Deck 9: Moral Problems

Question 1

Explain the violinist case and how it is supposed to function in Thomson's argument. Do you find it convincing? Explain.

Answer 1

good essay will:
Describe the elements of the story about the violinist that pertain to Thomson's argument.
Evaluate the case as an analogy for her argument, citing what you see as similarities and differences.

Question 2

Why does Thomson think that the "extreme view" is implausible? Do you agree?

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

Why does Thomson think that her defense will be found unsatisfactory on all sides of the debate? Do you find it satisfying? Explain.

Answer 3

No Answer

Question 4

Thomson argues that abortion is always permissible.

Question 5

Thomson argues that the right to life is a problematic concept.

Question 6

Thomson claims that abortion is not equivalent to the death of the fetus.

Question 7

Thomson argues that the right to life is the right to have whatever you need to sustain it.

Question 8

Thomson considers an argument that begins from the premise that

A) Abortion is immoral.
B) The fetus is a person.
C) The mother has no rights.
D) Rape is immoral.

Question 9

According to Thomson, the most common defense of the claim that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception

A) Relies on religious premises.
B) Is a "slippery slope" argument.
C) Begs the question.
D) Equivocates on the meaning of the word "person."

Question 10

Thomson argues that

A) The morality of abortion depends on the mother's intent to conceive.
B) The morality of abortion is the same in all circumstances.
C) Abortion is always unjust.
D) Killing an innocent human being means that abortion is impermissible.

Question 11

The "extreme view" holds that abortion is

A) Impermissible only after thirty weeks.
B) Permissible in all cases.
C) Impermissible because the mother has no rights.
D) Impermissible even to save the mother's life.

Question 12

Thomson argues that the right to life

A) Does not guarantee use of another's body.
B) Means one has a right not to be killed.
C) Means one has a right not to be killed unjustly.
D) Both a and c

Question 13

Thomson views the morality of abortion as

A) Dependent on the mother's level of responsibility in planning for or taking precautions against a pregnancy.
B) Independent of the mother's level of responsibility in planning for or taking precautions against a pregnancy.
C) Dependent on when human life begins.
D) Dependent on the right to life.

Question 14

Thomson concludes that

A) Abortion is always permissible.
B) Abortion is always impermissible.
C) While abortion is not impermissible, it is not always permissible.
D) Human life begins at conception.

Question 15

Do you think that Thomson presented the argument for the impermissibility of abortion fairly? Explain.

Question 16

Consider one of her examples (e.g., violinist, people-seeds, chocolates) and explain why it was or was not an effective argumentative tool.

Question 17

What is the right to life?
Why Abortion Is Immoral
Don Marquis

Question 18

How is Marquis's argument different from the usual arguments presented in the abortion debate? Do you think that this is a consideration in favor of his argument? Explain.

Question 19

Do you agree with Marquis that killing is wrong because it deprives the victim of a valuable future? Explain.

Question 20

Does Marquis's account of the wrongness of killing really establish that abortion is prima facie wrong? Why or why not?

Question 21

Marquis argues that the abortion debate will never be settled.

Question 22

Marquis offers a theory of personhood.

Question 23

Marquis claims that abortion is wrong for the same reason that killing an adult human being is wrong.

Question 24

Marquis offers an account of the wrongness of killing an adult human being.

Question 25

Marquis claims that his analysis entails that contraception is wrong.

Question 26

According to Marquis, abortion is __________ seriously immoral.

A) Always.
B) In all but rare cases.
C) In rare cases.
D) Never.

Question 27

Marquis offers a theory of

A) Why killing adult human beings is wrong.
B) Why killing persons is wrong.
C) Personhood.
D) Euthanasia.

Question 28

Marquis claims that his account of the wrongness of killing establishes that

A) Abortion is impermissible.
B) Abortion is prima facie wrong.
C) Abortion is never justified.
D) Abortion is sin.

Question 29

Marquis argues that what primarily makes killing wrong is that it

A) Violates the victim's right to life.
B) Deprives the victim of a valuable future.
C) Brutalizes the killer.
D) Causes great harm to the victim's friends and family.

