Preliminary Questions for The Fundamentals of Ethics Chapter 11

Name:

1. What are some plausible moral considerations other than divine

commands or consequences for well-being?

2. Consider the following two questions about the famous Golden Rule:
treat others as you would like to be treated.
a. Can you come up with a case where the Golden Rule seems to
give bad moral advice?

b. Can you come up with a deeper rationale for the Golden Rule? Is
there a kind of moral principle or conceptual truth about morality
or such that could justify it?
3. Another popular moral test is the question “what if everyone did that?”
a. Can you come up with a case where the “what if everyone did
that?” test seems to give bad moral advice?

b. Can you come up with a deeper rationale for the “what if

everyone did that?” test? Is there a kind of moral principle or
conceptual truth about morality or such that could justify it?

4. Often, it seems like what we ought to do depends on our desires. If you

want to dance and you have been invited to a dance party you ought
to go (or at least have a very good reason to go). However, if you don’t
want to dance then you have less reason to go.

Does the moral ought seem to depend on our desires in this way? Why
or why not?