Multiple Choice Quiz

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According to Williams, to claim that the only states of affairs have intrinsic value is:

too broad to exclude anything. correct incorrect

too narrow for utilitarians to accept. correct incorrect

incoherent. correct incorrect

a central claim of nonconsequentialist approaches to ethics. correct incorrect

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According to consequentialism, the right action is the one that:

brings about the most value out of any logically possible action. correct incorrect

brings about the most value out of any action available to the agent. correct incorrect

does not violate anyone's rights. correct incorrect

does not violate any prima facie duties. correct incorrect

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The doctrine of negative responsibility is the idea that:

no one is ever responsible for their actions. correct incorrect

I am as responsible for what I allow or fail to prevent as for what I myself bring about. correct incorrect

our only responsibilities are to refrain from harming others. correct incorrect

responsibility for one's actions is to be avoided whenever possible. correct incorrect

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In Williams's case of George the chemist, George is torn between:

his commitment to promise-keeping and his loyalty to his friend. correct incorrect

his commitment to his country and his self-interest. correct incorrect

his desire to save as many lives as possible and his opposition to executing innocents. correct incorrect

his desire to support his family and his deep opposition to biological weapons. correct incorrect

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In the two cases he discusses, Williams claims that utilitarianism:

clearly yields the wrong verdicts. correct incorrect

gives the right verdicts for the right reasons. correct incorrect

provides no verdict at all. correct incorrect

might yield the right verdicts, but for the wrong reasons correct incorrect

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According to Williams, the utilitarian must regard Jim's feelings of moral uncertainty as:

justified. correct incorrect

based on inaccurate calculation. correct incorrect

mere squeamishness. correct incorrect

indicating the deep wrongness of his action. correct incorrect

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Williams distinguishes two kinds of remote effect relevant to utilitarianism:

psychological effect on the agent and precedent effect. correct incorrect

proximal and distal effects. correct incorrect

particular effect and general effect. correct incorrect

moral effect and nonmoral effect. correct incorrect

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Williams claims that the demands of utilitarianism constitute an attack on the agent's:

virtue. correct incorrect

sense of fairness. correct incorrect

benevolence. correct incorrect

integrity. correct incorrect