UNL PHIL 106: final exam 2025 Comprehensive
Questions And Verified Answers/ Complete Solutions
With Rationales |Get It 100% Accurate!!
What is an absolute moral rule? - (ANSWERS)a moral rule that is never morally permissible to
!@#$$$$$$$$$$%
break
Explain the arguments against absolute moral rules (Argument from Disaster Prevention,
Argument from Contradiction, Argument from Irrationality) - (ANSWERS)Argument from
Disaster Prevention: It's morally permissible to break any moral rule when doing so would
prevent a catastrophe
Argument from Contradiction:
If a moral theory allows for several amrs, they are bound to conflict
If they conflict, the theory contains a contradiction.
The correct moral theory will not contain a contradiction.
C: The correct moral theory will not allow for several amrs
Argument from Irrationality
Obeying an AMR can sometimes frustrate the purpose of the rule
If obeying a rule frustrates its purpose, the rule is irrational
C: amrs are irrational
What is the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing? How might one argue against it? - (ANSWERS)It's
always morally worse to do harm than to allow that same harm to occur
Trolley Case (evil intentions, switch already flipped)
What is the Doctrine of Double Effect? - (ANSWERS)provided that your goal is worthwhile, you
are sometimes permitted to act in ways that foreseeably cause certain harms, though you must
never intend to cause those harms.
Pluralism - (ANSWERS)There is more than one fundamental moral rule
Ex: Ross
Monism - (ANSWERS)There is just one fundamental moral rule
Ex: Kant's categorical imperative
How does W.D. Ross's approach to the moral rule against promise breaking differ from
utilitarian approach and the Kantian approach? - (ANSWERS)Kant- Formulate maxim, test the
maxim and see if you could achieve that purpose in a world when everyone was performing that
maxim
Apply this to promise breaking
Ross- said it is okay to break promises to fill another, conflicting prima facie duty or final duty
, UNL PHIL 106: final exam 2025 Comprehensive
Questions And Verified Answers/ Complete Solutions
With Rationales |Get It 100% Accurate!!
What is a prima facie duty? - (ANSWERS)A permanent, excellent but not absolute!@#$$$$$$$$$$%
reason to do
something
How do we know what prima facie duties are? - (ANSWERS)We know what prima facie duties
are because they are self evident;
Evident without any need of proof or of evidence beyond itself
Final duty - (ANSWERS)If you have a prima facie duty to do X and dont have a prima facie duty
not to do X than you have a final duty to do X
What do philosophers mean when they object that Ross's theory doesn't provide any guidance?
- (ANSWERS)Ross's theory does not provide guidance of what a person should do when two
prima facie duties conflict
Ross's reply: is that we shouldn't expect there to be any such rule or behavior
What is moral particularism? How could one object to it? - (ANSWERS)The belief that there are
no moral rules - neither absolute moral rules nor prima facie rules ***
For virtue ethics, what is the relationship between the questions, "what is it to be a good person"
and "Which actions are right"? - (ANSWERS)An act is morally right just because it is one that a
virtuous person, acting in character, would do in this situation
Find out moral role models first
Ask: "what would those moral role models do in this situation?"
The answer to that question is the right action to do
How does virtue ethics approach to theses questions differ from approaches, such as those of
utilitarian and Kantian? - (ANSWERS)Virtue ethicists decide what is morally okay based on if
their role models would do it
Kantianism and utilitarianism are the opposite: decide what actions are right if a person
performs those morally right actions they are considered a good person
According to virtue ethicists, which actions are right? - (ANSWERS)An act is morally right just
because it is one that a virtuous person, acting in character would do in the situation
What did Aristotle mean when he said that virtue lies in a mean between two
extremes?Doctrine of mean example: - (ANSWERS)The virtue of courage
Cowardice- Afraid of everything is one extreme
Rashness- not afraid of anything is the other extreme
According to the Doctrine of Mean Aristotle thinks that you should be somewhere in the middle
of these two extremes
He calls this fearful to the right degree, towards the right things = courage (the mean)
Questions And Verified Answers/ Complete Solutions
With Rationales |Get It 100% Accurate!!
