How Can I Know What Is Right?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which of the following positions characterizes ethical skepticism?

a.
Your moral views are as good as anyone else’s.
b.
Moral values are objective.
c.
What is right is right, regardless of what anyone thinks.
d.
There is no way of knowing what is morally right.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

2. Which of the following positions characterizes ethical absolutism?

a.
There is no way of knowing what is right or wrong.
b.
Your moral views are as good as anyone else’s.
c.
Moral truths are objective, transcending time and place.
d.
There are no transcultural moral values.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

3. Which of the following positions characterizes ethical relativism?

a.
Moral standards are absolute.
b.
Your moral views are as good as my moral views; no morals are universally valid.
c.
Moral values are not relative to social groups.
d.
If it is wrong to lie, then it is wrong in any and all circumstances.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

4. Suppose I argued that it is wrong to cheat because if I get caught I will be punished. This type of reasoning indicates that I think

a.
deontologically.
b.
teleologically.
c.
that consequences do not make an action right or wrong.
d.
ethics are determined by God.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

5. A deontologist would argue that

a.
we should do good because it is our duty.
b.
what makes an action right or wrong are the consequences that result.
c.
there are no objective standards of morality.
d.
morality is without a rational foundation.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

6. According to Kant, the only thing good without qualification is

a.
an act itself, such as giving money to the needy.
b.
a good will.
c.
the consequence of an act.
d.
an act that is legal.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 109

7. Kant claims that a good will is manifested when a person does good from duty, not inclination. Why does he claim this?

a.
Inclination is a feeling, and feelings cannot be morally commanded.
b.
We must be inclined to do what is good.
c.
Morality is a matter of feeling, not of will.
d.
What we will is based on how we feel.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 110

8. The moral value of an action resides, according to Kant, in

a.
the results of an action.
b.
the desires that people have to please other people.
c.
a material principle of will.
d.
a formal principle of will.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 112

9. Which of the following is an example of a formal principle of the will?

a.
the inclination to help a friend
b.
the desire for pleasure
c.
feelings of compassion
d.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 112

10. An imperative is categorical if it is

a.
conditional.
b.
hypothetical.
c.
unconditional.
d.
not freely accepted.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 113

11. Kant’s categorical imperative states

a.
you are under an obligation to obey the laws of the state even if they are morally wrong.
b.
if you cannot universalize the maxim of your action, you should not do it.
c.
if you cannot universalize the maxim of your action, you should do it.
d.
act so as to produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 113

12. According to Kant, we cannot

a.
will to lie.
b.
will to cheat.
c.
will a universal law of lying.
d.
will to help others.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 113

13. Mill would say that it is unacceptable to cheat because

a.
those who cheat may suffer serious consequences if caught.
b.
God does not want people to cheat.
c.
it is one’s duty not to cheat.
d.
it undermines our feeling of unity with other people.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 115

14. If I argue that the greatest good is pleasure, philosophers would call me a

a.
deontologist.
b.
hedonist.
c.
legalist.
d.
Kantian.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 115

15. One problem with utilitarian theory, according to Kantians and deontologists, is that

a.
it is possible to deny the minority their rights if that satisfies the principle of utility.
b.
it is not possible to deny the minority their rights given the principle of utility.
c.
it can support an adequate theory of justice.
d.
it does not take pleasure into account.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 115

16. Utilitarian theory holds that

a.
an action is right when it tends to produce happiness.
b.
an action can be right even when it tends to produce pain.
c.
only physical pleasure is part of happiness.
d.
physical pleasure should never be part of happiness.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 116

17. Mill answers the question “How can I know what is right?” by arguing that

a.
it is impossible to know what is right.
b.
nothing is always right.
c.
the principle of utility can tell us what is right.
d.
only God’s word can tell us what is right.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 116

18. Mill argues that Epicureanism is not a “doctrine worthy of swine” by

a.
making no distinction between higher pleasures and lower pleasures.
b.
claiming humans are just like swine in most important respects.
c.
maintaining that the Epicurean philosophy values pleasures of the mind more than physical pleasures.
d.
reminding the reader that it is pleasurable to eat bacon.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 116

19. Those who are not appreciative of the “higher pleasures,” according to Mill,

a.
simply are not as intelligent as those who are.
b.
are unwilling to judge the quality or value of anyone’s desires.
c.
believe that “ignorance is bliss.”
d.
live lives that have not encouraged the development of their higher faculties.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 118

20. Mill suggests that we can know the principle of utility is proven true because people

a.
ought to desire pleasure.
b.
ought to desire a higher form of happiness.
c.
ought to desire the general happiness of all.
d.
do in fact desire to be happy.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 119

21. Humans feel obligated to promote the general happiness, according to Mill, because

a.
they know that is what treating people as ends and not means requires.
b.
of their conscientious feelings through unity with others.
c.
they accept that duty demands it.
d.
of their fear of God.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 121

22. Kant and Mill would agree that

a.
some acts are just intrinsically evil.
b.
morality should reflect the unique abilities of humans.
c.
morality is a reflection of human desires.
d.
“duty” is the central moral concept.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 122

23. According to the divine command theory of ethics,

a.
good is what God commands.
b.
evil is what God commands.
c.
“morally right” means “what is useful.”
d.
“good” means “master morality.”

