Kant's Ethics Flashcards
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According to Kant, what thing is the only thing that’s unconditionally good?
A. Happiness
B. Pleasure
C. A good will
D. Intelligence
C. A good will
According to Kant, the moral law qualifies as what kind of imperative?
A. Hypothetical
B. Categorical
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
B. Categorical
According to Kant, an action is wrong if its maxim involves which of the following?
A. A contradiction in willing
B. A contradiction in conception
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
C. Both A and B
According to Kant, the rightness or wrongness of an action _______ depends on its consequences.
A. Always
B. Sometimes
C. Never
D. All of the above
C. Never
According to Kant, which of the following makes a good will good?
A. Its active use
B. Its conformity with hypothetical imperatives
C. Its speed
D. Its conformity with the moral law
D. Its conformity with the moral law
What are hypothetical imperatives?
They tell us what we should do, given that certain other conditions apply (get something to drink, if you’re thirsty and don’t have any other pressing obligations)
What is a categorical imperative?
Tell us what to do period - no matter what.
What is The Formula of Universal Law?
You should act only for those reasons which have the following characteristic: you can act for that reason while at the same time willing that it be a universal law that everyone in your circumstances adopt that reason for acting.
What is a maxim?
Your maxim is your reason for acting; the principle, or rule, on the basis of which you act.
What are narrow (or perfect) duties?
Duties derived from a contradiction in conception; duties that an agent has no leeway in deciding when, how, and in what circumstances they’ll comply with them.
What are wide (or imperfect) duties?
Duties derived from a contradiction in willing; duties that allow latitude in deciding when, how, and in what circumstances the agent will fullfill them.
What is The Formula of the End in Itself?
Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means but always at the same time as an end.
According to Onoral O’Neill, to use someone as a mere means is to do which of the following?
A. To involve them in a scheme of action they find undesirable
B. To involve them in a scheme of action to which they’re irrelevant
C. To involve them in a scheme of action to which they can’t consent
D. All of the above
C. To involve them in a scheme of action to which they can’t consent
To avoid doing wrong, Kant thinks we should act so as to promote the happiness of as many people as possible.
A. True
B. False
B. False
The Formula of the End in Itself requires that one must:
A. Treat all sentient beings (even non-rational ones) as ends in themselves
B. Never cause pain to a rational agent
C. Treat all rational agents as ends in themselves
D. Always treat humanity as a means to promote the best end
C. Treat all rational agents as ends in themselves
