Question 1

Why, according to Metz, is the potential for executing the innocent not a decisive objection to the death penalty?

Accepted Answer

A)  This would wrongly imply that a human being's inherent dignity is conditional on his or her being innocent of wrongdoing 
B)  The execution of the innocent happens sufficiently rarely that it could be considered a necessary cost of an effective system of justice. 
C)  This would wrongly entail that absolute certainty of danger would be a necessary condition for the just use of deadly force. 
D)  The wrongfulness of executing the innocent is outweighed by the protection to the community accomplished through deterrence. 
A)  This would wrongly imply that a human being's inherent dignity is conditional on his or her being innocent of wrongdoing 
B)  The execution of the innocent happens sufficiently rarely that it could be considered a necessary cost of an effective system of justice. 
C)  This would wrongly entail that absolute certainty of danger would be a necessary condition for the just use of deadly force. 
D)  The wrongfulness of executing the innocent is outweighed by the protection to the community accomplished through deterrence.

Question 2

Why does Gay-Williams discuss the possibility of "miraculous" recovery?

Accepted Answer

A)  To demonstrate that euthanasia is against human nature. 
B)  To demonstrate that euthanasia has a potentially corrupting effect on doctors. 
C)  To demonstrate that euthanasia is never in one's self-interest. 
D)  To demonstrate that euthanasia is inconsistent with appeals to revealed religion. 
A)  To demonstrate that euthanasia is against human nature. 
B)  To demonstrate that euthanasia has a potentially corrupting effect on doctors. 
C)  To demonstrate that euthanasia is never in one's self-interest. 
D)  To demonstrate that euthanasia is inconsistent with appeals to revealed religion.

Question 3

Warren denies that fetuses, as potential persons, have any rights to life or moral standing whatsoever.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Which of the following would count as an objection to Rachels's conclusion that a doctor's letting someone die for humane reasons is not relevantly different than a doctor's actively euthanizing a patient for humane reasons?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is an important distinction between killing and letting die because most cases of killing outside of medical contexts are worse than most cases of letting die outside of a medical context. 
B)  There is an important distinction between active and passive euthanasia because in cases of passive euthanasia, it is the disease or defect that kills the patient, not the doctor. 
C)  There is an important distinction between active and passive euthanasia because active euthanasia is often quicker and less painful. 
D)  There is an important distinction between killing and letting die because in cases of letting die, one does not necessarily intend the death of the victim. 
A)  There is an important distinction between killing and letting die because most cases of killing outside of medical contexts are worse than most cases of letting die outside of a medical context. 
B)  There is an important distinction between active and passive euthanasia because in cases of passive euthanasia, it is the disease or defect that kills the patient, not the doctor. 
C)  There is an important distinction between active and passive euthanasia because active euthanasia is often quicker and less painful. 
D)  There is an important distinction between killing and letting die because in cases of letting die, one does not necessarily intend the death of the victim.

Question 5

Given his arguments in "An Eye for an Eye," how would Nathanson likely respond to van den Haag's contention that the "severity and finality of the death penalty is appropriate to the seriousness and the finality of murder"? Be sure to state this response as a complete argument.

Accepted Answer

Nathanson would likely respond to van de

Question 6

Which of the following claims is implied by Gay-Williams's "Argument from Nature"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Suicide is always contrary to man's natural goal of survival. 
B)  A person is only a custodian of his or her God-given body. 
C)  Euthanasia leads to a dangerously slippery slope for public policy. 
D)  Euthanasia does not allow for the possibility of "miraculous" recoveries. 
A)  Suicide is always contrary to man's natural goal of survival. 
B)  A person is only a custodian of his or her God-given body. 
C)  Euthanasia leads to a dangerously slippery slope for public policy. 
D)  Euthanasia does not allow for the possibility of "miraculous" recoveries.

Question 7

How might someone object to Dougherty's argument that there is no objective distinction between core features (such as one's religion or ethnicity) and periphery features (such as one's occupation or natural hair color) of sexual encounters?

Accepted Answer

Someone might object to Dougherty's argu

Question 8

In your own words, explain why the harm explanation is different from the consent explanation and why, according to Dougherty, the consent explanation can accommodate the initial motivation behind the harm explanation and why the two could be consistent.

Accepted Answer

The harm explanation and the consent exp

Question 9

Which of the following best explains the reason, according to Metz, why putting an innocent person to death does not necessarily degrade him or her?

