Relationships between Ethical Traditions

Question 1

Tom went hunting and legally shot a very rare deer that was popular with the local people; according to an act utilitarian, there would be greater total well-being if the animal was not shot, whereas the ________________ would conclude that it would be preferable to make a rule disallowing the killing of rare and popular animals.

Answer 1

rule utilitarian

Explanation:

According to act utilitarians, we should carry out the act that will maximize the total well-being (or the smallest decrease in well-being) of all affected.

Question 2

The people from a society meet to decide whether they should enslave a particular race of people in their community. A person who is attracted to the hypothetical social contract theory in the spirit of Rawls would ________ (agree or disagree?) with the proposal.

Answer 2

disagree

Explanation:

According to Rawls, the members of the community are in the Original Position behind the veil of ignorance, not knowing their position, race, job, etc. in the community. Hence, they do not know if they are members of the race that could be enslaved. Therefore, they would disagree with this plan.

Question 3

When it comes to determining whether sex outside of marriage is morally acceptable, the Kantian would have to will a universal law allowing sex before marriage without contradiction and then determine whether these couples are treating each other with _______ according to the Categorical Imperative.

Answer 3

respect

Explanation:

The test for respect of persons is the second formulation of the Categorical Imperative. So, if the universal law can be willed without contradiction (as it probably can in this case) and as long as the couples are treating themselves and each other with respect; then a Kantian would not find sex outside of marriage immoral.

Question 4

_________ believed that casual sex and sex outside of marriage was to be avoided because it was disrespectful to the parties and could result in serious emotional and physical consequences, such as unwanted pregnancy.

Answer 4

Epictetus

Explanation:

This was what Epictetus stated in The Art of Living.

Question 5

If a person manipulated another to have sex with them, then this will breach Kants ______________________ of respect for persons and so our sexual relations with others must always be purely voluntary.

Answer 5

categorical imperative

Explanation:

If our relations are completely voluntary, then the persons involved will be able to make up their own mind freely without the fear of coercion or manipulation. An example of manipulation is if one party convinces the other to have sex with them based on a lie.

Question 6

One utilitarian argument for defending ___________ is that it can increase sexual satisfaction for couples by providing heightened sexual stimulation and arousal.

Answer 6

pornography

Explanation:

Pornography can be both defended and criticized from the utilitarian perspective but it will be difficult to weigh up the harms and benefits. Utilitarians decide on the course of action that produces the greatest well-being for the community, but it will be difficult to measure the evidence of harms against the benefits because of the subjectivity of perspectives.

Question 7

As one of the Ten Commandments is to not commit adultery, the ______________ theorist will therefore conclude that adultery is immoral.

Answer 7

Divine Command

Explanation:

The Divine Command theorist believes that if God forbids adultery, then it is immoral.

Question 8

A utilitarian is likely to conclude that adultery in an open marriage where both parties have agreed to sexual relations with others is morally _____ (right or wrong?).

Answer 8

wrong

Explanation:

This is because even though it is an open marriage, it is likely that their behavior will create feelings of jealously and insecurity and eventually lead to divorce.

Question 9

The hedonistic Epicurus believed that happiness could be achieved by maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain and yet he would have probably declared adultery to be immoral because the greatest happiness was achieved through a moderate life which led to ___________.

Answer 9

tranquility

Explanation:

It is unlikely that adultery will bring the individual a life of peace and tranquility. It could possibly be considered a form of excessive desire that would cause emotional pain.

Question 10

Fertility clinics create and then destroy embryos that are not used and it could be argued that they are applying Utilitarian reasoning by providing childless couples with the opportunity to conceive and hence raise overall _________.

Answer 10

happiness

Explanation:

According toa Utilitarian, if the overall effect is an increase in total well-being, the act can be morally justified.

Question 11

When it comes to abortion, act utilitarians would contend that it must be looked at on a ____________ basis.

Answer 11

case-by-case

Explanation:

Each individual case will have to be assessed to determine if the total well-being will be greater if the abortion is carried out. If yes, then it is the correct thing to do.

Question 12

The _______ approach to abortion is complicated and leaves many open questions because it depends whether you are looking at it from the perspective of the woman or the fetus.

