18 Jan What topic most interested

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 1 Discussion

Forums will be very important for us. We’ll exchange ideas, work with the ideas of others and we will be doing so often. To help with that. I’ve made forum posts worth part of your grade. In most weeks, I will grade your posts, looking for rigor, depth and constructiveness. I will say more about that as we proceed and as I introduce topics. This week I will only grade for completeness.

The main thing to think about is whether you’re advancing or starting a good conversation. Easy questions don’t start conversations. Vague comments don’t start conversations. Genuine questions that show depth or comments that show some thought can start conversations. That will be our goal: to have good conversations about philosophy. This week, I want us all to say hello and to begin learning how this course is to be arranged. So, post a ‘hello’ and a bit about yourself or why you’re taking this course. If you have any special pronoun preferences, this would be the time to let me and everyone else know (see below). If you have any questions about this or anything else, bring them to the forum! That is the best place for public questions. If you have any confidential questions, email me privately, please. Good luck and I can’t wait to get to know you all! Also, don’t forget to do the reading and post comments questions here, as well. We’re going to learn a lot together and it starts this week.

On pronouns: not everyone uses the pronouns we might assume they would. In my case, I present as male, so I use ‘he/him/his’ as my pronouns. You would say, “Dr. Horton, he teaches my philosophy class” or “I’m taking his course.” If someone is a female, they might prefer ‘she/her/hers’. These are not the only pronouns, however. Someone might prefer ‘they/them/their’, as their singular pronouns, as in “Bobby wants their coffee black” or “I know them (said of Bobby).” Or, alternatively, someone might prefer ‘xe/xem/xyr’, as in “Jem wants xyr coffee black” or “I know xem very well.”

In this class, I respect each of you. I’m happy to help make sure we respect each other. Please let me know via email or in whatever way you prefer what pronouns we should use and we will respect you by doing so.

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 2 Discussion

Regan and Rachels

So many things to discuss this week! What did you think? Some things you might consider posting about or in answer to:

(a) Was there a specific passage that stood out to you? Provide it (and page number) and provide why you think it’s interesting/challenging/etc.?

(b) Did you have a question from the reading? What passage (and page number) and what is your question? How do you think the philosopher you read might answer it?

(c) Do you have a real world example that is relevant? Might you have seen someone adopting a position like described this week? How so?

You can also create a constructive post of your own topic, related to this week’s material, but these are just to get you thinking. I’m looking forward to your posts!

Note: you do not need to address all of (a) – (c) in your posts. Take one and do a thorough job on it. There is lots to discuss!

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 3 Discussion

Plato’s Euthyphro!

What did you think? Have any questions? Have any answers?

Let me help us a bit here to get started. First, let’s look at some essay questions that a textbook provides:

1. What is the Euthyphro question? What is the answer, according to Socrates? Can you reconstruct his reasoning for why?

2. What is involved in service to the gods, according to Euthyphro and Socrates? Do you agree? Explain.

3. What does Socrates want in asking for a definition of piety? Is this what one should be looking for in a definition? Explain.

In formulating a post, we might think about these questions. We might try to come up with an answer to them, or at least the beginning of an answer. How might you try to answer one of these?

Another way to proceed is to find a passage in the text you think is interesting. Share that passage and share why you think it’s interesting. Why do you think it worth sharing, in other words? Does it convey an important message about morality? Does it make a nice point about why we should act in a certain way or about reasons for moral behavior in general?

There are lots of ways to go, especially since the reading is longer than some of the others. It’s a dialogue, so in that since doesn’t read as long as it is. It is, though, philosophy, which takes a careful read. After your careful read, what stood out to you? Why?

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 4 Discussion

I’ll start with an example to help:

(1) Example of categorical imperative: Do not lie.

(2) Example of a hypothetical imperative: If you want to be trusted by your friends, do not lie.

Why should I follow the first but not the second even though they both say I shouldn’t lie?

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 5 Discussion

Did you see my handout? What do you think of the two cases? When we’re finished discussing those, we may create our own. So many interesting things to say about this week. I can’t wait to hear what you can offer!

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 6 Discussion

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a theory about options. For everything we think about doing, we have choices: we can do (a) or (b) or (c)…and so on. The question for a utilitarian is the following: which of our options either produces the most pleasure or reduces the most pain? Or, in short, which causes the most happiness? Now, Mill defines happiness precisely, so we must be sure we’re talking about the same thing. Mill also talks about different kinds of pleasures. Taking all of that in, what might some examples be of what a utilitarian would do in a specific situation?

(a) Question: My Aunt Agatha gets a horrible, bee hive hairdo. I dislike it. Most people will dislike it. It is ugly. Question: do I tell her what I think if she asks me? Options: (a) lie to her or (b) tell the truth (tactfully). Only you may know your Aunt, but what would a good utilitarian do?

(b) Should I give money, say, $5, to charity or buy a Venti latte from Starbucks with that money? What would a good utilitarian do?

(c) Should we have an amendment guaranteeing free speech for all citizens or should we not? What would a good utilitarian do?

We can multiply examples endlessly. These are just to get us started.

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 7 Discussion

Let’s try a few things in our posts this week:

(1) No very general comments. Let’s be specific. If the text was hard, then where, what passages? If something was unclear, then what passage or paragraph? What might Rawls be saying? Why do you think that? No simply saying a passage was challenging. Take a stab at interpreting it. What could Rawls be saying or trying to convey?

