CHAPTER 11- Summary & Quiz – Normative Theories PART 1– Ethics & Contemporary Moral Issues
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5 True/False & 10 Multiple Choice
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Chapter Summary
Chapter 11. Normative Theories, Part 1
Normative ethics aims to provide general theories about what makes right acts right. This chapter examines three major theories in normative ethics: consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics.
Consequentialism says that the rightness or wrong of an action depends, ultimately, on the effects of that action or on the effects of something related to that action, such as a rule that permits that action. Consequentialism comes in many varieties, such as act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism, which focus on maximizing the amount of happiness in the world.
Deontology says that morality is fundamentally a matter of fulfilling your obligations. Rossian deontology is the view that we have several basic prima facie obligations, which are irreducible and unorderable. Kantian deontology derives from the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, who identifies morality with the categorical imperative, Kant gives several different forms of the categorical imperative, including the Formula of Universal Law and the Formula of Humanity.
Virtue ethics emphasizes the idea of eudaimonia or human flourishing. A key element of eudaimonia is virtue. A virtue is, roughly, a character trait that contributes to flourishing. Applying virtues correctly requires practical wisdom.
True/False Section [5 Questions]
1. Rule utilitarianism says that an act is permissible if and only if it is allowed by the rules whose adoption would have the best overall consequences.
2. Deontology entails that wrong acts are wrong because they violate the agent's obligations.
3. According to one formulation of Kant's categorical imperative, it is always wrong to get someone else to achieve your goals for you.
4. Virtue ethicists think about morality in terms of character traits that contribute to or interfere with eudaimonia.
5. Consequentialists, deontologists, and virtue ethicists care only about what you do, not why you do it.
Multiple Choice Section[10 Questions]
1. While walking down the street, you find a wallet on the sidewalk. Inside, you find the owner's identification and $100. The owner's identification shows that she lives a block away in a fancy apartment building. As you are deciding what to do, you encounter a homeless man asking for money to get something to eat. Which of the following would an act utilitarian be most likely to say about what you should do in this situation?
2. What is the difference between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism?
3. Why, according to Chapter 11, do some consequentialists think that you should not reason explicitly in terms of consequences when deciding what to do?
4. What does it mean to say that the obligations in Rossian deontology are “irreducible”?
5. What is the difference between a hypothetical imperative and a categorical imperative?
6. Why isn't it possible, according to Kant, to universalize the maxim of making false promises to secure a loan?
7. Which of the following are required by Kant's Formula of Humanity?
8. Why, according to Chapter 11, hasn't Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street achieved eudaimonia?
9. What evidence is provided in Chapter 10 to think that Abraham Lincoln really did possess the virtue of honesty?
10. Which of the following best captures the idea of practical wisdom? [Show Less]