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Introduction to Ethics: Homework Assignments
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Each homework question is worth 1 point. Each homework assignment is graded as a
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Homework is due at the beginning of the class for which it is assigned. Please set it on the front
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Homework Assignment #1: Aquinas' "Of the Natural Law" Due 01/ (Jones Chapter 3 Excerpt / Online)
NAME:
- In Article 2 of Question 94, Aquinas says "agent acts for an end, which is understood as a good." This means that
a. Whenever we perform an action, we do something that is good. b. Whenever we perform an action, we believe that we do something that is good. c. Whenever we perform an action, we try to attain something that is good. d. Whenever we perform an action, we believe that we attain something that is good.
- In Article 2 of Question 94, Aquinas lists several things that humans have a natural inclination to do. Which of the following is not one of those things?
a. Raise children b. Know about God c. Make wine d. Stay alive
Homework #3: Corvino, "Why Shouldn't Tommy and Jim Have Sex?" Due 01/ (Course Packet: 9-16)
NAME:
- Which of the following is not one of the reasons that, according to Corvino, homosexual couples in long-term relationships probably should have sex?
a. Homosexual intercourse is pleasurable. b. Homosexual intercourse cannot produce babies. c. Homosexual intercourse is a good form of communication. d. Homosexual intercourse can unite two people.
- When Corvino discusses what one might mean in saying that homosexuality is "unnatural," which of the following is not one of his strategies for arguing that such a claim does not show that homosexuality is immoral?
a. Arguing that if that's what "unnatural" means, homosexuality is not unnatural. b. Arguing that if that's what "unnatural" means, some moral actions are unnatural. c. Arguing that if that's what "unnatural" means, unnatural actions are not immoral. d. Arguing that if that's what "unnatural" means, some immoral actions are unnatural.
- Which of the following is one of the possible explanations Corvino offers for why homosexuals might be more likely to be depressed or to engage in promiscuous behaviors?
a. Homosexuals are crazy. b. Homosexuals have loose morals. c. Homosexuals are socially ostracized. d. Homosexuals are more sensitive than heterosexuals.
- Which of the following is one of Corvino's responses to the claim that homosexuality is immoral because it harms others?
a. Homosexuals intercourse is not painful once you get used to it. b. No one is forcing anybody to engage in homosexual intercourse. c. Homosexual intercourse does not spread the HIV virus or other STDs. d. Homosexual intercourse is never risky or dangerous.
- Which of the following best represents Corvino's view on whether the Bible supports the claim that homosexuality is immoral?
a. The Bible is just a big lie and God does not exist. b. The Bible does not, in fact, condemn homosexuality. c. There is no way to know what the Bible really means. d. Although the Bible condemns homosexuality, it's just mistaken on this issue.
Homework #4: Bentham, Principles of Morals and Legislation Due 02/ (Jones Chapter 4 Excerpt / Online)
NAME:
- Bentham's principle of utility, stated in plain English, is that
a. Do what gives utility to as many people as possible. b. Do what give as much utility as possible to people. c. Do what gives as much utility as possible to yourself. d. Do what gives a positive amount of utility to you.
- Which of the following actions has more intensity than the action of eating a single-scoop ice cream cone from an ice cream truck?
a. Eating a single-scoop ice cream cone from one's home freezer b. Eating a single-scoop ice-cream cone too quickly and getting "mouth freeze" c. Eating a double-scoop ice cream cone from an ice cream truck d. None of the above
- Which of the following actions has less purity than the action of eating an ice cream cone from an ice cream truck?
a. Eating a single-scoop ice cream cone from one's home freezer b. Eating a single-scoop ice-cream cone too quickly and getting "mouth freeze" c. Eating a double-scoop ice cream cone from an ice cream truck d. None of the above
- Which of the following actions has more fecundity than the action of eating an ice cream cone from an ice cream truck?
a. Eating a single-scoop ice cream cone from one's home freezer b. Eating a single-scoop ice-cream cone too quickly and getting "mouth freeze" c. Eating a double-scoop ice cream cone from an ice cream truck d. None of the above
Homework #6: Kuper, "More than Charity" Due 02/ (Course Packet: 35-43)
NAME:
- Which of the following would a cosmopolitan not believe?
a. Women and men have the same moral worth. b. Children and adults have the same moral worth. c. Americans and Taliban have the same moral worth. d. A cosmopolitan would believe all of the above.
