Final Studying (Multiple Choice) Flashcards
Which one of the following is most likely to be classified as a teleological approach to thinking about moral rightness?
A. Doing what God commands
B. Doing what the law requires
C. Doing what is consistently universalizable
D. Doing what is expected to have the best consequences
E. Doing what is consistent with the customs, traditions, and morals of the society of which one is a member or visitor
D. Doing what is expected to have the best consequences
Which one of the following is the best characteristic of virtue ethics?
A. Virtue ethics is the branch of ethics that makes prescriptions about how one should go about deciding what is or would be the morally right course of action
B. Virtue ethics is the non-prescriptive branch of ethics that analyzes the meaning of moral terms and critically examines concepts and forms of argument used in moral reasoning
C. Virtue ethics is the branch of ethics of ethics that focuses on the conditions under which it makes sense to hold people morally responsible for their actions
D. Virtue ethics is the branch of prescriptive ethics that focuses on the qualities of a virtuous person or person of good character, and on how the ideals of virtue should be cultivated within organizations and society
E. Virtue ethics is the branch of ethics that engages primarily on the critique of macroeconomic policies
D. Virtue ethics is the branch of prescriptive ethics that focuses on the qualities of a virtuous person or person of good character, and on how the ideals of virtue should be cultivated within organizations and society
Which one of the following best describes the difference between teleological and deontological theories of ethics?
A. Teleological theories focus on maximizing pleasure in people’s lives; deontological theories on maximizing knowledge
B. Teleological theories focus on treating people fairly; deontological theories on maximizing human well-being
C. Teleological theories associate right actions with good consequences; deontological theories associate right actions with considerations other than consequences
D. Teleological theories focus on maximizing preference satisfaction in society; deontological theories on maximizing liberty
C. Teleological theories associate right actions with good consequences; deontological theories associate right actions with considerations other than consequences
Which one of the following best characterizes the meaning of moral responsibility?
A. Acquiring wealth and maximizing profit potential
B. Holding oneself and others accountable for choices and actions
C. Claiming a benefit as an entitlement
D. Being an honest person
E. Treating people without discrimination
B. Holding oneself and others accountable for choices and actions
Which one of the following was not identified by the instructor as a basic concept in ethics? A. Right choice B. Rights entitlement C. Responsibility D. Empirical inquiry E. Fairness
D. Empirical Inquiry
Which one of the following best characterizes the distinction between negative and positive rights?
A. Negative rights protect freedoms; positive rights preserve nurturing relationships
B. Negative rights are associated with welfare rights; positive rights are associated with natural rights
C. Negative rights define entitlements not to be harmed; positive rights define entitlements to benefits
D. Negative rights are backed by custom; positive rights are backed by coercion
C. Negative rights define entitlements not to be harmed; positive rights define entitlements to benefits
Which of the following is the best characterization of conduct ethics?
A. Conduct ethics is a branch of prescriptive ethics that focuses on the qualities of a virtuous person or person of good character, and on how ideals of virtue should be cultivated within organizations and society
B. Conduct ethics is the branch of ethics that engages primarily on the critique of macroeconomic policies
C. Conduct ethics is the branch of ethics that makes prescriptions about how one should go about deciding what is or would be the morally right course of action
D. Conduct ethics is the non-prescriptive branch of ethics that analyzes the meaning of moral terms and critically examines the concepts and forms of argument used in moral reasoning
E. Conduct ethics is the branch of ethics that focuses on the conditions under which it makes sense to hold people morally responsible for their actions.
C. Conduct ethics is the branch of ethics that makes prescriptions about how one should go about deciding what is or would be the morally right course of action
Which one of the following is the best example of a moral rule (as opposed to a rule of etiquette, a rule of logic, or a procedural convention without harmful consequences or implications)?
A. Parking permits should be displayed on the lower right side of the vehicle’s rear window
B. Human artifacts should play a minor role in landscape paintings
C. Agreements that have been entered into voluntarily should be kept
D. One should reply to letters of inquiry within two days
E. Committees should be chaired by members with the greatest seniority
C. Agreements that have been entered into voluntarily should be kept
Which of the following is the best characteristics or metaethics (analytic ethics)?
