PhB Bachelor of Philosophy Ethics and Moral Philosophy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the ethical position of moral absolutism?
- Moral rules apply only within specific cultural contexts
- Certain moral rules hold universally regardless of context or consequences (Correct answer)
- Morality is determined by majority opinion
- All ethical decisions are situational
Correct answer: Certain moral rules hold universally regardless of context or consequences
Moral absolutism maintains that some actions are intrinsically right or wrong regardless of circumstances, consequences, or cultural variation.
Question 2: The doctrine of double effect holds that an action with a harmful side effect may be permissible if:
- The harm benefits the majority
- The harmful effect is foreseen but not intended and the action is otherwise good (Correct answer)
- The agent is unaware of the harmful effect
- The harm is reversible
Correct answer: The harmful effect is foreseen but not intended and the action is otherwise good
Double effect requires that the bad outcome be foreseen but not intended, that the action itself be good or neutral, and that the good outweigh the bad.
Question 3: Contractarianism grounds moral obligations in:
- Divine revelation
- Natural instinct
- An agreement among rational agents (Correct answer)
- The cultivation of virtuous habits
Correct answer: An agreement among rational agents
Contractarian ethics, associated with Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls, bases morality on principles that rational individuals would agree to under certain conditions.
Question 4: Which concept, central to Kantian ethics, forbids treating persons merely as tools for one's own ends?
- The principle of utility
- The humanity formulation of the categorical imperative (Correct answer)
- The veil of ignorance
- The natural law principle
Correct answer: The humanity formulation of the categorical imperative
Kant's second formulation of the categorical imperative demands that we always treat humanity, whether in ourselves or others, as an end and never merely as a means.
Question 5: Care ethics, developed by Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings, emphasizes which of the following above universal rules?
- Individual rights
- Relationships and context-sensitive caring (Correct answer)
- Divine commands
- Rational self-interest
Correct answer: Relationships and context-sensitive caring
Care ethics argues that morality is rooted in empathy, relationships, and context rather than abstract universal principles.
Question 6: Which term describes the view that moral facts are objectively true independently of what anyone thinks or feels?
- Moral subjectivism
- Moral realism (Correct answer)
- Emotivism
- Prescriptivism
Correct answer: Moral realism
Moral realism holds that moral claims can be objectively true or false, independent of the attitudes or beliefs of any individual or society.
PhB Bachelor of Philosophy Ethics and Moral Philosophy 2
Which of the following best describes the ethical position of moral absolutism?