Study Guide for Final

Study Guide for Final.

Date: Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 in class

Format: There will be multiple-choice questions. For these questions, students should bring: a) a Scantron sheet (882), and b) a number 2 pencil. There will also be written questions. For these questions students should bring a Blue test booklet.

Material: The final will be cumulative.

The following questions should help you pinpoint some of the main points of focus:

Relativism

What is relativism? What is the difference between subjectivism/individual relativism and cultural relativism? What is historicism?

What does the expression, "trying out one's sword," mean? Who uses this expression and why?

What is moral isolationism? How does this relate relativism?

What is ethnocentrism?

What is the connection between anthropology and relativism?

Who was Ruth Benedict?

What is the diversity argument?

What is the Flat Earth argument?

What are some problems with relativism?

What is ethical scepticism? How does it differ from relativism? How does moral nihilism differ from scepticism and relativism?

Nietzsche

When and where did Nietzsche live?

What is the difference between slave morality and master morality?

What are the Three Metamorphoses of the Spirit Nietzsche discusses?

What is resentment (ressentiment), according to Nietzsche?

How did Nietzsche explain the difference between good and evil? How do these concepts relate to power?

What was Nietzsche's view of Judaeo-Christian morality? Why did he have this view?

How did Nietzsche view nihilism?

What is the Will to Power?

Ross

What is a prima facie duty? How does it differ from an actual duty? Who introduced this distinction? Why?

What are Ross' seven duties?

What is ethical pluralism? What are some advantages with this approach?

What are some problems with it?

What is ethical particularism? What are some benefits of this theory? What are some problems with it?

General Questions about Philosophy and Ethics

What does the word “philosophy” mean?

What are the branches of philosophy? What subjects do they study?

What is ethics? From what Greek root is it derived? What does it mean?

What questions do the following investigate: value theory, normative ethics, metaethics, applied ethics?

The Other Major Principles and Theories Learned Throughout the Semester:

Natural Law

What are the Four Causes? Who proposed this theory?

What is teleology? How does it relate to natural law?

What is the principle of totality?

What is the principle of double effect?

What are the four principles of natural law proposed by Thomas Aquinas?

What are some problems with natural law?

Virtue Ethics

What is arete?

What is the mean?

How does virtue ethics differ from Kantian ethics?

How does virtue ethics differ from other theories discussed in class?

What are some problems with virtue ethics?

Who are the main virtue ethicists discussed this semester?

Utilitarianism

What is the difference between act and rule utilitarianism?

What is Bentham's calculus?

What are some problems with utilitarianism?

How does utilitarianism relate to consequentialism? To hedonism?

Who are the main utilitarian thinkers discussed this semester?

Egoism

What is the difference between psychological and ethical egoism?

What is altruism?

What is the Prisoner's Dilemma?

What are some problems with ethical egoism? With psychological egoism?

Kantian Ethics/Deontology

What is non-consequentialism? Which theories discussed in class so far are consequentialist and which are non-consequentialist?

What is deontological ethics?

What does Kant mean by the "good will"? What does he say about it? Why does he say this?

What is a maxim?

What is the Categorical Imperative? What is it designed to do?

What are the two formulations of the Categorical Imperative discussed in class?

How does Kant's ethics differ from utilitarianism?

Both rule utilitarianism and Kantian ethics use rules. How do they differ?

What is autonomy?

What is a duty of justice? How does it differ from a duty of beneficence? Why is this distinction important for Kant?

It is often said that Kant's ethics is absolute. What does this mean? Why is this said about his ethics?

What are the criticisms of Kantian ethics? Are they convincing? Why or why not?

How does Kantian ethics generally understand the moral status of animals?

The Divine Command Theory

What is the divine command theory?

What is the Gold Telephone Thought-Experiment?

Ethics of Care

What are Kohlberg's stages of moral development?

What are some criticisms of Kohlberg's study?

Who criticized Kohlberg's study? Why?

What is a care ethic? How does it differ from an ethics of justice?

What characteristics are typically associated with women? Men?

Why should there be a separate ethical theory based on gender? Should there be?

Questions about the Good Life

What is the difference between an intrinsic and an instrumental good?

What is hedonism?

In what ways can pleasure be distinguished? E.g. duration, quality, intensity, etc.

What is bad according to hedonists?

What beliefs did Epicurus have about the good life? What distinctions does he draw between different desires, e.g. groundless, natural, necessary, etc.?

What are some problems with hedonism? (Be sure you can explain them.)

What is Nozick’s experience machine? What is this argument supposed to show?

What is autonomy? Why do some philosophers believe autonomy is just as important, if not more important, than happiness? What is paternalism? How does it relate to the harm principle?

What is the desire satisfaction theory? How does it differ from hedonism?

Does desire satisfaction theory see what is good for us as an objective fact or something that is subjectively true only? Explain?

Why would someone think the desire theory is correct?

What are some problems with the desire satisfaction theory?

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Ethics Paper 2 - November 11th

Study Guide for Test 4.

Date: Thursday, January 27th in class.

Material: The fourth test will cover natural law, virtue ethics, feminist ethics, and ethical pluralism, such as Ross' ethics.

The following questions should help you pinpoint some of the main points of focus:

What is teleology?

What is arete? Virtue?

What is the goal of human life according to Aristotle?

What is the mean?

What is natural law?

What should we do according to natural law theorists?

What four principles of conduct does Thomas Aquinas establish?

What is the principle of totality?

What is the principle (or doctrine) of double effect?

What are some criticisms of natural law?

What are some criticisms of virtue ethics?

What did Piaget say about moral development?

What are Kohlberg's stages of moral development?

What are some criticisms of Kohlberg's study?

Who criticized Kohlberg's study? Why?

