Question 1

According to the _______ view of competence, competence is a property had in equal measure by all who possess it.

Accepted Answer

A)  egalitarian 
B)  threshold 
C)  relativist 
D)  libertarian 
A)  egalitarian 
B)  threshold 
C)  relativist 
D)  libertarian

Question 2

Wikler considers several ways that people of normal intelligence might try to defend themselves against paternalistic intervention by the cognitively enhanced. Is Wikler right to think none of these defenses succeeds? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Wikler argues that people of normal inte

Question 3

What is the difference between the Conservative Argument regarding genetic engineering and a Slippery Slope Argument?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Conservative Argument does not issue predictions about the likely results of the innovation in question, but a Slippery Slope Argument does. 
B)  The Conservative Argument relies on a notion of family values, but a Slippery Slope Argument does not. 
C)  The Conservative Argument issues predictions about the likely results of the innovation in question, but a Slippery Slope Argument does not. 
D)  The Conservative Argument does not rely on a notion of family values, but a Slippery Slope Argument does. 
A)  The Conservative Argument does not issue predictions about the likely results of the innovation in question, but a Slippery Slope Argument does. 
B)  The Conservative Argument relies on a notion of family values, but a Slippery Slope Argument does not. 
C)  The Conservative Argument issues predictions about the likely results of the innovation in question, but a Slippery Slope Argument does not. 
D)  The Conservative Argument does not rely on a notion of family values, but a Slippery Slope Argument does.

Question 4

Which of the following is a challenge for any attempt to evaluate the Conservative Argument regarding genetic engineering?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is clear that GMOs and genetic enhancements pose significant dangers. 
B)  It is not clear whether genetic enhancement or GMOs violate anyone's rights. 
C)  It is not clear whether two decades of research are enough to determine that GMOs and genetic enhancement are safe. 
D)  It is not clear whether GMOs and genetic engineering have significant benefits. 
A)  It is clear that GMOs and genetic enhancements pose significant dangers. 
B)  It is not clear whether genetic enhancement or GMOs violate anyone's rights. 
C)  It is not clear whether two decades of research are enough to determine that GMOs and genetic enhancement are safe. 
D)  It is not clear whether GMOs and genetic engineering have significant benefits.

Question 5

According to Bostrom, some limitations might be impossible for us to transcend given the metaphysics of

Accepted Answer

A)  personal identity. 
B)  time and space. 
C)  causation. 
D)  personal freedom. 
A)  personal identity. 
B)  time and space. 
C)  causation. 
D)  personal freedom.

Question 6

On the understanding of playing God considered in this chapter, which of these people would count as playing God?

Accepted Answer

A)  Parents who intend to conceive a child 
B)  A soldier who sacrifices themselves to save their comrades 
C)  An emergency room doctor who makes life and death decisions 
D)  All of the above 
A)  Parents who intend to conceive a child 
B)  A soldier who sacrifices themselves to save their comrades 
C)  An emergency room doctor who makes life and death decisions 
D)  All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is not an understanding of what it is to be natural that may be employed by proponents of the Unnaturalness Argument?

Accepted Answer

A)  To be natural is to have one's essence preserved. 
B)  To be natural is to be a purely organic substance. 
C)  To be natural is to be in a pristine, unmodified state. 
D)  To be natural is to be unchanged by human manipulation. 
A)  To be natural is to have one's essence preserved. 
B)  To be natural is to be a purely organic substance. 
C)  To be natural is to be in a pristine, unmodified state. 
D)  To be natural is to be unchanged by human manipulation.

Question 8

Bostrom identifies several possible dangers that the transhumanist project must seek to avoid. What are these dangers? Are there any other dangers of the transhumanist project in your view? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Bostrom identifies several potential dan

Question 9

Which argument against genetic engineering do you think is the strongest? Offer additional reasons to believe that the premises of the argument are true. What is the strongest response available to a proponent of genetic engineering?

Accepted Answer

A good essay will:
@#LAT-DLM& Take a position on w

Question 10

Some critics of genetic enhancement argue that genetic enhancement is immoral because there is a fundamental difference between genetic enhancement and

Accepted Answer

A)  improving oneself through hard work. 
B)  artificial selection. 
C)  genetic engineering. 
D)  changing one's personality or character. 
A)  improving oneself through hard work. 
B)  artificial selection. 
C)  genetic engineering. 
D)  changing one's personality or character.

Question 11

What is the authenticity of the self? Is it morally bad to be inauthentic? Is it possible to remain authentic despite receiving genetic enhancement? Explain your answers.

Accepted Answer

The authenticity of the self refers to b

Question 12

Transhumanists like Bostrom are often accused of harboring a desire to "play God." What do you make of this objection? Is it in any way compelling? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The accusation that transhumanists like

Question 13

Why do transhumanists support wide access?

Accepted Answer

A)  To reduce inequality 
B)  To express solidarity and respect for fellow humans 
C)  To help gain support for the transhumanist project 
D)  All of the above 
A)  To reduce inequality 
B)  To express solidarity and respect for fellow humans 
C)  To help gain support for the transhumanist project 
D)  All of the above

Question 14

What is Savulescu's response to the claim that genetic engineering involves an objectionable form of "playing God?"

Accepted Answer

A)  We could never know enough about the complexity of human nature to be justified in playing God. 
B)  We should not play God since, unlike the traditional conception of God, we are not omnipotent or omniscient. 
C)  God gives us the technology for genetic engineering, so God must want us to use it. 
D)  We already make decisions about life and death in healthcare. If those are morally permissible, genetic engineering is too. 
A)  We could never know enough about the complexity of human nature to be justified in playing God. 
B)  We should not play God since, unlike the traditional conception of God, we are not omnipotent or omniscient. 
C)  God gives us the technology for genetic engineering, so God must want us to use it. 
D)  We already make decisions about life and death in healthcare. If those are morally permissible, genetic engineering is too.

