PHIL 101 test #1 JMU Introduction to Philosophy Questions
With Complete Solutions
A person who chooses between two possible life partners and
actually is so twisted in consciousness that the more the person
not chosen suffers, the more that this twisted conscious chooser
can appreciate the person who is chosen to be a life partner is
violating which condition of the principle of the double effect?
Correct Answers that the good effect be not produced by means
of the evil effect;
A person who chooses between two possible life partners and
actually wants the person not chosen to commit suicide is
violating which condition of the principle of the double effect?
Correct Answers that the good effect and not the evil effect be
intended; [we should avoid bringing about the evil effect or at
least reducing it if at all possible]
Again, what is Stumpf's objection to Mill? (2nd last paragraph
of lecture) What was the answer which I offered for Mill here in
class? What is the answer offered in the lecture? What is another
way of answering Stumpf's objection? Explain. Correct
Answers Mill could answer Stumpf's objection by adding that
general happiness is desirable because each man desires his own
happiness and that every individual has the right to pursue
happiness. Consequently one cannot pursue actions that harm
another's individuality or originality.
An Exemplar of a Life lived with Practical Wisdom in Search of
the Well-Examined Life, whom we have alrwady studied, is
________________________. Correct Answers
,Aristotle thought ______________________________ (select
the best answer).
A) Ethics is best learned from a textbook of Absolute Thou
Shalt Nots
B) Ethics is best learned from experience of perceiving,
thinking, deciding, and acting such that one might not known
ahead of time what the p;practically wise thing to do is because
one has never been in this exact situation before or even in any
situation like this one
C) Ethics can be well learned from an experienced and wise
practitioner in ethical decisions by emulating that person much
as one can learn the art of painting from an experienced and
wise painter. by emulating that gifted painter.
D) Ethics is more the positive art of living for achieving wise
happiness
E) 1 and 2
F) 2 and 3
G) 2, 3, and 4 Correct Answers G
As a knife has a function of cutting and a good knife is one
which cuts welll, so also a human being has the function of
being ___________________ and a good human is one who
choose and acts in accord with the well-examed life. Correct
Answers
Can morality be based on happiness for Kant? Explain. What
can morality be based on? Explain. Correct Answers No, it is
too subjective/ Only on the way in which one is truly rational,
that is, not self-contradictory in one's maxims.
,Consequently, what kind of happiness is worth possessing? How
does your answer to this last question fit in with Aristotle's
answer to what the general goal of life is, which you just
reflected upon two paragraphs above? Correct Answers The
kind of happiness worth possessing is the eternal one,
humanity's life-time goal, to be happy. This fits in with
Aristotle's belief because he also translated living and doing well
to mean to be happy. Reaching an individual's end-goal is the
way to truly be happy and sublime.
Define and exemplify the following terms: hypothetical
imperative, categorical imperative. Correct Answers
Conditional command: if you want to go to Europe quickly, then
you must take a plane//Unconditional command: you simply7
ought to obey the moral law, no and's, if's, or but's/
Does every action and feeling have a mean? Correct Answers
Aristotle believes that not every action has a mean, mainly
because some actions in their mere name imply badness, such as
adultery or murder.
Does Kant agree with Aristotle that the end of happiness is
necessarily desired? Correct Answers Yes
Does Kant believe that the means to happiness can be clearly
known? Give his examples which make his point. Correct
Answers No, neither money nor knowledge, nor long life are
guaranteed to make you happy.
Does Socrates view death as an evil or as a good? Why?
Correct Answers
, Does the common opinion make sense when examined by these
criteria? Correct Answers No it does not exactly make sense
when the criterion is examined because living and doing well is
not the same thing as being happy. In fact after being examined
by the criteria the common goal seems to be more of absolute
goodness, rather than happiness.
Drug addiction has no Golden Mean but is evil in itself for
Aristotle because________. Correct Answers A person is not
the key here in one's decision about the morality of drug
addiction, but the person of opractical wisdom for Aristotle and
the person of generous love for Augustine and Aquinas is the
key decider of morality of drug addiction.
Explain the difference between categorical imperative and
hypothetical imperative? Correct Answers Unconditional
command vs. conditional command
Give the argument that distinguishes between feeling happy and
being happy. Correct Answers To be happy in Aristotle's view
is to achieve the sublime and is almost considered to be the goal
of humanity, therefore is final and means eternal satisfaction.
Feeling happy, however, is a temporary sensation, for example,
you may feel happy because you made a tasty pie. But that
feeling is not infinite. To be happy, as noted, is similar to living
or doing well.
