Western Ethics Questions and Answers

Q: Which of the following is not true with regard to Intuitionism as an ethical theory ?

The statement not true of intuitionism is that our intuition is always in league with the conventional morality.Ethical intuitionists such as Moore, Prichard and Ross hold that there are objective moral truths independent of us, that some of them are basic and cannot be analysed further, and that we know them by a rational, intuitive grasp. These are options A, B and D.Intuitionism makes no claim that intuitions always agree with conventional morality; a moral intuition can show that an accepted practice is wrong. Tying intuition to convention would make it a form of conventionalism.

Q: The view that moral truths exist, but they are determined on an individual level is true of which of the following theories of ethics ?

The theory is subjectivism.Ethical subjectivism holds that moral judgements report or depend on the attitudes of the individual who makes them. There are moral truths, but 'x is wrong' is true for a person if that person disapproves of x, so the truth is settled at the individual level.Ethical realism makes moral truths independent of anyone's attitudes, cultural relativism (here 'cultural realism') fixes them at the level of a society rather than an individual, and supernaturalism grounds them in the will of God.

Q: The idea that ethical judgements appeal to principles rather than to particular cases is closest to which of the following theories of ethics ?

The theory is ethical universalism.Ethical universalism holds that moral judgements rest on principles that apply to everyone in relevantly similar circumstances. A judgement about a particular case is justified only by appeal to a general rule, which is the idea in the stem.Act-deontology and act-utilitarianism judge each particular act on its own, by intuition about that case or by its consequences, rather than by appeal to general rules. Ethical egoism makes the agent's own interest, not universal principles, the standard.

Q: Match the pairs :Group IGroup II(a) Wisdom(1) Society(b) Courage(2) Traders(c) Temperance(3) Warriors(d) Justice(4) Rulers

The match is a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1.In Plato's Republic, wisdom is the virtue of the rulers (the philosopher kings), courage that of the warriors (auxiliaries), and temperance is associated with the producing class of traders and workers, who accept the rule of reason. Justice belongs to the society as a whole: each class doing its own work without interfering with the others.The other codes give temperance to society or justice to the traders, which misses that justice is the harmony of the whole city.

Q: 'Ethical propositions refer to objective facts independent of human opinion' is the standpoint of which one of the following ethical theories ?

The standpoint is Moral Realism.Moral realism holds that there are moral facts, and that ethical propositions are true or false according to whether they match those facts, whatever any person or society happens to think. That is exactly the claim quoted.Moral subjectivism makes moral truth depend on the attitudes of the speaker, the opposite view. Emotivism (Ayer, Stevenson) denies that moral sentences state facts at all; they express feelings and try to influence others. Hare's universal prescriptivism treats moral judgements as universalisable prescriptions, again not as reports of independent facts.

Q: Which one of the following theories is criticized for prescribing the same kind of punishment to the offender, which is committed by the offender that is considered to be wrong ?

The theory criticised in this way is the Retributive theory.Retributivism holds that punishment is justified because the offender deserves it, and in its strictest form, the lex talionis, it asks for punishment of the same kind as the crime: an eye for an eye. Critics object that this would require the state to repeat the very wrong it condemns, for example to torture a torturer, and that it looks backward to the crime rather than to any good the punishment does.The deterrent and preventive theories justify punishment by its effect in discouraging or preventing future crime, and the reformative theory by its effect in reforming the offender; none of them asks that the punishment copy the offence.

Q: The qualitative differences in pleasure are considered by :

Qualitative differences in pleasure are considered by Mill.In Utilitarianism (1863), John Stuart Mill argues that some pleasures, those of the intellect, feeling and imagination, are higher in kind than bodily ones, and that those who have known both prefer the higher. Hence his remark that it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.Bentham allowed only quantitative differences, measured by intensity, duration and the like, and held that, quantity of pleasure being equal, pushpin is as good as poetry. Hume grounded morals in sentiment rather than ranking pleasures, and Kant denied that pleasure is the basis of morality.

Q: For which theory of ethics ethical claims such as 'Happiness is good', 'Generosity is a good character trait' are objectively true ?