(2) Let’s help each other, too. Post an original comment and then use your second posting to help a classmate or to constructively comment on their post. Again, be constructive. Read the context around their quoted passage and ask whether their interpretation is consistent with the text as you read it. Have another interpretation? Politely offer it and ask what we think.

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 8 Discussion

The Racial Contract

I hope you enjoyed this week’s reading. It is a contemporary classic, if you will, and a valuable lens through which to look at our society. Consider the following question: suppose I had a policy at a company I ran that said the following: we will not hire women. You’d think that was discriminatory, right? Obviously. But, what if I had a policy in place that did exactly that (more or less), but which didn’t mention women by name? I could do the following: “Any absence of work for any reason for more than five business days will result in automatic termination.” How does this policy do the same thing? Surely men, too, might have an accidenct or need leave? Some will, no doubt. But this policy impacts women particularly because they are the most likely to need leave, specifically, parental leave. I might as well say “no maternity leave here!”

Okay, what lesson can we draw from this? First, a policy can be discriminatory in all of the following cases:

(1) without mentioning a vulnerable group by name or description.

(2) accidentally or unintentionally

(3) by mentioning a vulnerable group by name or description

(4) deliberately or intentionally

Intentions have little to do with it, in fact, at the policy level or the level of law. A policy or law can be discriminatory and just as immoral if it achieves the same thing as a law that discriminates by name or description.

Okay, then, how does this relate to Mills? In a sense, he’s asking a question: what if we can design a racist contract that gives us the exact same results we might see out in the world? If we can, doesn’t that mean the world is flawed?

Consider an example: suppose I’m of pure heart and have only good intentions. Suppose also that I get a diversity of applicants for job after job at my company. Suppose, lastly, that my company hires men, predominantly. I don’t have a policy that says hire only men. I don’t try only to hire men. It’s just the way it worked out. However, if I had a policy that said “Hire only men,” I’d get the same results, more or less, then that should give us a reason to think somethings going on. It doesn’t mean I’m a sexist. It doesn’t mean other employees are sexist. But it might mean that somehow we have a system in place that is sexist, despite the best intentions of the people who are a part of that system.

Anytime we see something like that, anytime we see something that COULD be achieved by purely immoral means, we ought to want to dig deeper and try to see what’s going on. In a sense, that’s what Mills is up to. Since we can get almost the exact same results as we see in our very own world by use of a racist contract, doesn’t that mean that somehow in our world exists racism at a structural or systemic level? At the very least, shouldn’t it mean we ought to look deeper?

Here are further things to think about, as you’re reading the Mills:

Evidence of exploitation? Evidence of Mills’ claim that the Racial Contract has a political dimension, an epistemological dimension or a moral dimension? What does he mean by those terms? Other interesting tidbits?

Please provide a page number with each post so that we can know what part of the reading you’re commenting on, elaborating on, challenging, connecting to, etc. Each post should connect to the reading, whether it is an original post or a comment on a classmate’s post.

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 9 Discussion

Aristotle: what is a good person?

What character traits are virtues that Aristotle may not have mentioned? Do they fit his pattern of “excess” and “deficiency?” If they are moral virtues, they should! What do you think of virtue ethics? Do we care about the kind of person you are on the inside or do we only care that you do the right thing? Is there a place for virtue ethics? Let’s have a great discussion this week!

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 10 Discussion

Thoughts about Gilligan

How is it claimed that boys think about ethics? What evidence is there?

How is it claimed that girls think about ethics? What evidence is there?

What does this mean for ethics?

Each post, whether an initial post or a reply, should include page references to the part of the reading that informed your post.

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 11 Discussion

Of particular note to Held’s theory is the fact that care is both a practice and a value. What does she mean by this? And, for someone else or many people, what are examples?

Second, how does the ethic of care help is in the real world? What examples fit or don’t fit the theory?

Last, What do you think about the Lorde?

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 12 Discussion

Peter Singer is trying to convince us that we ought–morally–to be doing a lot more to help other people in the world. There is no moral difference between a person living in our borders and a person living somewhere else. There might be a cultural difference or a linguistic difference between them, but a person is a person. Morally, there is no difference. There is also a lot of need in the world. There is need here and there is need there. Need is need. Part of thinking about altruism is thinking about how to get the most bang for our bucks. We have to be thinking about that, too. Peter Singer takes facts like this, adds a few moral premises, and concludes that we–individually, sure, but also as a nation, should be doing a lot more to help those in poverty. Do you agree?

Or, do you think about it like Hardin does? His paper is less rigorous than Singer’s (he’s not a professional philosopher, after all), but he does present a case that suggests we don’t have a moral obligation to help those in poverty. Is he ? Do you agree? Why or why not?

Note: each post should include either a quoted passage from the reading (along with page number where it can be found) or a paraphrase/summary/statement of a thought contained in the reading (along with a page number where it can be found). You can disagree with the thought expressed in the reading. You can agree with it. You can use it as a jumping off point for your own thoughts. Great! But, make sure you give a page number.

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 1 Quiz

Question 1

True/False: One of the first points of Socrates when deciding what to do, was to say that we should not let our decisions be determined by our emotions.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

What was the position of Socrates in the Crito?

