed, there's ________:

A) Always a way of showing why this kind of behavior isn't problematic at all
B) Still a moral obligation to intervene in an attempt to stop those people
C) No harm in trying to tell the people who are behaving wrongly that they should rethink their actions
D) Good reason to take the moral high road and educate or shame the wrongdoers
E) A real risk that intervening is merely a way of being obnoxious and counterproductive