A. Metaethics is the branch of ethics that focuses on the conditions under which it makes sense to hold people morally responisble for their actions
B. Metaethics is the branch of ethics that makes prescriptions about how one should go about deciding what is or would be the morally right course of action
C. Metaethics is the branch of descriptive ethics that focuses on identifying basic moral beliefs within cultures and highlighting cultural differences
D. Metaethics is the branch of descriptive ethics that analyzes the meaning of moral terms and critically
examines concepts and forms of argument used in moral reasoning
E. Metaethics is the branch of prescriptive ethics that focuses on the qualities of a virtuous person or person of good character, and on how the ideals of virtue should be cultivated within organizations and society
D. Metaethics is the branch of descriptive ethics that analyzes the meaning of moral terms and critically examines concepts and forms of argument used in moral reasoning
Which of the following approaches to ethics requires developing an account of what constitutes well-being in human life (a theory of value), in terms of which consequences can be evaluated? A. Divine command ethics B. Utilitarian ethics C. Relativistic ethics D. Nomadic ethics
B. Utilitarian ethics
Which one of the theory best characterizes the meaning of “intrinsic value”?
A. An intrinsic value is a value that leads to an abundance of other values
B. An intrinsic value is the value that is universally valued
C. An intrinsic value is something that is good in and of itself, i.e. something that is good for its own sake
D. An intrinsic value is something that is good as a means to some other value
C. An intrinsic value is something that is good in and of itself, i.e. something that is good for its own sake
Which one of the following best characterizes the theory of value termed “hedonism”?
A. Pleasure in an intrinsic value and the criterion of other intrinsic values
B. Blind pursuit of immediate pleasure often leads to pain and suffering
C. The experience of pleasure is a good but not an adequate measure of human excellence
D. Pleasure is better than pain
A. Pleasure in an intrinsic value and the criterion of other intrinsic values
Gus Speth identified four basic trends related to pollution and declining environmental health. Which one of the following is NOT one of these trends?
A. From modest to huge quantities
B. From gross insults to microtoxicity
C. From adequate to inadequate media coverage
D. From First World to Third World
E. From local effects to global effects
C. From adequate to inadequate media coverage
Gus Speth identified four basic "drivers" of environmental and ecological decline. Which one of the following is not one of these drivers? A. Population growth B. Economic growth C. Market failure D. Radical religious beliefs E. Political failure
D. Radical religious beliefs
Which one of the following is the best estimate of global human population growth over the 20th century? A. An increase of 10% B. An increase of 80% C. A two-fold increase (doubling) D. A three-fold increase (tripling) E. A four-fold increase (quadrupling)
E. A four-fold increase (quadrupling)
Which of the following is the best estimate of the magnitude of increase of worldwide economic output during the 20th century? A. A two-fold increase B. A three-fold increase C. A five-fold increase D. A twenty-fold increase
D. A twenty-fold increase
According to William Rees, the "ecological footprint" of Vancouver, B.C. is estimated to be how many times greater than available resources within this metropolitan to meet regional demand? A. 2 times greater B. 5 times greater C. 12 times greater D. 100 times greater
C. 12 times greater
Which of the following best characterizes the meaning of the term “net primary production”?
A. The amount of energy required to sustain human life
B. The amount of energy in Earth’s biosphere
C. The amount of energy produced by photosynthesizing organisms in excess of what those organisms require for their own growth and development
C. The amount of energy produced by photosynthesizing organisms in excess of what those organisms require for their own growth and development
Who is the author of the following: "All the problems we face can be dealt with using existing technologies. And almost everything we need to do to move the world economy onto an environmentally sustainable path has been done in one or more countries"? A. Gus Speth B. Lester Brown C. Donald Duck D. President Obama
B. Lester Brown
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, what taxonomic group of vertebrates faces the greatest threat of extinction? A. Amphibians B. Mammals C. Birds D. Rainforests
A. Amphibians
The World Wide Fund for Nature warns that the bio-regenerative capacity of the planet has already been exceeded. According to this international organization, if the current level of demand on Earth's natural resources remains the same, how many "Earth's" would be required to meet human wants and needs by 2050? A. 1/2 Earth B. 1 Earth C. 1.5 Earth D. 5 Earths
C. 1.5 Earths
The author of the text suggests that environmental and ecological decline will likely go unabated without a much needed “counter-driver.” What counter-driver does the author single out as most needed?
