Understanding Ethics Answer Key Part 1

Understanding Ethics Answer Key True / False Questions 1. The field of ethics is the study of how people try to live their lives according to a (p. 4) standard of "right" or "wrong" behavior. TRUE 2. A society is a closed, confined unit in which people have to follow a distinct (p. 4) religion. FALSE Society refers to a structured community of people bound together by similar traditions and customs. 3. Moral standards are independent of religious beliefs. (p. 4) FALSE Moral standards are principles based on religious, cultural, or philosophical beliefs by which judgments are made about good or bad behavior. 4. Jason is a high-school senior whose peers are into drugs. He also has a family (p. 4) history of substance abuse. This will have no impact his moral standards. FALSE A strict family upbringing or religious education would obviously have a direct impact on individuals' personal moral standards. These standards would then provide a moral compass (a sense of personal direction) to guide the individuals in the choices they make in their life. 5. Individuals acquire their personal moral standards in the same way that they learn (p. 4) the alphabet. FALSE Individuals do not acquire their personal moral standards in the same way that they learn the alphabet. Standards of ethical behavior are absorbed by osmosis as individuals observe the examples (both positive and negative) set by everyone around them—parents, family members, friends, peers, and neighbors. 6. Standards of ethical behavior are absorbed by osmosis as individuals observe the (p. 4) examples, both positive and negative, set by everyone around them. TRUE 7. The terms morals is applied to a society while the term values is used when (p. 4) referring to an individual. FALSE The terms morals and values are often used to mean the same thing—a set of personal principles by which individuals aim to live their life. 8. A set of personal principles formalized into a code of behavior refers to a value (p. 4) system. TRUE 9. An intrinsic value means that the pursuit of one value is a good way to reach (p. 4) another value. FALSE An intrinsic value—by which a value is a good thing in itself and is pursued for its own sake, whether anything good comes from that pursuit or not. 10. Happiness and health are examples of instrumental values that are pursued to (p. 5) reach another value. FALSE An instrumental value—by which the pursuit of one value is a good way to reach another value. For example, money is valued for what it can buy rather than for itself. 11. Simple truth is one of the four basic categories of ethics and can be expressed (p. 5) simply as doing the right thing. TRUE 12. Rules of appropriate individual behavior represents the idea that the moral (p. 5) standards we develop for ourselves impact our lives on a daily basis in our behavior and other types of decisions we make. TRUE 13. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is the Golden Rule. (p. 6) TRUE 14. Every religion in the world shares the Golden Rule. (p. 6) FALSE The Golden Rule is simple and very clear rule shared by many different religions in the world like Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. 15. Virtue ethics is the concept of living your life according to the similar virtues of (p. 6) different societies. FALSE Virtue ethics refers to the concept of living one's life according to a commitment to the achievement of a clear ideal. 16. The problem with virtue ethics is that societies can place different emphasis on (p. 6) different virtues. TRUE 17. Ethics for the greater good is also referred to as utilitarianism. (p. 6) TRUE 18. The problem with ethics for the greater good is the idea that the ends justify the (p. 6) means. TRUE 19. The problem with utilitarianism is the focus on doing the most good for a select (p. 6) few, such as Adolf Hitler and his idea of launching a national genocide against Jews on the ethical grounds of restoring the Aryan race. FALSE The problem with this approach to ethics is the idea that the ends justify the means. The 20th century witnessed one of the most extreme examples of this when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party launched a national genocide against Jews and "defective" people on the utilitarian grounds of restoring the Aryan race. 20. The concept of universal ethics argues that there are certain principles that (p. 6- should apply to a select few ethical judgments. 7) FALSE Universal Ethics refers to actions that are taken out of duty and obligation to a purely moral ideal rather than based on the needs of the situation, since the universal principles are seen to apply to everyone, everywhere, all the time. 21. The problem with universal ethics is the idea that the ends justify the means. (p. 7) FALSE The problem with this universal ethics approach is the reverse of the weakness in ethics for the greater good. If all one focuses on is abiding by a universal principle, no one is accountable for the consequences of the actions taken to abide by those principles. 22. Ethical relativism is where the traditions of one's society, one's personal opinions, (p. 7) and the circumstances of the present moment define their ethical principles. TRUE 23. Applied ethics is the study of theories related to the Golden Rule. (p. 8) FALSE Applied ethics refers to the study of how ethical theories are put into practice. 24. Ethical dilemmas are the study of how ethical theories are put into practice. (p. 8) FALSE Ethical dilemma refers to a situation in which there is no obvious right or wrong decision, but rather a right or right answer. 25. An ethical dilemma is a situation in which there is no obvious right or wrong (p. 8) decision, but rather a right or right answer. TRUE 26. The basic assumption of ethical theory is that you as an individual or community (p. 8) are in control of all the factors that influence the choices that you make. TRUE 27. An ethical dilemma can be resolved with a satisfactory answer to the problem. (p. 9) FALSE By its very definition, an ethical dilemma cannot really be resolved in the sense that a resolution of the problem implies a satisfactory answer to the problem. Since, in reality, the "answer" to an ethical dilemma is often the lesser of two evils, it is questionable to assume that there will always be an acceptable answer—it's more a question of whether or not one can arrive at an outcome one can live with. 28. The first step in resolving an ethical dilemma is to analyze the actions. (p. 9) FALSE The first step in resolving an ethical dilemma is to analyze the consequences.