Question 15

Savulescu argues that we should accept genetic enhancement if we accept

Accepted Answer

A)  the treatment of disease. 
B)  that our traits are gifts. 
C)  the moral importance of luck. 
D)  that dietary supplementation cannot alter biology. 
A)  the treatment of disease. 
B)  that our traits are gifts. 
C)  the moral importance of luck. 
D)  that dietary supplementation cannot alter biology.

Question 16

Explain the extrapolation problem as it applies to genetic engineering. How do you think policymakers should proceed in light of this problem?

Accepted Answer

The extrapolation problem in genetic eng

Question 17

Personal cosmetic enhancement via plastic surgery

Accepted Answer

A)  typically does not violate anyone's rights. 
B)  typically violates people's rights. 
C)  is a form of genetic engineering. 
D)  is a form of artificial selection. 
A)  typically does not violate anyone's rights. 
B)  typically violates people's rights. 
C)  is a form of genetic engineering. 
D)  is a form of artificial selection.

Question 18

What is the distinctive idea in the new "liberal eugenics" Sandel discusses?

Accepted Answer

A)  The government will provide a standardized list of acceptable genetic enhancements and parents will not have a particular say in what traits their children will have. 
B)  Parents will have the liberty to design children with any traits they want, as long as those traits maximize diversity in the population. 
C)  Unlike previous eugenics programs, the state will not be neutral about what sort of children are designed 
D)  The government may not tell parents what sort of children to design and parents may engineer in their children only those traits that improve their capacities without biasing their choice of life plans. 
A)  The government will provide a standardized list of acceptable genetic enhancements and parents will not have a particular say in what traits their children will have. 
B)  Parents will have the liberty to design children with any traits they want, as long as those traits maximize diversity in the population. 
C)  Unlike previous eugenics programs, the state will not be neutral about what sort of children are designed 
D)  The government may not tell parents what sort of children to design and parents may engineer in their children only those traits that improve their capacities without biasing their choice of life plans.

Question 19

According to transhumanists, _______ is a work-in-progress; a half-baked beginning that we can learn to remold in desirable ways.

Accepted Answer

A)  human nature 
B)  technology 
C)  religion 
D)  human freedom 
A)  human nature 
B)  technology 
C)  religion 
D)  human freedom

Question 20

Which of the following is not a potential problem of human genetic engineering discussed in this chapter?

Accepted Answer

A)  It might lead to eugenics. 
B)  It is likely to make humans more susceptible to immune deficiencies. 
C)  It might deepen inequalities that already exist, such as those between the rich and the poor. 
D)  It might eliminate genetic disorders such as high-functioning autism that are beneficial to society. 
A)  It might lead to eugenics. 
B)  It is likely to make humans more susceptible to immune deficiencies. 
C)  It might deepen inequalities that already exist, such as those between the rich and the poor. 
D)  It might eliminate genetic disorders such as high-functioning autism that are beneficial to society.

Exam 22: Genetic Engineering

According to the _______ view of competence, competence is a property had in equal measure by all who possess it.

Wikler considers several ways that people of normal intelligence might try to defend themselves against paternalistic intervention by the cognitively enhanced. Is Wikler right to think none of these defenses succeeds? Why or why not?

What is the difference between the Conservative Argument regarding genetic engineering and a Slippery Slope Argument?

Which of the following is a challenge for any attempt to evaluate the Conservative Argument regarding genetic engineering?

According to Bostrom, some limitations might be impossible for us to transcend given the metaphysics of

On the understanding of playing God considered in this chapter, which of these people would count as playing God?

Which of the following is not an understanding of what it is to be natural that may be employed by proponents of the Unnaturalness Argument?

Bostrom identifies several possible dangers that the transhumanist project must seek to avoid. What are these dangers? Are there any other dangers of the transhumanist project in your view? Why or why not?

Which argument against genetic engineering do you think is the strongest? Offer additional reasons to believe that the premises of the argument are true. What is the strongest response available to a proponent of genetic engineering?

Some critics of genetic enhancement argue that genetic enhancement is immoral because there is a fundamental difference between genetic enhancement and

What is the authenticity of the self? Is it morally bad to be inauthentic? Is it possible to remain authentic despite receiving genetic enhancement? Explain your answers.

Transhumanists like Bostrom are often accused of harboring a desire to "play God." What do you make of this objection? Is it in any way compelling? Why or why not?

Why do transhumanists support wide access?

What is Savulescu's response to the claim that genetic engineering involves an objectionable form of "playing God?"

Savulescu argues that we should accept genetic enhancement if we accept

Explain the extrapolation problem as it applies to genetic engineering. How do you think policymakers should proceed in light of this problem?

Personal cosmetic enhancement via plastic surgery

What is the distinctive idea in the new "liberal eugenics" Sandel discusses?

According to transhumanists, _______ is a work-in-progress; a half-baked beginning that we can learn to remold in desirable ways.

Which of the following is not a potential problem of human genetic engineering discussed in this chapter?

Moral Theory

Moral Reasoning

Skepticism About Morality

The Good Life

Consequentialism

Kantian Ethics

Social Contract Theory

Natural Law

The Ethic of Prima Facie Duties

Virtue Ethics

Feminist Ethics and the Ethics of Care

Abortion

Animals

The Environment

Euthanasia

Economic Justice and Economic Inequality

Globalization and Immigration

The Legacy of Racism

Privacy

The Death Penalty

Drugs

Sexual Morality

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