Answers:

He was eating dinner.

He was lecturing to a large audience.

He was in prison.

Question 3

The claim “It is always wrong to harm someone” is what kind of claim?

Answers:

A claim from descriptive ethics.

A claim from normative ethics.

A claim from meta-ethics.

Question 4

True/False: Based on the syllabus: Each week you are required to post at least two constructive comments in the discussion forum.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 5

Historians and psychologists are best thought of as doing what kind of ethics?

Answers:

descriptive

normative

meta-ethical

PHI115 ETHICS

Week 2 Quiz

Question 1

True/False: Cultural relativists believe that there are no standards of right and wrong.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

Why does Rachels say that not every moral rule can vary from society to society?

Answers:

Some rules are necessary for society to exist.

Human beings share a common creator.

Certain values are innate.

Human beings have all evolved from a common ancestral line

Question 3

Suppose Sue argues in the following way: “82% of the U.S. population is in favor of the death penalty. Therefore, the death penalty is morally permissible.” What mistake is Sue making?

Answers:

The “I think it therefore it’s right” mistake.

He is saying that lots of people think it, therefore it’s right.

He is appealing to a moral authority.

He is using cultural relativism to support his position.

Question 4

What is a value that all cultures share, according to Rachels?

Answers:

All cultures value personal freedom.

All cultures value fairness.

All cultures value self-defense.

All cultures value truth-telling.

Question 5

Suppose Jim argues in the following way: “Lying is wrong. We were all raised to dislike lying and it’s just socially accepted that lying is wrong.” What mistake is Jim making?

Answers:

The “I think it therefore it’s right” mistake.

He is saying that lots of people think it, therefore it’s right.

He is appealing to a moral authority.

He is using cultural relativism to support his position.

PHI115 ETHICS

Exam 1

Question 1

What is a value that all cultures share, according to Rachels?

Answers:

All cultures value personal freedom.

All cultures value fairness.

All cultures value self-defense.

All cultures value truth-telling.

Question 2

The “Euthyphro Dilemma” is the famous question that Socrates asked Euthyphro in Plato’s Euthyphro. What is that question (or what comes closest to that question)?

Answers:

Can right things be right while people disagree about what’s right and wrong?

Is an action right because people say it’s right or do people say it’s right because it is right?

Are actions right because all the gods love them or do the gods love them because they are right?

If the gods agree about what’s right, then why do religions disagree with each other?

Question 3

Which of the following consequences follows from taking Cultural Relativism to be true?

Answers:

Asking whether a given action conforms to the code of oneâ s society is sufficient for determining that actionâ s rightness or wrongness.

The assumption that our society has progressed since the days of slavery becomes doubtful.

A society tolerant of Jews cannot be said to be superior to an anti-Semitic society.

All of these are .

Question 4

True/False: Euthyphro is prosecuting his own father for not paying his fair share in taxes.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 5

True/False: Socrates is being charged with impiety.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 6

Historians and psychologists are best thought of as doing what kind of ethics?

Answers:

descriptive

normative

meta-ethical

Question 7

What was the position of Socrates in the Crito?

Answers:

He was eating dinner.

He was lecturing to a large audience.

He was in prison.

Question 8

Suppose someone asks Mary what’s the difference between right and wrong and she says, “Well, murder is wrong while helping our neighbors is right. Lying is wrong while obtaining consent from other people is right.” She is making what mistake from Plato’s Euthyphro?

Answers:

She is giving a list of right things and of wrong things.

She is saying that things are right if the gods love them and wrong if the gods hate them.

She is saying that things are right if all the gods love them and wrong if all the gods hate them.

None of the above.

Question 9

Suppose Jim argues in the following way: “Lying is wrong. We were all raised to dislike lying and it’s just socially accepted that lying is wrong.” What mistake is Jim making?

Answers:

The “I think it therefore it’s right” mistake.

He is saying that lots of people think it, therefore it’s right.

He is appealing to a moral authority.

He is using cultural relativism to support his position.

Question 10

Suppose you wanted to know what makes something morally right and were given a list of things that are right. Which of the following is a reason that Socrates would probably give (based on Platoâ s dialogue â Euthyphroâ ) for not wanting a list.

Answers:

A list of examples of rightness would not tell you any examples of rightness.

A list of examples of rightness would not tell you the one characteristic they have in common.

A list of examples of rightness would not help you prosecute your father for murder.

A list of examples of rightness would not be since any and all lists are wrong.

Question 11

(Basedon Regan) Suppose Tom argues in the following way: “Of course murder is wrong. It’s written in the Bible. God says it’s wrong!” What mistake is Tom making?

Answers:

The “I think it therefore it’s right” mistake.

He is saying that lots of people think it, therefore it’s right.

He is appealing to a moral authority.

He is using cultural relativism to support his position.

Question 12

(from Frankena) The claim “It is always wrong to harm someone” is what kind of claim?

Answers:

A claim from descriptive ethics.

A claim from normative ethics.

A claim from meta-ethics.

Question 13

True/False: Based on the syllabus: Each week you are required to post at least two constructive comments in the discussion forum.

Selected Answer:

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 14

True/False: Cultural relativists believe that there are no standards of right and wrong.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 15

Why does Rachels say that not every moral rule can vary from society to society?

Answers:

Some rules are necessary for society to exist.

Human beings share a common creator.

