Exam 7: The Social Contract

Imagine two neighboring cultures,one of which favors minimal consumption of natural resources while the other favors the rapid development of industry.If these cultures were to be bound in a social contract,they would have to address what issue?

Briefly discuss how Mill's utilitarianism leads him to advocate for women's rights.

Rousseau criticizes the impact of social contract theory by pointing to what?

Imagine that a new performance-enhancing drug was developed that would greatly increase an athlete's ability to perform his or her sport.What can the prisoner's dilemma tell him or her about the possible use of the drug?

We often will accept some discomfort in order to later be able to be more comfortable than our current state.For example,one might consent to having a root canal.Discuss how utilitarianism understands this acceptance of pain.

In contrast to a society that utilizes a social contract,Hobbes believed that people in ________ lived a life that was "solitary,poore,nasty,brutish,and short."

The MOST significant advantage of Rawls's approach to social contract theory is which of the following?

Charles Mills believes that it is possible to construct a social contract that is fair to all races.

Bernard Williams considers in his writings the utilitarian possibilities for George,who has a PhD in Chemistry but is unable to find a job other than working in a weapons laboratory.As a pacifist,George would prefer not to do such work,but he has a number of familial and fiscal reasons to take the job.Using the utilitarian understanding of morality,discuss if George should take the job.

In this chapter,the author addresses the common view that morality and ethics are to be distinguished.According to this view,what does this distinction entail?

The consideration of other people's points of view before making moral decisions is MOST closely aligned with which of the following approaches?

In ancient Athens,who were the Sophists?

Mill argues for the desirability of utilitarian ethics by pointing to people actually desiring it.Briefly discuss why you do or do not find his argument persuasive.

Koko is a gorilla that has spent most of her life in northern California with researcher Francine Patterson.Koko is reported to use more than a thousand words in sign language.Her apparent high cognitive ability poses which challenge to social contract theory?

Utilitarian moralities call for the maximization of happiness.Different studies attempt to report on which countries are among the happiest.Discuss the difficulties for utilitarianism that different results in these studies display.

In Harry Turtledove's "The Last Article," he imagines an alternative history wherein a victorious Nazi Germany invades India.In this hypothetical situation,what moral guidance would Gandhi emphasize?

Rawls provides for a hypothetical contract theory that he believes should be undertaken from