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 123

24. One problem with the divine command theory of ethics is that

a.
it offers no foundation for ethics.
b.
God may not be completely good.
c.
it leaves us with no independent standards by which to judge God’s commands.
d.
people cannot know what God commands.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 123

25. Ethical nihilism refers to

a.
the view that morality derives from feelings.
b.
the view that there is no foundation for moral values.
c.
the belief that one ought to pursue one’s self-interest.
d.
the belief that one ought to do what is in the interests of others.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 123

26. If ethical emotivism is true, then

a.
nihilism and altruism amount to the same thing.
b.
what is good is what I dislike.
c.
moral rightness is the same as moral wrongness.
d.
feelings of approval or disapproval are essential to morality.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 123

27. Nietzsche describes the moral period as

a.
when the value of an act is determined by its consequences.
b.
when the intention of an act is interpreted as a symptom.
c.
when the act’s intention is understood as the value of an act.
d.
the prehistoric period.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 125

28. Nietzsche’s main point is to show that master morality arises from

a.
justice.
b.
the categorical imperative.
c.
the will to power.
d.
obedience to God’s law.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 126

29. Sympathy, patience, humility, diligence, and utility are the values of

a.
a slave morality.
b.
a master morality.
c.
the will to power.
d.
the will to life.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 125

30. How does Nietzsche answer the question “How can I know what is right?”

a.
Do not follow your selfish instincts.
b.
Play it safe.
c.
Give due regard to the needs of others.
d.
Create your own values boldly and bravely in accord with the noblest instincts.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 125

31. Nietzsche writes, “The noble soul has reverence for itself.” By this he means

a.
that a noble soul fulfills the Kantian ideal of acting for duty’s sake.
b.
that what makes a soul noble is its self-glorification.
c.
the noble soul is altruistic.
d.
the noble soul subscribes to a slave morality.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 125

32. Ressentiment is

a.
spiritual revenge by powerless groups against the values of the aristocracy.
b.
denial of the will to life.
c.
an “evil” trait attributed to the powerless.
d.
the “English psychologists'” view of the self.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 129

33. Divine command theory is the belief that

a.
morality is founded on following God’s will.
b.
all religions teach the same principles of ethics, which proves that God exists.
c.
God does not interfere in human actions and gives us no ethical guidance.
d.
God will punish anyone who does not follow divine commands.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 131

34. According to al-Ashari, anything that God commands is just and good because

a.
God would never inflict pain on an infant.
b.
God understands human limits and only gives humans what we can bear.
c.
God is subject to no one and therefore nothing that God does could be wrong.
d.
from God’s perspective nothing is ever wrong.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 132

35. According to Nielsen, believers think that we ought to follow God’s command because

a.
If we do not, God will punish us.
b.
If we do, then God will reward us.
c.
God’s will is the same as human’s will.
d.
God is morally perfect.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 134

36. According to some feminist philosophers, which of the following concepts is more central to a moral theory developed from a feminine perspective?

a.
obligation
b.
care
c.
law
d.
pleasure

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 142

37. According to Held the most important change that feminist thinking has brought to moral theory is what?

a.
making women’s experience relevant
b.
bringing attention to questions of justice in the home
c.
justification for caring
d.
universal law

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 146

38. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the ethics of care, according to Held?

a.
values relationships between persons.
b.
values empathetic understanding.
c.
focuses on responding to the needs of others.
d.
values equal rights for women

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 147-150

39. Which of the following is an argument in favor of moral relativism?

a.
The ethical beliefs of any given society are determined abstractly and never change.
b.
Religious customs determine what is just and unjust.
c.
Moral judgments express our own subjective reactions to certain facts and events.
d.
Some moral judgments might be wiser than others.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 158

40. The belief that the moral rightness and wrongness of actions varies from society to society is called what?

a.
diversity thesis
b.
dependency thesis
c.
relativism thesis
d.
subjective thesis

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 160

41. The belief that individual are right or wrong depending on the nature of the society from which they emanate is called what?

a.
diversity thesis
b.
dependency thesis
c.
relativism thesis
d.
subjective thesis

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 160

42. Someone who believes that there are moral principles that ought never be overridden or violated is called what by Pojman?

a.
moral objectivist
b.
moral absolutist
c.
moral individualist
d.
moral subjectivist

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 164-165

43. Someone who posits that there are prima facie principles that may be overridden by other prima facie principles.

a.
moral objectivist
b.
moral absolutist
c.
moral individualist
d.
moral subjectivist

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 164-165

TRUE/FALSE

1. There is no difference between ethical relativism and ethical skepticism.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

2. All ethical relativists are ethical absolutists, but none are ethical skeptics.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 108

3. For Kant, reverence for the law is the recognition that your will ought to be subordinate to law.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 112

4. According to Kant, the categorical imperative is equivalent to a rule that requires us to treat persons as ends rather than as means to an end.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 113

5. Utilitarianism is classified as a teleological ethical theory because it maintains that what makes an action right are its consequences.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 115

6. According to utilitarianism, you should not cheat on this test because you have a duty to be honest.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 115

7. Mill believes that most people would rather be Socrates unsatisfied than a satisfied swine.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 118

8. According to Mill, all morality is based on subjective feelings in our own minds.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 119

9. The antithesis between good and bad becomes, from the point of view of master morality, the opposition between the noble and the powerless.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 125

10. To Nietzsche, the origin of the concepts “good” and “bad” is in the aristocrats’ equation of “good” with their own qualities.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 128

11. According to al-Ashari, God will admit rejecters into heaven to prove that there are no limits on divine power.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 132

12. According to Nielsen, the concept of God and the concept of good are distinct.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 134-135

13. According to Virginia Held, an ethics of care can only be used to address morality within a family and within friendships, only an ethics of justice could be used to transform systematic inequality.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 147-150

14. According to Virginia Held, an ethics of care can replace ethics of justice.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 150-152

15. The belief that morality is not dependent on the society but rather on the individual is conventional ethical relativism.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 162

16. Pojman believes that subjective relativism cannot be justified, but that conventional ethical relativism promotes a culture of tolerance.