Certain values are innate.

Human beings have all evolved from a common ancestral line

Question 16

Suppose Sue argues in the following way: “82% of the U.S. population is in favor of the death penalty. Therefore, the death penalty is morally permissible.” What mistake is Sue making?

Answers:

The “I think it therefore it’s right” mistake.

He is saying that lots of people think it, therefore it’s right.

He is appealing to a moral authority.

He is using cultural relativism to support his position.

Question 17

Why does Regan think the method of answering moral questions cannot be the appeal to a moral authority?

Answers:

It is not clear that such an authority exists.

Even if there is a moral authority, it is not clear that we could be sure what he or she thinks about moral questions.

The authoritative status of moral judgments can be established only if there are independent ways of testing the truth or reasonableness of those judgments.

All of the choices are , according to Regan.

Question 18

What makes an action right or wrong, according to cultural relativism?

Answers:

the standards of one’s culture

the consequences of doing that action

whether that action is rational or irrational to do

whether that action makes one happy or not

Question 19

(from Frankena) True/False: One of the first points of Socrates when deciding what to do, was to say that we should not let our decisions be determined by our emotions.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 20

Euthypro attempts to define piety at one point by saying, “The pious is what the gods love and the impious is what the gods hate.” Why, according to Socrates, can’t this be ?

Answers:

The gods disagree with one another. Hence the same thing could be both pious and impious, which is impossible.

The gods disagree with one another. Hence one god would have to be more powerful than another god, which we can’t know.

The gods disagree, which means that the gods aren’t rational. That is itself an imious view.

If whatever the gods love is pious, then anything could be pious, even killing children. That’s obviously false.

PHI115 ETHICS

Exam 2

Question 1

True/False: According to Mill, a completely contented fool is happier than an intelligent person who is not fully satisfied with his or her lot.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

Suppose you lie to me in order to obtain money from me. In that case, my decision to lend you money was not…

Answers:

voluntary

informed

decisionally-capacitated

Question 3

On what grounds does Mill think some pleasures can be judged higher or better than others?

Answers:

the undisputed superiority of the mind over the body

the compatibility of certain kinds of pleasure with moral virtue

the preference for one kind of pleasure over another shared by all of thsoe fully acquaiinted with both

all of these

Question 4

What is an imperative?

Answers:

It is a command.

It is a question.

It is a statement.

Question 5

True/False: The main idea for Rawls is that justice is fairness.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 6

How does Mill define happiness?

Answers:

the fulfillment of one’s highest human potential

a life lived in accordance with virtue

pleasure and the absence of pain

the achievement of one’s goals

Question 7

True/False: Immanuel Kant is a consequentialist.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 8

Which of Rawls’ principles requires that positions of authority and responsibility be held open, that is be accessible to everyone?

Answers:

First

Second

Question 9

Mill would most likely say that it is generally immoral to lie because:

Answers:

lying involves treating someone merely as a means.

lying undermines trustworthiness, which is indispensable to human well-being.

lying runs counter to the divine will.

to lie is to act according to a maxim that would not be universalized.

Question 10

True/False: Kant believes that it is possible to use ourselves merely as a means and not as an end.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 11

If I am forced at gunpoint to give over my wallet, then my actions was not…

Answers:

voluntary

informed

decisionally-capacitated

Question 12

True/False: When behind the “veil of ignorance,” decision makers know their income level and socioeconomic status.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 13

Which of the following is a hypothetical imperative?

Answers:

Don’t steal.

If you don’t want to go to prison, then don’t steal.

Stealing is a means of getting things.

Question 14

True/False: The utilitarian standard of right action is the happiness of the one performing the action.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 15

Which of the following rules captures Mill’s understanding of utilitarian ethics?

Answers:

Love your neighbor as yourself

Act only according to maxims you would be willing to make into universal laws.

To thine own self be true.

Carpe diem (“Seize the day”).

Question 16

Which of the following is a categorical imperative?

Answers:

Help others.

If you want to be respected, then you should help others.

Helping others is good for the soul.

Question 17

True/False: According to Mill, pleasure is the only thing desirable for itself and not as a means to some other end.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 18

Which of the following is THE Categorical Imperative?

Answers:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Always act in such a way that you make the world a better place.

I ought never to act in such a way that I couldn’t also will that the maxim on which I act should be a universal law.

Question 19

Suppose I have a hammer and use that hammer to drive nails into wood while I’m building a house. I am using that hammer ____________

Answers:

as an end

merely as a means

Question 20

Suppose that I go to a restaurant. I consent to being there and the wait staff consent to being there and waiting on me. In such a case, when I order food I am using the staff__________

Answers:

as an end

merely as a means

Question 21

How should basic liberties or freedoms be distributed, according to Rawls?

Answers:

Basic freedoms can be distributed to anyone so long as a majority of the people vote for it.

Basic freedoms can be distributed to some but not to others so long as this benefits everyone.

Basic freedoms have to be distributed equally.

Basic freedoms have to be distributed unequally. It’s the only way for this to work.

Question 22

Mill’s supreme principle of morality is…

Answers:

the categorical imperative

the principle of utility

the natural law

the formula of the end in itself

Question 23

True/False: Utilitarians tend to rank pleasures of the mind higher than pleasures of the body.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 24

Consent requires that an action be….