Question 30

Marquis believes his argument against abortion is sound because

A) The fetus possesses a quality also possessed by adult human beings.
B) It rests on an ethics that is close to self-evident.
C) It does not require concepts having to do with personhood.
D) All of the above.

Question 31

Is there a disanalogy between the valuable future facing an adult and that facing an unborn fetus? Explain why or why not.

Question 32

Do you think that all of the support Marquis cites for his account of the wrongness of killing is good support? Explain.

Question 33

Do you agree with Marquis that the usual arguments in the abortion debate are lacking in the ways he thinks they are? Explain.
Famine, Affluence, and Morality
Peter Singer

Question 34

Singer offers a strong and a moderate version of a moral principle. What are they? Do you agree with the conclusion he derives based on this principle? Explain.

Question 35

Singer argues that we should radically revise our practice of distinguishing between charity and duty. Do you agree? Explain.

Question 36

What objections does Singer consider to his argument? Do you find his responses persuasive? Explain.

Question 37

Singer's principle requires us to prevent what is bad and promote what is good.

Question 38

Singer claims that our moral conceptual scheme needs to be altered.

Question 39

Singer's argument requires that we accept utilitarianism.

Question 40

According to Singer, we are more likely to help people who are physically near to us.

Question 41

Singer argues that charitable actions, like donating money to famine relief, are supererogatory.

Question 42

Singer's arguments begins with the assumption that

A) There is preventable suffering in the world.
B) When we can prevent a bad thing from happening without sacrificing anything morally important, then we ought to.
C) Suffering and death from lack of food, medical care, and shelter are bad.
D) Both b and c

Question 43

Singer's argument depends on the principle that states

A) "If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, it is morally wrong not to do so."
B) "If you do not donate to aid agencies, you are doing something morally wrong."
C) "Suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medicine are bad."
D) "If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without
Sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, it is wrong not to do so."

Question 44

If we were to walk past a shallow pond and see a child drowning in it, Singer would claim that

A) It would be good to save the child, but not wrong if we didn't.
B) We are morally obligated to save the child.
C) It would be morally wrong not to save the child.
D) Both b and c

Question 45

Singer argues that __________ diminishes our obligations to help others.

A) Physical distance.
B) The presence of other people in an equal position to help.
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a nor b

Question 46

We are required to reduce ourselves to the level of marginal utility according to __________.

A) The strong version of Singer's principle.
B) The weak version of Singer's principle.
C) The moderate version of Singer's principle.
D) All of the above.

Question 47

Do you agree with Singer's two beginning assumptions? Explain.

Question 48

After reading this essay, do you think your habits will change? Explain.

Question 49

What kind of change does Singer argue is required by morality? How radical do you think this change would be?
A Reply to Singer
Travis Timmerman

Question 50

According to Timmerman, in what ways is the drowning child example not like citizens of affluent nations giving to aid organizations? Do you agree?

Question 51

Consider Timmerman's story about Lisa, the drowning children, and daily bank account losses. Do you agree that she would begin each day and arrive at each drowning child with an equally "morally comparable" sacrifice?

Question 52

Look at Timmerman's formulation of Singer's argument. Why does he feel Premise 2 is counterintuitive?

Question 53

Timmerman disagrees with Singer on whether we are morally obligated to save the child in the "Drowning Child" case.

Question 54

There is a moral difference between giving to aid organizations and saving a drowning child, according to Timmerman.

Question 55

Timmerman argues that Singer fails to justify each of his three premises adequately.

Question 56

Timmerman criticizes Singer's argument on the grounds that its conclusion is too demanding.

Question 57

For Timmerman, there are times when it is morally permissible not to prevent something bad from occurring even when doing so is at insignificant personal cost.

Question 58

According to Timmerman, the standard objection to Singer's argument is that

A) Its conclusion is too demanding.
B) It's unsound.
C) It's invalid.
D) All of the above.

Question 59

Timmerman objects to Singer's argument because

A) Its conclusion is too demanding.
B) It's unsound.
C) It's invalid.
D) All of the above.

