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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
1. Consequentialism
a.
is best represented by Ross's theory of ethics.
b.
states that sometimes the consequences of our actions can be morally relevant.
c.
states that the moral rightness of an action is determined solely by its results.
d.
differs from nonconsequentialism because nonconsequentialism denies that consequences have any moral
significance.
2. If you adopt egoism as your moral code, then
a.
you can never act honestly or be gracious or helpful to others.
b.
you must endorse hedonism.
c.
you must always avoid any unpleasant or painful experiences.
d.
you believe that it is morally right to do whatever promotes your best interest.
3. According to the text, psychological egoism
a.
is derived from alleged fact that human beings are by nature selfish creatures.
b.
is the same principle of morality as ethical egoism.
c.
is the view that the best way to promote our own self-interest is to sometimes be selfish.
d.
is based on hedonism.
4. Which of the following represents a utilitarian belief?
a.
We must always support what most people want, i.e., by majority rule.
b.
We should bring about the most happiness for everyone affected by our actions.
c.
We should concern ourselves only with the immediate results of our actions.
d.
We must always disregard our own happiness when deciding what to do.
5. According to act utilitarianism, an action is morally right if and only if
a.
it makes the person who does it happy.
b.
everyone prefers that action to any other action.
c.
it maximizes total, net happiness.
d.
it brings only happiness and causes no pain.
6. Utilitarians believe that
a.
knowledge, friendship, and aesthetic satisfaction are intrinsically valuable (or inherently good).
b.
we can predict with certainty the future consequences of our actions.
c.
an action that leads to unhappiness is morally right if any other action that you could have performed instead
would have brought about even more unhappiness.
d.
an action can't be right if the people who are made happy by it are outnumbered by the people who are made
unhappy by it.
7. Which of the following considerations about utilitarism is correct?
a.
The great 19th century utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, believed that pleasure and happiness
were different things.
b.
Bentham was concerned with the quantity of pleasure that an action produces, not with distinctions based on
the type of the pleasure.
c.
Act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism consistently agree upon which actions are morally right.
d.
Utilitarians believe that we can't compare one person's happiness with that of another.
8. The case of the "death-bed promise" shows that
a.
utilitarianism may lead to conclusions that conflict with our ordinary ideas of right and wrong.
b.
keeping your promises never maximizes happiness.
c.
it was wrong to have made the promise in the first place.
d.
utilitarianism reduces effectively to egoism in practice.
9. Utilitarianism is appealing as a standard for moral decision making in business. Which of the following provides a
reason for this?
a.
Utilitarianism provides an objective way of resolving conflicts of self-interest.
b.
Utilitarianism provides a rigid approach to moral decision making.
c.
Utilitarianism provides a fuzzy standard for formulating and testing policies.
d.
Utilitarianism gives us firm rules to follow, rules that don't permit exceptions.
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
10. Which of the following is true regarding Immanuel Kant’s beliefs?
a.
He defended a consequentialist theory of right and wrong.
b.
He believed that all duties are prima facie duties.
c.
He believed that moral principles rest on empirical data, on observation and experiment.
d.
He believed that reason by itself can reveal the basic principles of morality.
11. According to Kant
a.
good will is the only thing that is good in itself.
b.
an action has moral worth if it is consistent with the categorical imperative.
c.
only actions based on feeling or sentiment have moral worth.
d.
a self-interested person can never do the right action.
12. Imagine a shopkeeper who is honest because being honest is good for business. When the shopkeeper refrains from
cheating a customer, Kant would say this action
a.
was wrong because its motive was impure.
b.
was in accordance with duty, but not done from duty.
c.
displayed a high level of moral worth.
d.
shows that he was following the categorical imperative.
13. "If you want to go to law school, then you must take the LSAT exam." This statement is an example of
a.
the transcendental imperative.
b.
the categorical imperative.
c.
a hypothetical imperative.
d.
irrational behavior.