Such claims are objectively true for Ethical realism.Ethical realism holds that moral claims like 'happiness is good' or 'generosity is a good character trait' can be objectively true, made true by moral facts that hold independently of what anyone believes or feels.Ethical universalism says that the same moral standards apply to everyone; it concerns the scope of moral rules, not whether they state objective facts. Hedonism is a theory of what is good (pleasure), and altruism a theory of whose good we should promote (others'); neither is a thesis about the objective truth of moral claims as such.

Q: Which of the following theories of ethics would argue that our actions should not only aim at the relief of suffering or avoidance of harm but it should also aim to provide positive benefit to others for their own sake ?

The theory is Altruism.Altruism, the term coined by Auguste Comte, holds that we ought to act for the good of others for their own sake. It goes beyond merely not harming others or relieving their suffering: it asks us actively to benefit them, even at some cost to ourselves.Mill's and Bentham's utilitarianism aim at the greatest happiness of the greatest number, counting each person's happiness equally, including one's own; they do not single out others' benefit for its own sake. Epicurean hedonism aims at the agent's own tranquil pleasure, the absence of pain, which is the opposite of the altruist's focus.

31.

Which of the following is not true with regard to Intuitionism as an ethical theory ?

A.There are objective moral truths that are independent of human beings
B.Moral truth are fundamental truths that cannot be broken down into parts
C.Our intuition is always in league with the conventional morality
D.Human beings can discover moral truths by using their mind in an intuitive way

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: C

The statement not true of intuitionism is that our intuition is always in league with the conventional morality.

Ethical intuitionists such as Moore, Prichard and Ross hold that there are objective moral truths independent of us, that some of them are basic and cannot be analysed further, and that we know them by a rational, intuitive grasp. These are options A, B and D.

Intuitionism makes no claim that intuitions always agree with conventional morality; a moral intuition can show that an accepted practice is wrong. Tying intuition to convention would make it a form of conventionalism.

Discuss in Forum

32.

The view that moral truths exist, but they are determined on an individual level is true of which of the following theories of ethics ?

A.Ethical Realism
B.Cultural Realism
C.Subjectivism
D.Super-naturalism

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: C

The theory is subjectivism.

Ethical subjectivism holds that moral judgements report or depend on the attitudes of the individual who makes them. There are moral truths, but 'x is wrong' is true for a person if that person disapproves of x, so the truth is settled at the individual level.

Ethical realism makes moral truths independent of anyone's attitudes, cultural relativism (here 'cultural realism') fixes them at the level of a society rather than an individual, and supernaturalism grounds them in the will of God.

Discuss in Forum

33.

The idea that ethical judgements appeal to principles rather than to particular cases is closest to which of the following theories of ethics ?

A.Act-deontology
B.Ethical egoism
C.Act-utilitarianism
D.Ethical universalism

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: D

The theory is ethical universalism.

Ethical universalism holds that moral judgements rest on principles that apply to everyone in relevantly similar circumstances. A judgement about a particular case is justified only by appeal to a general rule, which is the idea in the stem.

Act-deontology and act-utilitarianism judge each particular act on its own, by intuition about that case or by its consequences, rather than by appeal to general rules. Ethical egoism makes the agent's own interest, not universal principles, the standard.

Discuss in Forum

34.

Match the pairs :

Group I	Group II
(a) Wisdom	(1) Society
(b) Courage	(2) Traders
(c) Temperance	(3) Warriors
(d) Justice	(4) Rulers

A.a-4, b-3, c-1, d-2
B.a-4, b-1, c-2, d-3
C.a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1
D.a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: C

The match is a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1.

In Plato's Republic, wisdom is the virtue of the rulers (the philosopher kings), courage that of the warriors (auxiliaries), and temperance is associated with the producing class of traders and workers, who accept the rule of reason. Justice belongs to the society as a whole: each class doing its own work without interfering with the others.

The other codes give temperance to society or justice to the traders, which misses that justice is the harmony of the whole city.

Discuss in Forum

35.

Who among the following introduced the method of calculating the value of pleasure and pain ?

A.J. S. Mill
B.Bentham
C.Sidgwick
D.Kant

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: B

The method of calculating the value of pleasure and pain was introduced by Bentham.

