Nonconsequentialist (Deontological) Theories Of Morality And Virtue Ethics
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This is a quiz for the Philo Class of Dr Reynaldo Imperial. While the quiz maybe taken multiple times, only the first attempt (submission) shall be considered.
- 1.A "moral dilemma" will occur whenever you find yourself obliged to follow two different moral rules which require mutually exclusive actions. For instance, you might discover a co-worker embezzling from your employer, and, in a moment of weakness, promise not to expose the thief. On the one hand, it seems you are morally obliged to blow the whistle on your co-worker. At the same time, you also seem bound by your promise to remain silent. One nonconsequentialist theory that tells us how such conflicts might be resolved is
- A.
Kant's Duty Ethics.
- B.
Ross's theory based on Prima Facie Duties.
- C.
Virtue Ethics.
- D.
Divine Command Theory.
- 2.Many of us encounter people who truly enjoy doing good turns for others. We meet people who help the homeless, who feed the hungry, and who contribute to worthy causes not out of a sense of duty, but rather because that's what makes these people happiest. They get a sense of fulfillment from acting in a morally upright fashion.What does Kant have to say about such individuals?
- A.
They are violating the Practical Imperative.
- B.
They are violating the Categorical Imperative.
- C.
Since their good acts are done purely from natural inclination, they are the most moral acts possible.
- D.
Their good acts are less morally worthy because they are done from inclination, rather than a respect for duty.
- 3.In 19th century England, a group of prison reformers decided that convicts should be required to engage in "improving labor." In some cases, they were put to productive work; in others, they simply toiled at meaningless occupations like turning a heavy wheel, producing nothing. The idea behind this practice was that by forcing the prisoners (who were often viewed as being naturally lazy) to engage in regular hard labor, their characters would be improved, no matter how much they resented it at the time.The reformers' beliefs seem most closely to resemble those of
- A.
Kant.
- B.
The Intuitionists.
- C.
Aristotle.
- D.
Ross.
- 4.In debates about public morality, the argument is often between those who want some sort of government regulation and those who favor a reliance on personal responsibility. For instance, there is currently a dispute between those who want to require schools to use "filtering" software to block students from accessing some portions of the Web, and those who think children ought to be taught by their parents and others to simply avoid certain sorts of content.If these young people actually need to be taught the difference between right and wrong, this seems like it might supply the basis for a strong argument against
- A.
Ross's Prima Facie Duties.
- B.
All nonconsequentialist theories.
- C.
Kant's Duty Ethics.
- D.
Intuitionism.
- 5.One argument given for intuitionism is that people who have never formally studied ethics still seem to have a moral sense. That is, they seem to have some idea of what moral rules they are supposed to follow, even if they haven't spent any time reasoning or reflecting about moral matters. In fact, our legal system imposes what seems a minimal requirement for defendants to be able to stand trial: they must be able to tell right from wrong.This clearly seems to pose a difficulty for
- A.
Kant's claim that nothing is good in itself but a good will.
- B.
Kant's claim that morality is known by reason alone.
- C.
Kant's Categorical Imperative.
- D.
Kant's Practical Imperative.
- 6.Ross's prima facie duty of fidelity requires, among other things, that we tell the truth. His duty of nonmaleficence requires that we not injure others. Imagine a case in which you have knowledge that a friend's spouse is carrying on an affair. You would violate the duty of fidelity by not telling your friend what you know, and you would violate nonmaleficence by telling, since that would inevitably cause pain.According to Ross, which of the following applies to this case?
- A.
We should consult the Practical Imperative before acting.
- B.
We should always act in accord with the stronger prima facie duty.
- C.
Conflicting duties cannot be resolved.
- D.
Fidelity is always more important than nonmaleficence.
- 7.One aspect of ethics is the evaluation of particular actions. When a prosperous person gives money to a panhandler on the street, an act utilitarian would evaluate the moral character of that action by looking at its consequences, whereas a Kantian might do so by considering the maxim -- the rule -- that the action followed.How would Aristotle evaluate such an action according to his Virtue Ethics?
- A.
It depends on how both people felt about the act.
- B.
He would look at the relative amounts of goodness produced for the panhandler and the donor.
- C.
He would look at whether the action was conducive to the human good for both people.
- D.
He would say it embodied a conflict of duties.
- 8.Every child learns the "Golden Rule:" we ought treat others as we would have them treat us. This bears a marked resemblance to which element of an ethical theory discussed in the text?
- A.
The "Golden Mean" between two extremes discussed by Aristotle.
- B.
Kant's Good Will.
- C.
Ross's prima facie duty of Justice.
- D.
Kant's reversibility criterion.
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