Deck 1: A Moral Theory Primer

Question 1

In ethics, the terms "right" and "wrong" are used primarily to evaluate the morality of

A) persons.
B) actions.
C) consequences.
D) concrete objects.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of a value-based moral theory?

A) consequentialism
B) virtue ethics
C) both A and B
D) neither A nor B

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a duty-based moral theory?

A) consequentialism
B) natural law theory
C) Kantian moral theories
D) none of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Necessarily, if something is intrinsically good, then

A) its value depends on its relationship to something else that is intrinsically good.
B) its value depends on features that are inherent to it.
C) it is an action that is morally right.
D) it is also intrinsically value-neutral.

Question 5

Which of the following is a feature of consequentialist moral theory?

A) It is a value-based theory.
B) It involves the idea of alternative actions open to the agent.
C) It is a strongly impartialist moral theory.
D) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is a kind of consequentialist theory that explains right action in terms of the
Net balance of pleasure (or lack of pain) produced by that action?

A) hedonistic utilitarianism
B) perfectionist consequentialism
C) rule consequentialism
D) By definition, consequentialist theories do not mention pain.

Question 7

To say that the consequentialist account of right action is a maximizing conception is to say that, according to the account,

A) we are obligated to convince as many people as possible to accept consequentialism.
B) we ought to perform that action the consequences of which will have at least as much overall value as any of the alternative actions.
C) we are to perform that action the consequences of which will have the least overall value compared to any of the alternative actions.
D) none of the above

Question 8

According to rule consequentialism, the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on

A) that action's relationship to the operative rules of law.
B) the logical consistency behind the motive of actions of the same type.
C) whether a virtuous person would endorse a rule requiring, permitting, or prohibiting that action.
D) whether that action is required, permitted, or prohibited by a rule the consequences of which are best.

Question 9

Which of the following is a basic intrinsic good, according to Aquinas's version of natural law theory?

A) human life
B) human procreation
C) human sociability
D) all of the above

Question 10

According to the basic principle of natural law theory, an action is right if and only if (and because)

A) the action only indirectly violates some of the basic values.
B) the action is of a type that the laws of natural selection have favored.
C) in performing the action one does not directly violate any of the basic values.
D) none of the above

Question 11

To say that an action is intrinsically permissible (a feature mentioned in the doctrine of double effect) is to say that

A) the action, apart from its effects, is morally permissible.
B) the action, only because of its effects, is morally permissible.
C) no actual person would ever endorse that action.
D) the action is valuable because of its relationship to things that are intrinsically valuable.

Question 12

The doctrine of double effect is so named because it concerns

A) actions that are composites of simpler actions.
B) cases in which performing an action would have at least one good effect and one bad effect.
C) cases in which an action would have at least two good effects or two bad effects.
D) cases in which two actions of the same type are performed at the same time.

Question 13

In satisfying Kant's Humanity formulation of the categorical imperative, we are obligated to adopt two very general goals: the goal of promoting the (morally permissible) ends of others and the goal of

A) self-perfection.
B) producing happiness.
C) increasing welfare.
D) self-sacrifice.

Question 14

Kant's Universal Law formulation does not refer to an agent's wants; rather, it represents

A) an ethical dilemma.
B) a criterion for social acceptability.
C) a way to measure the value of an action's consequences.
D) a kind of consistency test.

Question 15

Kant refers to the special worth or value of persons a s

A) virtue.
B) beauty.
C) praiseworthiness.
D) dignity.

Question 16

A negative right, held by someone A to perform some action X, would be

A) a claim by A that others refrain from interfering with A's performing X.
B) a claim by A that others assist A in performing X.
C) a claim against A to the effect that A should not perform X.
D) none of the above

Question 17

A positive right of A against B would involve A's claim that

A) nobody interfere with B's pursuit of certain goods.
B) B do or provide something to A.
C) everybody must assist B in his pursuit of certain goods.
D) none of the above

Question 18

A utilitarian who recognizes rights will attempt to explain rights on the basis of utility by claiming that

A) there are no moral rights; there is only utility.
B) a moral right is a kind of claim that is justified by the fact that its recognition will not diminish overall welfare.
C) a moral right is a kind of claim that is justified by the fact that its recognition will contribute to the maximization of overall welfare.
D) all of the above

Question 19

John considers what Mary has done and thinks to himself, Mary did the right thing. This thought is primarily a judgment about

A) Mary's upbringing.
B) an action Mary performed.
C) Mary's moral character.
D) what John thinks he would have done.

Question 20

Ross proposed that we have a duty of reparation-that is, the prima facie duty-to

A) make amends to others for any past wrongs one has done to them.
B) show gratitude toward one's benefactors.
C) refrain from harming others.
D) improve oneself with respect to one's own virtue and knowledge.

Question 21

Audi proposed that we expand Ross's list of prima facie duties to include

A) veracity.
B) enhancement and preservation of freedom.
C) respectfulness.
D) all of the above

Question 22

According to Ross, in determining which prima facie duty is the most "stringent" in some particular
Case and thus represents one's all-things-considered duty, one must

A) appeal to a set of fixed rules to calculate which duty will prevail.
B) appeal to a moral authority.
C) use one's judgment rather than appealing to a fixed set of rules.
D) perform a utilitarian calculation.

