Possible Exam Questions for Ethics Midterm

The exam will be on Friday, March 15. You will be asked to answer about 6 of the following questions rather briefly (a third of a page) and one question at somewhat greater length (about a page). You will be able to consult any of the course texts or handouts, but not your notes.

1. What is the difference between normative ethics and meta-ethics?

2. In the Republic, what does Thrasymachus mean by saying that “justice is the interest of the stronger”? Do you think Thrasymachus has a good point?

3. What are the three parts of the soul according to Socrates? How does he argue that the soul must have separate parts? What do you think of his argument?

4. In Book IV how does Socrates define justice in an individual person? What do you think of his definition?

5. What is the point of Plato’s story about the cave?

6. Briefly, what is the ‘theory of forms’?

7. What is wrong, according to Socrates, with being a ‘democratic man’?

8. Why is a tyrant, however powerful, supposed to be the “most wretched” of men, according to Socrates?

9. The Republic seems to be largely an extended reply to a claim introduced (in several variants) near the beginning. The claim: that it is better for a person to be unjust than to be just, as long as that person has the power to get away with it. If you had only a few minutes to sum up Socrates’ attempt to refute this claim, what would you say?

10. Do you think that Socrates has succeeded in refuting this claim?

11. What, according to Aristotle, is ‘the function’ of a human being?

12. How does Aristotle define happiness for a human being?

13. Briefly, what is Aristotle’s ‘doctrine of the mean’?

14. What does Aristotle mean by saying that the mean is ‘relative to us’? Does that mean that he thinks there is no objective right and wrong?

15. In what sense are virtue and vice ‘up to us’ according to Aristotle? Do you agree?

16. What, according to Aristotle are the three kinds of friendship? (Say a little about each one.)

17. Which kind of friendship is best (and why)? Do you agree?

18. In what sense does the Vatican declaration on sexual ethics represent an Aristotelian way of thinking?

19. What is the most reasonable interpretation, in your view, of the claim that some sorts of sexual activity are wrong because they are unnatural? How might this claim be criticized?

20. In our discussion of sexual ethics we explored several versions of the idea that some ways of being sexual are better than others (objectively better, more humanly satisfying, better able to fit in to ‘a good life for a human being’, etc.). Explain and discuss some such idea.

21. According to both Martha Nussbaum and Alistair McIntyre, patriotism is problematic because it seems to conflict with morality as many people understand it. Explain.

22.What reasons does Richard Norman give for thinking that Plato and Aristotle may not have given us an adequate account of ethics?

23. Why does Aristotle think that slavery is sometimes justified?

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