PHIL 160 EXAM 3 FINAL KU QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Thomson "A Defense of Abortion" - Answers - argues that even if a fetus has a right to
life, abortion can still be morally permissible in many cases, using thought experiments
like the famous "violinist analogy" to highlight the limits of one person's obligation to
sustain another's life.
violinist analogy - Answers - The violinist analogy compares being forced to continue a
pregnancy to being unwillingly connected to a famous violinist who depends on your
body to survive, illustrating that having a right to life doesn't mean having a right to use
someone else's body.
Warren "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" + Postscript - Answers - argues
that a fetus lacks the characteristics of personhood (like consciousness and reasoning),
so it doesn't have a moral right to life, and she responds to critics by defending her
criteria for personhood and the permissibility of abortion.
Marquis "Why Abortion is Immoral" - Answers - argues that abortion is morally wrong
because it deprives the fetus of a "future like ours," which is the same reason killing an
adult human is wrong.
King "Letter from the Birmingham City Jail" - Answers - defends nonviolent resistance to
racism, arguing that unjust laws must be challenged through direct action and
emphasizing the moral urgency of fighting injustice.
Leiser "Is Homosexuality Unnatural?" - Answers - critiques the claim that homosexuality
is unnatural, arguing that such assertions are based on flawed definitions of "natural"
and lack moral relevance.
Define "ethics." - Answers - study of moral principles that guide what is right and wrong
in human behavior.
What is the difference between normative and descriptive disciplines? - Answers -
Normative disciplines focus on how things should be, while descriptive disciplines focus
on how things are.
What is the fundamental project of moral philosophy, as it was specified by Socrates? -
Answers -
How does the moral point of view differ from the prudential and legal points of view? -
Answers - The moral point of view focuses on what is right or wrong based on ethical
, principles, while the prudential point of view emphasizes self-interest, and the legal
point of view concerns what is permitted or required by law.
What does it mean to say that x is necessary for y? Be prepared to identify examples of
necessary conditions. - Answers - To say that x is necessary for y means that y cannot
occur or exist without x, such as oxygen being necessary for human survival.
What does it mean to say that x is sufficient for y? Please be sure to identify examples
of sufficient conditions. - Answers - To say that x is sufficient for y means that if x occurs
or exists, y will definitely occur, such as flipping a light switch being sufficient to turn on
the light (assuming the system works).
What is an argument (in philosophy)? - Answers - In philosophy, an argument is a set of
statements where one (the conclusion) is supported by others (the premises).
Define "validity - Answers - Validity means that an argument's conclusion logically
follows from its premises, regardless of whether the premises are true.
Precisely what sort of form must a valid argument have? - Answers - A valid argument
must have a form where, if the premises are true, the conclusion cannot be false.
Can a valid argument have false premises? - Answers - Yes, a valid argument can have
false premises as long as the conclusion logically follows from them.
Can a valid argument have a false conclusion? - Answers - Yes, a valid argument can
have a false conclusion if at least one of its premises is false.
Can a valid argument have true premises and a false conclusion? - Answers - No, a
valid argument cannot have true premises and a false conclusion.
Define "soundness." How does soundness differ from validity? What does an argument
need in order to be sound? - Answers - Soundness means an argument is both valid
and has all true premises, whereas validity only requires the conclusion to logically
follow from the premises.
State DC and explain why there are two possible interpretations of its meaning. Explain
how Theological Voluntarism differs from the Divine Advisor View. - Answers - theory
states that something is morally right or wrong because God commands or forbids it,
which can mean either God's commands create morality (Theological Voluntarism) or
that God commands based on an independent moral standard (Divine Advisor View).
One important objection to Theological Voluntarism is that is seems to provide the
wrong reasons for the moral statuses of certain actions. State and explain this objection.
- Answers - is that it makes morality arbitrary, implying actions like kindness are good
only because God commands them, which undermines the intuitive belief that they are
inherently good.
