Untitled Flashcards Set

 In Le Guin’s story, how do the people of Omelas manifest utilitarianism? Briefly define utilitarianism in your answer.

1. The people of Omelas manifest utilitarianism by prioritizing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism holds that the most moral action is the one that will lead to the highest net happiness, even though some people may be hurt. In Omelas, the city’s prosperity and happiness depend on the suffering of a single child kept in abject misery. In this situation, having one person live in misery while everyone else in Omelas lives in paradise is the utilitarian thing to do because the suffering of one child is outweighed by the overwhelming happiness of everyone else.

What does Kant mean when he says, "without a good will one can’t even be worthy of being happy"? What role does that quote play in his argument of the surrounding paragraph? (p1) 

1. In the surrounding paragraph, Kant argues that the only thing inherently good, without qualification, is a good will—having morally good intentions. Other qualities, like courage or power, can be misused for harmful purposes. He notes that people find it troubling to see someone who appears happy while acting with bad intentions, as such individuals seem unworthy of happiness. By stating, "without a good will one can’t even be worthy of being happy," Kant reinforces his argument that good intentions are the only thing intrinsically valuable, since even happiness isn’t good if enjoyed by people with bad intentions.

What does Ahmed mean when she says, "Feminists do kill joy in a certain sense: they disturb the very fantasy that happiness can be found in certain places"? (p2)

1. Ahmed argues that feminists challenge the commonly-accepted idea ('fantasy') that happiness comes from following traditional roles or conforming to gendered social norms ('certain places'). By questioning whether women really are happy under such circumstances, they expose how these so-called sources of happiness often negatively affect women, an exposure that can cause others discomfort. So, feminists' refusal to accept the status quo can make them seem like "killjoys" because they kill others' fantasy that women are happy with the status quo.

Paraphrase this quote from Stramondo and Campbell’s article: "What implications does the probabilistic variant of the Standard View have for the practice of selective abortion? This claim implies that a disability is likely to make one’s child worse off than she would have been in the absence of this condition. If true, would this fact justify the decision to selectively abort a fetus with a disability condition? It is difficult to see why it would. On the face of it, the choice appears to spring from a benevolent concern for the child who will exist. If the future child is likely to have a prudentially bad life on the whole, abortion arguably would be the most benevolent option. But it is deeply implausible that, as a general matter, having a disability is likely to be overridingly bad for a person. Suppose that the future child is expected to lead a life that is prudentially good on the whole although it is likely that her disability will make her worse off than she otherwise would have been. It neither serves nor respects the well-being of that future child to prevent its existence. To appreciate this, we need only reflect upon some comparatively bad feature of our own life—a painful episode that we suffered in grade school perhaps—and ask ourselves whether it would have been in our self-interest if our parents had anticipated that event while we were in utero and opted to terminate the pregnancy. To the extent that our lives are prudentially good ones, this suggestion is absurd." (p170) Remember, you should write a paraphrase that is significantly shorter than the entire quote—aim for one or two brief sentences. Include only what you think is crucial to the point of the passage; other details can be omitted. Aim to show your understanding by using completely different words and structure to get across the same basic point. Use simple and straightforward language that would be accessible to an inclusive contemporary public audience.

1. Aborting a future child because they have a disability is not justified, because having a disability doesn't mean they will necessarily have an overwhelmingly bad life—and they also have the potential for a very good life.

Explain this quote from "Feminist Killjoys (And Other Willful Subjects)": "To be willful is to provide a point of tension. Willfulness is stickiness: it is an accusation that sticks." (p6) Write a paragraph explanation of the quote that is significantly longer than the brief quote—aim for 6-8 sentences. Explain any terms that may be philosophical/academic jargon or otherwise used in a way that would be hard for an inclusive public audience to understand. Think about why the author uses the terms they do (as opposed to other similar terms they could have used) and consider including that in your explanation. Give targeted explanation for each meaningful part of the quote (usually phrases or sentences). Explain the quote's place in the author's overall argument in the entire article. Provide concrete and specific details to expand on broad terms or statements. Include an example specifically geared towards a contemporary audience.

1. This quote captures how feminists who refuse to be silenced maintain their protest. When they speak out, they are often labeled willful—difficult or disruptive—but their demands for justice remain. The metaphor of stickiness suggests that feminist critiques do not fade; they persist, making oppression harder to ignore. Feminists force society to confront uncomfortable truths, even when institutions try to erase them. This is why accusations of willfulness matter: they expose a refusal to “move on” from injustice. In Ahmed’s broader argument, willfulness is a central trait of feminist killjoys—those who disrupt social ease by naming injustices others dismiss. Feminists who keep pushing for accountability ensure oppressive structures remain under scrutiny. The #MeToo movement exemplifies this, as survivors refused to let sexual violence be forgotten despite institutional resistance. Ahmed shows how willful feminists make their accusations stick, ensuring injustice is not erased, and maintaining constant pressure on society to become more just.

How is partiality significantly different from subjectivity for Arendt, as she describes it in Men in Dark Times? (p29)

1. Partiality, for Arendt, is about how people relate to each other publicly as individuals. It is a way of staking one’s position in the public realm as related to other people. In contrast, subjectivity is just about the self, what one thinks and feels without reference to other people.

How does Socrates lead Lysis into a contradiction that suggests good people aren’t naturally friends with other good people? (p698-700)

1. Socrates first has Lysis agree that good people are naturally friends with one another. Then Lysis agrees that good people are self-sufficient. But if good people are self-sufficient, they don't require anything from others, including friendship. Because they lack nothing, they have no reason to seek out friendships with other good people, which contradicts the idea that good people are naturally friends with one another.

For Aristotle, what is the best kind of friendship and why? (Book 8.3, p3) 

1. For Aristotle, the best kind of friendship is where both individuals are good and virtuous. Aristotle argues that this is the best type of friendship because it is based on each person wishing well for the other for their own sake, not just because they find the person useful or pleasant. This kind of friendship is enduring because it is rooted in the stable and lasting goodness of the individuals involved, unlike friendships based on mere usefulness or pleasure.

In Men in Dark Times, why does Arendt criticize non-marginalized people (i.e. not members of a 'pariah people') attempting to join pariah peoples in a political solidarity based on compassion? (p16)

1. Arendt criticizes non-marginalized people for avoiding their responsibility to create a just world. She argues that their shame over injustice leads them to seek invisibility and find comfort in compassion-based solidarity, rather than using their relative privilege to actively work toward justice.