Answers:

voluntary

informed

decisionally-capacitated

all of the above

Question 25

The initial state which insures that the fundamental agreements reached in it are fair is called what?

Answers:

Status quo

Original Positoin

Distributive justice

Continental Congress

PHI115 ETHICS

Exam 3

Question 1

In what sense is moral virtue a mean?

Answers:

It occupies a middle ground between excessive and deficient possibilities of feeling and acting.

It corresponds to what the average person would do in a situation.

It corresponds to what ordinary “common sense” would recomment.

It is a mean in the sense that it is mathematical and one can apply a simple formula to determine what is right and wrong.

Question 2

True/False: Gilligan would probably say that the way that girls reason has typically been devalued and not treated as a genuine alternative to the way that boys typically reason.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 3

True/False: In order for an act to be truly virtuous, it must be done from a fixed state of character, for its own sake and knowingly and willingly.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 4

The Racial Contract is that set of formal or informal agreements establishing the rules and regulations for two groups of people, the _________ and the ___________.

Answers:

whites…non-whites

northern whites…southern whites

Europeans and Africans

Question 5

In what does happiness consist?

Answers:

experiencing pleasure and not experiencing pain

achieving one’s goals and receiving honor from one’s community

activity of the soul in accordance with virtue

health, wealth and time to enjoy them

Question 6

True/False: Human beings have a particular function, according to Aristotle.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 7

What is the purpose of the racial contract and the state that it establishes?

Answers:

To promote the greatest good for the greatest number.

To benefit the least advantaged by promoting equality of basic rights.

To maintain the privileges and advantages of full white citizens.

All of the above

Question 8

True/False: Gilligan argues that young boys and young girls reason about moral dillemmas in very similar ways.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 9

True/False: The person who errs by way of excess with respect to courage can be called foolhardy or rash.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 10

True/False: The epistemological dimension of the racial contract requires that those in a position of privilege misinterpret the world, instead of get their view of the world right.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

PHI115 ETHICS

Exam 4 (Final Exam)

Question 1

True/False: Held thinks that care should be valued more as a virtue.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

True/False: Held thinks that moral obligations are universal and apply the same way to every moral agent (to everyone).

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 3

True/False: Lorde says we should respond to difference by ignoring it.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 4

True/False: Lorde thinks that we should define differences for ourselves.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 5

True/False: Hardin and Singer agree on our moral obligations to countries and people less affluent and fortunate than we are.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 6

True/False: Hardin thinks that the appropriate metaphor for the relationship between affluent countries and other countries less fortunate is that of a spaceship.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 7

True/False: Ethics is objective. [Note: Pick true for this one. This isn’t a trick. Ethics is objective. It’s just hard sometimes to figure out the right thing to do. Good luck on your final!]

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 8

True/False: Between Singer and Hardin, Singer is closer to being a utilitarian.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 9

What does Singer think about relief agencies’ practice of thanking donors for their generosity?

Answers:

It undermines the moral value of the donorsâ actions.

It mistakes an act of duty for an act of charity.

It increases the likelihood that others will give.

It should not be followed up by requests for more contributions.

Question 10

Singer considers the moderate version of his position to be more reasonable than the strong version.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 11

The ethics of care is interested in describing but not evaluating the various aspects of care and caring relations.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 12

Singer’s reflections here are primarily:

Answers:

descriptive-empirical.

prescriptive-normative.

meta-ethical.

all of these.

Question 13

Some writers cited by Singer have feared that promoting radically demanding moral standards will:

Answers:

lead to a general breakdown in morality.

lead people to sacrifice more than is good for them.

lead to widespread, paralyzing guilt.

undermine our tolerance of cultures with moral standards different from our own.

Question 14

According to the ethics of care, impartiality is a fundamental criterion of moral reasoning.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 15

According to the moderate version of Singer’s position, I should give until:

Answers:

further giving would force me to sacrifice something of moral significance.

I reach the point of marginal utility.

further giving would bring my income below my nationâ s average.

further giving would require a dramatic change in my lifestyle.

Question 16

Singer believes that we should be working full time to relieve the great suffering common in many parts of the world.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 17

What does Singer believe those who live in relatively affluent countries have a duty to sacrifice to protect people in poor countries from preventable evils?

Answers:

one-tenth of their incomes

as much as they can afford without radically altering their lifestyles

as much as they can afford without sacrificing something of comparable moral worth to what the poor are lacking

as much as it would take to eradicate the evils if everyone else in that economic situation gave an equal amount

Question 18

Singer’s proposal would require a dramatic alteration of the way we think about moral issues.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 19

In technical terms, the duty of the affluent to assist those suffering from preventable evils in poor countries is “supererogatory,” according to Singer.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 20

By “care,” Held means the benevolent disposition of one individual toward another.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 21

The ethics of care places particular emphasis on which of the following?

Answers:

universal rules

human dependence

the distinction between egoism and altruism

all of these

Question 22

Held believes that empathy can become excessive.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 23

Which of the following actions would Singer be likely to see as morally unjustifiable?

Answers:

buying clothes for any reason other than to keep warm

giving a friend a moderately priced bottle of wine on her birthday

saving money for a family cruise to Alaska

all of these

Question 24

What does Singer think about the view that overpopulation will lead to mass starvation in the future?

Answers:

There is no good evidence to support it.