Answer 12

Kantian

Explanation:

When willing a universal law about abortion, the perspective of the fetus will be different to that of the woman. Also, questions arise as to whether the fetus can have a perspective because it may not have the power of conscious thought yet.

Question 13

Abortion may give rise to the virtue of compassion for the fetus where it is severely damaged or for the woman where the pregnancy is the consequence of ____.

Answer 13

rape

Explanation:

Virtuous acts encourage social peace because their characteristics are advantageous to both the possessor of those virtues and the recipients of the virtuous acts.

Question 14

A company promoting reverse bungee-jumping rides has sought a license with the government to offer this activity to the people; if the government made the decision according to Mills beliefs, then they would _____ (allow or disallow?) it.

Answer 14

allow

Explanation:

Under Mills harm principle, competent individuals make up their own minds if they want to take part in any dangerous activities as long as they are made aware of the dangers.

Question 15

Jill has been convicted of a crime and sentenced to death. Many would say that she does not deserve such a harsh punishment for so trivial a crime and so several friends offer her the opportunity to escape but she refuses as she believes in the teachings of the philosopher ________, who propounded that you must always obey the state.

Answer 15

Socrates

Explanation:

Socrates believed that there was an implied contract between the citizen and the state and if you lived in that state then you are subject to the rules and decisions of the state.

Question 16

Adam has been caught stealing some food from the market to feed his starving family; if the judge was a follower of Aristotle, his moral conclusion would be that Adam was ______.

Answer 16

guilty

Explanation:

Aristotle believed that some rules were inviolable and these included the law prohibiting theft.

Question 17

Harry is a bank employee who has stolen from his employer in order to secure the release of his family who has been kidnapped. According to _________, his actions would be moral.

Answer 17

Aristotle

Explanation:

Harry was coerced into stealing. He did not act voluntarily and hence may not be held morally responsible for his actions. On the other hand, this sort of situation cannot justify every kind of behavior that would normally be considered immoral.

Question 18

A society is ruled by a tyrant who has caused much dissatisfaction to the people he rules, so they decide to rebel and overthrow the tyrant. According to _____, this action is justifiable because he believed in majority rule.

Answer 18

Locke

Explanation:

Locke believed that the formation of the society gave their members the right of revolution where they were displeased with the ruler.

Question 19

Arthur has a terminal illness and has been told by doctors that he has 12 months to live, so he wants to commit suicide. His wife who is a _______ objects to his plans.

Answer 19

Kantian

Explanation:

Kant believed that suicide was always immoral because one could not will a universal law permitting suicide in every case of a terminal illness. Many people do not agree with Kant on this point.

Question 20

Fred is thinking of committing suicide because he owes $75,000 to friends, family members and his bank. To determine his course of action, he reads the writings of Plato and Aristotle and decides to follow their advice by ______________ (committing or not committing?) suicide.

Answer 20

not committing

Explanation:

Plato believed that suicide permitted by the gods was morally acceptable. Aristotle and Plato did not prohibit suicide absolutely but felt that suicide committed out of cowardice (as would be the case here a way of avoiding your responsibilities) was immoral.

Question 21

Adeline is a soldier who has endured several weeks of torture at the hands of the enemy. If she believed in the teachings of the _____ philosopher Epictetus, then she may well conclude that suicide would be the solution to her suffering.

Answer 21

Stoic

Explanation:

Epictetus believed that suicide was a viable option for those who could no longer endure what life had in store for them. To a certain extent, he was a fatalist.

Question 22

George has advanced throat cancer and has just contracted pneumonia, for which he has refused medication in the hope that he will die more quickly. The _______ would suggest that this form of voluntary passive euthanasia is moral.

Answer 22

Kantian

Explanation:

The Kantian can will a universal law allowing euthanasia in these circumstances without contradicting himself and the respect for persons part of the categorical imperative can also be met on the grounds that he is respecting himself and others through compassion, autonomy and mercy

Question 23

Both John Locke and Immanuel Kant _______ a right to suicide.

Answer 23

opposed

Explanation:

According to Locke “Nobody can give more power than he has to himself, and he that cannot take away his own life, cannot give another power over it.” Immanuel Kant believed suicide equal to murder and that a person has no more right to kill himself than to kill someone else.

Question 24

John Locke believed that all men were created by God and therefore as God’s property are prohibited from __________________.

Answer 24

committing suicide.

