Ethics

Which branch of philosophy would study the requirements of the Principle of Respect for Autonomy?

Normative Ethics

A 52-year-old female is refusing dialysis without which she will die. Physicians ask what their obligations are to the patient. Which branch of bioethics would take this case?

Clinical Ethics

A specific demographic is refusing to wear helmets when riding motorcycles. Public health officials ask if mandating helmets for motorcyclists is ethically defensible. Which branch of bioethics would take this case?

Public Health Ethics

The Hippocratic Oath outlines professional obligations of physicians and requires them to "do no harm." Which branch of ethics is the immediate source of this requirement?

Codes of Ethics

Which branch of philosophy studies the structure of arguments by replacing their contents with variables and symbols?

Logic

George Berkeley claimed that "to be is either to perceive or be perceived." Which philosophical position does this claim reference?

Idealism

John Locke claimed innate ideas fail to provide knowledge. Which philosophical position does this claim criticize?

Rationalism

John Locke claimed that "no government allows absolute freedom." Which branch of philosophy does this claim reference?

Politics

Aristotle claimed that ethicists should "treat like cases alike." To which branch of ethics would this rule immediately apply? 

Casuistry

René Descartes claimed that "I think, therefore I doubt, therefore [I know] I am." Which philosophical position does this reference?

Rationalism

A throat procedure to remove tonsils will affect a patient's singing voice, which the patient finds unacceptable. In which box would this fact be classified using the Four-Box Method? 

Quality of Life

A patient's right leg was recently amputated because of severe gangrene. Which type of quality of life best describes the patient's condition?

Restricted

A patient has locked in syndrome in which they have awareness but are completely paralyzed except for their eyes, with which they can communicate. Physicians question whether the patient has decisional capacity. In which box would this fact be classified using the Four-Box Method? 

Patient Preferences

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) arrive at the home of an unresponsive patient. They notice a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order on the patient's refrigerator that expresses the patient's wishes. In which box would this fact be classified using the Four-Box Method?

Patient Preferences

A physician perceives that a patient with a severely compromised quality of life is receiving no satisfaction from treatment. They ask whether they should discontinue treatment. Which branch of ethics ethics does this question reference?

Normative Ethics

A patient accepts the treatment plan offered by the physician. How would would this circumstance best be described using the Four-Box Method? 

Medical indications match patient preferences

A patient has a terminal diagnosis and will only live for a maximum of 6 months. In which box would this fact be classified using the Four-Box Method? 

Medical Indications

A patient is currently experiencing homelessness. In which box would this fact be classified using the Four-Box Method? 

Contextual Features

A patient has a severely compromised quality of life and expressed their wishes for continued treatment in this condition. In which box would this desire be classified using the Four-Box Method?

Patient Preferences

The Four-Box Method is used by bioethicists in which branch of philosophy?

Casuistry

From which philosophical position did the Is-Ought Fallacy originate? 

Empiricism

Which describes the relationship between soundness and validity in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions?

Validity is necessary for soundness

Radical skepticism originated in which branch of philosophy?

Epistemology

An argument is valid, but its conclusion is false. What must be the case?

One of more of the premises is false.

"If it's sunny, then the dog sleeps outside." Which describes the relationship between the two antecedent and consequent?

"It's sunny" is sufficient for "the dog sleeps outside."

"If it's sunny, then the dog sleeps outside." Which is the antecedent and consequent?

"It's sunny" is the antecedent. "The dog sleeps outside" is the consequent.

Which of the following is an example of a biconditional?

An act is right if and only if it respects autonomy.

"Life begins at conception; therefore, abortion is wrong," is an example of which kind of argument?

The Is-Ought Fallacy

Why can an ethicist not derive an ethical judgment or recommendation from the Four-Box Method alone? 

The Is-Ought Fallacy

What is the definition of a valid argument?

An argument is valid if and only if it is impossible for the conclusion to be false if all the premises are true.

When is a subjectivist wrong?

