12–21
54.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Knowing how to think critically may help save someone’s life some day, so you ought to
develop your ability to do so.
A person should generally be prepared to save lives.
55.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
You have no right to complain about Stephenson’s performance; after all, you voted for
him.
Voting for (or otherwise supporting, presumably) a person eliminates one’s right to
complain about what he or she does later.
12–22
56.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
It’s time to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Doing so will make the hemisphere a
safer place.
One ought to promote safety in the hemisphere.
57.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
“You shouldn’t have criticized David so harshly; his mistake was a trivial one.”
The severity of one’s criticism should match the severity of the mistake criticized.
58.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
In 1965, there were 47,000 road fatalities in the United States. By 1984, there were only
44,250 fatalities, but that is still far too many. The reductions between 1965 and 1984
were due primarily to federal requirements for motor vehicle safety. So, even stricter
federal safety controls should be required.
Unstated nonevaluative premise: Regulations that have reduced road fatalities in the past
will, if strengthened, reduce the present number of fatalities. Unstated evaluative claim:
Steps to reduce the number of fatalities should be taken.
59.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Galileo’s hypothesis should be suppressed. The biblical account in Ecclesiastes clearly
states that the sun rises and sets and hastens to the place where it will rise again.
Unstated nonevaluative premise: Galileo’s hypothesis contradicts a biblical account.
Unstated evaluative claim: Any claim that contradicts a biblical account should be
suppressed. Here’s a somewhat more charitable version: Unstated nonevaluative premise:
Galileo’s hypothesis is clearly false (because it contradicts the Bible, which is true).
Unstated moral principle: Clearly false claims should be suppressed.
12–24
60.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
We ought not to leave the showroom model’s accessories off the price tag, since that will
really mislead customers.
One ought not to mislead customers.
61.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
Smoke from wood-burning stoves has become a serious health hazard. They ought to be
banned.
One ought to promote safety.
12–25
62.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
You shouldn’t have included that material on the exam. It was never mentioned in class.
One ought not examine students on material that has not been mentioned in class.
63.
For the following, try to come up with an additional premise that will turn the passage into
a deductively valid or an inductively strong argument. Usually this requires adding a
general moral principle and, sometimes, an extra nonmoral claim as well. The idea is to
guarantee that the “ought” claim follows from the “is” claim.
The dog has been out so long she’s probably freezing. You ought to let her in.
One should not allow animals to suffer unnecessarily.
64.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t, because Vickie couldn’t imagine such a behavior becoming a universal law,
allowing everybody to run away from his or her responsibility.
Duty theory.
65.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t, because a person of integrity and moral responsibility wouldn’t act like that.
Virtue ethics.
12–27
66.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t, because someone may have seen her knock the display over. If she is caught
leaving, she, as well as the store management, will be embarrassed.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
67.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t, because she has caused product loss that necessitates more work for the
employees. So the least she can do is report what she has done and pay for damages.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
12–28
68.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t; that would be treating the store employees like stepping stones, as though
they were put on this earth just to clean up after Vickie.
Duty theory.
69.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
Yes, it is; because Vickie will be happier if she can just get out of there and avoid the
mess.
Consequentialism (ethical egoism).
12–29
70.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t; people like us believe that it’s wrong to let others clean up the mess we’ve
made. Maybe if she lived in some other kind of place it’d be OK, but not here.
Relativism.
71.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
Yes, it is; since Vickie’s religion says that it’s OK to act like this, she’s justified. However,
since our religion says we should clean up the mess, we wouldn’t be justified.
Religious relativism.
12–30
72.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
Yes, it is. Look, so long as Vickie thinks it’s OK to leave, she’s right. I, however, think it
would be wrong, so I’d have to stay and clean up the mess.
Subjectivism.
73.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
At the supermarket, Vickie just ran her cart into a display of jars with jams and preserves,
and now the aisle is full of broken glass and jam. She feels like leaving the store as quickly
as possible. Is that an acceptable course of action?
