Reference no: EM133715107

Question 1:

Explain a problem for virtue ethics. Use your own example of a situation that makes the problem evident.

Question 2 :

Explain a problem for act-utilitarianism. Use your own example of a situation that makes the problem evident.

question 3 :

Consider the following case and answer the question carefully.

Suppose you are a famous anthropologist, and one day you find a remote tribe in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The tribe is really surprised by your visit. After all, you are the first stranger they have ever seen. The tribe is in the middle of a religious ritual, preparing to execute twenty prisoners from a neighboring tribe as a gift to the sun god. However, since they also want to honor you, they offer you the honor of strangling one of the prisoners with your own hands. If you do that, they will let the others go back to their tribe. If you refuse to accept the honor, they will sacrifice all twenty people. You try to tell them that your god does not allow you to strangle people, but the tribal leader is unwilling to make any deals. He is very clear: Either you strangle one of the prisoners, or all twenty will be killed.

If you were a Kantian, what would you say is the morally right thing to do in this situation? Explain your answer.

Question 4

Consider the following case and answer the question carefully.

Suppose you are a famous anthropologist, and one day you find a remote tribe in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The tribe is really surprised by your visit. After all, you are the first stranger they have ever seen. The tribe is in the middle of a religious ritual, preparing to execute twenty prisoners from a neighboring tribe as a gift to the sun god. However, since they also want to honor you, they offer you the honor of strangling one of the prisoners with your own hands. If you do that, they will let the others go back to their tribe. If you refuse to accept the honor, they will sacrifice all twenty people. You try to tell them that your god does not allow you to strangle people, but the tribal leader is unwilling to make any deals. He is very clear: Either you strangle one of the prisoners, or all twenty will be killed.

If you were an act-utilitarian, what would you say is the morally right thing to do in this situation? Explain your answer.

Question 5

Consider the following argument:

1. If fetuses are persons, then abortion is wrong.

2. Fetuses are persons.

Therefore, abortion is wrong.

Answer all the following questions:

a) Which statements in this argument are the premises? Which one is the conclusion?

b) Is the argument deductively valid? Explain your answer.

c) What would need to be the case for this argument to be sound?

d) Do you think the argument is sound? Explain your answer.