It mitigates our obligation to do what we can to prevent famine now.

If we accept it, then our duty to prevent famine should lead us to support organizations working for population control.

Because it is too difficult to predict, the future is not relevant to our moral considerations in the present.

Question 25

The distinction between charity and duty is justified, according to Singer, by the social origins of moral attitudes.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

PHI115 ETHICS

Quiz on Kant and deontology

Question 1

True/False: Immanuel Kant is a consequentialist.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

Which of the following is THE Categorical Imperative?

Answers:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Always act in such a way that you make the world a better place.

I ought never to act in such a way that I couldn’t also will that the maxim on which I act should be a universal law.

Question 3

Which of the following is a categorical imperative?

Answers:

Help others.

If you want to be respected, then you should help others.

Helping others is good for the soul.

Question 4

Which of the following is a hypothetical imperative?

Answers:

Don’t steal.

If you don’t want to go to prison, then don’t steal.

Stealing is a means of getting things.

Question 1

Consent requires that an action be….

Answers:

voluntary

informed

decisionally-capacitated

all of the above

If I am forced at gunpoint to give over my wallet, then my actions was not…

Answers:

voluntary

informed

decisionally-capacitated

PHI115 ETHICS

Quiz on utilitarianism

Question 1

True/False: According to Mill, a completely contented fool is happier than an intelligent person who is not fully satisfied with his or her lot.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

True/False: According to Mill, pleasure is the only thing desirable for itself and not as a means to some other end.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 3

On what grounds does Mill think some pleasures can be judged higher or better than others?

Answers:

the undisputed superiority of the mind over the body

the compatibility of certain kinds of pleasure with moral virtue

the preference for one kind of pleasure over another shared by all of thsoe fully acquaiinted with both

all of these

Question 4

True/False: The utilitarian standard of right action is the happiness of the one performing the action.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 5

Mill would most likely say that it is generally immoral to lie because:

Answers:

lying involves treating someone merely as a means.

lying undermines trustworthiness, which is indispensable to human well-being.

lying runs counter to the divine will.

to lie is to act according to a maxim that would not be universalized.

Question 6

Which of the following rules captures Mill’s understanding of utilitarian ethics?

Answers:

Love your neighbor as yourself

Act only according to maxims you would be willing to make into universal laws.

To thine own self be true.

Carpe diem (“Seize the day”).

PHI115 ETHICS

Quiz on Mills

Question 1

The Racial Contract is that set of formal or informal agreements establishing the rules and regulations for two groups of people, the _________ and the ___________.

Answers:

whites…non-whites

northern whites…southern whites

Europeans and Africans

Question 2

True/False: The Racial Contract and the social contract are exactly the same.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 3

Whereas the social contract is __________, the racial contract is ____________.

Answers:

ideal, real

real, ideal

imaginary, unimaginary

Question 4

What is the purpose of the racial contract and the state that it establishes?

Answers:

To promote the greatest good for the greatest number.

To benefit the least advantaged by promoting equality of basic rights.

To maintain the privileges and advantages of full white citizens.

All of the above

PHI115 ETHICS

Quiz on Aristotle

Question 1

True/False: In order for an act to be truly virtuous, it must be done from a fixed state of character, for its own sake and knowingly and willingly.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

In what sense is moral virtue a mean?

Answers:

It occupies a middle ground between excessive and deficient possibilities of feeling and acting.

It corresponds to what the average person would do in a situation.

It corresponds to what ordinary “common sense” would recomment.

It is a mean in the sense that it is mathematical and one can apply a simple formula to determine what is right and wrong.

Question 3

True/False: Aristotle thinks that the moral virtues are inborn, or in us by nature.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 4

How does one become morally virtuous?

Answers:

As a result of the soul’s natural development.

as a result of careful study

through habituation

through divine grace

Question 5

In what does happiness consist?

Answers:

experiencing pleasure and not experiencing pain

achieving one’s goals and receiving honor from one’s community

activity of the soul in accordance with virtue

health, wealth and time to enjoy them

PHI115 ETHICS

Quiz on Held and Lorde

Question 1

The ethics of care is one of the oldest approaches to moral theory.

Question 2

The ethics of care stresses:

Question 3

The ethics of care places particular emphasis on which of the following?

Question 4

The ethics of care is interested in describing but not evaluating the various aspects of care and caring relations.

Question 5

The ethics of care values emotion as an aid to discerning what morality recommends.

Question 6

True/False: Lorde says we should respond to difference by ignoring it.

Question 7

True/False: Lorde thinks that we should define differences for ourselves.

PHI115 ETHICS

Quiz on Singer

Question 1

Singer believes that private donations are an effective way to prevent starvation.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 2

Singer believes that our duties to __________ are equal to our duties to ourselves.

Answers:

our children

our neighbors

those on the other side of the world

all of these groups

Question 3

Singer considers the moderate version of his position to be more reasonable than the strong version.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 4

In technical terms, the duty of the affluent to assist those suffering from preventable evils in poor countries is “supererogatory,” according to Singer.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 5

Some writers cited by Singer have feared that promoting radically demanding moral standards will:

Answers:

lead to a general breakdown in morality.

lead people to sacrifice more than is good for them.

lead to widespread, paralyzing guilt.

undermine our tolerance of cultures with moral standards different from our own.

