Deck 5: Religion and Natural Law

Question 1

During the Second World War,John Osborn,a sergeant major in the Canadian army,threw his body onto an enemy grenade.He and one other solider died in the explosion,though his sacrifice saved the lives of others.How might a psychological egoist interpret Osborn's actions?

Answer 1

Answers will vary.A sufficient answer should/might include a description of the event as a selfish action;an understanding that (while having long impact)Osborn's action is a limited one,not long-term self-denying;and/or that we do not always act in manners that are psychologically healthy.

Question 2

On what basis does Aquinas argue that masturbation,homosexuality,and bestiality are wrong?

A) These acts violate the word of God.
B) These acts offend our moral sense and bring about feelings of guilt and shame in the participants.
C) These acts are irrational and do not aim at the common good.
D) In the long run,these acts maximize pain and suffering rather than pleasure.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The book of Job in the Jewish Tanakh provides the story of God allowing Satan to remove the blessings of Job's life in order to see if Job is pious only because he is well off.The defender of divine command theory would say which of the following about the story?

A) With sufficient study,we can come to understand God's actions.
B) The actions taken were bad,which we can tell because Satan does them.
C) God's actions are necessarily right,even if we do not understand why.
D) God's treatment of Job is a violation of moral standards.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Divine command theory differs from natural law theory in that divine command

A) theory holds that there are objective moral truths,whereas natural law theory does not.
B) theory is the view that moral rules are created by God,whereas natural law theory is the view that moral rules are based on some purpose of the universe.
C) theorists all believe in God,whereas natural law theorists are all atheists.
D) theory requires the use of reason to determine what is morally permissible,whereas natural law theory relies on conscience alone.

Question 5

The notion that morality is based upon a larger purpose or meaning to life is referred to as ________ reasoning.

A) teleological
B) theological
C) cosmological
D) tautological

Question 6

Several studies have shown that when we perform charitable actions,the regions of our brains known colloquially as "pleasure centers" show heightened activity.Discuss the impact of these results on the acceptance of a morality of selflessness.

Question 7

Why is the belief that God knows morality better than humans do problematic for a religiously based morality?

A) It makes morality dependent on God.
B) It makes morality inferior to God.
C) It makes morality superior to God.
D) It makes morality independent from God.

Question 8

One position that Glaucon puts forward in the "Ring of Gyges" story is that if given the chance to take actions without the possibility of being observed,we would act in unjust manners.Briefly discuss if you believe that Glaucon is right about this,and why.

Question 9

Briefly explain the difference between psychological and ethical egoism.

Question 10

A difficulty for natural law theorists is which of the following?

A) divine command theory
B) causal determinism
C) the Euthyphro dilemma
D) the fact/value distinction

Question 11

Briefly explain the differences between group altruism,reciprocal altruism,and kin altruism.

Question 12

Natural law theory generally assumes which of the following?

A) God can act in manners that are immoral.
B) Moral truth is independent of God's will.
C) Something is morally correct because God has deemed it so.
D) Society defines moral standards.

Question 13

Maritain quotes Antigone on the origin of moral laws in order to show that

A) Antigone was an example of someone with excellent moral reasoning.
B) anonymous moral understandings are merely cultural relics.
C) no one knows where long-standing moral beliefs originated.
D) moral laws have a long history of acceptance.

Question 14

Imagine that a student was told she could either drop out of college or declare a major in underwater basket weaving.Which of the following is the best explanation for why this is a false dilemma?

A) The choices are not exclusive;she could drop out and then declare the major.
B) The choices are not bad;one would desire to major in underwater basket weaving.
C) The choices are not exhaustive;she could major in philosophy.
D) The choices are not natural;these are social constraints,not physical ones.

Question 15

Religiously based prohibitions on what sorts of food can be consumed,such as those practiced by those who keep kosher or follow halal,are examples of which sort of moral belief?

A) noncognitivism
B) naturalism
C) divine Command
D) teleology

Question 16

A claim sometimes made by vegans against the consumption of milk products is that humans are the only animals to ingest the milk of another species.Recently scientists have reported observing feral cats on Isla de Guadalupe nursing from elephant seals (and thus depriving seal pups of nutrition).If this nursing is understood as "natural," what impact does it have on the vegan argument?

A) It strengthens it.
B) It weakens it.
C) It is irrelevant to the argument.
D) It clarifies it.

Question 17

Kant believed that it was possible for God to have chosen different moral standards.