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Study Questions: M.A. Exam in Ethics—Summer 2010
1. Give Hume’s argument for how we cannot derive ought from is. Is there an effective
challenge to this argument? Evaluate the success of this challenge to Hume.
2. In the Groundwork and in the Critique of Practical Reason, Kant argues against moral
theories that he calls “heteronomous.” What makes a moral theory heteronomous, according
to Kant? Why does he think that no such theory can be valid? Do you find Kant’s reasoning
here compelling?
3. According to Mill, what is the internal sanction of morality? How does Mill’s account of
moral motivation differ from Kant’s?
4. Virtue theorists claim that their theories give a more adequate account of moral experience
than do theories based on principles. Evaluate this claim and explain what is at stake in the
debate between virtue theorists and proponents of moral principles.
5. What do some feminist moral philosophers object to in traditional justice-based approaches
to ethics? Why are some feminists nevertheless wary of embracing wholeheartedly the care
approach? To what extent can a care approach be incorporated into a justice-based approach?
6. What role is played in McDowell’s moral philosophy by the notion of a moral or ethical
outlook? What philosophical set of concerns is this notion meant to respond to? Do you find
his view compelling, and what might critics object to?
7. Explain the central idea of Scanlon’s contractualist account of morality. Does this account
provide a plausible standard of right and wrong? Is contractualism an expression of moral
relativism?
8. Describe Michael Smith’s so-called moral problem. What is the allegedly inconsistent triad
of propositions he points to? If the propositions are inconsistent, which one or ones should
we deny?
9. Do ethical judgments have cognitive content? What do you take to be the best argument for?
What do you take to be the best argument against?
10. Describe the position known in contemporary ethical theory as “particularism”? What do you
take to be the best arguments for it? What have critics charged are its main weaknesses?
11. What does blame add to the judgment that a person has acted wrongly? Is blame central to
the moral life? Discuss with reference to at least two philosophers.
12. Explain the distinction between agent-relative and agent-neutral reasons. Should agentrelative reasons play any role in moral reasoning? Discuss with respect to at least two
philosophers.