CLT Logic and Ethics 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical theory holds that the morality of an action is determined solely by its outcomes or consequences?
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
- Consequentialism (Correct answer)
- Natural law theory
Correct answer: Consequentialism
Consequentialism evaluates actions entirely by their results, most notably in the utilitarian form championed by Bentham and Mill.
Question 2: Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative primarily directs a person to:
- Act to maximize overall happiness for all affected parties
- Act only on principles one could will to become universal laws (Correct answer)
- Act in accordance with natural human inclinations
- Act so as to cultivate virtuous character traits over time
Correct answer: Act only on principles one could will to become universal laws
Kant's first formulation demands that the maxim of any action be universalizable without contradiction.
Question 3: According to Aristotle, eudaimoniaâthe highest human goodâis best translated as:
- Pleasure
- Duty
- Flourishing or well-being (Correct answer)
- Divine obedience
Correct answer: Flourishing or well-being
Eudaimonia refers to a life of flourishing achieved through the full exercise of distinctively human capacities and virtues.
Question 4: John Stuart Mill's version of utilitarianism is distinctive because it distinguishes between:
- Right and wrong intentions behind actions
- Higher and lower pleasures based on quality (Correct answer)
- Natural and supernatural moral duties
- Individual virtues and collective obligations
Correct answer: Higher and lower pleasures based on quality
Mill argued that intellectual and moral pleasures are qualitatively superior to mere bodily pleasures, refining Bentham's calculus.
Question 5: Thomas Aquinas's natural law theory holds that moral norms are primarily derived from:
- Social contracts negotiated among citizens
- Human reason reflecting on human nature as created by God (Correct answer)
- The greatest happiness principle applied to all sentient beings
- Individual conscience operating independently of reason
Correct answer: Human reason reflecting on human nature as created by God
Aquinas taught that reason discerns natural law written into human nature by the divine legislator.
Question 6: Plato's allegory of the cave is primarily intended to illustrate:
- The origin and limits of political authority
- The difference between mere appearances and genuine knowledge of reality (Correct answer)
- The historical development of human language
- The ethical justification for just warfare
Correct answer: The difference between mere appearances and genuine knowledge of reality
The allegory shows how most people mistake shadows (appearances) for reality and how philosophical education turns the soul toward true knowledge.
Question 7: Which ancient virtue, central to Plato's Republic, involves each part of the soul performing its proper function under the guidance of reason?
- Courage
- Temperance
- Piety
- Justice (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Justice
Plato defines justice as each element of the soulâreason, spirit, and appetiteâdoing its proper work in harmony.
CLT Logic and Ethics 3
Which ethical theory holds that the morality of an action is determined solely by its outcomes or consequences?