Answer all questions using scantrons distributed in class. Pleased use pencils. Exactly one answer to each question is best and thus correct. Please use the outlines as help in answering these questions.
1. Moral judgments are
A) normative; B) purely descriptive; C) none of the above.
2. According to the lectures, the rules of law
are
A) normative; B) purely descriptive; C) based on religion ; D) none
of the above.
3. The following claim is not normative
A) doctors ought not to lie to their patients
B) when you eat fish you ought to use two forks (and no knife)
C) it's wrong for politicians to accept bribes
D) the earth is flat
4. The claim (judgment) that "doctors think
that it is morally permissible to lie to their patients" belongs
to
A) metaethics; B) applied ethics; C) descriptive ethics; D) all of
the above
5. The claim that "it is morally wrong for doctors
to lie to their patients" belongs to
A) metaethics; B) applied ethics; C) descriptive ethics; D) all of
the above
6. The claim that torturing frogs just for fun
does not lead to scientific discoveries belongs to
A) metaethics; B) applied ethics; C) theoretical ethics D) none of
the above (e.g., it's not an ethical claim).
7. THEORETICAL ETHICS is
A) a philosophical study of the meaning, nature and methodology of
moral judgments and terms
B) a philosophical inquiry about the most fundamental moral
principles
C) an factual empirical inquiry about ethical customs, of various
societies, personal convictions, motives, etc.
D) all of the above; E) none of the above
8. METAETHICS is
A) a philosophical study of the meaning, nature and methodology of
moral judgments and terms
B) a philosophical inquiry about the most fundamental moral
principles
C) an factual empirical inquiry about ethical customs, of various
societies, personal convictions, motives, etc.
D) all of the above; E) none of the above
9. The main focus of ethical inquiry (moral
philosophy) is
A) the evaluation of law
B) describing what people do and think in various societies
C) how we ought to act, what kinds of people we ought to be, what
kind of situations and outcomes are good and bad
D) none of the above
10. In ethics, such terms as "obligatory" and
"forbidden;" "right" and "wrong" are primarily used to
evaluate
A) actions; B) people; C) both A) and B); D) neither A) nor
B)
11. In ethics, such terms as "virtuous" and
"wicked" are primarily used to evaluate
A) outcomes and situations; B) people and their character
C) both A) and B); D) neither A) nor B)
12. The following feature is not mentioned by Shaw
as a characteristic of morality
A) moral standards must be supported by adequate reasons
B) moral standards concern behavior of serious consequence to human
welfare
C) they are especially important (overriding)
D) they must be in accordance with the true religion
13. The following feature is not criticized by
Stef as a characteristic of morality
A) moral standards must be supported by adequate reasons
B) moral standards must concern behavior of serious consequence only
to human welfare and not the welfare of other organisms, e.g.,
animals
C) they must be especially important (overriding)
D) all were criticized
14. Stef argued that rationality and
prudence are one and the same thing, so only someone
irrational would sacrifice himself/herself for others
(A) TRUE (B) FALSE
15. Stef argued in class that rationality is
not simply efficiency in achieving one's goals, no matter what
those goals are (that is one can be efficient in achieving his or her
goals, and yet his or her action may be irrational(
A) TRUE (B) FALSE
16. According to Stef, some people who sacrifice
themselves for others act rationally
A) TRUE (B) FALSE
17. According to the concept of morality outlined
by Stef in his lectures and outlines, the main kind(s) of external
sanctions that come with morality is/are the following:
A) the feelings of guilt, shame, pride, etc.
B) disapproval and anger of others, ostracism
C) prison terms and fines
D) eternal sanction (going to hell or heaven)
E) none of the above.
18. Descriptive ethics is part of moral
philosophy
A) TRUE; B) FALSE
19. The claim "If someone ought to do a, and she
cannot do a without doing b, then she ought to do b" belongs to
A) metaethics B) applied ethics
C) theoretical ethics D) none of the above (e.g., it's not an ethical
claim).
20. According to Stef, some animals are
compassionate
A) TRUE B) FALSE
ANSWERS:
1A -- according to the lectures, there are many normative systems, ethics/morality is one of them; law, etiquette, religion, etc. are among others), so moral judgments are normative.
