philosphy final

What makes justice desirable, according to Socrates: itself and/or its consequences?

Justice is desirable for itself and its consequences, akin to our health.

What is the story of the Ring of Gyges meant to show about how most people view morality?

Most people are moral due to consequences; would act immorally if undetected.

What Mackie think about the claim objective values exist?

Believes objective values don't exist, only standards.

What does Mackie’s argument from queerness claim? What does he conclude from it?

If objective values existed, they would be strange; concludes they likely don't exist.

What does Ayer think ethical statements are? What are they not?

Ethical statements are emotional expressions, not true or false.

What is a moral saint?

Someone who is as good as possible.

Why is Wolf glad that neither she, nor those she knows, are moral saints? 

Glad not to be one, as it consumes life with morality.

What is the trolley problem

Dilemma where choosing to act or not act affects lives.

Describe the example of Smith and Jones that Rachels gives.

In this example, Smith and Jones are in line to receive an inheritance if their cousin were to die. Smith drowns the cousin in the bath making it look accidental. Jones waits for the cousin to have a bath and finds the cousin already unconscious in the bath, letting the cousin continue to drown. Rachels sees no moral differences between Smith’s action of drowning (killing) and Jones’s inaction of stopping the drowning (letting die).

Why does Rachels think passive euthanasia might be worse than active euthanasia?

Rachels thinks passive euthanasia might be worse than active euthanasia since there is minimized suffering with active euthanasia.

Why does Foot think there is a differences between killing and letting die?

Foot thinks there is a difference because it matters what / who the cause of death is, making killing worse than letting die.

According to Thomson, what does the right to life not include?

The right to life doesn’t include the right to use somebody else’s body according to Thomson.

Thomson's violinist analogy

You wake up one morning connected to an unconscious violinist who relies on the use of your kidneys for nine months. Is it morally permissible to disconnect from him causing his death?

What makes killing us wrong, according to Marquis?

It deprives a person of their future - a future like ours.

When might abortion be permissible, according to Marquis?

Abortion might be permissible to save the mother’s life, pregnancy from rape, within the first 14 days of pregnancy, or if there are very serious birth defects.

Mill's harm principle

the only reason to restrict a person’s liberty is to prevent harm to others.

Mill on silencing beliefs

Mill thinks this is wrong since we lose arguments against the truth that strengthen and bring out the truth.

Why does Unterreiner think it might be acceptable to silence anti-vax speech

it is acceptable to silence anti-vax speech since it is causing harm to others.

What argument does Wheeler give to justify gun ownership?

by saying it is a fundamental right for self defense from criminals and from the government in case of a dictatorship.

Why does DeGrazia think gun ownership should be restricted?

should be restricted since it seems to make you less safe rather than more safe and other methods could work without so much risk. 

What sort of hypothetical situation does Norcross compare factory farming to?

The hypothetical situation is torturing and killing puppies in order to taste and enjoy chocolate again. 

According to Frey, why are humans justified in using and killing animals?

since human life is more valuable and our needs are more important.

How does Marx think profit is created?

 through unpaid labor - paying people for less labor than they actually worked.

What does Marx mean by the alienation of labor?

worker is foreign to the products of his/her labor and you only feel yourself when you’re not working.

What is Nozick’s Wilt Chamberlain example, and what is it meant to show?

wants more money so people pay him more money to see him play but it disrupts the distribution of wealth. This shows that no pattern of wealth distribution can be continuously realized without continuous interference with people’s lives.

What is Singer’s basic argument that we should be giving more to charity than we currently do?

We should give more to prevent harm without equivalent sacrifice.

How much does Singer say we ought to give to charity?

Advocate for giving significantly more than current levels.

What is a reason Arthur thinks, practically, Singer’s views will fail?

is unrealistic given human nature since it is demotivating and we are entitled to our money.

How can we tell, according to Appiah, what is the future likely to condemn us for?

The moral case is already known, defense is normally nonmoral, and people try not to think about it. 

What issues does Appiah think those in the future will condemn us for?

Our prison system, institutionalizing of the elderly, factory farming, and the environment.