Quiz 1 Flashcards
(20 cards)
Which of the following questions falls within the domain of metaethics?
a. What is the status of moral claims and advice?
b. What are our fundamental moral duties?
c. Do the ends always justify the means?
d. What is the good life?
a. What is the status of moral claims and advice?.
Which of the following claims falls within the domain of value theory?
a. Morality is objective.
b. Moral knowledge is impossible.
c. The right thing to do is whatever maximizes happiness.
d. The only thing that matters in order to live well is to get what you want.
d. The only thing that matters in order to live well is to get what you want..
What area of moral philosophy deals with questions about what our moral obligations are?
a. Value theory
b. Normative ethics
c. Metaethics
d. Moral epistemology
b. Normative ethics.
Which of the following commonly motivates people to be skeptical about morality?
a. The existence of moral disagreement
b. The belief that science is the only way of discovering truth
c. The view that all moral rules have exceptions
d. All of the above
d. All of the above.
What is an argument in philosophy?
a. A set of claims, including a conclusion and reasons given in support of the conclusion
b. A formal debate between competing positions
c. A heated exchange of the sort that is frowned upon by serious philosophers
d. A complex philosophical theory
a. A set of claims, including a conclusion and reasons given in support of the conclusion.
According to the text, how should moral philosophy begin?
a. From a set of moral principles that cannot be doubted
b. From a set of moral rules that is clear enough so as to not require interpretation
c. From a set of plausible ethical claims that is subject to revision
d. None of the above
c. From a set of plausible ethical claims that is subject to revision.
Which of the following is impossible?
a. A valid argument with a false conclusion
b. A sound argument with a false premise
c. A valid argument that is not sound
d. A sound argument with a true conclusion
b. A sound argument with a false premise.
If we discover that an argument is invalid, what does this tell us about its conclusion?
a. It is true.
b. It is false.
c. It follows from the premises.
d. None of the above.
d. None of the above
According to the text, what is moral philosophy primarily concerned with?
a. Figuring out which particular actions are right or wrong in everyday life
b. Explaining why people make the moral judgments they do
c. Examining the attractions of various ethical theories
d. Learning about the differing moral codes of different societies
c. Examining the attractions of various ethical theories.
What is the best description of the following argument? If the sky is yellow, then grass is pink. The sky is yellow. Therefore, grass is pink.
a. Valid and sound
b. Valid but unsound
c. Invalid but sound
d. Invalid and unsound
b. Valid but unsound.
Which of the following would the ethical objectivist accept?
a. Morality is determined by the guiding ideals of a society.
b. Morality is determined by personal opinion.
c. There are no moral truths at all.
d. None of the above.
d. None of the above..
Which of the following would a cultural relativist accept?
a. Morality is determined by the guiding ideals of a society.
b. Morality is determined by personal opinion.
c. There are no moral truths at all.
d. None of the above.
a. Morality is determined by the guiding ideals of a society..
Which of the following is not a version of moral skepticism?
a. Moral nihilism
b. Ethical objectivism
c. Ethical subjectivism
d. Cultural relativism
b. Ethical objectivism.
Which of the following would a cultural relativist not accept?
a. Different societies have different moral codes.
b. Individuals can be mistaken about what is morally required of them.
c. Some societies have better moral codes than others.
d. There are no objective moral standards.
c. Some societies have better moral codes than others..
What does cultural relativism imply about iconoclasts who oppose the conventional moral wisdom of a society?
a. They are always a source of moral progress.
b. They are always morally mistaken.
c. They can be morally correct but are often morally mistaken.
d. They are impossible.
b. They are always morally mistaken..
According to ethical subjectivism, what is the relationship between a thing being good and someone approving of it?
a. The only reason people approve of things is because those things are good.
b. Whether something is good is independent of whether anyone approves of it.
c. Good people approve of good things, whereas bad people approve of bad things.
d. Things are good only because people approve of them.
d. Things are good only because people approve of them..
If cultural relativism is true, what happens when the moral code of a society changes?
a. Such changes always indicate moral progress.
b. Such changes only rarely indicate moral progress.
c. Such changes never indicate moral progress.
d. It is impossible for a society’s moral code to change, according to cultural relativism.
c. Such changes never indicate moral progress..
If I say, “The death penalty is immoral,” what does this mean, according to ethical subjectivism?
a. The death penalty is objectively morally wrong.
b. My society disapproves of the death penalty.
c. I disapprove of the death penalty.
d. This claim is meaningless, according to ethical subjectivism.
c. I disapprove of the death penalty..
What is an ideal observer?
a. A fair third party who negotiates disputes
b. An improved version of oneself who is fully informed and perfectly rational
c. Someone who comes to moral verdicts by using thought experiments
d. None of the above
b. An improved version of oneself who is fully informed and perfectly rational.
According to the text, what is the most serious problem for ideal observer subjectivism?
a. Ideal observers would approve of things because they were good and not vice versa.
b. It cannot account for moral disagreement.
c. It makes moral progress impossible.
d. It makes questioning one’s own commitments pointless.
a. Ideal observers would approve of things because they were good and not vice versa..
