Question 1

Nicomachean Ethics are the moral writings of which philosopher?

Accepted Answer

Nicomachean Ethics are the moral writings of Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who lived from 384-322 BCE.

Question 2

Hume claimed that you cannot derive a(n) __________ from a(n) __________, that is, you could not provide a valid argument about what you should do based on the facts alone.

Accepted Answer

Hume's famous dictum is that you cannot derive an "ought" from an "is," meaning you cannot reason about what ought to be the case based solely on what is the case. In other words, you cannot derive moral or ethical judgments from purely factual statements or empirical observations.

Question 3

Which of the following philosophers rejected the idea of basing morality on feelings of any kind?

Accepted Answer

Kant rejected the idea of basing morality on feelings, arguing that true morality should be based on reason and rationality, rather than subjective emotions. Aristotle believed in basing morality on virtues and character traits, Hume argued that moral judgments were based on sentiment and feeling, and Rousseau believed that humans were naturally good, but corrupted by society.

Question 4

Which of the following said that the first impulses of nature were always right?

Accepted Answer

Rousseau is known for his idea that humans are naturally good and that it is society that corrupts them. He believed that the first impulses of nature were always right and that it was social conventions and institutions that imposed artificial and harmful constraints on individuals.

Question 5

Bentham said that "nature has placed mankind under two sovereign masters." They are __________.

Accepted Answer

Bentham's philosophy is based on the principle of utilitarianism, which states that actions are morally right if they result in the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. He believed that the two sovereign masters that nature has placed mankind under are pleasure (or happiness) and pain, as these are the two main factors that dictate human behavior.

Question 6

Which of the following said "Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself" and "man makes himself"?

Accepted Answer

The quotes "Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself" and "man makes himself" are both attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre, a French existentialist philosopher.

Question 7

Why shouldn't the existentialist consult feeling as a guide for action?

Accepted Answer

Feelings are often shaped by the actions one takes, and existentialists believe in creating meaning through actions rather than relying on pre-existing emotions.

Question 8

Which Harvard psychologist changed the course of ethics by arguing that women tended to think about moral issues differently than men did, thereby challenging the standard initial assumptions on which further philosophical inquiry is made?

Accepted Answer

Carol Gilligan, a Harvard psychologist, argued that women tended to think about moral issues differently than men did in her book "In a Different Voice." This challenged the standard initial assumptions of traditional ethics, which focused on male perspectives and experiences. Her work opened up new avenues for feminist ethics and moral reasoning, and had a significant impact on the field of philosophy.

Question 9

What do art and morality have in common? According to Sartre, which elements unite them?

Accepted Answer

Sartre believed that both art and morality are united by creativity and invention, emphasizing the role of human freedom and the creative process in both fields.

Question 10

__________ claims that everyone always acts to his or her own advantage and that the only reason why a person performs a morally good action is because it serves his or her own interests. In popular language, this is called selfishness.

Accepted Answer

The description given matches the definition of psychological egoism, which asserts that all human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest.

Question 11

Compare Rousseau's notion of conscience with Hume's notion of sentiment. Does one theory seem to be stronger than the other, based on the differences and/or similarities between the notions of sentiment and conscience?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare Rousseau's notion of conscience with Hume's...

Question 12

Does Aristotle's model of virtue ethics depend only on social constructs, or does it also leave room for autonomy? Defend your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does Aristotle's model of virtue ethics depend...

Question 13

Consider how one might reconcile the rule-based system of Kant with the consequence-based system of utilitarianism. Can the two ethical systems complement one another?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider how one might reconcile the rule-based...

Question 14

Think of one or more moral dilemmas that cannot be satisfactorily solved by either Kant or Mill. Does Nietzsche provide a solution?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Think of one or more moral dilemmas...

Question 15

What are the moral dangers of suggesting, as Nietzsche and Sartre do, that individuals create their own value systems? Could a prison guard in a Nazi concentration camp describe himself as a "good person" on existentialist grounds?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the moral dangers of suggesting,...

Question 16

How plausible is the idea that men and women make their moral choices using different rules and criteria? Given the choice between saving your own child's life and the life of someone else's child, what would you do, and why? What would Mill do? Kant?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How plausible is the idea that men...

Question 17

Does it make any sense to ask whether some action is right or wrong apart from any relation to a comparison class? Is the predicate "is right" functionally different from "is tall," "is sour," or "is located between A and B"? Don't we ask if Sam is tall in relation to Betty, or as compared with most people? We wouldn't understand what was meant by "sour" unless we had tasted sweet, would we? "Is the post office located between Main Street and First Street?" is a relational question that cannot be answered unless we had Main Street and First Street for comparison. Moral relativism asserts that "is right" needs a comparison class, too. Do you agree? Argue both pro and con sides of the issue.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does it make any sense to ask...

Question 18

Consider the anecdote about Abraham Lincoln. While arguing the psychological egoist position with a friend, he stopped to help some drowning piglets. His friend remarked that his action was altruistic, not egoistic, to which Lincoln countered that it was indeed selfishness because if he didn't stop to help he'd have no peace of mind the rest of the day worrying about the piglets. Is it selfishness? Consider this: Why would Lincoln have had a disturbed peace of mind if he had not helped? Perhaps it is because, as psychological altruism asserts, people naturally act for each other's sake. Perhaps Lincoln responded to his natural condition of psychological altruism by acting according to his natural condition of psychological egoism! Discuss.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the anecdote about Abraham Lincoln. While...

Question 19

Is Kant correct in asserting that people should be praised or blamed only for what they have control over and not for what they have no control over? It seems obvious that congratulating someone on his height or punishing a mentally handicapped person for not doing algebra correctly is ridiculous. Yet, along with Aristotle, we still do this for virtues and vices, even though a person's courage, wit, wealth, and so forth, is often due to heredity and upbringing rather than personal choice. How do you know when, and in what proportion, to praise or blame?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Is Kant correct in asserting that people...

Question 20

What did Nietzsche mean by "Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Űbermensch"? How is man a bridge rather than a goal? Does everyone have the capacity to become an Űbermensch? How does one go about it? Is the "will to power" something morally efficacious?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What did Nietzsche mean by "Man is...

Quiz 7: Ethics