Study Guide for the 3rd Ethics Exam
Fall, 2009

 

1. The quiz will consist of a number of short essay questions. For each of the philosophers that we have covered, you should be able to:

    a.  Give an account of the basic claims and the arguments that support these claims. 
    b.  Apply the theories to a concrete situation. 
    c.  Explain a major criticism that can be offered. 

2.  This exam is cumulative so you should review the material on the earlier study guides.  There will be questions that ask you to compare the claims and arguments of the philosophers that we have studied. Comparisons that you should definitely consider are Hobbes and Shiva, Nozick and Shiva, Marx and Schweickart, as well as Rawls and Schweickart.  There could be other comparisons, but at least one of these four will definitely be on the exam.


3.   You should be able to explain the meaning of quotations from the philosophers that we have studied. You should also be able to identify who wrote the quoted passage. The passage could be from any philosopher that we have studied.

4.  In reviewing Schweickart, be sure that you understand the following:

            a. The nature of the counter-project
            b. The critique of the Soviet Union
            c. The alternative model for revolution
            d. The basic 3-part model of  economic democracy and why each part is crucial.
            e. Why the Mondragon example supports Schweickart’s thesis
            f.  Schweickart’s proposal for fair trade
            g. Schweickart’s view on what’s wrong with capitalism
            h. Schweickart's view of how a transition could take place.


5.   In reviewing Shiva, be sure that you understand the following:
            a.  The influence of Gandhi on Shiva including the terms satyagraha, swadeshi, and swaraj.
            b.  The meaning of earth democracy
            c.  The three economies and how Shiva evaluates them
            d.  The arguments about the tragedy of the commons and privatization
            e.  Her arguments about how capitalist globalization have undermined democracy and human rights
            f.   Why Shiva sees seed saving as an ethical duty and an appropriate symbol for the entire program of earth democracy
            g.   How Shiva distinguishes between false universalisms and genuine universalisms.
            h.  The type of agriculture that Shiva endorses and the type that she rejects and why

10.  There will be extra credit.  Possible extra credit questions will include material from the last chapter of Shiva.