Ethical and Moral Reasoning Flashcards

The 'trolley problem' thought experiment is designed primarily to explore which ethical question?

Answer: Whether it is morally permissible to harm one person to save many

The trolley problem tests whether it is morally acceptable to cause direct harm to one person in order to save a greater number, probing utilitarian versus deontological moral intuitions.

Civil disobedience as described by Thoreau and practiced by Martin Luther King Jr. rests on the moral claim that:

Answer: Individuals have a moral duty to resist laws they believe are fundamentally unjust

Civil disobedience is grounded in the moral claim that individuals retain a conscience-based duty to resist unjust laws, even while accepting legal consequences.

In law, the 'reasonable person' standard primarily serves to:

Answer: Apply an objective ethical benchmark to evaluate individual conduct

The 'reasonable person' standard provides an objective ethical and behavioral benchmark against which a defendant's conduct is measured, linking legal liability to shared moral expectations.

Natural law theory, as articulated by thinkers like Aquinas, holds that:

Answer: Human-made laws derive legitimacy from conformity to universal moral principles

Natural law theory holds that human law must conform to universal moral principles discoverable by reason; laws that violate these principles lack true moral authority.

A government passes a law producing great economic benefits for the majority but systematically disadvantaging a minority group. Which ethical framework would most clearly object on grounds of rights?

Answer: Rights-based (deontological) theory

Rights-based theory holds that individuals possess rights that cannot be violated even for majority benefit, making this law impermissible regardless of aggregate outcomes.

'Moral relativism' in ethical reasoning refers to the view that:

Answer: Moral standards are not universally fixed but vary across cultures or individuals

Moral relativism holds that what is considered right or wrong varies across cultures, individuals, or historical periods, denying universal moral standards.

Which scenario best illustrates the ethical doctrine of 'double effect'?

Answer: A surgeon administers pain relief to a dying patient knowing it may hasten death, intending only to relieve suffering

The doctrine of double effect permits an act with two foreseen effects — one intended (pain relief) and one unintended (hastened death) — provided the intended effect is good and the harm is not the means to that good.