theory exam review

what is the foundation of morals according to mill?

utility

how does mill define happiness?

pleasure and absence of pain

how does mill define unhappiness?

pain and privation of pleasure

according to the ultitarian scheme, all things are desirable for what two reasons?

pleasure inherent in themselves and means to promote pleasure

what animal is utilitarianism compared to by its critics?

swine

what do critics call the doctrine that life has no higher end than pleasure?

mean and groveling

what type of pleasures do utilitarians assign a higer value to?

intellectual pleasures

what faculty prevents a higher being from wishing to sink into a lower grade of existence?

sense of dignity

what do objectors claim is ‘too high’ for humanity?

the utilitarian standard

according to mill, what determines the morality of an action?

the consequences

when is a person called on to consider ‘public utility’ specifically?

when acting as a public behavior

what does mill list as ‘ingredients’ of happiness?

music, wealth, virtue

mill argues that virtue is normally and originally part of the end of human conduct

false

according to moral relativism, what determines if an action is right or wrong?

cultural moral norms

moral relativism claims that some moral norms are objectively correct across all cultures

false

the veiw that moral norms are merely social conventions is often called

cultural moral relativism

what analogy does the author use to explain the conventional nature of moral relativism?

driving laws

what novel does the author cite to provide a horrific example of child abuse?

the brothers karamazov

who was the real-life political figure and child molester mentioned in the text?

irwin silverman

the author believes widely shared moral convictions can be used to refute a moral theory

true

on what basis does the author reject the actions of the parents in the dostoyevsky story?

moral convictions

why is using ficton fair when critiquing moral relativism?

relativism purports to explain all possible actions and the fictional cases were based on real atrocities

moral relativism allows for the possibilty that one culture is objectively mistaken about a moral issue

false

what non-moral example is used to illustrate ‘talking past one another’?

current state governor

relativism implies that a moral reformer is always

wrong

the moral reformer arguement claims it is possible for a member of a culture to be correct in objecting to its norms

true

why is the reformer ‘mistaken’ according to relativism?

truth is set by cultural norms

what thesis states that rightness depends on non-moral facts of a situation?

context sensitivity thesis

context sensitivity is the same thing as moral relativism?

false

context sensitivity is compatiable with the existence of

objective moral norms

CMR

norms of culture make actions right

CS

non-moral facts affect rights

objectivism

norms are true independent of culture

what is the authors preferred label for ‘descriptive moral relativism’?

moral diversity thesis

moral diversity thesis is a moral theory about what makes actions right or wrong?

false, it is what’s considered morally right in one society may be considered morally wrong in another

the argument that widespread disagreement proves there are no objective truths is

anthropologists’s argument

why is the moral diversity thesis difficult to prove?

it requires proving cultures disagree on norms and apparent moral differences may be factual

a moral objectivist can consistently accept a norm of ‘reasonable tolerance’

true

what is a potential objective norm regarding tolerance?

reasonable tolerance

according to kant what is enlightment?

maturity

what is immaturity for kant?

incapacity to use understanding

what two traits cause people to remain immature?

laziness and cowardice

what phrase means ‘the courage to use your own understanding’?

sapere aude

what kind of freedom is enlightment tied to?

freedom of reason

what natural gift is misused by mechanical rules?

reason

what must always be free for enlightment to happen?

public reason

what is the private use of reason?

use in office

what kind of assembly is a congregation for the priest?

domestic assembly

what is a crime against human nature?

blocking progress

what is the touchstone of law for people?

self-legislation

kant allows a short period of ordered reform with public criticism

true

what must remain free during the reform period?

public remark

what may a monarch not impose on religion?

absolute doctrine

what does the monarch need to preserve?

civil order

what is damaged when the monarch meddles in religion?

majesty

which ruler is called the century of enlightment?

frederick

act utilitarian

theory stating that the morally right action is the one that produces the best overall results or maximum utility in that specific situation

rule utilitarian

moral theory stating that an action is right if it conforms to a moral rule that, when generally followed, produces the greatest overall good

utilitarianism

ethical theory stating that the most moral action is the one that maximizes overall happiness and well-being for the greatest number of people