14. Kant believed that we should always act
a.
in such a way that we can will the maxim of our action to be a local law.
b.
in a way that treats success as an end in itself, never merely as means.
c.
in a way that would be universally unacceptable to all rational beings.
d.
in a way that moral beings give the moral law.
15. According to W. D. Ross's theory
a.
a prima facie obligation is absolute and can never be overridden.
b.
what we should do in any specific set of circumstances will always be self-evident.
c.
it would be wrong to lie to a murderer even to save the life of a friend.
d.
we have various moral duties that can't be reduced to a single, overarching obligation.
16. Nonconsequentialists like Ross believe that
a.
we have no obligation to promote general welfare.
b.
utilitarianism doesn't require us to sacrifice as much as we should to help other people.
c.
morality permits each of us a sphere in which to pursue our own plans and goals.
d.
people's so-called "moral rights" are unimportant when determining the right course of action.
17. Supererogatory actions are
a.
actions that are normally wrong to do, but can sometimes be right.
b.
actions that it would be good to do but not immoral not to do.
c.
actions that we are morally required to do, all things considered.
d.
actions that are wrong even though they produce some good.
18. The statement that best defines rights is
a.
all moral rights are legal rights.
b.
a negative right is a right to receive certain benefits.
c.
a right is an entitlement to act or to have others act in a certain way.
d.
all moral rights are human rights.
19. Which of the following statements is true regarding human rights?
a.
Human rights are equal rights; if X is a human right, then everyone has this right.
b.
Human rights are transferable and thus "alienable".
c.
Human rights rest on particular roles and special relationships.
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
d.
Human rights are not natural but are always grounded in a specific legal or political system.
20. Rule utilitarians
a.
believe that the optimal moral code will not normally produce 100% compliance.
b.
believe that the optimal moral code would consist of only one rule, namely, always act so as to maximize
happiness.
c.
assume that everyone will always follow the rules, all the time.
d.
believe that an action is wrong if it fails to maximize happiness.
21. For those who are trying to make moral decisions
a.
it is impossible to make progress on controversial ethical issues unless everyone shares the same moral theory.
b.
endorsing a moral principle doesn't require you to apply it in all similar situations.
c.
moral judgments don't have to be related to some general moral principles.
d.
in a moral discussion, clarifying the facts and spelling out the principles to which people are appealing can
help us to reach a solution.
22. A practical basis for discussing moral issues involves taking account of
a.
effects, ideals, and obligations.
b.
effort, duties, and organization.
c.
compassion, intellect, and patience.
d.
compliance, contribution, and consequences.
23. The only accurate statement about consequentalism is:
a.
Utilitarianism is a nonconsequentialist ethical theory.
b.
Utilitarianism is an egoistic normative theory.
c.
Consequentialism says that the moral rightness of an action is determined solely by its results.
d.
Nonconsequentialists deny that consequences have any moral significance.
24. A key idea of Immanuel Kant's ethical theory is that:
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
a.
all duties are prima facie duties.
b.
the moral permissibility of our actions depends entirely upon their consequences.
c.
we should treat people as ends in themselves, never merely as means.
d.
only pleasure has intrinsic value.
25. Which of the following is true regarding utilitarian beliefs?
a.
Utilitarians wish to maximize happiness not simply immediately, but in the long run as well.
b.
Utilitarians contend that we can determine with certainty what the future consequences of our present actions
will be.
c.
When choosing among possible actions, utilitarianism requires us to disregard our own happiness.
d.
For the hedonistic utilitarian, knowledge, friendship, and aesthetic satisfaction are inherently good.
26. Adam Smith made the point that individual pursuit of self-interest (egoistic conduct), even when subject to rules and
constraints, always undermines the utilitarian goal of producing the most good for all.
a.
True
b.
False
27. Rule utilitarianism applies the utilitarian standard, not to individual actions, but to moral codes as a whole.
a.
True
b.
False
28. When a utilitarian like Jeremy Bentham advocates "the greatest happiness for the greatest number," we must consider
unhappiness or pain as well as happiness.
a.
