PHIL 333 CERTIFICATION SCRIPT 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● Cultural relativism. Answer: there is no objective truth in ethics. Right and wrong are
relative to an individual or a certain group.
● Objections to cultural relativism. Answer: 1. Difficult to discern right from wrong. Same
action is right in one culture and wrong in the other. 2. There are certain rules that seem to be
universal in all cultures but this cannot be explained through CR.
● Utilitarianism. Answer: The right actions, laws policies promote the greatest amount of net
pleasure and the least amount of net pain, where everyone's pleasures and pain receive
equal consideration.
● Consequentialism. Answer: The right act is entirely determined by its consequences and
the right act promotes the most net good and the least net bad.
● Hedonism. Answer: The sole intrinsic good is pleasure and the sole intrinsic bad is pain
● Equal Consideration. Answer: No one's god is to be counted as more important than
anyone else's
● Situational ethic. Answer: Part of the consequentialist aspect of utilitarianism. Whether an
act is right or wrong depends on the particular situation.
● Justice Objection to Utilitarianism. Answer: The Utilitarian choice procedure sometimes
recommends actions that are intuitively immoral/unethical, inasmuch as the actions involve
some sort of unfairness, injustice, or violation of rights.
● Promises Objection to Utilitarianism. Answer: we have an inability to predict what the
long-term consequences of actions can be therefore difficult to dicscern utility of some
choices.
● Experience Machine Objection to Hedonism. Answer: Invented by Robert Nozick. A
machine enables patient to experience endless pleasure. Hedonists would argue that living in
the machine is the best life. The experiment proves that pleasure is not the only good thing in
life.
● Objection to Hedonism. Answer: Not all pleasures are inherently good (peeping Tom)
, ● Too demanding objection to Equal Consideration. Answer: Utilitarian does not
recognize the importance of special relationships - family and friends could not come before
strangers if it produces more net good to help strangers.
● Rule Utilitarianism. Answer: The right thing to do is to follow the best rule and this will
produced the most net good for all concerned. We must follow the OPTIMIFIC RULE even if
so doing will not cause the best consequences.
● Deontology. Answer: The idea that morality is doing one's moral duty (type of
non-consequentialist)
● Kantian Good Will. Answer: Doing acts not for an intended purpose, but because it is the
right thing to do. Acting based on the categorical imperative and respect for morality.
● Kantian ethics. Answer: 1) When actions have moral worth 2) certain principles to
determine when actions are morally wrong
● Categorical imperative. Answer: imperatives that apply to everyone, regardless of ultimate
desires
● Hypothetical imperative. Answer: "if you are thirsty, you ought to drink"
● Universal law version of the categorical imperative. Answer: "Act only on those maxims
that you can, at the same time, will as universal law"
● Contradiction in thought/conception. Answer: You cannot will a maxim which is
self-defeating or self-contradictory (violates perfect duty)
● Perfect duty. Answer: Duty that must never be violated
● Contradiction in will. Answer: an action may contradict what a person may want in the
future (violates imperfect duty)
● Imperfect duty. Answer: duty that is not consistently followed
● Universal law test. Answer: 1) Identify the maxim behind the action 2) universalize the
maxim 3) consider whether the universalized maxim can be consistently willed
● Humanity version of the categorical imperative. Answer: One must treat humanity as an
end and never as a means (do not use people!). Humanity = rational beings, end = rational
being, means = thing
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● Cultural relativism. Answer: there is no objective truth in ethics. Right and wrong are
relative to an individual or a certain group.
● Objections to cultural relativism. Answer: 1. Difficult to discern right from wrong. Same
action is right in one culture and wrong in the other. 2. There are certain rules that seem to be
universal in all cultures but this cannot be explained through CR.
● Utilitarianism. Answer: The right actions, laws policies promote the greatest amount of net
pleasure and the least amount of net pain, where everyone's pleasures and pain receive
equal consideration.
● Consequentialism. Answer: The right act is entirely determined by its consequences and
the right act promotes the most net good and the least net bad.
● Hedonism. Answer: The sole intrinsic good is pleasure and the sole intrinsic bad is pain
● Equal Consideration. Answer: No one's god is to be counted as more important than
anyone else's
● Situational ethic. Answer: Part of the consequentialist aspect of utilitarianism. Whether an
act is right or wrong depends on the particular situation.
● Justice Objection to Utilitarianism. Answer: The Utilitarian choice procedure sometimes
recommends actions that are intuitively immoral/unethical, inasmuch as the actions involve
some sort of unfairness, injustice, or violation of rights.
● Promises Objection to Utilitarianism. Answer: we have an inability to predict what the
long-term consequences of actions can be therefore difficult to dicscern utility of some
choices.
● Experience Machine Objection to Hedonism. Answer: Invented by Robert Nozick. A
machine enables patient to experience endless pleasure. Hedonists would argue that living in
the machine is the best life. The experiment proves that pleasure is not the only good thing in
life.
● Objection to Hedonism. Answer: Not all pleasures are inherently good (peeping Tom)
, ● Too demanding objection to Equal Consideration. Answer: Utilitarian does not
recognize the importance of special relationships - family and friends could not come before
strangers if it produces more net good to help strangers.
● Rule Utilitarianism. Answer: The right thing to do is to follow the best rule and this will
produced the most net good for all concerned. We must follow the OPTIMIFIC RULE even if
so doing will not cause the best consequences.
● Deontology. Answer: The idea that morality is doing one's moral duty (type of
non-consequentialist)
● Kantian Good Will. Answer: Doing acts not for an intended purpose, but because it is the
right thing to do. Acting based on the categorical imperative and respect for morality.
● Kantian ethics. Answer: 1) When actions have moral worth 2) certain principles to
determine when actions are morally wrong
● Categorical imperative. Answer: imperatives that apply to everyone, regardless of ultimate
desires
● Hypothetical imperative. Answer: "if you are thirsty, you ought to drink"
● Universal law version of the categorical imperative. Answer: "Act only on those maxims
that you can, at the same time, will as universal law"
● Contradiction in thought/conception. Answer: You cannot will a maxim which is
self-defeating or self-contradictory (violates perfect duty)
● Perfect duty. Answer: Duty that must never be violated
● Contradiction in will. Answer: an action may contradict what a person may want in the
future (violates imperfect duty)
● Imperfect duty. Answer: duty that is not consistently followed
● Universal law test. Answer: 1) Identify the maxim behind the action 2) universalize the
maxim 3) consider whether the universalized maxim can be consistently willed
● Humanity version of the categorical imperative. Answer: One must treat humanity as an
end and never as a means (do not use people!). Humanity = rational beings, end = rational
being, means = thing