A. A worldwide government capable of instituting and enforcing environmental protection measures
B. Renewal of the faith that science and technology are capable of solving all the problems we face
C. Greater consensus among scientists that global warming is occurring and is primarily caused by human activity
D. A widely held attitude of respect for nature
D. A widely held attitude of respect for nature
Which one of the following is the definition of “wildlands” provided by Conservation International?
A. Lands that retain 70% of their original vegetation and have a human population of less than 5 people per km
B. Lands that pose significant risk to visiting humans
C. Lands that retain at least 90% of their original vegetation and have no human inhabitants
D. Lands that exhibit conditions much the same as those that existed at the dawn of human civilization
E. Lands that are legally protected
A. Lands that retain 70% of their original vegetation and have a human population of less than 5 people per km
Who is the author of this statement: "In wildness is the preservation of the world"? A. Gus Speth B. Lester Brown C. Henry David Thoreau D. Benjamin Franklin
C. Henry David Thoreau
Which one of the following Christian saints wrote the following: "We conclude, then, that lifeless beings exist for living beings, plants for animals, and the latter for man. The whole of material nature exists for man, inasmuch as he is a rational animal"? A. Saint Thomas Aquinas B. Saint Francis of Assisi C. Saint Augustine D. Saint Joan of Arc E. Saint Byron of Boise
A. Saint Thomas Aquinas
Which one oft eh following Enlightenment philosophers developed a dualistic ontology-- the view that there are two irreducibly different kinds of reality, mind and matter-- and argued that the existence of one's own mind can be known with certainty? A. John Locke B. Rene Descartes C. David Hume D. Jean Jacques Rousseau E. Charles Darwin
B. Rene Descartes
Which one of the following is NOT a line of criticism against the definition of “nature” given in the Wilderness Act of 1964 (as ‘places untrammeled by man, without permanent improvement and human habitation, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain’)?
A. Wilderness thus conceived dilutes responsibility for protecting areas that are less than pristine
B. Wilderness thus conceived requires intensive and continuous human management
C. Wilderness thus conceived flies in the fact that change and adaptability to change are basic dynamics in evolving ecosystems, not constancy
D. Wilderness thus conceived is ethnocentric and deprives people living in undeveloped countries the opportunity to achieve the standards of living achieved by people living in developed countries
E. Wilderness thus conceived will inevitably hasten the destruction of rain forests and other valuable ecosystems
E. Wilderness thus conceived will inevitably hasten the destruction of rain forests and other valuable ecosystems
Which one of the following is NOT a line of criticism against the view that any conception of nature is inescapably a cultural construct and fails to reveal nature as it “really is”?
A. Postmodernism traps itself in a contradiction; it inconsistently privileges own conception of nature as non-relativist truth
B. Rigorous on-going science is capable of revealing physical reality as it “really is”
C. It is misleading to erect a sharp distinction between perception and what is perceived - between knowing subjects and known objects, between culture and nature - and then to construct a reductive explanation of one in terms of the other
D. However nature is or has been represented to be, it is just that: a representation that reflects cultural ways of perceiving and understanding
D. However nature is or has been represented to be, it is just that: a representation that reflects cultural ways of perceiving and understanding
Which of the following Christian saints wrote the following: "They do not consider how admirable these things [plants and animals] are in their own places, how excellent in their own natures, how beautifully adjusted to the rest of creation, how much grace they contribute to the universe by their own contributions, as to a commonwealth."? A. Saint Thomas Aquinas B. Saint Augustine C. Saint Joan of Arc D. Saint Johnson of New York
B. Saint Augustine
Which one of the following writers wrote the following: "As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and, as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it varies however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected"? A. Lester Brown B. Charles Darwin C. Francis Bacon D. Sir Isaac Newton E. Rene Descartes
B. Charles Darwin
Which one of the following is NOT true of Francis Bacon?
