Possible Exam Questions for the first Ethical Inquiry Exam (on June 14)

Note: I will choose several questions from this list to be answered quite briefly and one or two questions to be answered at greater length. You will be able to consult your textbooks but not any notes or handouts or other papers.

1. Clearly there can be important differences between the ethical beliefs that prevail in one culture and those that prevail in some other cultures. What might one say if one wanted to acknowledge this fact without accepting the doctrine of cultural relativism?

2. Why does James Rachels think that subjectivism is unacceptable as a theory of ethics? Is he right?

3. What is the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism?

4. What is the best argument against ethical egoism, according to James Rachels? Do you think it’s a good argument?

5. Explain and assess Peter Singer’s argument for the claim that people in affluent countries like the US should be doing a lot more to help feed the world’s hungry people.

6. Why does Garret Hardin think it would be a bad idea to try to feed the world’s hungry people? What do you think of his case?

7. How does J. S. Mill try to justify his view that some pleasures are qualitatively better than others? What do you think of this view?

8. How does Mill answer the objection that utilitarianism is impractical, because we don’t have time to calculate the effect of our actions on the general happiness? Does his answer succeed in rebutting the objection?

9. According to some utilitarians, the only ultimately good thing is happiness, and happiness is a state of mind. What are some criticisms that have been leveled against this view? What do you think about it?

10. What is the difference between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism?

11. What do you think is the most important criticism that can be made of utilitarianism? Do you think there is any way to save the theory, or does this criticism show that it is no good? (Explain.)

12. Why, according to Rachels (in Elements of Moral Philosophy), do utilitarians generally support the practice of euthanasia?

13. According to Rachels (in his article in Applied Ethics), active euthanasia (killing) is no worse (and in some cases better) than passive euthanasia (letting people die by withholding lifesaving treatment). How does he try to prove this point and how good is his argument?

14. What reasons might a utilitarian have for opposing the legalization of euthanasia?

The following questions refer to material we will not discuss until after the exam. I will take that fact into account when grading your answers.

15. What is the difference between a ‘hypothetical imperative’ and a ‘categorical imperative’, as Kant uses these terms?

16. According to Kant there is only one Categorical Imperative (though it can be formulated in several different ways). In plain English, explain the meaning of the so-called “universal law formulation” of the Categorical Imperative.

17. How can the Categorical Imperative be used as a test for whether an action is morally right? (What steps should one go through to apply this test?) Do you think this is a good way to determine if an action is right or wrong?

18. How does a Kantian approach to the question of whether or not we ought to feed the hungry differ from a utilitarian approach?