Chapter 9 Self Quiz

An ethical theory has explanatory power when it helps us understand all of the following EXCEPT:

According to which moral theory is the right act in any circumstance the one that produces the best overall result as determined by the theory's account of value?

According to which moral theory does the moral worth of an individual's action depend exclusively on the moral acceptability of the general rule of conduct on which the person is acting?

Which of the following is NOT an implication of Kant's categorical imperative?

Which moral theory highlights claiming as a mode of action that appeals to moral norms that permit persons to demand, affirm, or insist upon what is due them?

Positive rights include such things as:

What is the relationship between utilitarianism, Kantianism, and rights theory?

Which of the following is NOT a shortcoming of rights theory?

According to which moral theory is the question, "What would a person of superior character do in this context"?

Which of the following is NOT true of virtue theory?

In a once-popular conception of ethical theory, the task of moral theory was to locate and justify general moral norms as a system, whereas in the newer and less settled conception advocated in Principles of Biomedical Ethics, the task is to reflect critically on influential moral norms and practices.

A simple moral theory that distills the demands of morality to a few basic norms is preferable to a theory with more norms but no additional content.

A moral theory is unacceptable if its practical requirements are so demanding that they cannot be satisfied or could be satisfied by only a few extraordinary persons or communities.

Some utilitarians hold that the concept of utility refers to intrinsic goods such as happiness, health, and deep personal relationships, whereas others believe we should maximize the overall satisfaction of the preferences of individuals.

An important moral issue that Kantian theory helps to address is whether some actions are wrong not because of their good or bad effects, but because of the inherent wrongness of the actions themselves or the rules from which the action is performed.

Some rights may be absolute or close to absolute, but, typically, rights assert only prima facie claims and are not absolute.

Convergence as well as consensus about norms is common in making practical judgments about cases and framing public policies, even though theoretical differences divide the discussants.

Although we can expect only as much ________ and precision of language as is appropriate for the subject matter, more obscurity and vagueness exist in the literature of ethical theory and biomedical ethics than the subject matter warrants.

The principle of ________ asserts that we ought always to produce the maximal balance of positive value over disvalue—or the least possible disvalue—if only undesirable results can be achieved.

In the moral theory known as ________, true moral obligation depends on an objectively valid rule determining the individual's will; the rule provides a moral ground that justifies the action.

"Deontological ________" identify certain actions that are impermissible regardless of the consequences. They are essentially negative duties that specify what we cannot justifiably do to others even in the pursuit of worthy goals.

Rights claims that are not honored constitute a ________ when this is unjustified and wrong, but only an ________ when the right has been justifiably overridden.

A ________ is a dispositional trait of character that is socially valuable and reliably present in a person.

Rights and obligations are often said to be ________, meaning that the language of rights is translatable into the language of obligations and vice versa.

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