A. He was an Enlightenment thinker
B. He saw science as a necessary tool for controlling nature for human benefit
C. He formulated the rudiments of the scientific method
D. He is famous for arguing “I think, therefore I am.”
D. He is famous for arguing “I think, therefore I am.”
Which one of the following theologians wrote the following: "Be praised, my Lord, with all your creatures... Be praised my Lord, for our Sister Mother Earth, who nourishes and governs us, and produces various fruits with many-colored flowers and herbs... Praise and bless the Lord, and give thanks and serve him with great humility."? A. Saint Francis of Assisi B. Martin Luther C. John Calvin D. Joseph Smith
A. Saint Francis of Assisi
Which one of the following is NOT (according to the instructor) a primary factor in contributing to a respectful attitude toward nature?
A. Rekindling felt connections
B. Telling life’s epic story
C. Understanding complex systems
D. Taking stock of nature’s manifold value
E. Reaffirming faith in human technological capability to solve environmental and ecological problems
E. Reaffirming faith in human technological capability to solve environmental and ecological problems
Which one of the following best describes what is meant by the term “ecological services”?
A. The services performed by microbial and other non-human organisms
B. The services that are priced and accounted for in the financial systems
C. The services performed by waste disposal companies
D. The services performed by pest extermination companies
A. The services performed by microbial and other non-human organisms
If the history of life on Earth were condensed in a movie lasting one year, the first human agricultural communities would appear at about what time? A. About May 15 B. With about a month left C. With about two days left D. With less than two minutes left
D. With less than two minutes left
Which of the following statements best conveys the meaning of Gary Snyder’s poem “The Call of the Wild”?
A. The coyote’s howl is in danger of being silenced by the advance of civilization
B. Loss of the coyote’s call is a loss of wildness not only in nature but in our psyches as well
C. Loss of the coyote is a gain for cattlemen but a loss for ecosystems in which the coyote is the top predator
D. Reintroduction of the coyote in Yellowstone National Park is imperative
B. Loss of the coyote’s call is a loss of wildness not only in nature but in our psyches as well
According to Jeanine Benyus in her book, Biomimicry, which of the following is NOT one of nature’s ways?
A. Nature runs on sunlight
B. Nature fits form to function
C. Nature is like a clock designed by a designer to keep perfect time
D. Nature recycles everything and wastes nothing
E. Nature banks on diversity
C. Nature is like a clock designed by a designer to keep perfect time
Which one of the following best characterizes what Edmund Burke called the experience of the sublime?
A. An appreciation of beauty
B. A feeling of sheer terror when one is confronted by menacing forces that one cannot control
C. A powerful and strangely pleasing emotion produced in the human mind by “terrible objects,” objects whose magnitude of power is so great that they evoke a sense of awe and the realization that ones own existence is tenuous, limited, or small in comparison
D. A feeling of thankfulness for nature’s bounty
C. A powerful and strangely pleasing emotion produced in the human mind by “terrible objects,” objects whose magnitude of power is so great that they evoke a sense of awe and the realization that ones own existence is tenuous, limited, or small in comparison
Which one of the following writers is the author of the following: "In creating the planet Earth, its living forms, and its human intelligence, the universe has found, so far as we know, the most elaborate manifestation of its deepest mystery. Here, in human form, the universe is able to reflect on and celebrate itself in a unique mode of conscious self-awareness."? A. Holmes Rolston B. Thomas Berry C. Edmund Burke D. Martin Heidegger E. Charles Darwin
B. Thomas Berry
The mechanistic-deterministic model posits that predictive certainty is, in principle, possible, and that phenomena studied in psychology can, in principle, be fully explained by phenomena studied in physics, chemistry, and biology. Is this statement true or false?
