According to the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, The Ring of Gyges gave the shepherd who found it:

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1. According to Rachels’ article “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, many people accept the “conventional doctrine” that active euthanasia is always wrong while passive euthanasia is sometimes okay because:

they believe that it is never permissible either to let someone die or to kill them.

They believe that letting die is morally worse than killing.

They believe that killing is intrinsically worse than letting die

they believe that there is no intrinsic moral difference between killing and letting die

2. Leon Kass argues that there is an important difference between withdrawing treatment and active, direct mercy killing, and this difference lies in:

the amount of suffering that the patient experiences.

the laws of the United States.

The choices of the patient.

The primary intention of the doctor

3. According to Glaukon from the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, justice is based on

The laws of God.

Agreements people make that are mutually beneficial.

Natural goodwill among people.

The will of the powerful

4. Leon Kass argues that legalizing euthanasia will likely:

lead to a breakdown of trust in the doctor-patient relationship.

lead to patients feeling coerced into opting for euthanasia.

lead to a decline in the use of palliative care.

All of the above

5. According to the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, The Ring of Gyges gave the shepherd who found it:

Invisibility

Intelligence

Justice

time-travelling ability

6. According to Mary Midgley in the article “Trying Out One’s New Sword,” what is a feature of almost all cultures that shows why moral isolationism is wrong?

They all recognize and accept modern Western values.

They formed out of the interactions of many different cultures coming in contact.

They all share the same beliefs about humanity and God.

They are all offshoots of an original, master culture

7. In “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, Rachels concludes that:

Active euthanasia is always worse than passive euthanasia.

passive euthanasia is always worse than active euthanasia.

active euthanasia is sometimes morally permissible.

none of the above

8. In “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, James Rachels points out that when passive euthanasia is employed on infants, they typically die of:

dehydration and infection.

SARS.

a broken heart.

poisoning

9. In “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, Rachels claims that when infants with Down’s syndrome are denied necessary operations, the reason is typically:

because the surgery would be too expensive.

simply because the infants have Down’s syndrome.

because the surgery would be too difficult.

because there is certainty that the infant will die soon anyway

10. According to the assigned videos, what is palliative care?

Treatments that are only provided in Canada.

Treatments that relieve suffering for people in life threatening situations that allow them to live their lives to the fullest.

Treatments that heal people when they face life-threateningillnesses.

Treatments that involve painful processes that help to kill

11. According to Glaukon from the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, people are:

Most people would use it for good.

Everyone would use it for their own advantage.

Most people would not continue to act the way they normally do.

Everyone would use it to commit injustice

12. Leon Kass argues that the primary responsibility of physicians is to:

respect the autonomy of the patient.

make decisions on the basis of compassion and good intention.

benefit sick by the activity of healing.

preserve a patient’s life by every means possible.

13. In 2003, how many people died in Canada, according to the video “Dying for Care: Quality Palliative and End of Life Care in Canada”?

350,000

2.2 million

750,000

226,000

14. According to the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, if Glaukon is correct, then justice

is always more beneficial than injustice.

is valuable only insofar as it helps in individual satisfy his or her own interests.

has value only relative particular cultures.

is valuable in its own right.

15. In the article “Trying Out One’s New Sword,” what does Mary Midgley use example of the samurai to illustrate?

It’s not necessarily wrong to apply standards and values from our own culture when considering another culture.

People who object to making moral judgments about other cultures typically do so by making positive moral judgments about those cultures.

To refuse to apply moral judgments to other cultures is to fail totake those other cultures seriously.

All of the above

16. According to Glaukon from the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, If the Ring of Gyges really existed what would not be the case:

Most people would use it for good.

Everyone would use it for their own advantage.

Most people would not continue to act the way they normally do.

Everyone would use it to commit injustice

17. In the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, Glaukon suggests that people are “just” or good because:

they care more about others than they care about themselves.

They are moved by love of the gods.

They know that living justly is truly the best sort of life.

They are powerless to commit injustice and get away with it.

18. According to Rachels’ article “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, the “conventional doctrine” is endorsed by:

the American Medical Association.

