Question 1

_______ can establish practices such as promising.
A) Rule utilitarianism
B) Act utilitarianism
C) Both act and rule utilitarianism
D) Neither act nor rule utilitarianism

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism can establish practices such as promising by evaluating the consequences of following a rule that allows promising, rather than evaluating each individual act.

Question 2

Which theory would seem best able to answer the question of whether students' high school lockers should periodically be inspected for drugs?
A) Rule utilitarianism
B) Act utilitarianism
C) Both act and rule utilitarianism
D) Neither act nor rule utilitarianism

Accepted Answer

A

Question 3

Which of the following is something rule utilitarianism can do that act utilitarianism cannot do?
A) Support the act that promotes the greatest overall utility
B) Instruct how we ought to act in a particular situation
C) Support moral rights
D) Consider effects for some animals as well as for humans

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism can support moral rights by endorsing rules that protect these rights, whereas act utilitarianism focuses on individual acts and their consequences without necessarily upholding consistent moral rights.

Question 4

Because rule utilitarianism establishes rules to be followed, it is _____ flexible with each distinct situation than act utilitarianism.
A) more
B) less
C) neither more nor less
D) extremely

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism is less flexible than act utilitarianism because it focuses on following established rules that are designed to maximize utility, rather than evaluating each situation individually.

Question 5

For rule utilitarianism, the right act in a given situation is
A) normally determined by a rule or practice that is known to promote greater overall utility.
B) always what will create the greatest overall utility.
C) what is most widely accepted and practiced in one's culture.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism holds that the rightness of an action is determined by the adherence to rules that, when followed, tend to promote the greatest overall utility.

Question 6

A standard claim of rule utilitarianism is that when two rules come into conflict with each other, one should
A) be sure to satisfy both rules.
B) do whatever they want, since they cannot avoid breaking some rule.
C) do that which promotes the greatest overall utility.
D) do whatever will create the most utility for oneself.

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism suggests that when rules conflict, one should follow the rule that leads to the greatest overall utility, aligning with the principle of maximizing overall happiness or benefit.

Question 7

Rule utilitarianism does better with several of act utilitarianism's problems because it
A) is not a consequentialist theory.
B) is based on the consequences of rules and practices rather than of specific acts.
C) does not require us to consider the likelihood of various effects.
D) Rule utilitarianism does not do better with act utilitarianism's problems.

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of following rules that generally lead to the greatest good, rather than evaluating each individual act, which helps address some of the practical issues faced by act utilitarianism.

Question 8

Act utilitarians often oppose rule utilitarianism because
A) it cannot support justice or rights.
B) they oppose all moral rules and principles.
C) rule utilitarianism does not consider consequences.
D) following a rule can keep us from maximizing overall utility in specific cases.

Accepted Answer

Act utilitarians believe that the rightness of an action depends solely on its consequences, and following a rule might prevent achieving the best outcome in specific situations.

Question 9

Fine-tuning the rules of rule utilitarianism,
A) increases the number of situations in which overall utility is promoted by following the rules.
B) makes rule utilitarianism work more like act utilitarianism.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Accepted Answer

Fine-tuning the rules of rule utilitarianism can increase the number of situations where following the rules promotes overall utility, aligning it more closely with act utilitarianism, which assesses each act individually for its utility.

Question 10

The inconsistency objection arises against rule utilitarianism because
A) some of rule utilitarianism's prescriptions would not generate as much utility as what act utilitarianism would prescribe.
B) some of rule utilitarianism's prescriptions are too flexible.
C) rule utilitarianism yields results that are inconsistent with our moral intuitions.
D) rule utilitarianism creates moral dilemmas.

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism can sometimes prescribe rules that do not maximize utility in specific situations, unlike act utilitarianism, which evaluates each act individually for its utility.

Question 11

The problem with taking fine-tuning too far is that
A) it begins to turn rule utilitarianism into simply a complicated version of act utilitarianism.
B) following a fine-tuned rule usually brings about less overall utility than a rule that is not fine-tuned.
C) fine-tuning is immoral.
D) it can bring rules into conflict.

Accepted Answer

Fine-tuning rule utilitarianism too much can make it resemble act utilitarianism, as it starts to focus on specific situations rather than general rules, losing the distinction between the two.

Question 12

Rule utilitarians can reasonably maintain that their theory promotes _______ overall utility than act utilitarianism can.
A) slightly less
B) much less
C) much more
D) the same amount of

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism focuses on following rules that generally promote the greatest good, which can lead to more consistent and reliable outcomes in terms of overall utility compared to act utilitarianism, which evaluates each action individually.