Question 60

According to Timmerman, an implicit assumption of Singer's "Drowning Child" case is that

A) Impartial consequentialism is true.
B) We have no positive duties to others.
C) It is an anomalous event.
D) We have only negative duties to others.

Question 61

According to Timmerman, giving to aid organizations is

A) Essentially the same as Singer's example of the drowning child.
B) Morally different from Singer's example of the drowning child.
C) Unacceptable under any circumstances.
D) A universal obligation.

Question 62

Timmerman argues that while most would likely try to save one drowning child, they would not

A) Give to an aid organization.
B) Willfully endure suffering.
C) Make repeated attempts to keep saving drowning children.
D) Sacrifice $200 in new clothes.

Question 63

Think about the maxim to prevent bad from occurring by sacrificing something morally comparable. If possible, provide examples from your own life of following, as well as not following, this principle. What criteria did you use for deciding "moral comparability"?

Question 64

Timmerman concludes that Singer's argument is unsound, having demonstrated the falsity of one of his premises. Do you think Timmerman should be evaluating Singer's argument as a deductive argument? Why or why not?

Question 65

Can you think of a fair and reasonable way to deal with the "haves and have nots" of this world? What would have to change? Do you think the 1% would ever willingly give up enough capital to resolve the major crises brought on by war, drought, and politics? Why or why not?
The Morality of Reparation
Bernard R. Boxill

Question 66

Boxill uses the cases of Tom, Dick, and Harry to argue for the claim that black Americans are entitled to reparation from white Americans. How does this argument go exactly? Do you find it convincing? Why or why not?

Question 67

Boxill claims that the white community can be regarded as a company or corporation. How does Boxill defend this claim? Is his defense convincing? Why or why not?

Question 68

Boxill claims that even if the validity of inheritance is rejected, a strong argument in favor of reparation can still be made. What is this argument? Is it persuasive? Why or why not?

Question 69

According to Boxill, only present-day white Americans who are direct descendants of slave owners owe reparation to present-day black Americans.

Question 70

Boxill argues that present-day white Americans are liable to make reparation because they did not refuse to accept the benefits belonging to descendants of slaves when they were in a position to do so.

Question 71

Boxill does not claim that present-day white Americans are to blame or morally culpable for the past injustices of slavery.

Question 72

According to Boxill, both the white community as a whole and individual white people owe reparation to the black community.

Question 73

According to Boxill, the case for reparation depends on the validity of inheritance.

Question 74

In the cases of Tom, Dick, and Harry, Tom

A) Steals a bicycle from Harry.
B) Steals a bicycle from Dick.
C) Has his bicycle stolen by Harry.
D) Has his bicycle stolen by Dick.

Question 75

In the cases of Tom, Dick, and Harry, Dick

A) Steals a bicycle from Harry.
B) Steals a bicycle from Tom.
C) Has his bicycle stolen by Harry.
D) Has his bicycle stolen by Tom.

Question 76

In the cases of Tom, Dick, and Harry, Harry

A) Is morally blameless.
B) Steals a bicycle from Tom.
C) Is owed reparation.
D) None of the above.

Question 77

Boxill argues that __________ owe reparation to the present generation of black Americans.

A) Each individual white American.
B) Direct descendants of slave owners only.
C) The white community as a whole.
D) Both a and c

Question 78

Boxill's main argument __________ the claim that white people are culpable or blameable.

A) Implies.
B) Rejects.
C) Does not imply.
D) Depends on.

Question 79

In the extreme case of Harry who receives a heart transplant from the recently deceased Dick, Boxill argues that Harry

A) Is morally culpable for Dick's death.
B) Must make reparation to Dick's family.
C) Should have refused the transplant.
D) All of the above.

Question 80

According to Boxill, if the validity of inheritance is rejected

A) All arguments in favor of reparation will fail.
B) An argument for reparation can still be made if we stipulate that individuals' wealth is returned to society at their deaths.
C) The very idea of property rights must be rejected as well.
D) None of the above.