True
Which author played a key role in the development of the chaos-complexity theory?
Edward Lorenz (B)
Which one of the following best describes James Lovelock’s “Gaia hypothesis”?
A. Earth’s processes are designed to maximize diversity and complexity
B. Earth is a very large self-organizing entity capable of regulating the mix and concentration of atmospheric gases in ways that make life possible
C. Earth was created by the Greek goddess, Gaia
D. Earth’s processes are fully explicable in terms of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics
A. Earth’s processes are designed to maximize diversity and complexity
Per the instructor, an entity is not reasonably regarded as being morally considerable in its own right unless several conditions are met. Which one of the following is NOT one of these conditions?
A. That a candidate entity is self-regulating
B. That a candidate entity is capable of being harmed
C. That a candidate entity is capable of moral agency
D. That a candidate entity possess or exhibit a characteristic that is of value to the entity in question and is deserving of respect
C. That a candidate entity is capable of moral agency
Per the definition of “moral standing” given by the instructor, which one of the following statements is NOT entailed by the claim that any entity, X, has moral standing?
A. Any obligation owed to X is an obligation owed directly to X
B. The question of the permissibility of harm to X is a relevant moral question, whether or not any human is harmed thereby
C. Harm to X is never morally justified
C. Harm to X is never morally justified
Which one of the following best characterizes the “antropocentrist’s” position on moral standing?
A. All and only humans have moral standing
B. Humans and sentient animals have moral standing
C. All organisms have moral standing
D. All organisms and their genomic kinds (species) have moral standing
A. All and only humans have moral standing
Which writer formulated the “convergence hypothesis” and is regarded as a leading proponent of “soft” anthropocentrism?
Bryan Norton (A)
Which of the following arguments is not a line of criticism against antropocentrism?
A. It is impossible to formulate a rationality criterion that includes all humans and excludes all non-humans
B. Anthropocentrism is “speciesism” and no less discriminatory than racism and sexism
C. An ethic that begins with the premise that non-human life and life systems lack moral standing will inevitably favor humans and will, ipso facto, lead to inevitable long-term degradation of nature
D. No justifactory arguments for environmental stewardship can be made from an anthropocentric perspective
D. No justifactory arguments for environmental stewardship can be made from an anthropocentric perspective
Which one of the following statements could NOT be made consistently by an antropocentric theorist?
A. Animals should not be mistreated because such treatment leads to the cruel treatment of human beings
B. Only the interests of human beings are relevant in moral decision making
C. Pollution should be controlled for the benefit of future generations of human beings
D. My obligation not to be cruel to Sue’s dog is an obligation owed to Sue
E. My obligation not to be cruel to Sue’s dog is an obligation owed to both Sue and her dog
E. My obligation not to be cruel to Sue’s dog is an obligation owed to both Sue and her dog
Which writer is the author of the following: “Ecofeminists insist that the sort of logic of domination used to justify the domination of humans by gender, racial, ethnic, or class status is also used to justify the domination of nature.”?
Karen Warren (A)
Which one of the following best describes the distinction between “hard” and “soft” anthropocentrism?
A. The “hard” antropocentrist maintains that humans are superior to non-human biotic entities; the “soft” anthropocentrist maintains that the policy implications of a broadly formulated and farsighted antropocentrism and non-anthropocentrism will be identical
B. “Hard” anthropocentrism presupposes a Darwinian theory of human origins; “soft” anthropocentrism is compatible with a creationist account of human origins
C. “Hard” anthropocentrism is too hard; “soft” anthropocentrism is too soft
A. The “hard” antropocentrist maintains that humans are superior to non-human biotic entities; the “soft” anthropocentrist maintains that the policy implications of a broadly formulated and farsighted antropocentrism and non-anthropocentrism will be identical
The instructor contends that the concept of moral standing and the concept of moral significance are one and the same concept. Is this statement true or false?
False
The instructor uses the predicates “has moral standing,” “counts morally,” and “is morally considerable” synonymously? Is this statement true or false?
True