When they perform acts consistent with what society believes is right but inconsistent with what they individually believe is right

If personal opinion alone is referenced as the only standard for ethical decision making, then which ethical theory is referenced?

Subjectivism

Somone had racist beliefs in the past but now no longer has those beliefs. What is the only claim consistent with subjectivism?

The individual's beliefs have changed. 

Someone claims that subjectivism is a good ethical theory because it requires individual people to be tolerant and respectful of each other despite their different opinions. Why is this claim not subjectivism? 

It presents tolerance and respect as objective moral values applicable to all individuals regardless of differences, and such values are unavailable through subjectivism. 

When is a relativist wrong?

When they perform acts inconsistent with what society believes is right but consistent with what they individually believe is right

"We cannot judge those of the past by the standards of the present," is an expression of which ethical theory?

Relativism

What is the problem with claiming that society approves of an act? (Select the best answer.)

The meaning of "society" is unclear, and the threshold for determining society's "approval" is unclear.

"Society approves of an act; therefore, the act is right," is an example of which of the following? 

The Is-Ought Fallacy

If the patient's society and culture, a contextual feature, is referenced as the only standard for ethical decision making, then which ethical theory is referenced?

Relativism

Someone has racist beliefs, that one race is superior to another. According to doxastic involuntarism, which activity will not change that person's racist beliefs?

Directly willing the belief to change

According to the first formulation of the Categorical Imperative, why is it wrong to make a promise you have no intention of keeping in order to get something you want? 

Making a promise you have no intention of keeping in order to get something you want is self-defeating. 

According to the second formulation of the Categorical Imperative, why is it wrong to make a promise you have no intention of keeping in order to get something you want?

Making a promise you have no intention of keeping in order to get something you want uses the person to whom the promise is made a mere means to getting what you want. 

According to the third formulation of the Categorical Imperative, why is it wrong to make a promise you have no intention of keeping in order to get something you want? 

Making a promise you have no intention of keeping in order to get something you want does not respect the autonomy of the person to whom the promise is made.

Is lying morally permissible in Kantian Ethics? 

No, lying is impermissible because is not universalizable.

Which is a criticism of the first formulation of the Categorical Imperative?

It is presented as operating independently of consequences but can only be understood in terms of consequences.

Karl Marx was a nineteenth-century philosopher who claimed that in a capitalist society, both business owners and workers are compelled to using themselves as a mere means to an end of making money. From which formulation of the Categorical Imperative is this conclusion derived?

The Second Formulation

Kant claims that God, freedom, and the immortality of the soul are unknowable in their fullness because they are outside of the scope of human reason. In which branch of philosophy does this claim belong?

Epistemology

The death penalty is sometimes justified because it deters potential criminals from committing crimes such as murder. This is called the deterrence effect. Which sentence correctly relates the deterrence effect to the Categorial Imperative is correct?  

The deterrence effect is inconsistent with the Second Formulation because it uses the executed criminal as a mere means to an end of reducing future crime.

A patient's family requests that the physician not inform the patient of their diagnosis because, in their culture, families make treatment decisions on behalf of the patient. From the perspective of philosophy, which ethical theories are conflicting in this scenario?

Kantian Ethics and Relativism

A physician considers giving a patient a placebo (a pill that has no physiological effect) because they believe that if the patient believes it to be a genuine medicine, their condition will improve. The placebo works because the patient thinks it is genuine medicine and is unaware that it is fake. Would Kantian Ethics endorse giving the patient the placebo?

No, because the placebo does not respect patient autonomy

A patient refusing cancer treatment has delirium that can be cleared with antibiotics. Physician suspect that the refusal is caused by the delirium. According to the principle of respect for autonomy, what obligation does the physician have?

To attempt to clear the delirium to restore patient decisional capacity

For religious reasons, a parent refuses a blood transfusion for their 6-year-old child, without which the child will die. Physicians have an obligation to override this refusal. Which reason for overriding parental authority derives from the principle of respect for autonomy?

The pediatric patient must be given the transfusion so that they can make future medical decisions for themselves, including declining blood transfusions

A patient is 8 years old. Which statement correctly describes how physicians should approach the patient's decisional capacity?