How could Aristotle reply to Kant's evaluation of happiness as
the basis of morality? Correct Answers Aristotle could reply,
granted that a person does choose to seek happiness, it is a
With Complete Solutions
A person who chooses between two possible life partners and
actually is so twisted in consciousness that the more the person
not chosen suffers, the more that this twisted conscious chooser
can appreciate the person who is chosen to be a life partner is
violating which condition of the principle of the double effect?
Correct Answers that the good effect be not produced by means
of the evil effect;
A person who chooses between two possible life partners and
actually wants the person not chosen to commit suicide is
violating which condition of the principle of the double effect?
Correct Answers that the good effect and not the evil effect be
intended; [we should avoid bringing about the evil effect or at
least reducing it if at all possible]
Again, what is Stumpf's objection to Mill? (2nd last paragraph
of lecture) What was the answer which I offered for Mill here in
class? What is the answer offered in the lecture? What is another
way of answering Stumpf's objection? Explain. Correct
Answers Mill could answer Stumpf's objection by adding that
general happiness is desirable because each man desires his own
happiness and that every individual has the right to pursue
happiness. Consequently one cannot pursue actions that harm
another's individuality or originality.
An Exemplar of a Life lived with Practical Wisdom in Search of
the Well-Examined Life, whom we have alrwady studied, is
________________________. Correct Answers
,Aristotle thought ______________________________ (select
the best answer).
A) Ethics is best learned from a textbook of Absolute Thou
Shalt Nots
B) Ethics is best learned from experience of perceiving,
thinking, deciding, and acting such that one might not known
ahead of time what the p;practically wise thing to do is because
one has never been in this exact situation before or even in any
situation like this one
C) Ethics can be well learned from an experienced and wise
practitioner in ethical decisions by emulating that person much
as one can learn the art of painting from an experienced and
wise painter. by emulating that gifted painter.
D) Ethics is more the positive art of living for achieving wise
happiness
E) 1 and 2
F) 2 and 3
G) 2, 3, and 4 Correct Answers G
As a knife has a function of cutting and a good knife is one
which cuts welll, so also a human being has the function of
being ___________________ and a good human is one who
choose and acts in accord with the well-examed life. Correct
Answers
Can morality be based on happiness for Kant? Explain. What
can morality be based on? Explain. Correct Answers No, it is
too subjective/ Only on the way in which one is truly rational,
that is, not self-contradictory in one's maxims.
,Consequently, what kind of happiness is worth possessing? How
does your answer to this last question fit in with Aristotle's
answer to what the general goal of life is, which you just
reflected upon two paragraphs above? Correct Answers The
kind of happiness worth possessing is the eternal one,
humanity's life-time goal, to be happy. This fits in with
Aristotle's belief because he also translated living and doing well
to mean to be happy. Reaching an individual's end-goal is the
way to truly be happy and sublime.
Define and exemplify the following terms: hypothetical
imperative, categorical imperative. Correct Answers
Conditional command: if you want to go to Europe quickly, then
you must take a plane//Unconditional command: you simply7
ought to obey the moral law, no and's, if's, or but's/
Does every action and feeling have a mean? Correct Answers
Aristotle believes that not every action has a mean, mainly
because some actions in their mere name imply badness, such as
adultery or murder.
Does Kant agree with Aristotle that the end of happiness is
necessarily desired? Correct Answers Yes
Does Kant believe that the means to happiness can be clearly
known? Give his examples which make his point. Correct
Answers No, neither money nor knowledge, nor long life are
guaranteed to make you happy.
Does Socrates view death as an evil or as a good? Why?
Correct Answers
, Does the common opinion make sense when examined by these
criteria? Correct Answers No it does not exactly make sense
when the criterion is examined because living and doing well is
not the same thing as being happy. In fact after being examined
by the criteria the common goal seems to be more of absolute
goodness, rather than happiness.
Drug addiction has no Golden Mean but is evil in itself for
Aristotle because________. Correct Answers A person is not
the key here in one's decision about the morality of drug
addiction, but the person of opractical wisdom for Aristotle and
the person of generous love for Augustine and Aquinas is the
key decider of morality of drug addiction.
Explain the difference between categorical imperative and
hypothetical imperative? Correct Answers Unconditional
command vs. conditional command
Give the argument that distinguishes between feeling happy and
being happy. Correct Answers To be happy in Aristotle's view
is to achieve the sublime and is almost considered to be the goal
of humanity, therefore is final and means eternal satisfaction.
Feeling happy, however, is a temporary sensation, for example,
you may feel happy because you made a tasty pie. But that
feeling is not infinite. To be happy, as noted, is similar to living
or doing well.
How could Aristotle reply to Kant's evaluation of happiness as
the basis of morality? Correct Answers Aristotle could reply,
granted that a person does choose to seek happiness, it is a