In An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), Jeremy Bentham proposed the hedonic or felicific calculus. A pleasure or pain is measured by its intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity (nearness), fecundity, purity and extent, so that actions can be compared by the balance of pleasure over pain they produce.

Mill rejected a purely quantitative calculus and introduced qualitative differences between pleasures. Sidgwick refined utilitarian method but did not introduce the calculus, and Kant rejected pleasure as the basis of morality altogether.

Discuss in Forum

36.

'Ethical propositions refer to objective facts independent of human opinion' is the standpoint of which one of the following ethical theories ?

A.Moral Subjectivism
B.Moral Realism
C.Universal Prescriptivism
D.Emotivism

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: B

The standpoint is Moral Realism.

Moral realism holds that there are moral facts, and that ethical propositions are true or false according to whether they match those facts, whatever any person or society happens to think. That is exactly the claim quoted.

Moral subjectivism makes moral truth depend on the attitudes of the speaker, the opposite view. Emotivism (Ayer, Stevenson) denies that moral sentences state facts at all; they express feelings and try to influence others. Hare's universal prescriptivism treats moral judgements as universalisable prescriptions, again not as reports of independent facts.

Discuss in Forum

37.

Which one of the following theories is criticized for prescribing the same kind of punishment to the offender, which is committed by the offender that is considered to be wrong ?

A.Deterrent theory
B.Retributive theory
C.Preventive theory
D.Reformative theory

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: B

The theory criticised in this way is the Retributive theory.

Retributivism holds that punishment is justified because the offender deserves it, and in its strictest form, the lex talionis, it asks for punishment of the same kind as the crime: an eye for an eye. Critics object that this would require the state to repeat the very wrong it condemns, for example to torture a torturer, and that it looks backward to the crime rather than to any good the punishment does.

The deterrent and preventive theories justify punishment by its effect in discouraging or preventing future crime, and the reformative theory by its effect in reforming the offender; none of them asks that the punishment copy the offence.

Discuss in Forum

38.

The qualitative differences in pleasure are considered by :

A.Hume
B.Mill
C.Bentham
D.Kant

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: B

Qualitative differences in pleasure are considered by Mill.

In Utilitarianism (1863), John Stuart Mill argues that some pleasures, those of the intellect, feeling and imagination, are higher in kind than bodily ones, and that those who have known both prefer the higher. Hence his remark that it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.

Bentham allowed only quantitative differences, measured by intensity, duration and the like, and held that, quantity of pleasure being equal, pushpin is as good as poetry. Hume grounded morals in sentiment rather than ranking pleasures, and Kant denied that pleasure is the basis of morality.

Discuss in Forum

39.

For which theory of ethics ethical claims such as 'Happiness is good', 'Generosity is a good character trait' are objectively true ?

A.Ethical realism
B.Ethical universalism
C.Hedonism
D.Altruism

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: A

Such claims are objectively true for Ethical realism.

Ethical realism holds that moral claims like 'happiness is good' or 'generosity is a good character trait' can be objectively true, made true by moral facts that hold independently of what anyone believes or feels.

Ethical universalism says that the same moral standards apply to everyone; it concerns the scope of moral rules, not whether they state objective facts. Hedonism is a theory of what is good (pleasure), and altruism a theory of whose good we should promote (others'); neither is a thesis about the objective truth of moral claims as such.

Discuss in Forum

40.

Which of the following theories of ethics would argue that our actions should not only aim at the relief of suffering or avoidance of harm but it should also aim to provide positive benefit to others for their own sake ?

A.Mill's utilitarianism
B.Bentham's utilitarianism
C.Altruism
D.Epicurean Hedonism

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: C

The theory is Altruism.

Altruism, the term coined by Auguste Comte, holds that we ought to act for the good of others for their own sake. It goes beyond merely not harming others or relieving their suffering: it asks us actively to benefit them, even at some cost to ourselves.

Mill's and Bentham's utilitarianism aim at the greatest happiness of the greatest number, counting each person's happiness equally, including one's own; they do not single out others' benefit for its own sake. Epicurean hedonism aims at the agent's own tranquil pleasure, the absence of pain, which is the opposite of the altruist's focus.

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