Does Morality Depend on Religion?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
What is the Divine Command Theory?
Why is the Divine Command Theory an objective moral theory?
What is the dilemma posed by Plato for the Divine Command Theory?
What is the Theory of Natural Law?
How does it differ from the Divine Command Theory?
How does Natural Law Theory relate to sexual morality?
What are the objections to the Natural Law Theory?
The Utilitarian Approach
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
What are the Principle of Utility and the Greatest Happiness Principle?
How should we decide what to do according to Utilitarianism?
How does Utilitarianism evaluate the action of Harold Donnelly?
What is the purpose of laws according to Bentham?
What is the best way to achieve this goal according to Bentham?
How does Utilitarianism relate to the issue of non-human animals?
What does Bentham mean by “The question is not, Can they reason? Nor can they
talk? But, Can they suffer?”
8) Can you think of any actions that are normally deemed immoral that
Utilitarianism would consider permissible?
9) Can you think of any actions that are normally deemed moral that Utilitarianism
would consider immoral?
The Debate over Utilitarianism
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
What are the three main propositions of Utilitarianism?
What is Hedonism? How does it relate to Utilitarianism?
What arguments does Rachels make against Hedonism?
How does Utilitarianism conflict with justice?
How can Utilitarianism conflict with rights?
Is the claim that we ought to be completely impartial a plausible claim?
Why might love and friendship be inconsistent with Utilitarianism?
What is Rule Utilitarianism? How does it revise classic Utilitarianism?
Are there Absolute Moral Rules?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
What does it mean to say moral rules are absolute?
What is a hypothetical imperative? Can you think of one?
What is a categorical imperative?
What does it mean to say ‘moral rules are categorical’?
What is the Categorical Imperative?
How can we apply it to evaluate actions?
What is a maxim?
Why does the Categorical Imperative entail that it is always wrong to lie?
9) What is Anscombe’s objection to the Categorical Imperative?
10) What does the Case of the Inquiring Murderer show?
11) How does Kant respond to such an objection?
12) How can moral rules conflict? Try to come up with an example?
Kant and Respect for Persons
1) What is the second formulation of the Categorical Imperative?
2) What does it mean to say you should never treat humanity as merely a means?
3) How does value depend of rational beings?
4) Why do rational beings have absolute value?
5) Why can we never manipulate or use people according to Kant?
6) Come up with your own example of an action that violates this principle? Can
you explain why it is a violation?
7) What is Retributivism? Why did Bentham oppose it?
8) When is punishment justified according to Utilitarianism?
9) What is Kant’s main objection to the Utilitarian view of punishment?