Explanation:

In his book, Second Treatise of Government, Locke stated: “For men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent and infinitely wise Maker, all the servants of one Sovereign Master, sent into the world by His order and about His business, they are His property, whose workmanship they are, made to last during His, not one another’s pleasure.”

Question 25

Euthanasia would be a violation of the ___________ Oath, which obligates the physician to attempt to benefit patients and to do no harm.

Answer 25

Hippocratic

Explanation:

Physician assisted suicide and euthanasia have long been forbidden by medical codes of ethics. Statements against active steps to accelerate death date back to the Hippocratic Oath and have formed the ethical core for professional resistance to these practices.

Question 26

In a hypothetical society, 50% of the people are extremely wealthy and the remainder are extremely poor and have become the slaves of the rich. Rousseau believes that such a situation is morally wrong because excessive inequality destroys _______.

Answer 26

freedom

Explanation:

Rousseau contended that where a sector of society was so dependent on another, then liberty would be sacrificed.

Question 27

Brown Inc pays its blue collar workers $20,000 per year, its white collar workers $200,000 per year and its top executives $100m per year. If they appointed a new CEO who followed the principles of __________, he would alter the wage structure to achieve fairer distribution of wealth.

Answer 27

John Rawls

Explanation:

Rawls believed in economic equality and contended that a reasonable amount of inequality could only be justified as an incentive for improved production. Hence, the new CEO would realign the wages so that there weren’t such a great disparity between the categories of employees.

Question 28

Derek is a well-off person with a steady job and good income, but he refuses to donate any money to assist people who have fallen on hard times. His friend Donna is a Kantian and she _________ (agrees or disagrees?) with his position.

Answer 28

disagrees

Explanation:

Donna cannot will a universal law of not helping people in need because she may one day fall on hard times and need assistance herself. Donating to those in need also meets the respect for persons formulation to both the donor and donee (recipient).

Question 29

Tim cannot get an education because it is expensive and his parents cannot afford it, whereas his friend Sam has affluent parents and so goes to school. A ___________ would morally object to this situation because everyone should be entitled to equality of opportunity to attain the level that is right for them in society, hence maximizing human resources.

Answer 29

utilitarian

Explanation:

A utilitarian would object as this situation is not conducive to maximizing a society’s human resources and hence the highest well-being is not achieved.

Question 30

An act utilitarian has just been appointed Governor of a state that permits capital punishment and is presented with an appeal from an inmate on death row. His approach to this situation is to look at the particular case to determine whether capital punishment will produce more total well-being than the ____________.

Answer 30

alternatives

Explanation:

The governor will weigh up the total well-being produced from the execution against the total well-being produced from other forms of punishment, such as life imprisonment with no parole.

Question 31

Dan is a follower of _______ and agrees that capital punishment is a morally acceptable solution on the grounds that it is necessary to protect the common good.

Answer 31

Aquinas

Explanation:

Aquinas believed that in order to protect the community, the State is obligated to execute dangerous criminals.

Question 32

Carl was convicted of murdering his employer Rod when the latter fired him; a _______ would choose capital punishment for Carl on the basis that the punishment chosen should be equal to the crime committed.

Answer 32

Kantian

Explanation:

This is what Kant argued for the right to retaliation in equal measure. He felt that capital punishment was mandatory for murder.

Question 33

A hypothetical country (A) has been colonized by another country (B) for over 50 years. The native people of A are unhappy with being ruled by B and wish to become an independent nation. A person applying the teachings of _____ would say that this action is morally right (right or wrong?).

Answer 33

Locke

Explanation:

Locke felt that a society had the right to revolt against a government they were unhappy with.

Question 34

In her country, Kim is not entitled to an education because she is physically disabled, so she takes part in actions of peaceful __________________ in accordance with the principles of the American activist King.

Answer 34

civil disobedience

Explanation:

This is the philosophy of Martin Luther King to protest in a nonviolent manner to achieve justice in the face of injustice.

Question 35

Bug Away is a pesticide product that has been banned in the US because it has been found to be too toxic to the environment, so the manufacturers of Bug Away have decided to instead sell it in Third World countries where environmental safety rules are not so strict. Jason, a new vice-president at the pesticide manufacturer has objected to this proposed plan by adopting a ___________ perspective and considering equally the potential harms that could be caused to the people living in those countries.

