Chapter 3 Self Quiz

. Ethical egoism is the theory that

every human action aims at some personal benefit.

altruism is impossible.

actions are morally right just because they promote one’s self-interest.

it is permissible, but not obligatory, to value oneself over others.

. According to the text, what is wrong with the Self-Reliance Argument?

It is not true that all would be better off if everyone tended to his or her own needs.

The egoist cannot endorse the claim that we ought to do what benefits everyone.

both a and b

neither a nor b (The argument is sound.)

. Psychological egoism is the theory that

the mind is composed of the id, the superego, and the ego.

people morally ought to pursue their self-interest at all times.

acting solely out of self-interest is psychologically unhealthy.

everything people do is fundamentally motivated by self-interest.

. If psychological egoism is true, it can’t be our duty to be altruistic because

psychological egoism says that acting altruistically doesn’t make us better off.

altruism would be impossible and we aren’t morally required to do the impossible.

according to psychological egoism, an act is right just in case it is self-interested.

all of the above

. Which of the following accurately describes the relationship between ethical egoism and psychological egoism?

If psychological egoism is true, this supports ethical egoism.

If ethical egoism is true, psychological egoism must be true.

They are competing theories about what we ought to do.

They are competing theories about the way humans actually behave.

. Objective moral standards are those that

all moral theories agree upon.

apply to everyone, regardless of what they believe.

are knowable to all.

all of the above

. Which of the following would a relativist not accept?

Different societies have different moral codes.

Individuals can be mistaken about what is morally required of them.

Some societies have better moral codes than others.

There are no objective moral standards.

. If relativism does not generate contradictions between the moral beliefs of different cultures, then cross-cultural moral disagreement is

widespread.

rare.

impossible.

immoral.

. Error theory is the theory that

there are no moral features in the world.

no moral judgments are true.

our sincere moral judgments try, but always fail, to describe moral features in the world.

all of the above

. According to the Argument from Disagreement, there are no objective moral standards because

different cultures persistently disagree about all moral claims.

well-informed, open-minded, rational people persistently disagree about all moral claims.

moral disagreement is a result of sloppy moral reasoning.

All of the above.

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