Study
Guide for the 2nd Ethics Exam
Fall, 2009
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 do the following:
1. Give an account of the basic claims and the arguments that support these claims.
2. You should be able to apply the theories to a concrete situation.
3. You should also know some major criticisms that can be offered of each philosopher and each theoretical perspective.
4. You should be able to compare the claims and arguments of the philosophers that we have studied.
4. 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.
1.
You should review the material deductive arguments. You should know what a
premise is. You should be able to indicate whether a particular deductive
argument is valid and sound.
2.
This exam is cumulative so you should review the material on Hobbes and Locke
detailed on the first study guide.
3. You should have a thorough understanding of why Marx rejects capitalism.
Here is a list of basic ideas that you should review.
a.
Marx presupposes two sets of assumptions about human beings: human beings as
self-creating beings and human beings as ensembles of social relationships.
b. Marx emphasizes the difference between natural or animal needs and powers
and human or species needs and powers.
c. The theory of alienation is primarily a description of the situation of
workers under capitalism, and there are at least six aspects of this
alienation.
d. Marx clearly values self-determination and self-realization
e. The theory of alienation provides the philosophical reasons for Marx’s most
basic condemnation of capitalism. The degradation and manipulation of human
needs and powers is an important part of this.
f. You can read Holly’s summaries of the theory of alienation on the website.
4.
You should understand the basics of Marx’s theory of ideology. Again, see the
summary available on the website.
5. You should understand why Engels (and Marx) believe that capitalist economic
crisis are an inevitable part of the capitalist system.
6.
Understand the libertarian conservative theory of Nozick. Here are some basic
concepts to review:
a. Liberty (negative rights) with an emphasis on property rights
b. No taxation to support social welfare or positive rights
c. The entitlement theory of justice suggests that a distribution is just
if everyone is historically entitled to the portion he or she has and there has
been no violation of negative rights
d. It is not appropriate to evaluation of the justice of the end-state
rather than the historical process.
7.
Understand the liberal theory of John Rawls. Here are some basic concepts to
review:
a. Rawls’ methodology is based on asking what conception of justice would
be chosen by a rational person behind a veil of ignorance.
b. The first principle of justice is the liberty principle.
c. The second principle of justice is the fairness principle that says
inequalities in distribution are just as long as they work out to the advantage
of all and everyone has an equal opportunity to compete.
d. The second principle of justice is implemented through government
regulation, government economic intervention particularly during capitalist
crisis, and the provision of positive rights.
8. Understand the implications of the ideas of Nozick and Rawls for the current
debate over healthcare.
9. Be
able to define negative rights, positive rights, collective rights, and
distributive justice.
10. There will be extra credit. Extra credit questions might be review questions or might be on the current healthcare debate.