Anyone with good moral judgment.

both a and b.

neither a nor b

19. In the “Ring of Gyges” excerpt from Plato’s Republic, Glaukon begins by claiming that “those who practice justice” do so

Because they know it is the right thing to do.

Because they are compelled by their conscience.

Because all of the parts of their character are harmoniously oriented toward the good.

Because they are incapable of doing otherwise

20. In “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, Rachels claims that most actual cases of killing, especially those outside of medical contexts:

are morally neither good nor bad

are morally the same as cases of letting die.

are morally worse than cases of letting die.

are morally better than actual cases of letting die

What is speciesism according to Peter Singer’s account?

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1. Tom Regan’s view of animals is that:

They are important but not quite as important as human beings

They have rights, which means that they should never be used forhuman purposes

They may be ethically used because they were bred and raised for that purpose

That they may be eaten because do not have souls like we do andare lower on the food chain

2. What is speciesism according to Peter Singer’s account?

Allowing the interests of one’s own species to override the greater interests of members of other species.

The practice of treating all animals equally regardless of their abilities.

The part of science that studies species membership.

The view that different species have different characteristics.

3. What is a key feature of utilitarianism according to the assigned texts?

Utilitarianism bases morality on the outcome of our actions.

Utilitarianism depends upon belief in God.

Utilitarianism denies that moral questions have a right or wrong answer.

Utilitarianism holds that actions are right or wrong regardless of the circumstances

4. The video “Meet Your Meat” can best be described as primarily communicating which message?

Modern industrial farming methods are necessary in order to feed the world’s population.

Modern industrial farms are open and honest about the methods they use.

Modern industrial farms take every measure to ensure that animal products are healthy and free of contaminants.

Modern industrial farming methods involve extraordinary levels of cruelty and neglect of animal well-being

5. According to the video “Meet Your Meat”, which of the following is true of how animals are slaughtered on factory farms

They are driven in extreme weather conditions without food or water

They are often still conscious while being slaughtered

They are often roughly handled and severely injured by the time they make it to slaughter

They are ensured every means of avoiding fear and stress during the slaughtering process.

6. According to chapter 2 of Understanding Philosophy, which of the following would be an expression of rule utilitarianism, rather than act utilitarianism?

“It’s okay to torture this person because it may save thousands of lives.”

“It’s immoral to torture this person because the pain it would causehim outweighs any potential benefits.”

“Even if torturing this person right now might be beneficial, the overall consequences of permitting torture would be harmful, and so weshouldn’t allow it in any circumstance.”

“We shouldn’t torture this person because we wouldn’t want him torturing us.”

7. What moral theory does Jeremy Bentham (with whom Singer seems to agree) endorse?

Moral relativism

Anarchism

Utilitarianism

Social Contract Theory

8. In what way does Peter Singer think that speciesism is similar to racism and sexism?

They all can be habits of thought and action that we should be striving to overcome.

They all involve favoring one group over another on the basis of morally arbitrary differences.

They are all forms of unjust prejudice and discrimination

All of the above.

9. According to John Stuart Mill, utilitarianism takes into account the happiness of:

only the agent.

only the agent and those the agent cares about.

everyone, and weights everyone’s happiness equally.

everyone, but weights the happiness of the agent more heavily.

10. How does John Stuart Mill respond to the complaint that utilitarianism is a doctrine worthy of pigs?

This complaint is based on prejudice against pigs and other animals.

The life of pigs is far preferable to the life of humans, and we should strive to be more pig-like.

It’s better to have a small amount of higher, human pleasures than a large amount of lower, animal pleasures.

(a) and (b)

11. How do we determine the difference between higher and lower pleasures, according to Mill?

The relative duration and intensity.

The preference of those who are acquainted with both.

The amount of happiness they produce on average.

We can’t, since there is no difference between pleasures.

