Quiz 2

A  just as much moral importance as my own interests.

B  no moral importance.

C  more moral importance than my own interests.

D  some moral importance but not as much as my own interests.

A  has the right to be free from the interference of others when pursuing self-interest.

B  is entitled to one’s own property, is allowed to pursue self-interest and has the right to be free from the interference of others when pursuing self-interest.

C  is entitled to one’s own property.

D  is allowed to pursue self-interest.

A  arbitrarily elevates the interests of some people over those of others.

B  violates many widely shared moral beliefs and arbitrarily elevates the interests of some people over those of others.

C  violates many widely shared moral beliefs, cannot allow for the existence of genuine moral rights, and arbitrarily elevates the interests of some people over those of others.

D  cannot allow for the existence of genuine moral rights.

A  egoism makes everyone better off.

B  if doing something makes you better off, then there is good reason to do it.

C  if there is good reason to do something, then doing it must make you better off.

D  no one is capable of behaving altruistically.

A  rare but should always be resolved in favor of self-interest.

B  rare but should always be resolved in favor of morality.

C  impossible.

D  widespread.

A  The truth of psychological egoism would have a few minor implications for ethics.

B  The truth of psychological egoism would mean that most of what we take for granted about morality would be mistaken.

C  Psychological egoism aims to provide a comprehensive guide to our moral obligations.

D  Psychological egoism has no implications for ethics.

A  an ethical theory about how we ought to act.

B  a political theory about how society ought to be organized.

C  a descriptive theory of human motivation.

D  a character trait that certain people have.

A  any action that benefits others.

B  a direct desire to benefit others for their own sake.

C  any action that benefits others, a direct desire to benefit others for their own sake, and a desire to benefit others in order to further our own ends.

D  a desire to benefit others in order to further our own ends.

A  the mind is composed of the id, the superego, and the ego.

B  people morally ought to pursue their self-interest at all times.

C  everything people do is fundamentally motivated by self-interest.

D  acting solely out of self-interest is psychologically unhealthy.

A  more kindly and less competitively.

B  in ways that are spontaneous and creative.

C  in ways that are spontaneous and creative and more kindly and less competitively.

D  selfishly.

A  tell us what we will do as opposed to what we ought to do.

B  are imaginary, whereas laws of nature are real.

C  are real, whereas laws of nature are imaginary.

D  tell us what we ought to do as opposed to what we will do.

A  fulfilling his or her true nature

B  obeying the laws of the land

C  doing whatever maximizes happiness

D  obeying God’s commands

A  selfish; neither good nor bad

B  neither good nor bad; selfish

C  selfish; cooperative

D  cooperative; selfish

A  unknowable.

B  self-evident.

C  conceptual truths.

D  empirical truths.

A  consistently does the morally right thing.

B  consistently does the morally right thing. and represents another person in a legal context.

C  is morally responsible for his or her actions.

D  represents another person in a legal context.

A  is in accordance with human nature.

B  is permitted by the laws of the government.

C  is in accordance with God’s commands.

D  maximizes happiness.

A  “Do the gods love actions because they are pious, or are actions pious because the gods love them?

B  “How do we determine what the gods command us to do?”

C  “Why would someone who does not believe in the gods act justly?”

D  “What reasons do we have for believing in the gods?”

A  acts are morally required just because they are commanded by God.

B  God did not create morality but always accurately reports it.

C  God’s commands are always based on good reasons, God did not create morality but always accurately reports it, and acts are morally required just because they are commanded by God.

D  God’s commands are always based on good reasons.

A  humans author some laws.

B  if God is the author of the moral law, then humans cannot be.

C  humans author some laws, the moral law requires a lawmaker, and if God is the author of the moral law, then humans cannot be

D  the moral law requires a lawmaker.

A  us to know the difference between right and wrong.

B  us to be motivated to act morally and morality to exist at all.

C  us to be motivated to act morally, to know the difference between right and wrong, and morality to exist at all.

D  morality to exist at all.