- Kuper says there is a difference between saving one drowning child and saving tens of thousands of drowning children. What, according to Kuper, is the difference?
a. Saving one is rewarding, but saving tens of thousands is just plain tiring. b. We get an emotional reward from saving one, but only an intellectual reward from saving thousands. c. Saving one requires a small sacrifice, but saving tens of thousands requires too much of a sacrifice. d. None of the above.
- Which of the following is not one of Kuper's reasons for why donating money to alleviate poverty might not be the best thing to do?
a. Sometimes it does harm to the poor. b. Sometimes buying luxuries is a better way to alleviate poverty than donating money. c. Sometimes giving money doesn't make a significant difference. d. All of the above are reasons Kuper gives.
- True or False: Kuper, in contrast to Singer, holds that we do not have an obligation to provide famine relief.
Homework #7: Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals Due 02/ (Jones Chapter 5 Excerpt / Online)
NAME:
- Which of the following has unconditional worth?
a. credit cards b. the universe c. people d. all of the above
- According to Kant, what gives "objects of the inclinations" their worth? (That is: what is their worth conditional upon?)
a. credit card companies b. the universe c. people d. God
- Why do rational beings have unconditional worth, according to Kant? (That is: why are rational beings ends-in-themselves?)
a. Because they can make free choices. b. Because they have souls. c. Because they are conscious. d. All of the above.
- Which of the following best captures Kant's practical imperative? (Do not confuse the practical imperative with the foundation for the practical imperative.)
a. Most humans are rational. b. Most humans are ends-in-themselves. c. Always treat people as if they are rational. d. Always treat people as if they are ends-in-themselves.
- Why, according to Kant, and in terms of the practical imperative, is it wrong to commit suicide?
a. Because you are using your life to alleviate pain. b. Because you are not considering the feelings of those who care about you. c. Because you are violating God's commandments. d. Because what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Homework #9: Phillipa Foot, Virtues and Vices Due 04/ (Jones Chapter 6 Excerpt / Online)
NAME:
- According to Foot, what is a virtue? That is, what makes a character trait virtuous?
a. The fact that it tends to benefit people. b. The fact that it tends to benefit people and belongs to a person's will. c. The fact that people say it is a virtue. d. The fact that Aristotle said it is a virtue.
- What does it mean to say that virtues are corrective?
a. They give people wisdom. b. They are difficult to have. c. They help us to resist temptation. d. They tell us which actions are correct and which are incorrect.
- Which of the following is not a reason that Foot gives for thinking that virtue is about things that are difficult to people?
a. The virtues often help us to act contrary to our natural inclinations. b. The virtues are corrective. c. The virtues often help us to act when we lack sufficient motivation. d. Having virtues takes lots and lots of practice.
Homework #10: No Reading Due 04/ (Jones Chapter 7 / Online)
NAME:
Answer two parts of Question #1 and the entirety of Question #2.
- a. What is the main attractive feature of natural law theory and the main drawback?
b. What is the main attractive feature of utilitarianism and the main drawback?
c. What is the main attractive feature of deontology and the main drawback?
d. What is the main attractive feature of virtue ethics and the main drawback?
- Of the four non-theological ethical theories we've discussed in class (natural law, utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics), which is most plausible to you, and why?
(Nota Bene: I will not return this homework assignment to you unless you specifically request that I do so. This is because I'd like to keep your responses as a research aid in further developing Chapter 7.)
