Q&A Hero

Q: According to Lawrence Blum, popular thinking about race generally dispenses with the biological component, but not with the idea of ________, the notion that certain traits of mind, character, and temperament are inescapably part of a racial groups nature and hence define its racial fate. a. inherency c. incomprehensibility b. inevitability d. incoherence

Q: A moral theory is inconsistent with our considered moral judgments if a. it allows us to torture infants for fun. b. it judges that we may favor our loved ones over strangers. c. it considers all actions to have selfish motives. d. it states that moral judgments are often difficult to make.

Q: The difficulty underlying the moral dilemma of climate change boils down to what obligations, if any, we have to future generations.

Q: ________ theories of justice hold that all persons have equal value and deserve equal respect and therefore have equal rights to the worlds resources.

Q: According to cultural relativism, what's morally right for a culture is simply whatever that culture approves of or believes is morally right. According to the text, which of these evaluations is most appropriate? a. This theory is incoherent, because it allows that different cultures have different beliefs about what is morally right. b. This theory is inconsistent with our considered moral judgments, because not everyone within a culture will agree on what is morally right. c. This theory is inconsistent with our moral experience, because it means that cultures cannot approve of an action that is morally wrongbut we know that sometimes cultures do approve of morally wrong actions. d. This theory is not useful in moral problem solving, because it gives me no way to find out what is the right thing to do.

Q: A being has ________ when it is a suitable candidate for direct moral concern or respect.

Q: Suppose a moral theory is inconsistent with two of your most trustworthy and important moral judgments (and other considerations do not counterbalance this fact). You should then regard the theory as a. definitely false. c. true until proven otherwise. b. imperfect but true. d. dubious and possibly false.

Q: The notion that only humans have moral status is called ________.

Q: If a moral theory suggests that our moral judgments cannot be rationally supported, it is thereby inconsistent with a. religious ethics. c. the criterion of usefulness. b. the requirement of coherence. d. our moral experience.

Q: A ________ holds the view that all living entities have moral status, whether sentient or not.

Q: A major reason for devising a moral theory is to a. rebut rival theories. c. be able to reject other theories. b. obtain practical guidance. d. determine psychological motivations.

Q: One who believes that some living things have greater moral status than others is known as a species ________.

Q: According to ethical egoism, the morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil for oneself. Which of these evaluations is most appropriate? a. This theory is incoherent because it conflicts with other moral theories. b. This theory is inconsistent with our considered moral judgments because it says that it is right to harm innocent people when it benefits you. c. This theory is inconsistent with our moral experience because it says that many of our actions are morally wrong. d. This theory is not useful in moral problem solving because there is no way to tell if one action will benefit you more than another.

Q: The view called ________ says that, when considering our moral obligations to the environment, the good of the whole should always outweigh the good of an individual.

Q: several features meant to improve on previous theories. In particular, the author wants to resolve the problem of conflicting rules or principles. Which of the following features BEST helps resolve this problem? a. The theory includes only the best of the rules presented in previous theories. b. The theory includes a principle of respect, requiring respect for all persons. c. The theory includes three principles, rather than one. d. The theory includes prima facie principles, rather than absolute rules. ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: pp. 7071, 7480

Q: The ecological individualist insists that we must take into consideration the interests of human beings only.

Q: Justice concerning the fair distribution of societys goods is called ________ justice.

Q: The morality of persons getting what is fair or what is their due is known as ________.

Q: A moral theory would fail to meet the minimum requirement of coherence if a. it fails to cohere with considered moral judgments. b. it states that the same action in the same conditions is both right and wrong. c. it fails to cohere with common cultural practices. d. it states that some widely practiced actions are in fact wrong.

Q: Suppose environmentalists want to prevent the disappearance of glaciers in Glacier National Park, which are melting away at an alarming rate. One report claims that slowing global warming can help prevent the melting, which would be accomplished by creating better fuel efficiency for cars and stronger energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances. Laws passed to implement these higher standards would necessarily reflect a belief that glaciers have moral status.

Q: A persons right that obligates others NOT to interfere with that persons obtaining something is known as a ________.

Q: Which of the following BEST summarizes how to evaluate moral theories? a. First, evaluate the theory for coherence. Then evaluate whether it meets the three moral criteria of adequacy. b. First, evaluate whether the theory supports our most important moral rules. Then evaluate the theory for coherence. c. First, evaluate the consequences of the theory to determine whether they are favorable to you. Then apply the three moral criteria of adequacy. d. First, evaluate whether the three moral criteria of adequacy apply to the theory. Then consider your personal emotional reaction to the theory.