ANSWERS
Thomson "A Defense of Abortion" - Answers - argues that even if a fetus has a right to
life, abortion can still be morally permissible in many cases, using thought experiments
like the famous "violinist analogy" to highlight the limits of one person's obligation to
sustain another's life.
violinist analogy - Answers - The violinist analogy compares being forced to continue a
pregnancy to being unwillingly connected to a famous violinist who depends on your
body to survive, illustrating that having a right to life doesn't mean having a right to use
someone else's body.
Warren "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" + Postscript - Answers - argues
that a fetus lacks the characteristics of personhood (like consciousness and reasoning),
so it doesn't have a moral right to life, and she responds to critics by defending her
criteria for personhood and the permissibility of abortion.
Marquis "Why Abortion is Immoral" - Answers - argues that abortion is morally wrong
because it deprives the fetus of a "future like ours," which is the same reason killing an
adult human is wrong.
King "Letter from the Birmingham City Jail" - Answers - defends nonviolent resistance to
racism, arguing that unjust laws must be challenged through direct action and
emphasizing the moral urgency of fighting injustice.
Leiser "Is Homosexuality Unnatural?" - Answers - critiques the claim that homosexuality
is unnatural, arguing that such assertions are based on flawed definitions of "natural"
and lack moral relevance.
Define "ethics." - Answers - study of moral principles that guide what is right and wrong
in human behavior.
What is the difference between normative and descriptive disciplines? - Answers -
Normative disciplines focus on how things should be, while descriptive disciplines focus
on how things are.
What is the fundamental project of moral philosophy, as it was specified by Socrates? -
Answers -
How does the moral point of view differ from the prudential and legal points of view? -
Answers - The moral point of view focuses on what is right or wrong based on ethical
, principles, while the prudential point of view emphasizes self-interest, and the legal
point of view concerns what is permitted or required by law.
What does it mean to say that x is necessary for y? Be prepared to identify examples of
necessary conditions. - Answers - To say that x is necessary for y means that y cannot
occur or exist without x, such as oxygen being necessary for human survival.
What does it mean to say that x is sufficient for y? Please be sure to identify examples
of sufficient conditions. - Answers - To say that x is sufficient for y means that if x occurs
or exists, y will definitely occur, such as flipping a light switch being sufficient to turn on
the light (assuming the system works).
What is an argument (in philosophy)? - Answers - In philosophy, an argument is a set of
statements where one (the conclusion) is supported by others (the premises).
Define "validity - Answers - Validity means that an argument's conclusion logically
follows from its premises, regardless of whether the premises are true.
Precisely what sort of form must a valid argument have? - Answers - A valid argument
must have a form where, if the premises are true, the conclusion cannot be false.
Can a valid argument have false premises? - Answers - Yes, a valid argument can have
false premises as long as the conclusion logically follows from them.
Can a valid argument have a false conclusion? - Answers - Yes, a valid argument can
have a false conclusion if at least one of its premises is false.
Can a valid argument have true premises and a false conclusion? - Answers - No, a
valid argument cannot have true premises and a false conclusion.
Define "soundness." How does soundness differ from validity? What does an argument
need in order to be sound? - Answers - Soundness means an argument is both valid
and has all true premises, whereas validity only requires the conclusion to logically
follow from the premises.
State DC and explain why there are two possible interpretations of its meaning. Explain
how Theological Voluntarism differs from the Divine Advisor View. - Answers - theory
states that something is morally right or wrong because God commands or forbids it,
which can mean either God's commands create morality (Theological Voluntarism) or
that God commands based on an independent moral standard (Divine Advisor View).
One important objection to Theological Voluntarism is that is seems to provide the
wrong reasons for the moral statuses of certain actions. State and explain this objection.
- Answers - is that it makes morality arbitrary, implying actions like kindness are good
only because God commands them, which undermines the intuitive belief that they are
inherently good.