What is a care ethic? How does it differ from an ethics of justice?

What characteristics are typically associated with women? Men?

Why should there be a separate ethical theory based on gender? Should there be?

What is a prima facie duty? How does it differ from an actual duty? Who introduced this distinction? Why?

What are Ross' seven duties?

What is ethical pluralism? What are some advantages with this approach?

What are some problems with it?

What is ethical particularism? What are some benefits of this theory? What are some problems with it?

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Study Guide for Test 3.

Date: Thursday, January 20th in class.

Material: The third test will cover criticisms of utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, the Luban reading on torture, and Aristotle's ethics. (chapters 11,12, and 17 in EL; Luban reading; Kant and Aristotle readings in FE)

The following questions should help you pinpoint some of the main points of focus:

What is the integrity objection to utilitarianism? Who put forth this objection? Is this a convincing objection? Why or why not?

What are some of the other objections to utilitarianism?

What is non-consequentialism? Which theories discussed in class so far are consequentialist and which are non-consequentialist?

What is deontological ethics?

What does Kant mean by the "good will"? What does he say about it? Why does he say this?

What is a maxim?

What is the Categorical Imperative? What is it designed to do?

What are the two formulations of the Categorical Imperative discussed in class?

How does Kant's ethics differ from utilitarianism?

Both rule utilitarianism and Kantian ethics use rules. How do they differ?

What is autonomy?

What is a duty of justice? How does it differ from a duty of beneficence? Why is this distinction important for Kant?

It is often said that Kant's ethics is absolute. What does this mean? Why is this said about his ethics?

What are the criticisms of Kantian ethics? Are they convincing? Why or why not?

How does Kantian ethics generally understand the moral status of animals?

What is Luban's argument concerning liberalism and torture?

What is teleology? How is this concept important for Aristotle?

What does Aristotle say the fundamental goal of human beings is?

What is arete according to Aristotle?

What is Aristotle's doctrine of four causes?

How does Aristotle understand character?

What is the mean? Why is this concept important for Aristotle?

What is a virtue? How does it differ from a vice?

What are some advantages of Aristotle's virtue ethics?

What are some problems with Aristotle's ethics?

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Study Guide for Test 2.

Date: Thursday, January 13th in class.

Material: The first second test will cover chapters 5, 7, 8 and 9 in The Fundamentals of Ethics text, Plato's Euthyphro, the Singer reading on poverty in The Ethical Life text, and the lectures.

The following questions should help you pinpoint some of the main points of focus:

What is the divine command theory of ethics?

Who wrote the Euthyphro dialogue?

Where does the dialogue take place? When?

What is a dialogue?

What characteristics does Socrates possess?

What characterististics does Euthyphro possess?

What are the two men doing when they meet at the beginning of the dialogue?

What is the main question the dialogue seeks to answer?

What is the first definition of holiness? How does Socrates attack it?

What is the second definition? How does Socrates attack it?

What is the third definition? How does Socrates attack it?

What is the difference between saying something is holy because the gods love it, and saying they love it because it is holy?

With which of these two statements would the divine command theorist agree?

What is polytheism?

What is a myth? What three functions do religious myths typically serve?

What are some problems with the divine command theory of ethics?

What is the Gold Telephone Thought-Experiment?

What is altruism?

What is psychological egoism? How does this theory view altruism?

What are some criticisms of psychological egoism?

What is the Milgram experiment? What were the results? What did the experiment attempt to measure?

What is ethical egoism? How does this theory differ from psychological egoism?

What is the ring of Gyges story? Who wrote it? What does it suggest about morality?

What did Adam Smith say about self-interest?

What is the Prisoner's dilemma? What does this example suggest about ethics?

What is sociobiology? What does the example of suckers, cheaters and grudgers suggest about ethics?

What is the example of the two persons who must choose to flee from the saber-tooth tiger? What does this example suggest about ethics?

What are some problems with ethical egoism?

What is objectivism? How does it differ from relativism?

What is consequentialism?

What is utilitarianism? Who are some of the major utilitarian thinkers?

What is Bentham's hedonic calculus? How is it supposed to evaluate actions?

What are some problems with the calculus?

What is the difference between act and rule utilitarianism?

What is Singer's view of poverty? What is his conclusion? What is his argument? Is Singer convincing? Why or why not?

What are some problems with utilitarianism?

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Study Guide for Test 1.

Date: Thursday, January 6th in class.

Material: The first test will cover material from chapters 1-4 in The Fundamentals of Ethics, the readings we have done in The Ethical Life, and our class discussions/lectures.

The following questions should help you pinpoint some of the main points of focus:

What does the word “philosophy” mean?

What are the branches of philosophy? What subjects do they study?

What is ethics? From what Greek root is it derived? What does it mean?

What questions do the following investigate: value theory, normative ethics, metaethics, applied ethics?

What is the difference between an intrinsic and an instrumental good?

What is hedonism?

In what ways can pleasure be distinguished? E.g. duration, quality, intensity, etc.

What is bad according to hedonists?

What beliefs did Epicurus have about the good life? What distinctions does he draw between different desires, e.g. groundless, natural, necessary, etc.?

What are some problems with hedonism? (Be sure you can explain them.)

What is Nozick’s experience machine? What is this argument supposed to show?

What is autonomy? Why do some philosophers believe autonomy is just as important, if not more important, than happiness? What is paternalism? How does it relate to the harm principle?

What is the desire satisfaction theory? How does it differ from hedonism?

Does desire satisfaction theory see what is good for us as an objective fact or something that is subjectively true only? Explain?

Why would someone think the desire theory is correct?

What are some problems with the desire satisfaction theory?

Other material, if discussed on Wednesday or in the first part of class on Thursday, will be on the test.