Question 13

Suppose a fine-tuned involuntary organ donation rule were acceptable to rule utilitarianism but conflicted with rule utilitarian principles of personal rights. Which of the following is true of the way forward?
A) Ordinary rule utilitarianism could resolve this using the dilemma principle.
B) Using the dilemma principle may not adequately respect personal rights.
C) Following the rule that creates the greatest overall utility could best respect personal rights.
D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose a fine-tuned involuntary organ donation rule...

Question 14

Rule utilitarianism differs from act utilitarianism in important ways. Most importantly, it
A) is limited to people and can never include non-humans.
B) defines right acts by the circumstances for each act.
C) measures the utility of rules or social practices rather than of specific acts.
D) requires significantly more complicated calculations.

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism focuses on the utility of following rules or social practices that lead to the greatest good, rather than evaluating each individual act as in act utilitarianism.

Question 15

Which ethical theory can encounter a moral dilemma?
A) Act utilitarianism
B) Rule utilitarianism
C) Both act and rule utilitarianism
D) Neither act nor rule utilitarianism

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which ethical theory can encounter a moral...

Question 16

According to rule utilitarianism, one should always choose the act that
A) would obtain the greatest overall utility in that situation.
B) satisfies a utility-promoting rule or practice.
C) will yield the most optimal consequences.
D) best serves one's self-interests.

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism focuses on following rules that, when generally adhered to, promote the greatest utility, rather than evaluating individual acts for their utility.

Question 17

To avoid having to calculate what one should do in every specific situation, rule utilitarianism suggests that we follow
A) our gut instinct.
B) "rules of thumb."
C) its rules, especially in dilemmas.
D) its rules, except in dilemmas.

Accepted Answer

The answer of To avoid having to calculate what one...

Question 18

Rule utilitarianism largely avoids which act utilitarianism problem?
A) The calculation problem
B) Extensions to animals
C) Worries about defining utility
D) The inconsistency objection

Accepted Answer

Rule utilitarianism avoids the calculation problem by focusing on rules that generally promote the greatest good, rather than calculating the consequences of individual acts.

Question 19

Which of the following would be the best result of fine-tuning the principle: "Stealing a loaf of bread is wrong?"
A) "Stealing a loaf of bread is wrong unless your family is starving."
B) "Stealing a loaf of bread is sometimes morally okay."
C) "Stealing is wrong."
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Fine-tuning the principle involves adding nuance to the original statement. Option A provides a specific exception that considers the context of necessity, making it a more refined ethical guideline.

Question 20

The _______ objection argues that fine-tuning rules may turn rule utilitarianism into something like act utilitarianism.
A) dilemmas
B) inconsistency
C) collapse
D) irony

Accepted Answer

The collapse objection suggests that by making exceptions to rules to maximize utility, rule utilitarianism effectively becomes act utilitarianism, as it would require evaluating each situation individually.

Quiz 9: Consequentialism Rule Utilitarianism

_______ can establish practices such as promising.

Which theory would seem best able to answer the question of whether students' high school lockers should periodically be inspected for drugs?

Which of the following is something rule utilitarianism can do that act utilitarianism cannot do?

Because rule utilitarianism establishes rules to be followed, it is _____ flexible with each distinct situation than act utilitarianism.

For rule utilitarianism, the right act in a given situation is

A standard claim of rule utilitarianism is that when two rules come into conflict with each other, one should

Rule utilitarianism does better with several of act utilitarianism's problems because it

Act utilitarians often oppose rule utilitarianism because

Fine-tuning the rules of rule utilitarianism,

The inconsistency objection arises against rule utilitarianism because

The problem with taking fine-tuning too far is that

Rule utilitarians can reasonably maintain that their theory promotes _______ overall utility than act utilitarianism can.

Suppose a fine-tuned involuntary organ donation rule were acceptable to rule utilitarianism but conflicted with rule utilitarian principles of personal rights. Which of the following is true of the way forward?

Rule utilitarianism differs from act utilitarianism in important ways. Most importantly, it

Which ethical theory can encounter a moral dilemma?

According to rule utilitarianism, one should always choose the act that

To avoid having to calculate what one should do in every specific situation, rule utilitarianism suggests that we follow

Rule utilitarianism largely avoids which act utilitarianism problem?

Which of the following would be the best result of fine-tuning the principle: "Stealing a loaf of bread is wrong?"

The _______ objection argues that fine-tuning rules may turn rule utilitarianism into something like act utilitarianism.