Assume the patient has no decisional capacity unless proven otherwise

Why is a 17-year-old who has decisional capacity and understands medical information unable to give informed consent? 

Legal restrictions

What is the ethical obligation of a decisional surrogate? 

To make decisions for the patient that the patient would want

Which condition is not necessary for the value-neutral theory of autonomy?

Someone makes decisions with reference to values.

Mrs. P. is incapacitated. Her husband, Mr. P., is her next-of-kin and therefore her surrogate. However, Mr. P. is unable to understand the medical information provided by the physician regarding his wife's condition. Does Mr. P. meet the criteria to serve as a surrogate for Mrs. P.?

No, because Mr. P. cannot give informed consent

A 49-year-old capacitated patient is paralyzed from the waist down and therefore does not have leg function. Which of the following characterizes the patient's condition?

The patient lacks executive autonomy

A patient is under duress to choose a particular treatment. Which requirement of informed consent is not met?

Voluntariness

A 60-year-old patient has been on dialysis for seven years and has decided to forego further treatment. The patient has decisional capacity, understands that he will die by discontinuing dialysis, and is making the choice voluntarily. In short, the patient is giving informed dissent. What obligations do physicians have according to the principle of respect for autonomy?

Respect the patient's wish to decline treatment

Adam Smith is a Scottish philosopher considered to be the "father of capitalism" Smith argued that capitalism requires each participant in the economy to pursue their own individual self-interest. Which ethical theory does this argument express?

Moral Egoism

Thomas Hobbes, a seventeenth-century English philosopher, described the time before government as a "war of all against all" in which life was "nasty, brutish, and short" because everyone was pursuing their own self-interest. He termed this time before government as a State of War. Those in the State of War realized that they would each be better off cooperating by forming a government. Which philosophical concept is expressed in this story?

The Paradox of Egoism

Which is not an insight from the Trolley Problem?

Everyone pursuing their individual self-interest will leave everyone worse off

Someone refuses to smoke because because they do not prefer to smoke. Which ethical theory does this reason express?

Moral Subjectivism

When studying Kantian Ethics, we considered the maxim involving someone lying in order to get something they want. Which ethical theory would justify telling this lie?

Moral Egoism

The death penalty is sometimes justified for its purported deterrence effect. The thinking is that if potential murderers see a convicted murderer be executed, they will be deterred from committing murders in order to avoid the punishment. Which ethical theory supports a law allowing the death penalty for this reason?

Utilitarianism

Would utilitarianism always support pulling the lever in the Trolley Problem?

No, because the consequences can change depending on the valuation of human life in the Trolley Problem

Which statement correctly characterizes the function of the Paradox of Egoism and the Trolley Problem?

The Paradox of Egoism transitions from Moral Egoism to utilitarianism. The Trolley Problem transitions from utilitarianism to Kantian Ethics

What is the Kantian position on lying?

Lying is never permissible

A business owner can increase profits by using a production method that will increase pollution in the surrounding community, causing health problems for the residents. Which two ethical theories best express this conflict?

Moral Egoism and Utilitarianism

A 55-year-old capacitated patient refuses dialysis without which they will die. A new physician worries that by not forcing treatment, they will be violating the primum non nocere requirement of the Hippocratic Oath. Which response is most appropriate for addressing this worry?

The physician is not violating the nonmaleficence principle because allowing the disease to take its natural course is not the same as harming the patient.

The best interest standard is an expression of which principle of biomedical ethics?

The Principle of Beneficence

The substituted judgment standard is an expression of which principle of biomedical ethics?

The Principle of Respect for Autonomy

A 30-year-old patient lacks capacity but nevertheless violently refuses to begin treatment and refuses psychiatric interventions to restore capacity. Is overriding treatment ethically defensible?

No, because the patient's objection is genuine, refusal is aggressive, and treatment is beginning

In what way does the nonmaleficence principle inform responses to quality of life? 

The treatment might overly burden the patient in a way that is unacceptable to the patient

In what way does the beneficence principle inform responses to quality of life? 