True
b.
False
29. The connection between rights and duties is that, generally speaking, if you have a right to do something, then
someone else has a correlative duty to act in a certain way.
a.
True
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
b.
False
30. According to Immanuel Kant, moral reasoning is based on factual knowledge.
a.
True
b.
False
31. According to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, pleasure is the one thing that is intrinsically good or worthwhile.
a.
True
b.
False
32. The rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights are positive rights, not negative rights.
a.
True
b.
False
33. According to W. D. Ross, we have immediate intuitive knowledge of the basic prima facie moral
obligations/principles.
a.
True
b.
False
34. Richard Brandt defends a form of act utilitarianism.
a.
True
b.
False
35. All moral rights are legal rights.
a.
True
b.
False
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
36. By "maxim," Immanuel Kant meant the subjective principle of an action, the principle that people in effect formulate
in determining their conduct.
a.
True
b.
False
37. In ethics normative theories propose some principle or principles for distinguishing right actions from wrong actions.
a.
True
b.
False
38. Nonconsequentialist theories of ethics never consider the consequences of an action or rule when making a moral
judgment.
a.
True
b.
False
39. The view that associates morality with self-interest is egoism.
a.
True
b.
False
40. Egoists only do what they feel like doing.
a.
True
b.
False
41. Ethical egoism says that human beings are, as a matter of fact, so constructed that they must behave selfishly.
a.
True
b.
False
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
42. Jeremy Bentham thought that a community is no more than the individuals who compose it and that the interests of the
community are simply the sum of the interests of its members.
a.
True
b.
False
43. One feature about utilitarianism that makes it appealing as a standard for moral decisions in business and nonbusiness
organizations is that it provides a clear and straightforward basis for formulating and testing policies.
a.
True
b.
False
44. According to Adam Smith, if business is left to pursue its self-interest, the good of society will be compromised and
harmed.
a.
True
b.
False
45. Immanuel Kant believed that it is only when we act out of feeling or sentiment that our actions have moral worth.
a.
True
b.
False
46. A hypothetical imperative tells us to act as we would want everyone to act in that situation.
a.
True
b.
False
47. Immanuel Kant believed that prostitution was immoral because, by selling their sexual services, prostitutes allow
themselves to be treated as only a means to an end.
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
a.
True
b.
False
48. A prima facie obligation is an obligation that can be overridden by a more important obligation.
a.
True
b.
False
49. A supererogatory act is an act that would be good not to do to, but doing it is not absolutely wrong.
a.
True
b.
False
50. W. D. Ross denied that we have immediate, intuitive knowledge of the basic prima facie obligations.
a.
True
b.
False
51. What is the difference between legal rights and moral rights and between negative rights and positive rights?
52. According to Kant, when does an action have moral worth?
53. What is the difference between the categorical imperative and a hypothetical imperative?
54. State two alternative formulations of Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative. What are these two formulations?
55. Identify two forms of ethical egoism. What are these two forms and how do they differ from one another?
56. What is a prima facie obligation?
57. Human rights have at least four important characteristics. What are these characteristics of human rights?
58. Explain one of the three criticisms of utilitarianism..
59. What is the difference between egoism as an ethical theory and psychological egoism?
60. According to Immanuel Kant, lying is never morally permissible. Why does he believe this?
61. Give a real life example of how obligations, ideals, and effects can be in conflict. Explain how to give resolution to
this conflict.
62. Choose two theories of ethics from the reading and explain how you would properly apply them to the “Hacking into
Harvard” case on pages 86 and 87.
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Chapter 2 - Normative Theories of Ethics
63. How would the six points of utilitarianism be applied to “The Ford Pinto” case to come to a proper resolution?
64. Choose a current day problem in business ethics and explain how Hare’s approach could be used to solve it.
65. Based on the reading, “When is “Everybody’s Doing It” a moral justification?, “ is ever an occasion when it is morally
acceptable to follow others though some would say it is wrong? Justify your answer either way.
