Utilitarianism is a form of what
broader kind of ethical theory?
Student Answer:
deontological
consequentialist
trolly
problematic
egoistical
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in section
2.1 of Understanding Philosophy
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 2.
Question :
What does Tom Regan say is the
source of inherent value in an individual?
Student Answer:
Individuals
have equal inherent value by virtue of being experiencing subjects of a
life, i.e. conscious beings whose lives matter to them
We
have equal inherent value if we are able to experience pain and pleasure,
suffering and misery
We
do not all have inherent value; only those that live and abide by moral
principles have inherent worth
Different
societies have different views about what is right and wrong, so the
‘inherent value’ of individuals is relative
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p. 6
of Tom Regan’s “The Case for Animal Rights”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 3.
Question :
What does Singer say about other
philosophers’ attempts to argue that only humans have moral worth?
Student Answer:
That
they give a good way to determine who has rights in a way that includes all
humans and no animals
That
they all say that animals should have rights too
That
they come up with unjustified methods to include all humans while excluding
all animals from moral consideration
That
animals do not have rights because they are not as smart as humans are
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p. 7
of Peter Singer’s “All Animals are Equal.”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 4.
Question :
Which of the following
statements is the strongest evidence that the person saying it is a
utilitarian?
Student Answer:
Ginny:
“Violations of rights are very serious, from the moral point of view.”
Helen:
“I agree. It is always immoral to violate someone's rights.”
Ginny:
“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘always’. It’s o.k. to violate rights whenever the
good you can produce by doing so outweighs the harm you do by violating the
person’s rights.”
Kate:
“I disagree with both of you. The notion of rights is just a mechanism for
the lesser members of society to maintain control over those capable of
greatness.”
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in
section 2.1 of Understanding Philosophy and in
Mill’s Utilitarianism.
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 5.
Question :
What is Tom Regan’s main
criticism of the contractarian approach to ethical duties?
Student Answer:
It
works fine for humans without problems, but it has not yet been applied to
animals
It
ignores the importance of pain and suffering when it comes to ethics
It
would allow all kinds of human injustice if a stronger group is able to
oppress the members of a weaker group of people
He
does not criticize it; he things that contractarianism, if properly
understood, represents the most rational approach to ethical problems
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p.
2-3 of Tom Regan’s “The Case for Animal Rights”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 6.
Question :
Which of the following makes it
difficult to calculate the utility of an act
Student Answer:
the
time frame of the consequences
disagreements
about the meaning of pleasure or happiness
determining
what constitutes the greatest good
all
of the above
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in
section 2.1 of Understanding Philosophy
Points Received:
0 of 1
Comments:
Question 7.
Question :
Which of the following does
Peter Singer assert about the principle of equality?
Student Answer:
People
should have equal rights because they are factually equal.
People
with higher abilities, it stands to reason, should have greater rights.
Different
groups of humans should have equal rights if scientific investigation
proves that there are no genetic differences in their abilities.
It
is a prescription that we should treat people equally regardless of their
differing abilities.
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p.
2-3 of Peter Singer’s “All Animals are Equal.”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 8.
Question :
Which of the following
does nothappen to pigs on today’s factory farms in the “Meet
Your Meat” video?
Student Answer:
They
are raised in extreme confinement so dense that they can’t turn around
They
are castrated and have tails chopped without pain killers
They
are slaughtered quickly and painlessly
Many
are quite conscious while being slaughtered
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found at
8:00-12:00 in the video “Meet Your Meat”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 9.
Question :
Which of the following
does notdescribe how egg-laying hens are treated in
factory farms?
Student Answer:
They
are allowed to scratch through dirt and grass looking for seeds and bugs in
the fresh open air.
They
are kept in such tight confinement that they cannot lift their wings
They
are starved into a period of ‘forced molting’
They
have their beaks painfully seared off
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found at 2:28
in the video “Meet Your Meat”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 10.
Question :
According to Mill, utilitarian
morality holds that:
Student Answer:
If
each individual strives to maximize their own happiness, the happiness of
all will follow.
Each
individual is required to sacrifice their own individual happiness for the
happiness of all.
With
the right social arrangements and education, individuals can come to
associate their own individual happiness with the happiness of all.
Neither
the happiness of the individual nor the happiness of all is worth pursuing,
since neither is attainable in this life.