Q: The anthropocentrist necessarily has no regard for the environment.

Q: A ________ right obligates others to help persons obtain something to which they have such a right.

Q: Suppose your favored moral theory says that moral rightness is relative to each individual. This would imply that each person is morally infallible. According to the author, this shows the theory to be a. implausible. c. absolutist. b. plausible. d. consequentialist.

Q: In both zoocentrism and biocentrism, the fundamental unit of moral consideration is the individual animal or plant.

Q: A moral obligation to benefit others is known as a duty of ________.

Q: Which of the following BEST summarizes the evidence of our considered moral judgments and our moral experience? a. Our moral experience provides general background knowledge about morality, while our considered moral judgments provide evaluations of specific actions as right or wrong. b. Our considered moral judgments provide evidence that our moral code is correct, while our moral experience reveals how to apply that moral code in practice. c. Our considered moral judgments and moral experience provide infallible evidence that we can use to evaluate moral theories. d. Our moral experience shows that we must make exceptions to moral rules, while our considered moral judgments show that moral rules must be upheld without exception.

Q: If Kants anthropocentric view is correct, then using animals in horrifically painful medical experiments would be permissible as long as the experiments served human needs.

Q: While obligatory actions are what duty requires, ________ actions are above and beyond the demands of duty.

Q: Suppose you are asked by the local hospital to donate one of your kidneys to save the life of a stranger. Most of us would insist that you are not obligated to give away your kidney, even for a good cause, because its your body, you have a right to it, and you are never obligated to make such a sacrifice. This analogy has been used to cast doubt on one of the premises of Peter Singers argument that the wealthy have a moral duty to help the needy.

Q: Moral deliberation requires balancing moral principles derived from our moral theory with our considered moral judgments. The ultimate goal in this give-and-take of theory and judgment is a. consensus among moral agents. c. reflective imperative. b. reflective equilibrium. d. definitive answers.

Q: If Chant maintains that killing the innocent is wrong because the action is contrary to God's will, she probably accepts the a. natural command theory. c. divine command theory. b. divine imperative theory. d. natural law theory.

Q: Those who believe that nature possesses instrumental value only are likely to believe that a forest has value only because of its economic worth.

Q: According to Peter Singer, the pain suffered by a human is ________ important than that experienced by a nonhuman animal. a. no more c. more b. less d. slightly less

Q: Suppose you adopt a libertarian theory of justice. The government decides to raise taxes to pay for universal health care. You will likely oppose these new taxes.

Q: If John always acts to produce the most favorable balance of good over evil for himself, he is probably a. a utilitarian. c. a nonconsequentialist. b. an ethical egoist. d. a divine command theorist.

Q: Which philosopher maintains that we must include the interests of all sentient creatures and give their interests equal weight when calculating which action will produce the greatest overall satisfaction of interests? a. David Hume c. Thomas Aquinas b. Aldo Leopold d. Peter Singer

Q: Many egalitarians maintain that we are not obligated to share our resources with those less fortunate.

Q: According to Kant, the principle and the maxims derived from the categorical imperative are a. consequentialist and rule based. c. universal and absolutist. b. nonconsequentialist and egoistic. d. universal and consequential.

Q: To some, the fact that we value the beauty of Niagara Falls shows that we a. value the natural over the artificial. b. sometimes value the artificial over the natural. c. dont really value nature. d. think unnatural things are worthless.

Q: Peter Singer asserts that our moral duty applies to needy people regardless of their distance from us.

Q: To a(n) ________, breaking promises is wrong because if the implied rule were universalized (if everyone followed the rule), then no promise anywhere could be trusted and the whole convention of promise making would be obliterated. Thus no one would be willing to live in such a world. a. egoist c. Kantian b. utilitarian d. categorical theorist

Q: A counterexample to biocentric egalitarianism is that we a. know that killing a cow is no worse than killing a carrot. b. think that killing a cow is no worse and no better than killing a carrot. c. assume vegetables have the same moral status as primates. d. tend to believe that killing a cow is worse than killing a carrot.

Q: The failure of rich nations to aid the worlds poorest countries would be considered morally wrong by Peter Singer.

Q: A traditional natural law theorist would say that lying is immoral because it a. violates the categorical imperative. c. goes against the Ten Commandments. b. uses people as a means to an end. d. goes against human nature.

