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PHI 219 Ethics Exam questions

Choose one of the following questions for your FIRST exam

topic.

1. Describe a case in which if you tell someone the truth, their life will be

significantly less pleasant overall; while if you tell them a lie, their life will be

significantly more pleasant overall. What would an act utilitarian and aproponent of Kants theory advice you to do in this case? Whose advisewould you rather take and why?

2. Rawls writes: The striking feature of the utilitarian view of justice is thatit does not matter, except indirectly, how [the] sum of satisfactions isdistributed among individuals any more than it matters, except indirectly,

how one man distributes his satisfactions over time. The correct distribution

in either case is that which yields the maximum fulfilment. In itself nodistribution of satisfaction is better than another. This view of social

cooperation is the consequence of extending to society the principle of choicefor one man, and then, to make the extension work, conflating all personsinto one Utilitarianism does not take seriously the distinction between

persons. (Theory of Justice pp. 26-27)

Give an example that illustrates the objection that Rawls is making, and

explain what it is about utilitarianism that makes it vulnerable to this kind ofobjection. Say why Rawls thinks that the Original Position allows him to avoid

this kind of objection. In your view, is Rawls correct that his approach tojustice is superior to the utilitarians?

3. Lay out one specific objection to act utilitarianism given in the lectures or

readings (based on the sacrifice of the innocent, promise-breaking, specialrelations, integrity, etc.). Do you think act utilitarianism can give an

adequate response?If so, then explain this response using an example or two (and perhaps give

an anti-utilitarian rejoinder, with a pro-utilitarian response to it).If not, then explain whether moving to a more refined version of

utilitarianism (like rule utilitarianism or Hares two-level theory) wouldovercome the objection.

4. Choose two character traits that you believe to be virtues. Define themand explain how they fit within the best definition of what it is to be a virtue.Then consider the following question: could one person have both virtues? If

so, imagine a situation in which the virtues seemed to tell the person to act

in two different and incompatible ways, and explain how a virtuous personwould decide what to do in such a situation. If not, what does this say about

the adequacy of virtue theory as an account of the best way to live?

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Choose one of the following questions for your SECOND examtopic.

5. How do MacKinnon and Dworkin understand the phenomenon of sexual

objectification? Evaluate these feminists claim that in order to fight sexual

objectification we must eliminate pornography and gender from our societies.

6. Laurie Shrage argues that feminists should oppose prostitution because in

our society it epitomises and perpetuates a number of cultural assumptionsabout men, women and sex, which contribute to the oppression of women in

many domains of their lives. Do you find Shrages argument againstprostitution convincing?

7. Martha Nussbaum argues that prostitution is problematic in our society

because of the stigmatisation of the prostitute and the bad workingconditions involved in this practice. However, once we get rid of these

problematic features of prostitution, she believes that there is no reason to

consider taking money for sexual services as more problematic from a moralpoint of view than taking money for other non-sexual services. Do you agreewith her?

8. H. E. Baber argues that even though being raped is unquestionablyharmful, it is nonetheless less harmfulto an individual than having a dull job.How does she justify this claim? How plausible do you find her position?

9. The idea of something being perverted requires a notion of what isnormal, natural, or ideal. Is there any plausible way to understand any ofthese terms?