The treatment might benefit the patient in a way that is acceptable to the patient

In what way does the beneficence principle inform responses to medical indications? 

The treatment might benefit the patient physiologically

A decisional surrogate demands continued life support for a patient who previously expressed her wishes to be on life support only if it will eventually allow her to "live as she once did." The patient has a profoundly diminished quality of life on life support, and there is no chance they they will recover. Which concept best captures what is inappropriate about this treatment?

Qualitative futility

A patient demands treatment with a medicine he saw on TikTok that has no known relation to his current condition. Which concept best captures what is inappropriate about this treatment?

Physiological futility

Physician aid-in-dying is defended as ethical because it allows terminal patients to exercise their autonomy to end their lives on their own terms. Opposers of physician aid-in-dying argue that the administration of lethal drugs is different from allowing the disease to take its natural course in the context of comfort care. Which ethical principle do these opposers imply is violated? 

The Principle of Nonmaleficence

According to Aristotle, can someone be temperate yet never be in situations requiring moderation of pleasure?

No, because temperance requires acting moderately in all situations requiring it

According to utilitarianism, someone is a good person if they follow the principle of utility. According to virtue ethics, someone is a good person if they achieve eudaimonia. What is the difference between these two accounts of the good person relative to autonomy?  

In virtue ethics, someone is good because of luck. In utilitarianism, someone is good because of choice. 

According to Aristotle's virtue ethics, what are two ways to define cowardice?

As an excess of fear and a defect of confidence

Which of the following is not a criticism of virtue ethics?

Virtue ethics focuses too much on moral duty, leading to extreme moral judgements

The Epicureans were a group of ancient Greek philosophers who claimed that human flourishing was the ultimate moral standard and that human flourishing required the pursuit of pleasure. To which family of ethical theories does this theory belong?

Eudaimonism

At a dog show, all the Chihuahua dogs line up in parade in the arena. Just one Chihuahua dog is selected by the judges as "best in show." Which Aristotelean concept does the Chihuahua identified as best-in-show express in contrast to the other Chihuahuas who are not? 

Arete

Adam Smith, a philosopher and "father of capitalism" was a virtue ethicist even though he claimed that the pursuit of self-interest is required by capitalism. Why would Smith be a virtue ethicist?

Capitalism will only work if all participants in a capitalist society are virtuous

According to Aristotle's virtue ethics, is it possible to have too much justice?

No, because justice is exactly the right amount of giving

The essence-accident distinction is within the purview of which branch of philosophy?

Metaphysics

John Stuart Mill described virtue as a component of human happiness and, therefore, utility. Does Aristotle share this same understanding of virtue?

No, because virtues serve a different function in utilitarianism and virtue ethics

Which quadrant of the Four-Box Method does justice inform?

Contextual Features

To ameliorate an organ shortage, a government considers an opt-out program for organ donation. Someone will be enrolled in the organ donation program unless they choose to opt out. Previously, someone had to opt in to become an organ donor. Which intervention on the Intervention Ladder does this policy exemplify?

Guide Choice through Changing the Default Policy

In the context of bioethics, to what does justice generally refer?

The fair distribution of benefits and burdens

What are the three steps of epidemiological research in order?

Find a correlation; establish a causal relation; establish cause and effect

Why would 16-year-olds be considered a vulnerable population for medical research? 

Barring exceptions, they are legally unable to give consent for medical treatment

A hospital mandates its employees to get a new vaccine or lose employee benefits. Which intervention on the Intervention Ladder does this policy exemplify?

Guide Choice through Disincentives 

Once equipoise is broken, is it ethical for a clinical trial to continue?

No, because there is now a clear treatment available

What does the Aristotelian concept of fairness require?

Treating equals equally and treating unequals unequally

Why are prisoners considered a vulnerable population?

All prisoners are incarcerated so they have a compromised ability to consent voluntarily

Why might some level of paternalism be required to ensure informed consent in medical research?

Some patients desperate for a cure might mistake research participation for alternative treatment