Question 6

Singer’s reflections here are primarily:

Answers:

descriptive-empirical.

prescriptive-normative.

meta-ethical.

all of these.

Question 7

What others might or might not be giving to help the poor is not relevant to the question of what I should give.

Answers:

TRUE

FALSE

Question 8

What does Singer say in response to the objection that his position requires too drastic a revision of our current moral values?

Answers:

The implications of the view are not as radical as they initially seem.

However radical, the conclusion should stand until its premises are rejected or the argument is shown to be unsound.

Moral values must change with the times, and a time of such extreme global inequality as ours requires a dramatic response.

Our current moral values are rooted in indefensible religious doctrines and therefore ought to be drastically altered.

Question 9

What does Singer believe those who live in relatively affluent countries have a duty to sacrifice to protect people in poor countries from preventable evils?

Answers:

one-tenth of their incomes

as much as they can afford without radically altering their lifestyles

as much as they can afford without sacrificing something of comparable moral worth to what the poor are lacking

as much as it would take to eradicate the evils if everyone else in that economic situation gave an equal amount

Question 10

According to the moderate version of Singer’s position, I should give until:

Answers:

further giving would force me to sacrifice something of moral significance.

I reach the point of marginal utility.

further giving would bring my income below my nationâ s average.

further giving would require a dramatic change in my lifestyle.

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 1

Do not write or type in the comment field. Either attach a file or click “Write Submission” and type in the box that reveals. I will ask you to resubmit in submissions. Ask me if you have questions.

Instructions: Write a short essay (about two solid paragraphs) in answer to the following:

What is cultural relativism and what are the consequences of taking it seriously, according to Rachels, in his essay “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”?

Note: by “consequences of taking it seriously,” I am referring to a specific section from the article.

Note Two: Your task is summary. You are not to evaluate the definition of relativism Rachels offers or the consequences of taking it seriously. Try to summarize in a way faithful to the text but in your own words.

Your answer will be typed and submitted via Blackboard. Do not write or type in the comment field. Either attach a file or click “Write Submission” and type there.

Your short essay should be a solid paragraph that addresses the two parts to the question as faithfully to the text as is possible. Please quote or cite, where appropriate, and put page numbers in parentheses. For example: (p. 8).

Submissions will be analyzed using SafeAssign.

Grades will be determined using the general rubric.

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 2

Note the change in due date from the Syllabus. I’m giving you until the end of the day 3/10 to do this one. That is also the same time your weekly quiz is due. Both are due by the end of the day Sunday–this week.

For this assignment, you’re going to work on putting in your own words a statement that is supported by the theory of Kant. Here is your question, which is just a question from the end of this week’s reading:

Why is it wrong to deceive others?

Your task is to do two things: first, summarize the parts of Kant’s view that you think are most relevant to answering this question. Second, your task is to show why those parts of Kant’s theory you think are most relevant say that it is wrong to deceive others. In brief outline, your short essay will look like this:

Paragraph 1: Kant’s theory is the theory that rightness/wrongness work in the following way…[to be spelled out by you. Make sure you include parts that are relevant to answering the question.]

Paragraph 2: According to Kant’s theory, as I’ve summarized it, it is wrong to deceive others because…[to be spelled out by you.]

No need to argue that Kant is . You’re simply summarizing this theory in your own words, but using appropriate technical terms where appropriate, and showing why this theory says deception of other people is immoral.

Length: two, solid paragraphs (about 150 words or more)

Grades will be assigned using the general grading rubric.

Submissions will be analyzed using SafeAssign anti-plagiarism software.

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 3

Your work will be submitted via Blackboard. Do not write in the “Comment” field. Submissions should be attachmens in the appropriate format or written in the “Type Submission” field, which opens when you click it. Submission not in the appropriate place will be considered incomplete.

Note: this is due later than the syllabus says, since it involves writing about 250 words. It is due 3/17 by end of the day (the same time as your quiz).

In our text, we read the following formulation of the categorical imperative:

Act only according to that maxim which you can at the same time will to become universal law.

We worked on using that categorical imperative to work through some real life decisions, including whether or not to lie and whether or not to help others in times of need. But, that version is not the only version of the categorical imperative. There are two others, one of which is known as the “formular of the end in itself” or the “means/ends version.” Your task for this assignment concerns that version.

You are to read the attached work by Onora O’Neill, “A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics,” which discusses the means/ends version. After you read it—it’s short—you are to answer the following question in your own words, but from a Kantian perspective:

What do you think is the right thing to do in the following situation, using as your moral position only the formula of the end in itself, plus whatever relevant facts you have good reasons to add?

Situation: Suppose you are a student at Harper College, which you are. You are enrolled in a class about ethics. On the day before the test, Professor Horton is discussing study preparation for an upcoming exam. He is using an actual copy of your upcoming exam to help him in addressing issues you might face. Class is dismissed, but he leaves behind the copy of your upcoming exam. Question: do you or do you not look at it? I assume not looking at it involves picking it up and returning it to Professor Horton. I assuming looking at the exam may or may not involve returning it. So, what do you do as a good Kantian moral reasoner? Your position will involve making a moral argument, including both making a moral claim about what you would do and backing it up with reasons like Kant would give, using relevant facts and the formula of the end in itself. Specifics below:

Your submission will be approximately 250 words, which is about a page. You should write in clear, effective prose, using complete, grammatically sentences. You should explain your reasoning, laying it out as if you were explaining it to a peer who hasn’t had Introduction to Ethics. What is the right thing to do? Why are you doing it? Are there other options? Why not do those? And so on. You should also explain the formula of the end in itself, as it will figure in your reasoning. Make sure you have a topic sentence that explains your view, with the rest of your short essay elaborating on and supporting what you take to be the right thing to do as a Kantian.

