BA Philosophy and Ethics 2

Question 1

Utilitarianism holds that the morally right action is the one that:

Accepted Answer

Maximizes overall happiness or utility for the greatest number

Answer

Utilitarianism, developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, judges actions by their outcomes—specifically, the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Question 2

Kant's categorical imperative instructs that one should:

Accepted Answer

Act only according to principles you could will to be universal laws

Answer

Kant's categorical imperative requires acting only on maxims that you could consistently will to become universal laws, making morality independent of outcomes.

Question 3

The ethical theory that focuses on the character and virtues of the moral agent rather than rules or outcomes is:

Accepted Answer

Virtue Ethics

Answer

Virtue ethics, rooted in Aristotle's philosophy, emphasizes developing good character traits (virtues) as the foundation of moral life.

Question 4

John Stuart Mill's version of utilitarianism distinguished between:

Accepted Answer

Higher and lower pleasures

Answer

Mill argued that intellectual and moral pleasures (higher) are qualitatively superior to purely physical pleasures (lower), refining Bentham's purely quantitative calculus.

Question 5

The philosophical position that there are no objective moral truths and that moral judgments are culturally or individually relative is called:

Accepted Answer

Moral relativism

Answer

Moral relativism holds that moral judgments are not universally valid but are relative to cultural, social, or individual perspectives.

BA - Bachelor of Arts Degree Practice Test

BA - Bachelor of Arts Degree Practice Test

BA Philosophy and Ethics 2