Accepted Answer

A)  One is only degraded by a punishment if the punishment is sufficiently humiliating to be considered inhumane. 
B)  A punishment can only degrade if it violates the traditional norms and values of the community that imposes the punishment. 
C)  It is not a degradation to kill another if one has evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the individual deserves to die. 
D)  Only punishments that violate an individual's dignity can be considered degradation and capital punishment does not do this. 
A)  One is only degraded by a punishment if the punishment is sufficiently humiliating to be considered inhumane. 
B)  A punishment can only degrade if it violates the traditional norms and values of the community that imposes the punishment. 
C)  It is not a degradation to kill another if one has evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the individual deserves to die. 
D)  Only punishments that violate an individual's dignity can be considered degradation and capital punishment does not do this.

Question 10

Thomson argues that a Good Samaritan might sacrifice her freedom to keep the violinist alive.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

How does Bentham understand happiness?

Accepted Answer

A)  As the absence of pain. 
B)  As the presence of pleasant feelings. 
C)  As pleasure and the absence of pain. 
D)  As the satisfaction of one's basic needs. 
A)  As the absence of pain. 
B)  As the presence of pleasant feelings. 
C)  As pleasure and the absence of pain. 
D)  As the satisfaction of one's basic needs.

Question 12

Why, according to Abbate, don't military commanders have an obligation to order soldiers to take extra risks to avoid collateral casualties?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because commanders have an obligation to do whatever is necessary to achieve legitimate military objectives. 
B)  Because commanders are obligated not to order soldiers to do anything that would endanger their lives. 
C)  Because commanders are morally forbidden from attacking civilians as a means to achieving a military objective. 
D)  Because commanders' responsibilities toward their own soldiers takes priority over their responsibilities toward civilians of enemy countries. 
A)  Because commanders have an obligation to do whatever is necessary to achieve legitimate military objectives. 
B)  Because commanders are obligated not to order soldiers to do anything that would endanger their lives. 
C)  Because commanders are morally forbidden from attacking civilians as a means to achieving a military objective. 
D)  Because commanders' responsibilities toward their own soldiers takes priority over their responsibilities toward civilians of enemy countries.

Question 13

How might Walter Sinnott-Armstrong respond to Broome's main argument? Do you think that response would undermine Broome's conclusion? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong might respond t

Question 14

Norcross argues that the capacity to suffer is relevant to one's status as a moral patient.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Assume that Eaton is correct that the eroticization of gender inequity is especially worrisome because of its effectiveness at sustaining gender inequity. Which of the following could you infer from that claim?

Accepted Answer

A)  Once pornography is eliminated, gender equity will be achieved. 
B)  Sexual freedom means that people should have complete freedom to eroticize whatever they want. 
C)  The harm hypothesis depends on a social constructivist account of gender. 
D)  We should be worried not only about pornography, but also about advertisements, high art, movies, and music that eroticize gender inequity. 
A)  Once pornography is eliminated, gender equity will be achieved. 
B)  Sexual freedom means that people should have complete freedom to eroticize whatever they want. 
C)  The harm hypothesis depends on a social constructivist account of gender. 
D)  We should be worried not only about pornography, but also about advertisements, high art, movies, and music that eroticize gender inequity.

Question 16

What, according to Shue, is the salient similarity between contemporary interrogational torture and the reputed dunking test for witches? Explain in your own words how this analogy functions in his argument for the conclusion that systems of torture are "notoriously incompetent."

Accepted Answer

According to Shue, the salient similarit

Question 17

What is the connection between the "technological frames of thought" that Krakoff criticizes and the "perfect moral storm" caused by the temporal lag and spatial dispersion of the effects of carbon dioxide emissions? How would thinking of ourselves as "parenting the planet" help deal with that perfect moral storm?

Accepted Answer

The connection between the "technologica

Question 18

What do the Akan think about people who depend on others?

Accepted Answer

The Akan people, an ethnic group predomi

Question 19

What lesson does Mencius want us to learn from the examples of Bo Yi and Liuxia Hui, who have very different attitudes to associating with bad people?

Accepted Answer

A)  That people's attitudes toward bad people vary naturally. 
B)  That one should refuse to associate with bad people because they will make you bad. 
C)  That one should not refuse to associate with someone just because you disagree with his or her values. 
D)  That neither complete refusal to associate with bad people nor complete acceptance of bad people is virtuous. 
A)  That people's attitudes toward bad people vary naturally. 
B)  That one should refuse to associate with bad people because they will make you bad. 
C)  That one should not refuse to associate with someone just because you disagree with his or her values. 
D)  That neither complete refusal to associate with bad people nor complete acceptance of bad people is virtuous.

Question 20

Thomson thinks there are no limits to the right of self-defense.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Why, according to Metz, is the potential for executing the innocent not a decisive objection to the death penalty?

Why does Gay-Williams discuss the possibility of "miraculous" recovery?

Warren denies that fetuses, as potential persons, have any rights to life or moral standing whatsoever.

