Exam 3: Skepticism About Morality

How does Jeske explain our reluctance to judge other cultures? Is her explanation more convincing than that of the relativist in your view? Why or why not?

Jeske argues that practices such as slavery and lynching show that

Which of the following is not one of the arguments in favor of error theory?

What is psychological egoism and how does it provide support for ethical egoism? Do you think psychological egoism is true? Why or why not?

Compare and contrast moral and scientific disagreement. What does Mackie take to be the most important differences between them? What does he take this to show about each type of disagreement? Do you agree with his assessment? Defend your answers.

According to Jeske's analysis, moral disagreement across cultures is

An error theory is a theory

In the final section of her essay, Jeske suggests that there is less moral disagreement across time and place than it initially appears. What is the basis for Jeske's suggestion? Do you find her suggestion plausible? Why or why not?

Case Study In 1994, a 17-year-old girl named Fauziya Kassindja entered the United States seeking asylum. She had fled her native country of Togo to escape female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is a permanently disfiguring procedure that UNICEF estimates up to 200 million women have undergone. Though Fauziya's immediate family opposed FGM, her father suddenly died when she was 16. After her father's death, Fauziya's grandfather arranged for her to undergo FGM (read more on HYPERLINK "http://www.pbs.org/speaktruthtopower/fauziya.html" PBS). Fauziya's mother and sister managed to help her escape to avoid FGM. However, in the United States, Fauziya was imprisoned for two years while the authorities decided what to do with her. She was finally granted asylum but not before becoming center of a controversy about how Americans should regard the social practices of other cultures. A series of articles in the New York Times argued that FGM is a barbaric practice that should be condemned. But others were reluctant to be to make such judgments, worrying that it would be intolerant or imperialistic to condemn other cultures' social practices, even if they were clearly immoral by the standards of American culture. -Suppose we judge that FGM is morally wrong. Are we making a universal moral judgment or merely applying the standards of our own culture? Does cultural relativism entail that the latter kind of moral judgment is the only legitimate kind?

Talk about: -Infallible

Jeske argues that moral judgments ought to be sensitive to the culture of the agent being evaluated because

Talk about: -Psychological egoism

Which of the following moral claims does Mackie think is true?

Jeske argues that in cases of extreme moral disagreement

Talk about: -Begging the question

Talk about: -Altruism

Mackie argues that all moral thinking requires input from

Which of the following is not part of the appeal of cultural relativism according to Jeske?

Mackie's claim that values are not objective is meant to include which of the following?

According to Mackie, what is the moral objectivist's best move in response to the argument From queerness?