2A (see above)
3D -- That the earth is flat is not normative judgments; it's a description of a geographical fact
4C -- The claim (judgment) that "doctors think that it is morally permissible to lie to their patients" belongs to descriptive ethics. It is not a claim about what is right, wrong, permissible or not (such a claim would be normative); rather it' a description of what doctors think about morality. See the outline about various kinds of judgments
5B -- The claim that "it is morally wrong for doctors to lie to their patients" belongs to applied ethics. It's an application of some general moral principle / rule to a more specific situation (or situations) encountered by doctors in their practice.
6D -- The claim that torturing frogs just for fun does not lead to scientific discoveries is not an ethical claim).
7. THEORETICAL ETHICS is
B) a philosophical inquiry about the most fundamental moral
principles (see the outline)
8. METAETHICS is
A) a philosophical study of the meaning, nature and methodology of
moral judgments and terms (see the outline).
9. The main focus of ethical inquiry is C) how we ought to act, what kinds of people we ought to be, what kind of situations and outcomes are good and bad
10. In ethics, such terms as "obligatory" and "forbidden" are primarily used to evaluate A) actions
11. In ethics, such terms as "virtuous" and "wicked" are primarily used to evaluate B) people and their character
12. The following feature is not mentioned by Shaw
as a characteristic of morality
D) they must be in accordance with the true religion
13. The following feature is not criticized by Stef as a characteristic of morality A) moral standards must be supported by adequate reasons. According to Shaw, B) moral standards must concern behavior of serious consequence to human welfare. I took him to imply that standards that deal with animal welfare are not in the same group. I criticized this view on the grounds that some moral claims may deal with environmental issues and animal welfare. Shaw also maintains that C) moral standards must be especially important (overriding). I argued in class that some of the most important norms may fail to be moral norms. For example, it may be most important for a person to brush his/her teeth in the morning. In my example, this person ought to water plants in his house, make a phone call, feed his cats, etc. I suggested that sometimes brushing the teeth overrides the other requirements. But the norm requiring ti brush one's teeth is not a moral norm (rather it is a requirement of prudence). By the way, some philosophers disagree with me on this issue and maintain that, by definition, whatever requirement turns out to be overriding, this requirement is a moral one. R.M. Hare is one of the most famous XX c philosophers who developed such a view. I disagree with him.
14. Stef argued that rationality and prudence are one and the same thing, so only someone irrational would sacrifice himself/herself for others. (B) FALSE. I argued that some acts of self-sacrifice are rational. For example, parents frequently sacrifice their interests for their children., their behavior is rational. Also, heroic acts (some supererogatory acts) involve great sacrifice. Nevertheless they are rational. I have a video showing three cases where people truly risk their lives for others, sometimes for strangers: 1) A Secret Service agent takes a bullet for the President Regan; 2) a woman saves the stranger from the cold waters of Niagara River; 3) a marine throws his body on a live grenade. I decided against showing them in class, but if you want to I will loan them to you.
15. Stef argued that rationality is NOT simply efficiency in achieving one's goals, no matter what those goals are (B) TRUE. Someone may chose his/her goals irrationally. E.g., someone' may have a goal to self-destruct himself or herself for no good reason. Achieving this goal would be irrational.
16. A) TRUE (see above; it's really the same as #14 . I should not have included it here.
17. According to the concept of morality outlined by Stef in his lectures, the main kind() of external sanctions that come with morality is/are the following:: B) disapproval and anger of others, ostracism (see the outline)
18. Descriptive ethics is part of moral philosophy -- B) FALSE (I stressed this point quite a bit in class. Normative ethics is part of moral philosophy; it studies what kind of things are good/bad and what kind of acts are righ/wron; descriptive ethics studies our beliefs about morality but not how thing ought to be)
19. The claim "If someone ought to do a, and she cannot do a without doing b, then she ought to do b" belongs to A) metaethics (I used this principle as an example on one of my outlines)
20. According to Stef, some animals are compassionate -- A) TRUE (check it out on my site)