12. What is the point of Regan’s discussion about Aunt Bea and utilitarianism’s respect for human life?

Utilitarianism feels that human life is paramount and not to be sacrificed under any circumstance

Utilitarianism would say that God’s law that “thou shalt not kill”will have very few exceptions

Utilitarianism says that human life has not much value at all, aperson can be killed for relatively minor reasons, like stealing their money

Because utilitarianism is aggregative, one individual’s right to life can be overridden in order to save many other people’s lives

13. According to chapter 2 of Understanding Philosophy, which of the following makes it difficult to calculate the utility of an act, raising a potential problem for utilitarianism?

disagreements about the meaning of pleasure or happiness

determining what constitutes the greatest good

all of the above

the time frame of the consequences

14. What is Tom Regan’s position about the use of animals in research and agriculture?

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

15. Which of the following describes how egg-laying hens are treated in factory farms, according to the video “Meet Your Meat”?

They are allowed to scratch through dirt and grass looking for seeds and bugs in the fresh open air.

They are given ample space to roam and to express their own natural behavior

They are kept in such tight confinement that they cannot lift their wings

All of the above

16. According to chapter 2 of Understanding Philosophy, utilitarianism is a form of what broader kind of ethical theory?

deontological

trolly problematic.

consequentialist

egoistical

17. 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”

They are raised in their own excrement among corpses of other birds

Some are so crippled from unnatural growth that they are unable to

Most are treated relatively humanely on today’s farms

They are often beaten with metal rods, which is considered legal by the industry

18. Which of the following statements is the strongest evidence that the person saying it is a utilitarian?

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.”

19. Peter Singer’s “basic principle of equality” applied to animals means:

Animals should not be given the same moral consideration because they are do not have the same power to reason as humans.

Animals are not necessarily entitled to not all the same rights, but to an equal consideration of interests.

Animals should be given all the same rights as human beings.

Animals do not have rights unless they can demonstrate the same

20. In what way is Peter Singer’s argument in “All Animals are Equal” utilitarian?

It is based on an absolute prohibition on all forms of killing

It is based on the obligation to maximize happiness and minimize suffering, no matter who or what is experiencing it.

It is based on the inherent superiority of animals to humans.

It is based on the idea that animals were created to be useful to humans

 

Peer Reviews

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Ben Nandin

February 26, 2017

Essay #4

Bokenkamp

Lords and People: The Audience of the Xiang’er Commentary

 

 

The Xiang’er Commentary is an ancient text on Celestial Master variation of Daoism, and

is one of the earliest texts that interprets the Laozi (also known as the Dao de Jing) and gives

additional explanation and context on the Laozi. This commentary was later used as education

text to be recited by those faithful to Daoism. Though the purpose of the Xiang’er Commentary

was to include additional context for the Laozi, most of the commentary and the Laozi are

worded to speak to a broad audience, but specific passages seem to target those in government.

Just like the Laozi, the Xiang’er Commentary was written for a large audience. The

commentary addresses the ideal follower of the Dao as the “Sage”, but it uses many other

inclusive words, such as “One” and”Those who are with the Dao”. This inclusive wording allows

any reader to interpret it as themselves. In its early chapters, the Laozi first speaks of the “Sage”;

“The Sage regulates through emptying his heart and filling his belly, through weakening his will

and strengthening his bones.” The Xiang’er Commentary provides additional context for this

chapter of the Laozi; “The heart is a regulator. It may hold fortune or misfortune good or evil.

The belly is a sack for the Dao; it’s pneumas constantly wish to fill it. When the heart produces

ill-omened and evil conduct, the Dao departs, leaving the sack empty. Once it is empty, deviance

 

 

enters, killing the person. If one drives off the misfortune and evil in the heart, the Dao will

return to it and the belly will be filled.” The Xiang’er Commentary specifically addresses those

with a heart and a belly can be a vessel of the Dao, which is to say everyone. “Thus, if one acts

in accord with the Dao, the Dao will accept one.”

