Deck 87: Don Marquis: Why Abortion Is Immoral

Question 1

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-What makes killing wrong in Marquis's view is

A) the loss of personhood.
B) the loss of the victim's future.
C) its violation of the sanctity of life.
D) the genetic attributes of the victim.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis's view entails that euthanasia is wrong.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis's view entails that it is prima facie seriously wrong to kill children and infants.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis thinks that only infants, children, and adults can be said to have a future.

Question 5

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis argues that killing someone is wrong because it is illegal.

Question 6

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis says that what makes killing wrong is neither its effect on the murderer nor its effect on the victim's friends and relatives.

Question 7

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-The natural law position on abortion as articulated in Roman Catholicism is that the fetus is an innocent person from the moment of viability.

Question 8

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis seemed to have no objections to Judith Jarvis Thompson's argument.

Question 9

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis thinks that it is morally permissible for a pregnant woman to have an abortion in self-defense.

Question 10

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis sees abortion as a form of murder.

Question 11

Susan Wolf, philosopher and author of Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, argues that meaning in life must consist of both subjective and objective elements. As she says, "meaningful lives are lives of active engagement in projects of worth." Active engagement is involvement in something that grips or excites a person, something that arouses passion. But this subjective response alone is not enough to add significant meaning to someone's life. Mere passion about an activity is, in itself, insufficient to contribute meaningfulness to a life. The passion must be directed at projects that are in themselves worthwhile. "What is clear to me," she says, "is that there can be no sense to the idea of meaningfulness without a distinction between more and less worthwhile ways to spend one's time, where the test of worth is at least partly independent of a subject's ungrounded preferences or enjoyment."
This view belies the often expressed notion that what someone does doesn't matter as long as the person enjoys it or prefers it or gets satisfaction out of it. But people do wonder sometimes if an activity they enjoy is in fact worthwhile. Some people with satisfying lives do feel that their existence is meaningless.
-Marquis accepts Warren's argument.