Answer 35

Utilitarian

Explanation:

Utilitarians consider not only the benefits or harms an action may have to a particular group of people but to all people that are potentially affected.

Question 36

An industrialized society has decided that continuing its environmentally unsustainable methods of living and working need not be changed in favor of more environmentally friendly options because they have no obligation to the future members of society. However, Vivien, who adopts the approach of John Rawls contends that time is irrelevant and the law of ____________ places a duty on us to consider the impact of our actions on future generations.

Answer 36

impartiality

Explanation:

This duty would exist due to the principle of impartiality that is present in Rawls theory, so that we cannot discriminate against future members of society.

Question 37

Researchers from a pharmaceutical company have traveled to a Third World country to test a new drug for malaria. They do not tell the patients this, instead informing them that they are providing the usual drugs to treat their condition for free; many people would oppose this behavior as unethical because the patients have not given their ________________.

Answer 37

informed consent

Explanation:

The researchers should have informed the patients that they are testing new drugs and given them all pertinent information before seeking their permission to test the new drugs on them.

Question 38

Anthony needs surgery and his doctor advises him that he has 2 options: Option A is very safe but has a longer recover period and Option B is less safe but will have a shorter recovery period. Anthony chooses Option B and even though the doctor feels that Option A is preferable, like ____ he does not try to coerce Anthony to choose Option A because it is illegitimate to force him to do something which you think is for his own good.

Answer 38

Mill

Explanation:

John Stuart Mills liberty principle objected to paternalism for competent individuals, who should make up their own minds on what actions to take or avoid.

Question 39

The Belmont report is important because it spells out principles for the protection of human participants in ________ studies.

Answer 39

research

Explanation:

The report’s three main principles are respect for persons, beneficence and justice. One of the key components of respect for persons is informed consent.

Question 40

The _______ report was created in part as a response to problems caused by the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

Answer 40

Belmont

Explanation:

The study was conducted by the US Public Health Service between 1932 and 1972. In this case, 400 disadvantaged, poorly educated black men were used, without their consent or knowledge to study the course of a well known, treatable disease.

Question 41

Dr Oliver has just ordered a blood transfusion for a severely injured patient but the patient objects to the procedure on religious grounds. Dr Oliver is in a quandary as his duty of beneficence clashes with the patients right to ________.

Answer 41

autonomy

Explanation:

The right to autonomy is enshrined in medical ethics and has its foundation in Mills On Liberty and the right of competent persons to determine their own fate.

Question 42

The US government regulates the sale of medical drugs, which according to Mills Harm Principle is a government intervention that is ___________ (justifiable or not justifiable?).

Answer 42

justifiable

Explanation:

Government intervention is necessary to protect individuals from buying drugs that could harm them.

Question 43

Ben is a promising college student but he spends much of his time drinking alcohol and lazing about. Applying Aristotelian philosophy, his friend Jon suggests that he moderate his behavior to attain the virtue of __________.

Answer 43

temperance

Explanation:

Jon is applying the Doctrine of the Mean, with temperance being the virtue between the two extremes of too much physical pleasure and inadequate physical pleasure.

Question 44

Richard is a farm owner who hires immigrant child workers every harvest time and pays a wage that is below the poverty line for 12 hours of daily work. He justifies his actions on the grounds that every other farm owner is doing the same thing, but if he adhered to Kantian principles, he would realize that each person has _______________ and hence should be treated with respect.

Answer 44

intrinsic worth

Explanation:

This is what Kant believed that people have dignity because they are rational agents. Richards behavior is disrespectful because he does not pay his workers fairly and his long working hours are denying the children a right to an education. He is manipulating the children for his own benefit and that is morally unacceptable.

Question 45

The American moral philosopher James Rachel’s introduced us to a flaw in ____ philosophy by using the Case of the Inquiring Murderer, where B is trying to kill A and A has sought refuge in the home of C, so that if B asked C where A was he would have to tell the truth and not lie.

Answer 45

Kants

Explanation:

Immanuel Kant believed that some principles were absolute and this included the duty to tell the truth.

Question 46

ABC Pharmaceuticals tests its drugs on animal subjects, which is occasionally harmful to the animals. A Kantian would argue that animals are not rational agents and hence can be used as a means to an end, with the qualification that we owe the animals an indirect duty to refrain from _______________.