No, it isn’t; our god says that it would be a sin to leave, so she must stay and clean up.
Religious absolutism.
12–31
74.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
Since Taffy is capable of suffering, it is important that her future be taken into
consideration. She should be placed with people who will care for her.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
75.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
Taffy is not a rational being, and the university has no duty to treat her as anything but a
mere means to an end. They can sell her or put her to sleep. If anybody cares enough for
her to take care of her, that will be that person’s choice.
Duty theory.
12–32
76.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
If the researchers have the proper compassion for Taffy, they should make certain that
she is placed with people who will care for her.
Virtue ethics.
77.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
God says that humans have mastery over animals, so the lab people can do what they
want with her.
Religious absolutism.
12–33
78.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
It depends on Taffy’s condition; if she is healthy and can expect a long life, she should be
taken to a place where she can live a full life; if the experiments have impaired her health
to the point where she is suffering and won’t recover, she should be put to sleep.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
79.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
Only human greed and insensitivity have put Taffy in her present situation. We can hope
that by learning about Taffy, people will become more sensitive toward other creatures.
Virtue ethics.
12–34
80.
Identify the moral perspective at work here:
Taffy is a university lab chimpanzee; the university has lost its animal research grant and
has to decide what to do with Taffy.
Since people in this country think that treating animals cruelly is wrong, the university
should see that Taffy is placed in a humane facility. However, if the university is in a
country where people don’t think animals have any rights, then they can do what they
want with her.
Relativism.
81.
Given the following position on euthanasia (doctor-assisted suicide), identify which of the
three major ethical theories discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue
ethics—it follows. Note that each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on
an issue.
Active euthanasia should be legalized. After all, what are the overall consequences in
terms of happiness or unhappiness? Euthanasia may not make the patient who wants to
die happy, but at least it can end his or her misery. And although the relatives may feel
unhappy at the assisted suicide, they too have suffered, and they will grieve whether the
patient dies assisted or unassisted. As a matter of fact, they may grieve less if they know
the patient has been spared a substantial amount of suffering.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
12–35
82.
Given the following position on euthanasia (doctor-assisted suicide), identify which of the
three major ethical theories discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue
ethics—it follows. Note that each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on
an issue.
Active euthanasia should not be legalized; it is much too dangerous. The consequences
could be devastating to our society. If we allow terminally ill people access to euthanasia,
what guarantees do we have that such access won’t be abused? It would be easy to
imagine greedy relatives insisting that it is better for Grandma to die sooner than linger in
pain, or to imagine Grandma choosing to die sooner so she won’t cost the family a lot of
money. Overall, access to euthanasia may cause terrible unhappiness.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
83.
Given the following position on euthanasia (doctor-assisted suicide), identify which of the
three major ethical theories discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue
ethics—it follows. Note that each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on
an issue.
If we can trust doctors and relatives of the patient to be morally responsible people, then
active euthanasia could become an option. However, it may be abused by people with a
bad character. And we should not forget that the character of the patients themselves may
be important: Are they serious in their request, or are they going to change their minds at
the last minute? Above all, let us be certain that the decision is right for the patient in his
or her special situation, that the manner of euthanasia is appropriate, and that the
situation is viewed with a balanced mind-set.
Virtue ethics. (Virtue ethics has not contributed much to these current debates about
issues of conduct, such as euthanasia and abortion, but we imagine that a virtue ethicist
might answer like that.)
84.
Given the following position on euthanasia (doctor-assisted suicide), identify which of the
three major ethical theories discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue
ethics—it follows. Note that each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on
an issue.
Active euthanasia should not be allowed. One might opt for euthanasia because one
believes it might be to one‘s advantage, but could one truly imagine this access being
available to everyone, as a universal law? Besides, one would be using the poor doctor as
merely a means to an end, without any regard for his or her professional integrity.
Duty theory.
12–37
85.
Given the following position on euthanasia (doctor-assisted suicide), identify which of the
three major ethical theories discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue
ethics—it follows. Note that each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on
an issue.