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in John
Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism, p. 12.
Points Received:
0 of 1
Comments:
Question 11.
Question :
What does Tom Regan say about
the cruelty/kindness approach to animal ethics?
Student Answer:
The
best way to explain animal ethics is in terms of our obligation to be kind
and not cruel to animals
It
is inadequate because it is possible to do wrong while being kind, and it
is possible to do wrong without being deliberately cruel
It
has no relevance to animal ethics because animals are cruel to each other
You
have to be cruel to be kind, in the right measure
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p. 4
of Tom Regan’s “The Case for Animal Rights”
Points Received:
0 of 1
Comments:
Question 12.
Question :
Which of the following
does not happen in the “Meet Your Meat” to animals
with diseases or injuries on modern factory farms:
Student Answer:
The
meat is allowed to be “USDA pure”
They
are killed for growing too slowly
They
are generally given immediate veterinary attention
They
are taken to slaughter anyway
Instructor Explanation:
The answer can be found at 4:35,
5:25, 5:58, and 9:34 in the video “Meet Your Meat”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 13.
Question :
According to John Stuart Mill,
utilitarianism takes into account the happiness of:
Student Answer:
only
the agent.
only
the agent and those the agent cares about.
everyone,
but weights the happiness of the agent more heavily.
everyone,
and weights everyone’s happiness equally.
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in John
Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism, p. 12.
Points Received:
0 of 1
Comments:
Question 14.
Question :
Which of the following
does not describe the ways that chickens and turkeys are
treated on factory farms, according to the video “Meet Your Meat”
Student Answer:
They
are raised in their own excrement among corpses of other birds
Some
are so crippled from unnatural growth that they are unable to move
They
are given ample space to roam and to express their own natural behavior.
They
are often beaten with metal rods, which is considered legal by the industry
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found at 0:43
in the video “Meet Your Meat”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 15.
Question :
The philosopher John Stuart Mill
recognized the following as a potential problem for utilitarianism
Student Answer:
It
holds people to standards that are too high.
It
may lead to increased liberty and justice.
It
may result in a tyranny of the majority
It
may lead people to think independently of religious authority.
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in
section 2.1 of Understanding Philosophy
Points Received:
0 of 1
Comments:
Question 16.
Question :
Which of the following does Tom
Regan say about the utilitarian approach to animal ethics?
Student Answer:
It
is inadequate because it does not give value to individuals but only to
their feelings
It
is perfect because it does not allow for discrimination based upon morally
irrelevant attributes like race or species
It
is wrong because it treats human suffering as more important than animal
suffering
It
ignores everything that does not have enough ‘utility’ and therefore does
not take into account important things that it does not consider ‘useful’
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p.
4-5 of Tom Regan’s “The Case for Animal Rights”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 17.
Question :
Peter Singer’s “basic principles
of equality” applied to animals means:
Student Answer:
Animals
should be given all the same rights as human beings.
Animals
are not entitled to not all the same rights but to an equal consideration
of interests.
Animals
should not be given the same moral consideration because they are do not
have the same power to reason as humans.
Animals
do not have rights unless they can demonstrate the same abilities as
humans.
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p. 4
of Peter Singer’s “All Animals are Equal.”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 18.
Question :
When faced with the complaint
that utilitarianism is a doctrine worthy of pigs, Mill responds that
pleasures differ in:
Student Answer:
purity.
quality.
species.
weight.
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found in John
Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism, pp. 5-6.
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 19.
Question :
What moral theory does Jeremy
Bentham (with whom Singer seems to agree) endorse?
Student Answer:
Moral
relativism
Anarchism
Utilitarianism
Social
Contract Theory
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p. 3
of Peter Singer’s “All Animals are Equal.”
Points Received:
1 of 1
Comments:
Question 20.
Question :
What is Tom Regan’s position
about the use of animals in research and agriculture?
Student Answer:
Animals
should be used whenever it can be proven that the human benefits outweigh
the harms caused to the animals
Animals
should never be used for medical research or commercial agriculture
Animals
should only be used for medical research shown to be beneficial to
humanity, never for agriculture
Animals
should be used in both medical research and agriculture but should be
treated as humanely as possible
Instructor
Explanation:
The answer can be found on p.
7-8 of Tom Regan’s “The Case for Animal Rights”
Solution: Answer Key