PHL 201 - Ethics
Fall 2010
Final Exam Study Guide

All finals will be taken in the computer testing labs. CEN 456 lab hours are M - W 8am – 8pm, Th 8am – 5pm. Lab closed Friday! You must arrive one hour before closing on any given day or you will not be allowed to take your final that day. This means that the latest you can enter the lab to take the final exam is Thursday at 4pm. As with previous exams, a 3 x 5 card of notes (both sides) is allowed for the exam.

Office hours for final exam week will be different than the regular term and announced on Moodle in the "Announcements" forum and in class. If you were disappointed with your previous exam scores, coming by office hours or setting up an appointment (if you cannot make scheduled office hours) is very likely to improve your score on the final. To prepare for the final, review the following questions:

Deontology

What is deontology? What is the only thing which is intrinsically good according to Kant? According to Kant, what does it mean to act with a good will? What importance, if any, does Kant attach to the consequences of an act when evaluating whether it was right or wrong? How important is motive for Kant in assessing the rightness or wrongness of an act? Does Kant accept hedonism? Does he accept consequentialism? Where do deontological rules come from according to Kant?

What are the two basic motives a person can have for performing an act?

What's the point of the scrupulously honest shopkeeper example? What are the three possible motives does Kant give for his honesty? Which of these motives gives his honesty moral worth? Suppose a philanthropist gives because of his love and compassion toward his fellow human beings. How much moral worth do his actions have according to Kant--a lot, some, very little, none whatsoever? What does Kant say about actions with "mixed motives." For instance, suppose a person says to herself "I'm doing this because it's right" but upon reflection notes that doing the right thing makes her feel good about herself? Does her act still have moral worth?

What does Kant believe is the relationship between rationality and morality? What would Kant say about the case of a conscientious Middle Eastern terrorist, who seems sincere but mistaken about what is moral duty is? In what sense does Kant accept psychological egoism? How can he consistently accept psychological egoism in any sense and yet reject ethical egoism?

What is an imperative? What is the difference between a hypothetical imperative and a categorical imperative? What form does each imperative take? What are some examples of each? Which of these make up morality: hypothetical imperatives, categorical imperatives, both, or neither?

What is a maxim? What are Kant's two formulations of the categorical imperative which allow us to test the morality of certain acts? Which expresses the intuition that moral principles should apply to everyone equally? Which expresses the intuition that it's wrong to use people? What's the point of the false promise example involving borrowing money and what kind of "contradiction" does the principle expressed by it contain? What's the point of the rugged individual example and what kind of "contradiction" does the moral principle expressed by it contain? What are some objections to Kant?
Virtue Ethics

What is virtue ethics? How is its approach to ethics different from act-oriented ethics? What is a "teleological" theory? Did Aristotle think everything had a purpose? How do you figure out what a thing's purpose is, according to Aristotle? What did Aristotle think Man's purpose was? What are some problems with Aristotle's teleology? By applying his theory, what did Aristotle conclude was the ideal life? What role, if any, do looks, wealth, health and having friends play in Aristotle's vision of the idea life?

According to Aristotle, what is a "virtue"? Explain Aristotle's "doctrine of the golden mean." Is the mean always exactly in the middle? What are some examples of Aristotelian virtues and vices? How does one know how to act virtuously in particular circumstances? How can a person change from being vicious (having a character defined by vices) to becoming more virtuous? How do the virtues in Christian morality differ from those in Aristotle's theory? What are some criticisms of virtue ethics? How did Aristotle prevent Athens from "sinning twice against Philosophy. What virtue or vice is relevant to an evaluation of Aristotle's behavior in this incident?

Define the following Greek terms: eudaimonia, arete
Nietzschen Ethics

How is Nietzsche's view similar to Aristotle's? What did Nietzsche mean by "God is dead"? What is the point of the parable of the madman? At the end of Nietzsche's story of the madman, the madman says "I come too early... This prodigious event is still on the way, and is traveling--it has not yet reached man's ears." What did he mean? Is God "dead" today, and, if not, why not.?

How did Master and Slave morality come about, according to Nietzsche? Who is Nietzsche's paradigm example of Master Morality? Who is his paradigm example Slave Morality? What sorts of people exemplify Masters and Slave morality? List the virtues and vices of both Master Morality and Slave morality. Why does Nietzsche consider pity or compassion as the primary Slave virtue and why is it bad? What does he mean by "the transvaluation of all values"? What does he mean when he says he has returned man to his place among the beasts? What is the Will to Power? What is an Overman or Ubermench?

What does Nietzsche think of Christianity? What did Nietzsche think about the common man or average Joe or Jane? What does he have to say about Kant? What did Nietzsche think about Democracy? What are some objections to Nietzsche?
Moral and Political Knowledge

Is the fact that most people believe in objective morality proof that it exists? If belief in morality was shown to be beneficial to the individual or society, would this be proof of its legitimacy? What is a problem with Hume’s analysis of morality as being based on natural moral feelings? What are some arguments for and against moral skepticism or nihilism discussed in the text? Describe some of the attempts to answer the “Why be moral?” question. On what do many modern ethicists base moral knowledge? Explain the role of hypothetical examples in modern ethics. How do most philosophers believe ethics and political philosophy are related?What two kinds of premises figure in moral and political arguments and how do you distinguish between them? What are some examples of each?