What is an absolute moral rule? - (ANSWERS)a moral rule that is never morally permissible to
!@#$$$$$$$$$$%
break
Explain the arguments against absolute moral rules (Argument from Disaster Prevention,
Argument from Contradiction, Argument from Irrationality) - (ANSWERS)Argument from
Disaster Prevention: It's morally permissible to break any moral rule when doing so would
prevent a catastrophe
Argument from Contradiction:
If a moral theory allows for several amrs, they are bound to conflict
If they conflict, the theory contains a contradiction.
The correct moral theory will not contain a contradiction.
C: The correct moral theory will not allow for several amrs
Argument from Irrationality
Obeying an AMR can sometimes frustrate the purpose of the rule
If obeying a rule frustrates its purpose, the rule is irrational
C: amrs are irrational
What is the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing? How might one argue against it? - (ANSWERS)It's
always morally worse to do harm than to allow that same harm to occur
Trolley Case (evil intentions, switch already flipped)
What is the Doctrine of Double Effect? - (ANSWERS)provided that your goal is worthwhile, you
are sometimes permitted to act in ways that foreseeably cause certain harms, though you must
never intend to cause those harms.
Pluralism - (ANSWERS)There is more than one fundamental moral rule
Ex: Ross
Monism - (ANSWERS)There is just one fundamental moral rule
Ex: Kant's categorical imperative
How does W.D. Ross's approach to the moral rule against promise breaking differ from
utilitarian approach and the Kantian approach? - (ANSWERS)Kant- Formulate maxim, test the
maxim and see if you could achieve that purpose in a world when everyone was performing that
maxim
Apply this to promise breaking
Ross- said it is okay to break promises to fill another, conflicting prima facie duty or final duty
, UNL PHIL 106: final exam 2025 Comprehensive
Questions And Verified Answers/ Complete Solutions
With Rationales |Get It 100% Accurate!!
What is a prima facie duty? - (ANSWERS)A permanent, excellent but not absolute!@#$$$$$$$$$$%
reason to do
something
How do we know what prima facie duties are? - (ANSWERS)We know what prima facie duties
are because they are self evident;
Evident without any need of proof or of evidence beyond itself
Final duty - (ANSWERS)If you have a prima facie duty to do X and dont have a prima facie duty
not to do X than you have a final duty to do X
What do philosophers mean when they object that Ross's theory doesn't provide any guidance?
- (ANSWERS)Ross's theory does not provide guidance of what a person should do when two
prima facie duties conflict
Ross's reply: is that we shouldn't expect there to be any such rule or behavior
What is moral particularism? How could one object to it? - (ANSWERS)The belief that there are
no moral rules - neither absolute moral rules nor prima facie rules ***
For virtue ethics, what is the relationship between the questions, "what is it to be a good person"
and "Which actions are right"? - (ANSWERS)An act is morally right just because it is one that a
virtuous person, acting in character, would do in this situation
Find out moral role models first
Ask: "what would those moral role models do in this situation?"
The answer to that question is the right action to do
How does virtue ethics approach to theses questions differ from approaches, such as those of
utilitarian and Kantian? - (ANSWERS)Virtue ethicists decide what is morally okay based on if
their role models would do it
Kantianism and utilitarianism are the opposite: decide what actions are right if a person
performs those morally right actions they are considered a good person
According to virtue ethicists, which actions are right? - (ANSWERS)An act is morally right just
because it is one that a virtuous person, acting in character would do in the situation
What did Aristotle mean when he said that virtue lies in a mean between two
extremes?Doctrine of mean example: - (ANSWERS)The virtue of courage
Cowardice- Afraid of everything is one extreme
Rashness- not afraid of anything is the other extreme
According to the Doctrine of Mean Aristotle thinks that you should be somewhere in the middle
of these two extremes
He calls this fearful to the right degree, towards the right things = courage (the mean)