Q: Which of the following BEST describes a similarity between consequentialist theories and nonconsequentialist theories? a. They are not primarily about evaluating persons as good or bad. b. They both focus on producing as much good as possible. c. They both allow each individual to decide what is right for them. d. They agree that breaking promises is always wrong.

Q: The controversy over the ivory-billed woodpecker has pitted those who want to build a massive irrigation project against environmentalists who want to stop the project to protect the woodpecker and other species. A biocentric species egalitarian would probably insist that the a. project be completed but with rigid safeguards to protect all sentient beings. b. project be completed to maximize the welfare of humans. c. project be curtailed (but not stopped) to promote the interests of humans and the ivory-billed woodpecker only. d. project be stopped to protect the ivory-billed woodpecker and all the other species of plants and animals.

Q: Which anthropocentric philosopher said, Animals . . . are there merely as means to an end. That end is man? a. Immanuel Kant c. Paul Taylor b. Thomas Aquinas d. Tom Regan

Q: Suppose your friend is a strong believer in individual liberties and negative rights, and she often complains about the governments establishment of positive rights. It sounds like she may be a utilitarian.

Q: The theory asserting that the morally right action is the one covered by a rule that if generally followed would produce the most favorable balance of good over evil, everyone considered, is a. rule-egoism. c. rule-Kantian. b. act-utilitarianism. d. rule-utilitarianism.

Q: A moral theory is ________ on an issue such as euthanasia. a. an account of common practices c. not useful b. the final authority d. a guide for moral reasoning

Q: An anthropocentrist sees animals, plants, and ecosystems as a. moral equals along with humans. c. means to unifying all life. b. more natural than human beings. d. means to serve the ends of human beings.

Q: Garrett Hardin uses the lifeboat metaphor to suggest that a. affluent countries, like lifeboats, are inherently unstable. b. the moral duty of affluent countries is to give aid to the starving, overpopulated ones. c. the affluent countries have a moral duty not to give aid to the starving, overpopulated ones. d. giving aid to the poor and hungry will cause a worldwide revolt against the rich and influential.

Q: Which of the following BEST summarizes consequentialist theories? a. Consequentialist theories rate actions by how consequential or important they are, with more consequential actions being better. b. Consequentialist theories consider actions to be good when they produce good consequences. Different consequentialist theories specify different kinds of consequences as being good consequences. c. Consequentialist theories consider actions to be good when most persons believe they are good, even if other persons disagree about what is good. d. Consequentialist theories remind us that actions have consequences, and so they support punishment for morally wrong actions, with no exceptions.

Q: If Peter Singers zoocentrist view is correct, then the practice of ________ would be impermissible. a. leaving animals alone in the wild c. factory farming b. grooming pets d. animal conservation

Q: In 2009, Kenya faced an immediate danger of mass starvation due to a drought that threatened a third of the East African countrys population, or about 10 million people. In January of that year, the Kenyan government declared the food shortage a national disaster, and the United Nations appealed for international help. Suppose wealthy countries responded to the food crisis in Kenya according to Garrett Hardins recommendations. Rich countries would have a. sent limited food aid. c. sent more food aid than is required. b. sent fertilizer but no food. d. refused to send any food aid at all.

Q: A consequentialist theory may define the good as a. adherence to a moral code. b. doing one's duty for duty's sake. c. obedience to moral laws. d. pleasure, happiness, well-being, or flourishing.

Q: If you were a species nonegalitarian, you would likely believe that a. the question of moral status is irrelevant. b. an elk has greater moral status than a potato. c. elk and potatoes have equal moral status. d. elk and potatoes have no moral status.

Q: The richest 1 percent of people in the world own about 50 percent of the worlds wealth.

Q: A person who reasons that the morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil, everyone considered, is a(n) a. utilitarian. c. rule-Kantian. b. ethical egoist. d. natural law theorist.

Q: The questions of whether an ape has the same moral status as a domestic cow and if animals (human and nonhuman) deserve the same level of moral concern as plants concern the issue(s) of a. centrism and noncentrism. b. ecological individualism. c. holism. d. species egalitarianism or nonegalitarianism.

Q: A persons claim or entitlement to something, a moral demand that obligates others to act accordingly, is referred to as a duty.

Q: Garrett Hardin argues that the rich a. should aid the poor and hungry but not to the level of marginal utility. b. should not aid the poor and hungry because doing so will only invite catastrophe for the rich and poor alike. c. should not aid the poor and hungry because doing so will result in injustice to the rich. d. should aid the poor and hungry because Peter Singers argument is persuasive.

