Question 1

A supererogatory act is an act that would be good not to do to, but doing it is not absolutely wrong.

Accepted Answer

A supererogatory act is an act that is good to do but not obligatory; not doing it is not wrong, but doing it goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Question 2

Jeremy Bentham thought that a community is no more than the individuals who compose it and that the interests of the community are simply the sum of the interests of its members.

Accepted Answer

Jeremy Bentham was a utilitarian philosopher who believed that the goal of society should be to maximize the overall happiness or pleasure of its members. He believed that individuals should act in their self-interest, but that this would lead to the greatest benefit for society as a whole. Therefore, Bentham thought that the interests of the community were simply the sum of the interests of its members.

Question 3

What is the difference between the categorical imperative and a hypothetical imperative?

Accepted Answer

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Question 4

W. D. Ross denied that we have immediate, intuitive knowledge of the basic prima facie obligations.

Accepted Answer

W. D. Ross argued that we do have immediate, intuitive knowledge of basic prima facie duties, such as fidelity, reparation, and justice, which guide our moral decision-making.

Question 5

Human rights have at least four important characteristics. What are these characteristics of human rights?

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Question 6

Identify two forms of ethical egoism. What are these two forms and how do they differ from one another?

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Question 7

What is the difference between legal rights and moral rights and between negative rights and positive rights?

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Question 8

Explain one of the three criticisms of utilitarianism..

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Question 9

What is a prima facie obligation?

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Question 10

According to Immanuel Kant, lying is never morally permissible. Why does he believe this?

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

One feature about utilitarianism that makes it appealing as a standard for moral decisions in business and nonbusiness organizations is that it provides a clear and straightforward basis for formulating and testing policies.

Accepted Answer

Utilitarianism is based on the principle of maximizing overall happiness or utility, which can be measured and tested. This provides a clear standard for evaluating policies and decisions in both business and nonbusiness organizations.

Question 12

What is the difference between egoism as an ethical theory and psychological egoism?

Accepted Answer

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Question 13

Immanuel Kant believed that prostitution was immoral because, by selling their sexual services, prostitutes allow themselves to be treated as only a means to an end.

Accepted Answer

According to Kant's ethical theory, treating someone as a mere means to an end is immoral. He believed that using someone solely for the purposes of sexual pleasure, without regard for their dignity or autonomy, violated this principle. Therefore, he would view prostitution as immoral because it treats the prostitute as a means to the customer's end of sexual gratification.

Question 14

Immanuel Kant believed that it is only when we act out of feeling or sentiment that our actions have moral worth.

Accepted Answer

Immanuel Kant believed that actions have moral worth only when they are performed out of a sense of duty, rather than feelings or sentiments. He believed that actions must be done for the sake of duty alone and not for any personal gain or emotional satisfaction.

Question 15

State two alternative formulations of Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative. What are these two formulations?

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Question 16

According to Adam Smith, if business is left to pursue its self-interest, the good of society will be compromised and harmed.

Accepted Answer

This statement is actually the opposite of Adam Smith's views. In his book "The Wealth of Nations," Smith argued that if individuals pursued their self-interest in a free market economy, it would ultimately lead to economic growth and the betterment of society as a whole. Smith believed that individuals seeking their own gain would naturally lead to competition and innovation, ultimately driving down costs and improving the quality of goods and services available to consumers.

Question 17

According to Kant, when does an action have moral worth?

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Question 18

A hypothetical imperative tells us to act as we would want everyone to act in that situation.

Accepted Answer

A hypothetical imperative is conditional and tells us what to do in order to achieve a specific goal, unlike the categorical imperative which would tell us to act as we would want everyone to act in a given situation.

Question 19

Ethical egoism says that human beings are, as a matter of fact, so constructed that they must behave selfishly.

Accepted Answer

Ethical egoism is a normative theory that suggests individuals ought to act in their own self-interest; it does not claim that people must behave selfishly as a matter of their construction.

Question 20

A prima facie obligation is an obligation that can be overridden by a more important obligation.

Accepted Answer

A prima facie obligation is one that is binding unless there is a stronger reason to act in a different way. In other words, it can be overridden by a more important obligation.

Quiz 2: Normative Theories of Ethics