Which of the following would count as an objection to Rachels's conclusion that a doctor's letting someone die for humane reasons is not relevantly different than a doctor's actively euthanizing a patient for humane reasons?

Given his arguments in "An Eye for an Eye," how would Nathanson likely respond to van den Haag's contention that the "severity and finality of the death penalty is appropriate to the seriousness and the finality of murder"? Be sure to state this response as a complete argument.

Which of the following claims is implied by Gay-Williams's "Argument from Nature"?

How might someone object to Dougherty's argument that there is no objective distinction between core features (such as one's religion or ethnicity) and periphery features (such as one's occupation or natural hair color) of sexual encounters?

In your own words, explain why the harm explanation is different from the consent explanation and why, according to Dougherty, the consent explanation can accommodate the initial motivation behind the harm explanation and why the two could be consistent.

Which of the following best explains the reason, according to Metz, why putting an innocent person to death does not necessarily degrade him or her?

Thomson argues that a Good Samaritan might sacrifice her freedom to keep the violinist alive.

How does Bentham understand happiness?

Why, according to Abbate, don't military commanders have an obligation to order soldiers to take extra risks to avoid collateral casualties?

How might Walter Sinnott-Armstrong respond to Broome's main argument? Do you think that response would undermine Broome's conclusion? Why or why not?

Norcross argues that the capacity to suffer is relevant to one's status as a moral patient.

Assume that Eaton is correct that the eroticization of gender inequity is especially worrisome because of its effectiveness at sustaining gender inequity. Which of the following could you infer from that claim?

What, according to Shue, is the salient similarity between contemporary interrogational torture and the reputed dunking test for witches? Explain in your own words how this analogy functions in his argument for the conclusion that systems of torture are "notoriously incompetent."

What do the Akan think about people who depend on others?

What lesson does Mencius want us to learn from the examples of Bo Yi and Liuxia Hui, who have very different attitudes to associating with bad people?

Thomson thinks there are no limits to the right of self-defense.

An Introduction to Arguments

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

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Exam 13: Aristotle's Ethics: Exploring Virtue and Justice

Why, according to Metz, is the potential for executing the innocent not a decisive objection to the death penalty?

Why does Gay-Williams discuss the possibility of "miraculous" recovery?

Warren denies that fetuses, as potential persons, have any rights to life or moral standing whatsoever.

Which of the following would count as an objection to Rachels's conclusion that a doctor's letting someone die for humane reasons is not relevantly different than a doctor's actively euthanizing a patient for humane reasons?

Given his arguments in "An Eye for an Eye," how would Nathanson likely respond to van den Haag's contention that the "severity and finality of the death penalty is appropriate to the seriousness and the finality of murder"? Be sure to state this response as a complete argument.

Which of the following claims is implied by Gay-Williams's "Argument from Nature"?

How might someone object to Dougherty's argument that there is no objective distinction between core features (such as one's religion or ethnicity) and periphery features (such as one's occupation or natural hair color) of sexual encounters?

In your own words, explain why the harm explanation is different from the consent explanation and why, according to Dougherty, the consent explanation can accommodate the initial motivation behind the harm explanation and why the two could be consistent.

Which of the following best explains the reason, according to Metz, why putting an innocent person to death does not necessarily degrade him or her?

Thomson argues that a Good Samaritan might sacrifice her freedom to keep the violinist alive.

How does Bentham understand happiness?

Why, according to Abbate, don't military commanders have an obligation to order soldiers to take extra risks to avoid collateral casualties?

How might Walter Sinnott-Armstrong respond to Broome's main argument? Do you think that response would undermine Broome's conclusion? Why or why not?

Norcross argues that the capacity to suffer is relevant to one's status as a moral patient.

Assume that Eaton is correct that the eroticization of gender inequity is especially worrisome because of its effectiveness at sustaining gender inequity. Which of the following could you infer from that claim?

What, according to Shue, is the salient similarity between contemporary interrogational torture and the reputed dunking test for witches? Explain in your own words how this analogy functions in his argument for the conclusion that systems of torture are "notoriously incompetent."

What do the Akan think about people who depend on others?

What lesson does Mencius want us to learn from the examples of Bo Yi and Liuxia Hui, who have very different attitudes to associating with bad people?

Thomson thinks there are no limits to the right of self-defense.

An Introduction to Arguments

Moral Arguments

Reasoning With Obligations

Reasoning About Consequences

Reasoning With Virtues and Vices

Reasoning With Principles and Counterexamples

Reasoning With Analogies

Answering Moral Questions

Skepticism, Subjectivism, and Relativism

Religion and Moral Reasoning

Normative Theories, Part 1

Normative Theories, Part 2

Filters