54. Ruth Benedict: Morality Is Relative
- Does Benedict’s view imply that one culture cannot legitimately criticize another—that, say, Americans cannot legitimately criticize a culture that condones human sacrifices? Explain.
- Does Benedict’s view imply that each culture is infallible on moral issues? Do you think cultures are morally infallible? Why or why not?
55. James Rachels: Morality Is Not Relative
- What are the premises of the cultural differences argument?
- According to Rachels, why is there less disagreement among cultures than it seems?
56. Plato: Why Should I Be Moral? Gyges’s Ring and Socrates’s Dilemma
- Do you agree with the popular view of justice explained by Glaucon? Why or why not?
- What is Socrates’s view of the good? Do you agree with him?
57. Louis P. Pojman: Egoism and Altruism: A Critique of Ayn Rand
- Is universal ethical egoism a plausible moral theory? Explain.
- What is the argument from counterintuitive consequences? Is it a good argument? Explain.
58. Joel Feinberg: Psychological Egoism
- What is Feinberg’s argument against psychological egoism? Is it cogent?
- Do you believe in psychological egoism? Why or why not?
59. Immanuel Kant: The Moral Law
- How does Kant’s categorical imperative apply to the case of the lying promise?
- Does Kant allow any exceptions to a categorical imperative? Would you make an exception if it could save an innocent person’s life (and harm no one else)? Why or why not?
60. John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism
- What is the chief difference between utilitarianism and Kant’s ethics?
- Do you believe, with Rawls, that utilitarianism is a paternalistic violator of human rights? Explain.
61. Russ Shafer-Landau: Consequentialism: It’s Difficulties
- According to Shafer-Landau, why is justice the central moral problem for consequentialist theories?
- How have consequentialists tried to defend themselves against the charge that their theories conflict with intuitions about justice? Do you think any of the defenses are successful?
62. Aristotle: The Ethics of Virtue
- What does Aristotle mean by “the function of man is activity of soul in accordance with reason”?
- According to Aristotle, how does a just man become just? If Aristotle is right, what implications would his view have for the moral education of the young?
63. Virginia Held: The Ethics of Care
- How does Held’s view of ethics differ from Kant’s? Can they be reconciled?
- What is Held’s critique of the “ethic of justice”? Do you agree with it? Why or why not?
64. Alison M. Jaggar: Feminist Ethics
- What are the main goals of feminist ethics?
- What are some key misunderstandings about feminist ethics?
65. Annette C. Baier: The Need for More than Justice
- Why does Baier believe that justice theories should be combined with other perspectives?
- Is her argument for emphasizing both justice and care cogent? Why or why not?
66. Jean-Paul Sartre: Existentialist Ethics
- Sartre says that “everything is permissible if God does not exist.” Do you agree? Explain.
- Are moral decisions always as arbitrary or subjective as Sartre would have us believe? Are there any counterexamples to Sartre’s example of the young student?
67. James Rachels: The Divine Command Theory
- What are the premises of Rachels’s argument against the divine command theory?
- According to Rachels, why should even religious people reject the divine command theory? Do you agree with Rachels? Why or why not?
68. Thomas Nagel: Moral Luck
- How, according to Nagel, does moral luck enter into our moral decision-making?
- How does moral luck seem to undermine our moral freedom?
69. Susan Wolf: Moral Saints
- Why does Wolf think we should not necessarily strive to become moral saints?
- According to wolf, how might someone’s psychological development be stunted by trying to become a moral saint?