Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of State two alternative formulations of Immanuel Kant's...

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Kant, when does an action...

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A prima facie obligation refers to an obligation that is binding or obligatory on the face of it, but it can be overridden or set aside by other more important obligations or considerations.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Human rights have at least four important...

Question 5

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 6

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 moral worth is only achieved when we act out of duty, rather than feeling or sentiment. He argued that moral actions are those done out of a sense of obligation to follow universal moral principles, such as the Categorical Imperative, rather than by following our subjective inclinations or desires.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Adam Smith believed that individuals pursuing their own self-interest would ultimately benefit society as a whole through the invisible hand mechanism. He argued that the pursuit of profit would lead to firms producing goods and services that consumers demand, which would increase efficiency and drive economic growth. Therefore, he believed that the pursuit of self-interest by firms would actually benefit society, not harm it.

Question 8

What is a prima facie obligation?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a prima facie obligation?...

Question 9

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 10

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Immanuel Kant, lying is never...

Question 11

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 12

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 idea that the ethical choice is the one that provides the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This principle provides a clear and straightforward basis for formulating and testing policies, as it allows organizations to evaluate the consequences of their actions and make decisions that benefit the majority of stakeholders. Therefore, utilitarianism is often seen as a useful framework for making moral decisions in both business and nonbusiness organizations.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify two forms of ethical egoism. What...

Question 14

Explain one of the three criticisms of utilitarianism..

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain one of the three criticisms of...

Question 15

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

This statement accurately represents Jeremy Bentham's philosophy of utilitarianism, which holds that the goal of society is to maximize the overall happiness or pleasure experienced by individuals within it. Bentham believed that individual interests should be prioritized and that the community should work towards achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between egoism as...

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between the categorical...

Question 18

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

Kant believed in the principle of treating individuals as ends in themselves rather than simply as means to our own ends. He viewed prostitution as immoral because it reduced the person to a mere instrument for another's pleasure, rather than respecting their dignity as autonomous beings.

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between legal rights...

Question 20

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.

Quiz 2: Normative Theories of Ethics