Active euthanasia should be allowed. However, one would have to be very specific about
stating the circumstances under which one might allow it. In that case, with circumstances
strictly identified, it would be possible to imagine it to be a universal law that everyone
under these specific circumstances could be allowed access to euthanasia.
Duty theory (a modern, revised version that allows for exceptions to moral rules such as
“don’t kill,” as long as these exceptions are stated beforehand).
86.
Given the following position on abortion, identify which of the three major ethical theories
discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue ethics—it follows. Note that
each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on an issue.
Abortion should not be allowed. Whether abortion is done for the woman’s convenience,
health, or other reasons, the fact remains that taking a life is wrong. No number of good
consequences can alter that fact.
Duty theory.
12–38
87.
Given the following position on abortion, identify which of the three major ethical theories
discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue ethics—it follows. Note that
each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on an issue.
Abortion should be allowed. It doesn’t matter whether one, as an individual, is for or
against it; what matters is that women will be dying in back alleys again if their access to
abortion is taken away from them.
Consequentialism (utilitarianism).
88.
Given the following position on abortion, identify which of the three major ethical theories
discussed in the text—utilitarianism, duty theory, or virtue ethics—it follows. Note that
each theory may encompass several possible viewpoints on an issue.
Abortion should be allowed. It is up to the individual to decide whether abortion is the right
thing to do for her. Not everybody is ready for parenthood, and it is better that children not
be raised by individuals who have no love for them, no stability in their lives, or no sense of
responsibility for their actions.
Virtue ethics.
12–39
89.
Suppose that the following pair of statements appears in a review of the same work of art.
Identify which of the aesthetic principles referred to in the text each statement in the pair
appeals to. Then state whether the principles are compatible and thus form the basis for a
consistent review, or whether they are incompatible and cannot both be used in a
consistent review.
a. A poem should not mean but be.
b. To appreciate
Paradise Lost
, it is essential to determine whether Milton meant Satan as
a figure of evil, or as a liberated and thus attractively heroic figure.
(a) Principle 7; (b) Principle 2;
incompatible
.
90.
Suppose that the following pair of statements appears in a review of the same work of art.
Identify which of the aesthetic principles referred to in the text each statement in the pair
appeals to. Then state whether the principles are compatible and thus form the basis for a
consistent review, or whether they are incompatible and cannot both be used in a
consistent review.
a. Phillis Wheatley’s poetry is important art because it convinced her eighteenth-century
contemporaries of the artistic abilities of Africans and contributed to the antislavery
movement.
b. Phillis Wheatley’s poems are exemplary expressions of Christian values.
(a) Principle 3; (b) Principle 2;
compatible
.
12–40
91.
Suppose that the following pair of statements appears in a review of the same work of art.
Identify which of the aesthetic principles referred to in the text each statement in the pair
appeals to. Then state whether the principles are compatible and thus form the basis for a
consistent review, or whether they are incompatible and cannot both be used in a
consistent review.
a. Bierstadt’s monumental western landscapes are effective; we can be sure of this
because they romanticized, and thus promoted, the American migration to the western
areas of the country.
b. The scenes he painted of the Rocky Mountains make us understand viscerally what it is
like to experience the sublime.
(a) Principle 3; (b) Principle 6;
compatible
.
92.
Suppose that the following pair of statements appears in a review of the same work of art.
Identify which of the aesthetic principles referred to in the text each statement in the pair
appeals to. Then state whether the principles are compatible and thus form the basis for a
consistent review, or whether they are incompatible and cannot both be used in a
consistent review.
a. By the end of the nineteenth century, Bierstadt’s painting was condemned as grandiose
and sentimental; this is an example of the corruption of critical judgment by retrogressive
political interests.
b. We must accept that the correctness of aesthetic taste is always an effect of the times.
(a) Principle 3; more subtly, Principle 5; (b) Principle 8;
incompatible
.