Exam 1: Moral Philosophy and Moral Reasoning

A recurring example in the chapter is the practice in some cultures of genital cutting.Utilizing the meta-ethical concepts in the book,present your own argument for or against finding the practice morally acceptable.

The study of morality can help you do which of the following?

An argument is a formal method of logic.

The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is known for his ability to describe where someone has been by looking at the sort of mud on a visitor's shoes.He has compiled information on what sorts of soil are prevalent in various areas of London.Holmes is thus able to infer from the presence of mud that someone has been to a specific location with that variety of soil.This is best understood to be which of the following sorts of reasoning?

Imagine an advertisement for a medication that includes the following claim: "This pill is an effective sleeping aid because of its sleep-inducing value." What sort of fallacy is the ad using?

Phillippa Foot's example of a runaway tram (trolley)is used to do which of the following?

A discussion of whether it is morally acceptable to use drone bombs on suspected terrorists would be an example of which type of ethics?

Plato used an analogy of the perfection of geometric figures as compared to physical objects to explain the difference between an ideal good and our experiences of goods.Drawing on Plato's ideas,explain how we can have the idea of "good" without experiencing a perfect good.

The idea that morality operates with rules like the truths of arithmetic is called

Imagine a disagreement between two people over the legacy of Charles Lindbergh.The first believes that Lindbergh is a hero and highlights the bravery and ingenuity needed for Lindbergh to become the first person to fly an airplane solo across the Atlantic.The second believes that Lindbergh cannot be a hero because of his anti-Semitic beliefs and promotion of American eugenics.Discuss how their different moral intuitions rely on different understandings of the nature of morality.

Which of the following is the best description of validity?

Briefly explain the difference between liberalism,as understood in this chapter,and cultural relativism.

Which philosopher held that happiness was the primary goal of human life?

Ruth Benedict discusses how changes in a culture's understanding of "normal" can affect our understanding about what is morally acceptable.Briefly discuss how what we conceive of as murder might not be wrong in another culture.

Imagine that humans encounter a new species with the ability to reason but with little of the life experiences that humans have.Which of the following philosophers' ideas would have the MOST to say about this situation?

A group of college students is sitting around discussing what it is about the nature of cheating that makes cheating on an exam wrong.These students are engaging in what sort of ethics?

Imagine a disagreement between Bob and Jerry over the tastefulness of serving roast beef at a dinner party with vegetarians.If Jerry claims that it was the tastiest meal he has had in some time,he is using which of the following fallacies?