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Study Guide for the 1st Ethics Quiz


 The quiz will consist of a number of short answer questions. For each of the philosophers we have covered, you should be able to give an account of their basic claims and the arguments that they give for these claims.  You should be able to apply their ethical theories to a concrete situation.  You should also know some major criticisms that can be offered of each philosopher.  I may give you a quotation from one of the philosophers that we have studied and ask you to explain that quotation. If you have had any difficulties with the main text, Palmer's Does the Center Hold? will be of great help.  What follows is a list of major ideas that may help with your review.

 

1.       Hobbes

  1. People are self-interested and rational.

  2. The state of nature equals a war of all against all.

  3. It is rational to end this state of nature with a social contract.

  4. A strong centralized government (preferably a monarchy) is needed to maintain social order.

  5. The laws of the state define justice.

  6. Revolution can never be justified.

  7. In conflicts between states, no appeal to justice makes sense, because there is no social contract.

 

2.       Locke

  1. Even in the state of nature, there are natural rights.

  2. The purpose of the social contract is protecting the natural rights of its citizens.

  3. There is a right to revolution under certain circumstances.

  4. The best government is a representative democracy with branches of government that check and balance one another’s powers.

  5. In the state of nature something unclaimed becomes property when someone mixes his labor with it.  Certain conditions apply on how much can be claimed until money is in common use.

  6. Only certain people have full rights of citizenship.

  7. War between states does not negate the natural rights.

 

3.       Smith

  1. Morality is based in our sentiments of approval and disapproval.

  2. Capitalism represents the most rational organization of the economy.

  3. What underlying values are found in The Wealth of Nations?


    There may be extra credit questions on current events.