Q: Choose the statement that BEST summarizes the purposes of moral theories. a. Moral theories support and provide detail to traditional moral codes, thereby making moral codes easier to defend against objections. b. Moral theories explain the meaning of moral language and the sources of our knowledge of moral truths. c. Moral theories explain moral rightness and give us practical guidance on how to act, even in difficult cases where moral codes do not apply. d. Moral theories explain people's behavior and motivations, thereby allowing us to understand historical events better and predict future behavior.

Q: Suppose you are the last human on a dead planet. Only one other living thing existsa maple tree. You are preparing to leave the planet for good, and you are debating with yourself about whether you should kill the tree before departing. In the end, you decide it would be morally impermissible to kill the tree. Your reluctance to kill the tree shows that the tree has a. no moral status. c. moral status. b. instrumental value. d. aesthetic value.

Q: Consider the story of Malawis transformation from a country that needed emergency food aid to one that feeds its hungry neighbors. The soil in Malawi was overfarmed and depleted, which made it impossible for the country to feed itself. The situation improved only when Malawi began to ignore the advice of the World Bank and rich countries, which, in trying to provide aid, had advised Malawi to get rid of fertilizer subsidies and to rely on the workings of free markets. After the disastrous harvest of 2005, Malawi reversed the trend and subsidized farmers use of fertilizer, just as many Western countries do for their own farmers. The Malawi governments decision resulted in a complete turnaround of its peoples situation. This example would lend most support to the view of ________. a. Garrett Hardin c. John Arthur b. Peter Singer d. Louis Pojman

Q: The philosopher ________ helped engender the animal rights movement by arguing that something was very wrong with the traditional attitude toward animals and their treatment.

Q: The moral issue of whether we have a duty to help the poor and hungry of the world is compelling mainly because the a. news media constantly remind us of the plight of poor people. b. worlds poor are now slightly better off than they used to be, which is a reminder of their plight. c. wretchedness of the worlds poor is an exaggeration that the rich are often confronted with. d. wretchedness of the worlds poor is profound and the economic gap between rich and poor is wide.

Q: For both Jeremy Bentham and Peter Singer, what makes a being worthy of moral concern, what requires us to include it in the moral community, is its ability to ________.

Q: Robert Nozick and John Hospers believe that people have a right NOT to be interfered with and to do whatever they want with their own property as long as they do not violate the liberty rights of others. This line is clearly a. utilitarian. c. libertarian. b. liberal. d. egalitarian.

Q: According to Peter Singer, those who do not give equal moral consideration to both human and nonhuman animals are guilty of ________.

Q: Suppose you strongly believe you have no duty to help the poor and hungry of the world and that you are not obligated to share your resources with those less fortunate. Your view would be consistent with a. authoritarianism. c. libertarianism. b. utilitarianism. d. egalitarianism.

Q: According to Peter Singers theory, we (the affluent) ought to give to the needy up to the point where we are just better off than those we are trying to help. Singer refers to this as ________. a. egalitarian justice. c. the level of sufficient sacrifice. b. the level of marginal utility. d. distributive justice.

Q: The key premise in Peter Singers argument for aiding the worlds needy is a. [I]f it is in our power to equally distribute goods throughout the world to all persons, we ought, morally, to do it. b. Wethe well-to-dohave no right at all to the goods we possess; we acquired them mostly through accidents of birth and geography. c. Giving food and shelter to the poor would only make their plight worse. d. [I]f it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it.

Q: In disputes about environmental issues, often there is substantial agreement on the nonmoral facts and serious divergence on a. nonmoral principles. c. technical issues. b. nonmoral issues or judgments. d. moral principles or judgments.

Q: Critics of Peter Singers view admit that we do have an obligation to aid distant people but, they say, we also have a duty to help a. those with whom we have a special relationship. b. everyone near us. c. our enemies. d. foreign governments.

Q: A moral theory is a. more useful than a moral code. c. a moral code. b. a set of rules. d. less useful than a moral code.

Q: What is the fallacy used in the following passage? Liberals believe in abortion on demand, which means that killing a baby is permissible any time at allat conception, in the second trimester, at infancy. Any of these would be appropriate times to kill a baby, says the liberal. a. appeal to the person c. straw man b. begging the question d. equivocation

Q: Something with intrinsic value is valuable a. for someone elses sake. c. as a means to something else. b. for the sake of the environment. d. for its own sake.