CARS CARS Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a CARS passage, an author argues that a policy is just because it treats all individuals equally under the law. Which concept of justice does this reflect?
- Formal justice, which requires consistent application of rules to all people (Correct answer)
- Distributive justice, which focuses on fair allocation of resources
- Restorative justice, which emphasizes repairing harm to victims
- Procedural justice, which centers on the fairness of decision-making processes
Correct answer: Formal justice, which requires consistent application of rules to all people
Formal justice holds that individuals in similar situations should be treated the same way by laws and institutions.
Question 2: A CARS passage describes a researcher who discovers her study results could be harmful if published. She decides to publish anyway, citing academic freedom. Which competing value is most in tension with her decision?
- The duty to prevent foreseeable harm to others (Correct answer)
- The obligation to maximize the number of publications in her career
- The requirement to seek funding before publishing any research
- The principle that all research findings must be shared immediately
Correct answer: The duty to prevent foreseeable harm to others
The researcher's commitment to academic freedom conflicts with the ethical duty of non-maleficence—avoiding foreseeable harm to others.
Question 3: A CARS passage argues that informed consent is a cornerstone of medical ethics. What does informed consent require?
- Patients must receive clear information about risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to treatment (Correct answer)
- Patients must sign a legal waiver before receiving any medical procedure
- Doctors must obtain approval from a hospital board before treating patients
- Patients must be given a diagnosis in writing before treatment can begin
Correct answer: Patients must receive clear information about risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to treatment
Informed consent requires that patients understand the nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of a proposed treatment before voluntarily agreeing to it.
Question 4: A CARS passage presents an argument that moral relativism means no culture's ethical standards are superior to another's. What is a common critique of this position?
- It makes it impossible to condemn widely recognized atrocities such as genocide (Correct answer)
- It requires all cultures to adopt identical laws and customs
- It denies the existence of any cultural differences in moral beliefs
- It forces individuals to adopt the ethical standards of their own culture
Correct answer: It makes it impossible to condemn widely recognized atrocities such as genocide
If all moral standards are culturally relative, then there is no basis for condemning practices like genocide, which is a significant logical and moral problem for moral relativism.
Question 5: In a CARS passage about corporate ethics, an executive argues that a company's only obligation is to maximize shareholder profit. Which ethical framework most directly challenges this view?
- Stakeholder theory, which holds that companies have responsibilities to employees, customers, communities, and the environment (Correct answer)
- Social contract theory, which holds that corporations must only obey the laws of the state
- Libertarianism, which holds that all voluntary transactions are morally acceptable
- Moral absolutism, which holds that all actions must follow a single universal rule
Correct answer: Stakeholder theory, which holds that companies have responsibilities to employees, customers, communities, and the environment
Stakeholder theory argues that corporations have ethical obligations beyond profit, including responsibilities to all groups affected by their operations.
Question 6: A CARS passage describes a case where a government restricts personal freedoms to protect public health. Which ethical principle best justifies this restriction?
- The harm principle, which permits limiting liberty when actions harm others (Correct answer)
- Absolutism, which requires governments to follow fixed rules without exception
- Virtue ethics, which focuses on the moral character of government officials
- Egoism, which holds that individuals should always act in their own self-interest
Correct answer: The harm principle, which permits limiting liberty when actions harm others
John Stuart Mill's harm principle holds that individual freedom may be limited by society when an individual's actions pose a genuine risk of harm to others.
CARS CARS Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making 2
In a CARS passage, an author argues that a policy is just because it treats all individuals equally under the law.
Which concept of justice does this reflect?