Question 23

Corresponding to the theoretical aim of moral theory is the principle of

A) explanatory power.
B) parsimony.
C) practical guidance.
D) none of the above

Question 24

Corresponding to the practical aim of moral theory is the principle of

A) parsimony.
B) practical guidance.
C) explanatory power.
D) none of the above

Question 25

The basic idea of social contract theories of morality is that correct or justified moral rules or principles are the ones that result from

A) a social leader's moral deliberations.
B) an actual or hypothetical social agreement of some sort.
C) a contract that has been signed by most of the affected parties.
D) none of the above

Question 26

According to the principle of greatest equal liberty proposed by John Rawls, each person is to have an equal right to

A) the highest level of happiness that is attainable by the least happy person in the society.
B) the social and economic inequalities that are built into society.
C) opportunities and resources that belong to that person but nobody else.
D) the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similarly liberty for others.

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of a vice of character?

A) blindness
B) physical weakness
C) obesity
D) cowardice

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of a virtue of character?

A) tallness
B) honesty
C) physical beauty
D) simplicity

Question 29

Advocates of care ethics argue that

A) care ethics is an important development of virtue ethics.
B) that traditional moral theories have difficulty explaining the rightness or wrongness of attitudes.
C) that the only important more concepts are care and compassion.
D) that we should think about welfare and happiness in terms of sympathy.

Question 30

In contrast to other moral theories, care ethics emphasizes

A) the importance of attitudes as well as actions.
B) the concepts of care and compassion.
C) relationships as fundamental to one's identity and as a source of moral obligation.
D) all of the above.

Question 31

The practical aim of a moral theory is to offer practical guidance for how we might arrive at correct or justified moral verdicts about matters of moral concern.

Question 32

Duty-based moral theories include versions of consequentialism and virtue ethics.

Question 33

Principles of value specify conditions under which an action is right (or wrong).

Question 34

According to perfectionist consequentialism, an action is right if and only if (and because) it is what a morally perfect person would perform.

Question 35

Both utilitarianism and perfectionist consequentialism come in act- and rule-based forms.

Question 36

According to utilitarianism, it is welfare or happiness alone that is intrinsically valuable.

Question 37

The doctrine of double effect requires that certain actions be proportional-that is, that the evil brought about by the action is not out of proportion to the good being aimed at.

Question 38

Unlike with other moral theories, applying the natural law theory is a mechanical process.

Question 39

To say that persons are ends in themselves is to say that they have a special worth or value that demands of us that we have a certain positive regard for them.

Question 40

Central to Kant's theory is the idea that there are several basic moral principles, none of which can be derived from any other.

Question 41

The right to free speech is an example of a positive right.

Question 42

According to rights-based theory, sometimes it is not possible to respect all the fundamental moral rights of others.

Question 43

A vice is a character trait that contributes to making someone a morally bad person.

Question 44

Virtue ethics entails that there are only good and bad people; there are no good or bad actions.

Question 45

According to the ethics of prima facie duty, there is a single moral principle from which all other moral principles can be derived.

Question 46

According to Ross the duty of nonmaleficence is the prima facie duty to ensure that pleasure is distributed according to merit.

Question 47

Care ethics stresses that your identity involves relations of dependence on others.

Question 48

One way to develop care ethics in a practically useful way is to, like Collins, tie caring for others to their needs.

Question 49

John Rawls intends his theory to be a complete social contract account of morality.

Question 50

The point of the veil of ignorance, according to Rawls, is to ensure that no one is able to design principles to favor his particular condition.

Question 51

Things that are intrinsically _________ are neither intrinsically good nor intrinsically bad.

Question 52

The _________ aim of a moral theory is to discover those underlying features of actions, persons, or other items of moral evaluation that make them right or wrong.

Question 53

Consequentialism is a(n) _________ theory of right action because, according to it, the rightness (or wrongness) of an action depends on how much intrinsic value it would likely produce compared to how much intrinsic value alternative actions would likely produce.

Question 54

According to value hedonism, only states of _________ have intrinsic negative value.

Question 55

_________ consequentialism is any version of consequentialism according to which it is the net intrinsic value of the consequences of particular alternative actions open to an agent in some situation that determines the rightness or wrongness of those alternative actions.

Question 56

An action meets the condition of _________ (mentioned by the law of double effect) if it is not possible to bring about the good effect of that action except by performing an action that will bring about the evil effect in question.

Question 57

According to natural law theory, there are objectively true moral principles that are grounded in facts about human _________.

Question 58

The _________ rule says, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Question 59

According to Kant's _________ formulation of his categorical imperative, we should treat persons as ends in themselves and never as a mere means.

Question 60

Perhaps the most basic idea of a right is that of a(n) _________ of one person against some other party.

Question 61

A rights-based theory is a moral theory according to which rights are more basic than right _________.

Question 62

Virtue ethics makes the concepts of virtue and _________ central in moral theory.

Question 63

According to virtue ethics, an action is right if and only if (and because) it is what a virtuous agent, acting in _________, would not avoid doing in the circumstances under consideration.

Question 64

According to the ethics of prima facie duty, when one prima facie duty prevails in some conflict-of-duties situation, it becomes one's _________ duty.

Question 65

To say that one has a prima facie duty to perform some action is to say that one has some moral _________ to perform the action.

Question 66

According to the _________ principle, which is a fundamental principle of justice proposed by John Rawls, social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (i) reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage and (ii) attached to positions and offices open to all.

Question 67

Rawls uses the label justice as _________ for his conception of justice.

Question 68

Care ethics stress the importance of exercising our capacities for _________ and other emotions in moral deliberation.

Question 69

In contrast to virtue ethics, which focuses on states of character, care ethics is particularly interested in caring _________ between persons.