PHIL 106 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE | QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS | VERIFIED | 100% CORRECT.
What is the difference between pluralism and monism? Answer - Pluralism-
theres more than one fundamental moral rule
Monism- there is just one fundamental moral rule
How does W.D. Ross's approach to the moral rule against promise-breaking
differ from the utilitarian approach and the Kantian approach? Answer -
Kantian- you can only do something if it is ok for everyone else to do it
Utilitarianism- you can only do something that promotes overall wellbeing for
the most amount of people
Ross- you can have a permanent, excellent (but not absolute) reason to do
something. In other words, you can break rules (Kantian) and partake in actions
that may not produce overall wellbeing for the majority (Utilitarian).
What is a prima facie duty? Answer - a permanent, excellent (but not absolute)
reason to do something
How do prima facie duties differ from final duties? Answer - Final duties are
what one ought to do in a particular case, taking into all the relevant PFD's.
They are kind of the last step.
, "If you have a PFD to X and no PFD not to X, then X-ing is your final duty"
What is the relation between one's prima facieduties and one's final duty?
Answer - if you have a work meeting and you have no PFD to not show up so
your final duty is to show up
"If you have a PFD to X and no PFD not to X, then X-ing is your final duty"
How do we know what the prima facie duties are? Answer - They are "self-
evident" (evident without any need of proof, or of evidence beyond itself).
Know that they are fundamental and one does not weight out the other.
What do philosophers mean when they object that Ross's theory doesn't
provide any guidance? Answer - They mean that his theory doesn't provide
any rule or procedure for what to do when PFD's conflict.
What is moral particularism? How could one object to it? Answer - Moral
Particularism- there are no moral rules- neither absolute moral rules, nor prima
facie moral rules.
Objections-
For virtue ethicists, what is the relationship between the questions, "What is it
to be a good person?" and "Which actions are right"? Answer - An act is
morally right just because it is one that a virtuous person, acting in character,
would do in that situation.
How does the virtue ethics approach to these questions differ from other
approaches, such as those of the utilitarian and the Kantian? Answer - instead
of picking the best outcome you are picking the best action
ANSWERS | VERIFIED | 100% CORRECT.
What is the difference between pluralism and monism? Answer - Pluralism-
theres more than one fundamental moral rule
Monism- there is just one fundamental moral rule
How does W.D. Ross's approach to the moral rule against promise-breaking
differ from the utilitarian approach and the Kantian approach? Answer -
Kantian- you can only do something if it is ok for everyone else to do it
Utilitarianism- you can only do something that promotes overall wellbeing for
the most amount of people
Ross- you can have a permanent, excellent (but not absolute) reason to do
something. In other words, you can break rules (Kantian) and partake in actions
that may not produce overall wellbeing for the majority (Utilitarian).
What is a prima facie duty? Answer - a permanent, excellent (but not absolute)
reason to do something
How do prima facie duties differ from final duties? Answer - Final duties are
what one ought to do in a particular case, taking into all the relevant PFD's.
They are kind of the last step.
, "If you have a PFD to X and no PFD not to X, then X-ing is your final duty"
What is the relation between one's prima facieduties and one's final duty?
Answer - if you have a work meeting and you have no PFD to not show up so
your final duty is to show up
"If you have a PFD to X and no PFD not to X, then X-ing is your final duty"
How do we know what the prima facie duties are? Answer - They are "self-
evident" (evident without any need of proof, or of evidence beyond itself).
Know that they are fundamental and one does not weight out the other.
What do philosophers mean when they object that Ross's theory doesn't
provide any guidance? Answer - They mean that his theory doesn't provide
any rule or procedure for what to do when PFD's conflict.
What is moral particularism? How could one object to it? Answer - Moral
Particularism- there are no moral rules- neither absolute moral rules, nor prima
facie moral rules.
Objections-
For virtue ethicists, what is the relationship between the questions, "What is it
to be a good person?" and "Which actions are right"? Answer - An act is
morally right just because it is one that a virtuous person, acting in character,
would do in that situation.
How does the virtue ethics approach to these questions differ from other
approaches, such as those of the utilitarian and the Kantian? Answer - instead
of picking the best outcome you are picking the best action