Your work will be submitted via Blackboard. Do not write in the “Comment” field. Submissions should be attachmens in the appropriate format or written in the “Type Submission” field, which opens when you click it. Submission not in the appropriate place will be considered incomplete.

Assignments will be graded using the general rubric.

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 4

Answer the following two questions completely. Your answers will be about a paragraph or so each (word count will be near 150 – 200). Proofread your writing for clarity and ness. Submissions will be analyzed using SafeAssign. Do not write in the comment field.

For each answer, please provide one or more quotes from our reading in support of your answer. No works cited page is necessary, but please include page numbers in parentheses at the end of the sentence in which your quote occurs, and before final punctuation of the sentence.

(1) According to Mill, is the agent’s own happiness the standard of right conduct? Why or why not?

(2) Are some types of pleasures more worthwhile than others? Why?

Do not type your submissions in the “comment” box. Click “Write Submission” and type it there, or attach a Word or Adobe (.doc/.docx, .pdf) file only.

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 5

Do not write in the “Comment” field. Click “Write Submission” or attach a file of the appropriate type.

Your homework will take approximately one solid paragraph (at least five or more sentences). Answer the following question:

What is a law from the past of the United States that would not pass Rawls’s test? In other words, find an example of an unjust law from U.S. history. Tips below:

(1) Know Rawls’s theory of justice. When is a law just and when is a law unjust. There are two principle of justice. A law will fail to be just if it violates one or the other (but won’t violate both).

(2) Find a law from U.S. history that is unjust. You might look at Jim Crow laws. You might look for examples of laws that violated our constitution. Your only caveat: not every law with ‘unjust’ beside it will be unjust according to Rawls’s theory. You’ll need to understand his theory and apply it in order to figure out whether it violates either of the Principles of Justice.

Assignments will be checked using SafeAssign.

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 7

Your reading for this week is a selection from Gilligan’s “In A Different Voice.” Part of what she is up to there is getting us to question what was then, and to a large extent still is, a dominant hierarchy of moral thought. That hierarchy was theorized by Lawrence Kohlberg. I reproduce it below (as it appears in Wikipedia’s entry on Lawrence):

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)

1. Obedience and punishment orientation

( How can I avoid punishment?)

2. Self-interest orientation

( What’s in it for me?)

( Paying for a benefit)

Level 2 (Conventional)

3. Interpersonal accord and conformity

( Social norms)

( The good boy/girl attitude)

4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation

( Law and order morality)

Level 3 (Post-Conventional)

5. Social contract orientation

6. Universal ethical principles

( Principled conscience)

This way of rank-ordering different strategies for handling moral questions doesn’t appear all that problematic at first glance. It doesn’t even mention women, people of color, different socioeconomic classes, nothing. It’s simply saying what kinds of reasoning are more sophisticated and developed that others.

But…

When combined with sexist attitudes about women (or people of color, or…), then we run into problems. Why? Because women’s answers to questions about moral dilemmas, seemed to suggest that they were inferior to men in terms of moral reasoning (assuming the evidence was gathered well and the interpretation of the data was solid, both of which are big assumptions). At similar levels of physical/social development, females seem to be lagging behind males, so the data suggested.

Enter Gilligan. Instead of questioning the data, as many have, she questions the very structure used to interpret it. What if Kohlberg is wrong? What if the ways females think is not inferior to the ways males think about morality. What if they are different, but equal, approaches, emphasizing different things?

Your task for this assignment is to answer the Heinz dilemma from our own text in your own words. What would you do? Second, where do you think your answer would rank on Kohlberg’s scale? Last, do you agree? Why or why not?

I’m imagining these questions as a fun way to apply the theory. I’m not worried so much about whether you answer the Heinz dilemma ly or inly. That is beside the point. The idea is to try to evaluate your own answer to it. So, be honest, but focus your efforts on applying the scale and determining whether and why you agree or disagree with where you ended up on it.

Specifics:

Write about two to three solid paragraphs in standard written English.

Proofread for typos, obvious grammatical errors (sentence fragments, etc.).

Do NOT write in the comment field. Attach a file of the appropriate type or click “Write Submission” and type there.

Submissions will be analyzed using SafeAssign. No outside sources are allowed, beyond your own reading and the Wiki entry on Kohlberg, if you so choose to look at it (link below).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development

PHI115 ETHICS

Homework 8

So, this is our last homework assignment. Here is all I’d like to see:

What topic most interested you and why? The ‘why’ is pretty open ended. It could interest you because you disagree with a particular author. Say what and where and who. It could be because you hadn’t thought about a particular issue before. What issue and what do you think about it? Any which way you go, tell me an author and topic you found most interesting and why. This will take two paragraphs.

Grading: there is no objectively answer for this. I have no way of knowing what you really did or didn’t find interesting. I’ll be grading, therefore, purely on completeness. Write in complete sentences and let me know what topic interested you the most and why!