Also like the Laozi, the Xiang’er Commentary was written for Rulers and people of the

Government. Most of the Laozi speaks on how to follow the Dao, however, there are specific

passages that address how to model a government after the Dao. The Laozi speaks on the subject

of ruling;“This is why the Sages, through never being made great, are able to complete their

greatness. Grasp the great image and a ll under heaven will proceed to you. When they proceed

to you, there will be no barm. There will be peace and great happiness.” The plural “Sages” in

this section refer to those in power and who follow the Dao. The Xiang’er Commentary

extrapolates on this section of the Laozi; “If the king grasps the correct law and models himself

on the great Dao, all under heaven will take refuge in him… When the king rules in this fashion,

there will be great happiness.” The Xiang’er Commentary reinforces the interpretation that the

Laozi speaks to those in power on how to model governance on the Dao. Another passage of the

Laozi says “[S]ince the Dao never acts falsely, nothing is left undone. If the king and lords are

able to cling to it, then the myriad of beings will transform of themselves”. This is direct advice

to rulers and lords. The Xiang’er Commentary continues the passage by including “[I]f the king’s

governance is patterned on the Dao, the officers and populace – even the lowly and the evil – will

all convert to the Dao.”

Like the Laozi, the Xiang’er Commentary is addressing a large audience for most of the

passages but later passages speak directly on Daoist governance.

Ethical Theories

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This discussion assignment requires you to submit at least four posts: an initial post, two reply posts to fellow students in threads other than your own, and a revised post.
Prepare: Your initial post in this discussion must be informed by the required material for this discussion. The required material for this discussion will introduce you to what is new about Uber as a business model, the profit incentive in business, and how laws can make or break innovation in business. Your preparation should focus on the characteristics of capitalism and socialism, as well as other business concepts presented in the required material. Since your initial post in this discussion will examine the relation between running a business such as Uber and the laws and economic system of the nation(s) in which it operates, make sure to comb the material on Uber for laws, regulations, and the economic setting that affect its operations. You are encouraged to research relevant laws and regulations to make sure that you have current information. You will also need to review the material on the three ethical theories employed in the Week One Discussion as you will draw from that material for this week’s discussion too.
Reflect: Keep in mind that Uber has presented itself into the market not as a transportation service but as a service that pairs consumers with ride sharing services by means of a unique phone app. But some sources—including the taxi industry and one California court finding (details in the required material), as well as the characterization of Uber presented in Section 3.4 of the textbook—seem to challenge this branding. According to these sources, Uber is avoiding laws that apply to the transportation industry and, thereby, usurping a rightful place that the taxi industry has carved for itself. Consumers, on the other hand, have shown their preference for Uber by a high demand for its services in the USA and abroad, including those countries in which Uber has been banned. Compared to taxis, Uber offers consumers an efficient system for procuring a ride even in remote areas where taxis do not frequent, a convenient payment method (no need for cash, and fares can be split among different users on the same ride), and significantly cheaper fares compared to taxis. In many instances, Uber cars come equipped with water, candy, and magazines, all for free. Uber drivers are also better off because they keep the majority of the fares for the rides that they service, which is exactly the opposite case of taxi drivers, and they can choose when they want to work. Clearly, this is a controversial case and thus very apt for the examination for this discussion.

Keep in mind that a nation’s economic system is shaped by the laws that are in place. Accordingly, laws (including state regulations and local ordinances) will give you a clue for the kind of economic system that exists. Keep in mind also that most nations have mixed economies and there is probably no economic system that purely represents socialism or capitalism. So you will find a different combination of both socialism and capitalism in any nation that you are examining.
Write: You have four tasks for your initial post. In order to present an organized post, address each one of these tasks in a separate paragraph and in the following order. Your first task is to articulate the economic system (or combination of characteristics of both socialism and capitalism) that such laws depict. Your second task is to examine the laws that either support or limit the operations by Uber. Your third task is to analyze how your findings from your first and second tasks affect Uber. And your fourth task is to present your moral position with regard to Uber. For this latter task, you will need to identify one of the three ethical theories covered in the Week One (utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics) as support for the moral position that you are taking. For example, you may hold the moral position that Uber is morally justifiable because it provides a good for consumers that fills in a gap that had not been met by the taxi industry. Or you may take the position that Uber’s positioning in the market is morally wrong.
Revise: Read the feedback provided by your professor to your initial post, either directly to you or to your fellow students. Use this as an opportunity to learn from your professor, especially with regard to the best ways to apply the course material and your research to your analysis. On the basis of what you have learned in this process, post an improved revision of your initial post that applies the additional knowledge that you have gained.