Answer 46

cruel treatment

Explanation:

This is because Kant felt that cruel treatment to animals would soil our moral character and affect the way we treat other rational persons.

Question 47

Alistair has to choose between saving the life of his daughter, a high school student or that of a renowned doctor who has saved many lives and will probably continue to do so in the future if he had the opportunity. Applying his strict ___________ principles, Alistair saves the life of the doctor.

Answer 47

utilitarian

Explanation:

Applying the principle of promoting the greatest happiness for the greatest number, the strict utilitarian will choose the doctor, since he can save many lives and bring much well-being to society as compared to the high school student with an uncertain future.

Question 48

Iris has lost her husband of 30 years to cancer and she has been in mourning for over a year, living the life of a recluse. Her cousin Gertrude visits her with a present of the writings of _________ in the hope that she will realize that there are some things in life that we can control and some that we cannot and that when she realizes this basic rule, she will achieve inner peace and external effectiveness.

Answer 48

Epictetus

Explanation:

Iris has to realize that the death of her husband was not within her power to control and she cannot change it. She can control her emotions and her view on the events to go on living and treasuring the time she had with her husband.

Question 49

Simone has saved $10,000 in the bank for a rainy day but her brother Theo is more carefree and saved only $1000. When Theo loses his job, he quickly exhausts his savings and turns to his sister for assistance. Despite the fact that Theo should have been wiser, she nonetheless applies the ____ ethic by lending him some of her savings, even though that will reduce her own ability to take care of herself in the event of a similar event occurring.

Answer 49

care

Explanation:

Simone is acting in a caring and trusting manner as espoused by female ethics. She has strengthened her bond with her brother and lent him some money but guarded her own well-being by not lending all her savings.

Question 50

Lionel owns a DVD rental store and he is asked to start offering explicit pornographic material. According to Kant, pornography would probably be morally _____ (right or wrong?).

Answer 50

wrong

Explanation:

A universal law willing competent adults the freedom to take part in making explicit pornography voluntarily may not necessarily be contradicted. However, the respect for persons formulation in the categorical imperative will most likely be breached because pornography uses people as a means to an end and can be considered exploitative.

Question 51

______________ theorists object to homosexuality on the grounds that it violates Gods law.

Answer 51

Divine Command

Explanation:

These theorists believe that God prohibits homosexuality and hence it is morally wrong.

Question 52

Ken has been missing since his yacht sunk 1 year ago. His wife Jasmine has recently started a sexual relationship with Ron, but Ken has been found safe and sound on a deserted island. It is arguable that Jasmines actions have been morally ___________ because her behavior does not display any vices.

Answer 52

justifiable

Explanation:

According to most moral theories, Jasmine has broken her promise to Ken and committed a great sin. Many of the vices that one would normally associate with adultery are not present for example, deceptiveness, dishonesty and disloyalty. She acted in the mistaken belief that her husband was dead and after 1 year held no hope of him being found alive. Hence, in her mind, there was no act of adultery.

Question 53

Where a person lives in a Hobbesian society, the moral code is that which the _____ has agreed to, yet if a member of that society disagrees with a particular principle in that code, he is obliged to remain silent unless the code allows it.

Answer 53

group

Explanation:

Thomas Hobbess social contract theory states that the members of a society agree to live by a set of rules formed by the group. Disagreement on a principle in that code, where permitted, must be justified as not contributing to social harmony.

Question 54

Three college boys persuade an 18 year old mildly retarded girl to have sex with them and they defend their actions on the grounds that she is 18 and consented freely to their activities. However, many people would find the actions of the boys morally repugnant on the grounds that their behavior demonstrated several vices such as ___________, irresponsibility, promiscuity, and callousness.

Answer 54

selfishness

Explanation:

Virtue-based ethics would consider the behavior of the boys as being immoral and vice-like.

Question 55

Some people have argued that ___________ is against the natural law because our sexual organs are designed for procreation. However, some philosophers have disagreed with this view contending that other parts of our bodies serve more than one purpose and that is entirely normal.

Answer 55

homosexuality

Explanation:

Natural law theorists argue that homosexuality goes against our inherent nature, however, critics argue that the very fact that homosexual behavior can occur is not contrary to our biological nature.