Deck 9: An Ethic to Live by

Question 1

The "ethic to live by" says that we ought always to maximize good in a unjust way.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The "ethic to live by" includes all of the aspects of Immanuel Kant's theory of duty and John Stuart Mill's idea of utility.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Beneficence differs from benevolence because

A) beneficence asks us to want to do good over evil
B) beneficence asks us to actually do good over evil
C) beneficence asks us to be generous
D) benevolence asks us to actually do good over evil

Answer 3

B

Question 4

There are four theories of distributive justice.

Question 5

Police bear a positive responsibility to do good by

A) maintaining order
B) providing service to people
C) applying the law
D) all of the above

Question 6

The "ethic to live by"

A) is a specific set of principles for officers to follow
B) is so generalized that it cannot be applied to day-to-day situations
C) is a general set of principles designed for use on a regular basis
D) can only be used for some ethical questions and dilemmas

Question 7

Distributive justice is another word for capitalism.

Question 8

The book's "ethic to live by"

A) embraces only Aristotle's Nicomachean ethics
B) embraces only Immanuel Kant's ethical formalism
C) embraces only John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism
D) is a hybrid of ethical formalism and utilitarianism

Question 9

To be benevolent is to think well of people and to attempt to act well toward them.

Question 10

Mill would say an action is moral if

A) it is absolute
B) it produces far more good than evil
C) it is discretionary
D) none of the above

Question 11

Using Kant's ethical formalism, if the police were to operate as if every law included an absolute duty to make arrests

A) America's jails, courtrooms, and prisons would be filled beyond their capacity
B) criminal justice expenditures would skyrocket
C) America's entire criminal justice system would grind to a halt
D) all of the above

Question 12

The two basic principles of obligation are

A) the principle of maximizing good and some principle of justice
B) the principle of maximizing societal good and individual good
C) the principle of maximizing individual and societal justice
D) the principle of maximizing good while ignoring evil

Question 13

The "ethic to live by" is designed as a "how to do it" guide.

Question 14

If the police were to operate as if each and every law suggested to them an absolute duty to make arrests, America's jails, courtrooms, and prisons would be filled beyond their capacity and the entire criminal justice system would grind to a halt.

Question 15

Under the principle of beneficence

A) one should do good
B) one should prevent evil
C) one should be benevolent
D) one should both do good and prevent evil

Question 16

Utilitarians suggest that when we make ethical decisions, we should think about the greater good of the community and/or the good of the individuals immediately involved in a decision.

Question 17

Under Mill's utilitarian perspective, if an action produces far more good than evil it is immoral.

Question 18

In Kant's view, the moral quality of the act is determined

A) by the good it produces
B) by the evil it eliminates
C) only by the moral quality of the act
D) by balancing the good it produces against the evil it eliminates

Question 19

Kant suggested that duties are fixed and universal and that no amount of rationalization should keep the good person from pursuing the path of righteousness.

Question 20

Good character shows itself in a person's

A) clothing
B) family
C) speech
D) habitual tendency to understand the decent

Question 21

Police officers attempting to promote justice cannot undo all of the unfairness and inequality in the world. But what can they do? In the COP era, what types of actions can police officers take on the job that might have a positive impact on the lives of citizens who are the most needy in our society? In other words, how do police officers behave in today's world as "agents of change"?

Question 22

Beneficence

A) is active
B) is intentional
C) focuses on our desires
D) ignores our actions

Question 23

Refer to Box 9.6. Discuss examples from everyday life in which each of these different methods of distributing justice might be considered morally defensible.

Question 24

Under the principle of beneficence, police

A) ought not to inflict harm on others or do evil
B) ought to take seriously the obligation to prevent evil and harm
C) ought to remove evil
D) all of the above

Question 25

Review Box 9.7 and write an essay about "day fines." What are they? What is the alternative way of levying fines for criminal conduct? What is the ethical frame of reference behind the idea of day fines? Do you consider this idea interesting and provocative as an alternative to how we do things here in America? Would you change our fine structure toward such a system? Why or why not?

Question 26

Treating people fairly

A) means treating them identically
B) does not (necessarily) mean treating them identically
C) means treating them courteously
D) means treating them without consideration of life's variables

Question 27

The concept of what is "due" to each person is called

A) the principle of beneficence
B) the principle of benevolence
C) distributive justice
D) the Golden Rule

Question 28

Capitalism says that in the business world

A) people who work harder are more worthy than those who are lazy
B) people who work harder are more worthy than those who are unproductive
C) people who work harder are more worthy than those who are unimaginative
D) all of the above

Question 29

Beneficence involves

A) doing good deeds
B) acting charitably
C) behaving in a kindly manner
D) all of the above

Question 30

Under Karl Marx's communist theories, people should receive society's benefits

A) according to wealth
B) according to need
C) according to productivity
D) equally

Question 31

Recall Muir's definition of the tragic perspective in life. How does that idea inform our discussion here? In other words, how is it that Muir's professional officer will behave in such a way as to do honor to our ethic to live by?

Question 32

Before we can adopt virtue as the standard for resource distribution

A) everyone must be virtuous
B) everyone must act in a virtuous way
C) everyone must have had an identical chance to achieve virtue
D) none of the above

Question 33

The virtue principle

A) is identical to the merit principle
B) doesn't go as far as the merit principle
C) goes further than the merit principle
D) is unrelated to the merit principle

Question 34

In an effort to better understand the principle of beneficence, consider this idea of promoting good and preventing evil. Discuss examples from everyday life of how people might behave so as to follow this rule. Then discuss police-related examples of how one might apply beneficence on the job.

Question 35

The egalitarian principle of distributive justice is that

A) everyone should receive political power based upon their productivity
B) everyone should receive political power based upon their creativity
C) everyone should receive precisely the same amount of political power
D) no one should receive political power based upon their productivity

Question 36

Who espoused the use of virtue as a criterion in judging "what each is due"?

A) Aristotle
B) Plato
C) Socrates
D) Archimedes

Question 37

Modern democratic theory differs from capitalism in that it says

A) everyone should receive political power based upon their productivity
B) everyone should receive political power based upon their creativity
C) everyone should receive precisely the same amount of political power
D) no one should receive political power based upon their productivity

Question 38

The virtue principle

A) combines virtuous behavior with compassion, kindness, and empathy
B) says do unto others as you would have them do to you
C) is identical to the Golden Rule
D) was announced by Aristotle

Question 39

Using virtue as a criterion in judging "what each is due" means that

A) those who behave themselves are rewarded in ways that those who do not behave are not
B) those who work harder get more
C) those who are smarter receive deference for their intelligence
D) all of the above