Remember that your grade depends on the quality of your initial and revised responses, not just on the submission of an attempt at improvement. It is thus to your advantage to post the best initial post you can and then to also improve that best effort as much as you can through revision. Taking this process seriously will help you develop the skills you need to do well on the Final Project.
Requirements for Your Initial Post:

  • Your initial post should be at least 400 words in length and have citations and references in APA notation. It should address the prompt in its entirety. This means that you should not split your response to the prompt in multiple posts. Your examination should be both thorough and succinct. This is a combination that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient time to draft and revise.
  • Please be advised that until you post, you will not see what your fellow students are posting. Once you submit your post, you will be able to view the posts from your other classmates. You can then proceed to reply to at least two different threads based on the required material for this discussion.
  • Your list of references for your initial post should include the video and the other required material for this discussion, including Section 1.3 of the textbook on Starbucks, as well as the Instructor Guidance and any other announcements presented to you by your professor. Use all of the material presented to you in the course and by your professor, in addition to any other sources that you consulted to inform yourself about the case (but not Wikipedia or similar sources).
  • Your research should seek scholarly articles or articles that offer factual or otherwise verifiable information. Your initial post for this discussion should be submitted no later than the end of Thursday (11:59 pm, U.S. Mountain time).
  Requirements for Replies to Other Threads:

  • At least two of the four posts required should be in the form of replies to fellow classmates in threads other than your own.
  • Each of your replies should be at least 200 words, and informed by the course material. As such, the replies must have citations and references in APA notation. Your list of references for each reply should include all of the course material that has informed your reply, in addition to any research that you have obtained on your own.
  • Your replies should focus on the specific examination presented by your fellow students. Address (a) the characteristics of the relevant economic system as presented by your fellow student, (b) the analysis of how laws and/or the economic system affect Uber, as presented by your fellow student, or (c) the moral judgment presented by your fellow student. For any of these choices, you should examine whether the examination or analysis was carried out accurately and successfully. You are encouraged to disagree and challenge what was presented by your fellow student. This does not constitute an attack on your fellow student but an attempt to arrive at a better understanding and application of the material. But you need to provide reasons and support for your disagreement or challenge and propose a more accurate or defensible alternative.
  • As mentioned in the Week One discussion, keep in mind that although the notion of the moral good will vary among ethical theories, they often produce the same or similar results. So make sure to distinguish (a) the intent and (b) the consequences of the action under examination.
Requirements for Revising Your Initial Post:

  • Submit a revision of your initial post by either replying to your own post or to the feedback provided to you by your professor.
  • There is no minimum word requirement for your revised initial post. But you should always explain the reasons for revising your post so that it is clear what you are doing. If you are revising only a few words, or an application of an ethical theory, you should avoid submitting a post with vague language such as: “duty ethics works better here” or “I did not consider the economic system.” It is important to recognize that no one can read your mind so you need to provide the setting for your revision (Why? What prompted it? What course material informed you?), and it is important to write in clear language and complete sentences.
  • Your revised initial post is your chance to correct any oversights or errors in your initial post, or to show your improved understanding of the material and its applications to the case at hand. You may, for example, come to the realization that another ethical theory is better than the one that you initially employed to support your position. Accordingly, your revision should indicate that you chose another ethical theory and an explanation why you find the replacement more suitable. Or, you might have realized that your conclusion did not take into account important factors necessary for your evaluation of the situation.
  • You should maximize the improvement of your initial post by employing your professor’s feedback as a guide. Keep in mind that you may not always receive direct feedback from your professor. But your professor will have submitted feedback in the discussion to other posts. So read your professor’s feedback whether it is addressed to you directly or to other fellow students. This will give you much to think about and apply to your own post.
  • If your professor or a fellow classmate responds to your revised initial post, and on this basis, you find good reason to submit yet another revision, then by all means do so. The more you improve your initial post, the more you will benefit both in terms of your learning and most likely your grade.